Anonymous wrote:MOM's all the way. And yes, WF does have better prices on organic than either Safeway or Giant. And if you limit yourself to stuff on sale, it's actually quite a deal at times. I find Safeway really pricey.

We recently switched from WF to MOMs, and MOMs s definintely cheaper! Agree that Safeway is expensive and Giant is too. I had to make a huge batch of chicken thighs the other day and decided to buy them at Giant to save money. The generic, Giant brand (full of junk and not organic) was more expensive per pound than the organic thighs I usually buy at WF. Don't assume you'll save money at Giant or Safeway!

MOM's all the way. And yes, WF does have better prices on organic than either Safeway or Giant. And if you limit yourself to stuff on sale, it's actually quite a deal at times. I find Safeway really pricey.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I'm trying to get my grocery bill under control. Right now I pretty much exclusively shop at Whole Foods. That has to stop. While I don't think I can give up fruit/vegetables and meat from WF I am game to shop for other things at the Giant near Bethesda Row. For those that do a combo of both WF and another mainstream store (I'm not going to TJ) what do get at the mainstream store and what do get at WF??

TIA

You should think about shifting to farmers markets for your fruits and veggies... But I generally try to buy staples at Giant/Safeway -- i.e., cereal, coffee, bread, pasta, that sort of thing.

Would love to switch to a farmers market but time is limited and can't imagine three shopping trips per week! I stop by the farmers stand on Jones Bridge when I can during the summer... I tried Washington Green Grocers but ended up with a lot of things we don't really eat (once I had enough butter beans to feed a high school football team).

Just an FYI, Washington's Green Grocer allows you to swap things out, get two of one thing and none of another, etc. I customize our order every week.

Anonymous wrote:WF has better prices on organic dairy compared to Safeway.

Definitely true for us in NW DC. I can buy a gallon of organic milk at WF for $5.99. It is well over $7.00 at the Safeway on Davenport St.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I do what you are asking except I use Safeway. Basically I go to WF 1x week and buy all our fruit/veggies, meat/fish, milk, eggs and yogurt - they have better prices on organic dairy anyway. The only things I buy from the 'middle' of WF are occasionally some crackers or sometimes if I'm short a can of tomatoes or something...

I go to Safeway every other week, which means being organized and keeping good lists, but I dont buy anything too perishable there so it is manageable. I buy all paper goods (napkins, TP, paper towels, kleenex); cleaning supplies; sandwich bread; non-fancy cheese (american, shredded cheddar, cream cheese, etc); and anything canned or packaged (stock, soup, beans, salsa, etc).

the one exception to all this is that WF generally has better prices on organic stuff because they sell so much, so if you're a stickler for organic shredded cheese, might as well stick with them.

OP, I'm like you and buy most all of our food at WF, though trying to cut costs. Like PP, don't buy ANY non-food items there. Buy vitamins on Amazon or Drugstore. I buy all paper goods at Target 2x/year. But be careful about buying packaged or canned goods at Giant because if you buy the "healthier"' brands in Giant's "organic" section they are more expensive than WF. Bunny crackers are more expensive there than WF (and if anyone calls me out, this was 8 months ago, so maybe this has changed). The big boxes of kiddie Horizon chocolate milk were $3 more (!) at Giant in FH than Tenley's WF. Also, I think if you are really in to healthier food, then the only way to cut costs is to go totally basic (and sometimes Trader Joe's). For example, I buy WF beans in the terra pak because I don't want BPA. You can't get a Giant brand in a terra pak, so the cheaper option is to buy a pack of beans and make them from scratch. You can also buy bulk from Amazon of "healthier" brands like Bob's or Mary's Gone Crackers from Amazon, which is cheaper than WF. In part, I just resign myself, though now that I'm meal planning it saves money. Also, cooking from scratch = cheaper and healthier.

Anonymous wrote:

Whole Foods is karma's giant trick on clueless and gullible white people. And its red-headed stepchild Trader Joes is the guy playing three-card monte on the corner.

Totally disagree on lumping these together. Yes, WF is expensive and crazy. Trader Joe's, though, is cheaper on just about everything. (Not just cheaper than WF, cheaper than Giant/Safeway/HT.) OP, if you're going to shop two different stores anyway, one for organic and one not, I'd make the second one Trader Joe's.

But give MOM a try. Cheaper and more laid back than WF.

Yes. I agree. I don't get the TJ reference (although I greatly enjoy the image). I have seen it a couple of time on here over the years. Maybe it depends on what you buy there, but everything I get is either cheaper or the same price as Giant. And they often just have unique items that we enjoy.

OP, I have been thinking about reducing our grocery bills lately. Now that our busy time at work is over, I can focus on getting back to normal. Here are couple things that we are doing now:

1. Time- having time to make homemade foods is the key. It's healthier and cheaper.
2. Avoid Name Brands- prepared foods cost more, like pasta sauce, cheese ravioli, sandwich meats, sausages.
3. Buy unprocessed grains and meats- eat oat meal instead of cheerios, make grain mixture from wheat brans, wheat germs, flax seeds and shake it into rice and pasta. Cook whole chicken instead of buying chicken nuggets.
4. Buyer Juicer and make homemade juice- carrots, spinach, apples, oranges.

sorry...I shop at whole foods and some of the stuff I buy there is way cheaper for the quality. Organic store brand ketchup is $1.99 etc. I buy produce there b/c it is much fresher than giant or safeway or Harris Teeter. Things like berries or apples last longer and don't rot. You do have to be careful though and I never buy brands there I can get elsewhere. Stick to the WF 365 brand. I still buy all my produce and fresh meat there.

Some products like packaged cheese I get at Trader Joes. I have heard good things about Wegmans, try there maybe instead of Giant for staples.
If you look at the labels and pay attention to taste many of the items at whole foods have minimal ingredients and I find them to be fresher. Often organic good at some places like giant is costlier than the regular stuff they sell and demand is low so it sits on the shelves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I do what you are asking except I use Safeway. Basically I go to WF 1x week and buy all our fruit/veggies, meat/fish, milk, eggs and yogurt - they have better prices on organic dairy anyway. The only things I buy from the 'middle' of WF are occasionally some crackers or sometimes if I'm short a can of tomatoes or something...

I go to Safeway every other week, which means being organized and keeping good lists, but I dont buy anything too perishable there so it is manageable. I buy all paper goods (napkins, TP, paper towels, kleenex); cleaning supplies; sandwich bread; non-fancy cheese (american, shredded cheddar, cream cheese, etc); and anything canned or packaged (stock, soup, beans, salsa, etc).

the one exception to all this is that WF generally has better prices on organic stuff because they sell so much, so if you're a stickler for organic shredded cheese, might as well stick with them.

It is so not true that Whole Foods has better prices on organic produce or organic dairy! I have directly comparison shopped-same day.
WF is more expensive every single item, every single time. We are at a different location (VA), but should the prices be that different?
I buy organic milk, organic yoghurt, and organic produce, mostly at Giant, but also go to HT and TJ.

I'm the quoted poster. I regularly find organic milk cheaper at WF; yogurt generally the same to cheaper and way fresher at WF (look at expiration dates). Organic produce is about the same but again, way fresher at WF. Organic frozen veges, canned tomatoes, etc. are cheaper at WF. Maybe there's a difference between Safeway and Giant, but Safeway organics are absurd.

Whole Foods is karma's giant trick on clueless and gullible white people. And its red-headed stepchild Trader Joes is the guy playing three-card monte on the corner.

Totally disagree on lumping these together. Yes, WF is expensive and crazy. Trader Joe's, though, is cheaper on just about everything. (Not just cheaper than WF, cheaper than Giant/Safeway/HT.) OP, if you're going to shop two different stores anyway, one for organic and one not, I'd make the second one Trader Joe's.

But give MOM a try. Cheaper and more laid back than WF.

WF has better prices on organic dairy compared to Safeway.

I buy almost all of my groceries including organic produce, dairy and eggs at Giant. Weekly grocery bill around $130-150 for a family of 4. About 50% organic, I cook from scratch 5-6 days a week and we pack our lunches.

Anonymous wrote:Whole Foods is karma's giant trick on clueless and gullible white people. And its red-headed stepchild Trader Joes is the guy playing three-card monte on the corner.

Totally agree. But as long as there are people dumb enough to shop there, they'll do great! I swear I could put an apple from Walmart on the shelf at Whole Foods, mark it $6.55 a pound, and people would fight over it. Expensive always means better, after all.

Whole Foods is karma's giant trick on clueless and gullible white people. And its red-headed stepchild Trader Joes is the guy playing three-card monte on the corner.

I dont understand the question. Just buy the same groceries that you would normally buy. I never go to WF bc its way too expensive and do most of my shopping at Safeway and TJs.

We eat plenty of produce, dairy (non-organic), and staples like pasta, rice, beans, etc. I buy frozen vegetables and snacks at TJ bc they are the cheapest there. I also love TJs marinara sauce.

They sell organic pretty much everywhere these days, so if thats what you want, you can get it at Giant, Safeway, or TJs too.