(And We All Know The Banks Don’t Really Need Our Help With Breaking Right Now)
Most of you know that Andrew and I tend to lean toward the “crunchy” side of living. Before children entered our lives, there were enough health issues between us (alright, fine, me) that we decided we would make our food budget more of a priority. In other words, I started shopping at Whole Foods. As we added kids to our family, we became even MORE aware of how important what we ate was, so we re-vamped our budget to make room for more Whole Foods.
And that would be my first piece of advice to anyone considering going “organic.” I understand in these economic times, everyone has to make compromises. We looked at our budget and decided our food and health were a priority. So we skimp on other things to provide for spending more at the grocery store. Both of us committed to this and it’s made it easier to swallow the prices. (How and why we made that decision is a whole ‘nother novel. Leave a comment and I can send you the resources we examined.)
As our family grew, those prices did, too. About the time I thought I was hitting the limit of what we could afford, I discovered a Bulk Buyer’s Club for Organic foods. Basically, the same warehouse that supplies Whole Foods would sell the products to me and a group of my friends at bulk rates. Perfect.
The club we use is United Buying Club. They have little groups all over the country and I’m sure there are other companies that do the same thing. We order once a month. The system is a little outdated, things don’t always get shipped properly, it’s not a perfectly oiled machine. But this works and saves us money. The occasional inconvenience is something we put up with in order to stick to our goals of buying healthy food and not completely blowing the bank account.
Here’s a few tips and things to think about:
1. If you do have a Whole Foods available to you, you’ll need to be a savvy shopper. Sometimes with the expense of shipping bulk, a Whole Foods sale price is cheaper. But don’t forget to factor in how much your time and gas are worth. Overall, once I started buying more from the bulk club, I’ve cut down on the necessity to go to Whole Foods more than once or twice a month. And I cut our expenditures there by 70%. Plus, usually the bulk club offers similar sale prices as Whole Foods, since they are Whole Foods’ distributor.
2. Whether you buy at Whole Foods or from a buying club, take advantage of sales. Your favorite brand of chips goes on sale? Buy eight bags. If it was on your list to begin with, and especially if it’s a weekly item, you’re not blowing your budget to buy extra. You will save on next week’s budget, and the week after that. This took me awhile to learn. But I saw our grocery bills drop drastically even before we joined United, just by stocking up when Whole Foods put something on sale.
3. The catalog for a bulk buying club can be overwhelming. Save your grocery receipts and use those to “go shopping” in the catalog the first few times. This helps you compare prices and know where to start.
4. If you still don’t know what to buy, look at your typical grocery list. Weekly pre-packaged items are great for buying in bulk. I buy all of our peanut butter, crackers, cookies, raisins, chips, and CEREAL in bulk. (Okay, I also buy my favorite chocolate bar in bulk.) I also buy pantry staples like oats, wheat, sugar (Rapadura), honey, muffin baking cups, chocolate chips, and baking powder. On occasion, we’ve been able to add a few refrigerated items like cheese and butter (keep it in the freezer) when there’s a sale.
5. If your buying club offers a produce list (like Albert’s Organics), TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. This may be my favorite part. I can get the organic fruits and veggis we like at much better prices than Whole Foods. I pick them up once a month. And they’re so fresh, they will last in the fridge for four weeks. I kid you not. I buy bagged apples, strawberries, cantaloupe, lettuce, cherries, whatever looks good. And they really do last. Well, until we eat them. This alone cuts costs and really limits the need to go to the grocery store every week.
Does this all really help save money? Yes. Let’s say that I was spending $300 a week on groceries. (Don’t laugh, it happened.) Now, I order a $300 bulk order once a month, and maybe spend $100 or less a week on extra groceries. Usually, it’s much less, if I go to the store at all. (Keep in mind, we buy our milk from another source and we also buy chicken and beef in large quantities from local farmers, so my freezer is stocked with protein.) That’s a significant difference. (We do factor the cost of meat into our budget, spread over the months/years it will last us. It’s so much cheaper per pound than at Whole Foods, it really is a good savings.) Plus, I don’t have to haul the kids out every week. We seriously don’t get out much!
In addition, having a well-stocked pantry (or, in my case, garage) has really helped us out since I got put on bed rest. We don’t need someone to go to the grocery store and restock our entire pantry every week. Andrew can pick up the few random things we need, but we have eaten very nicely for two months of bed rest off of the generosity of the Casserole Brigade and what I had stocked in the garage. That’s pretty impressive, I think.
One more thought about switching to organic foods: if you’re just starting to switch, start with a place like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods to figure out what brands your family likes. Then you don’t end up with 14 boxes of crackers that you all hate. It matters, especially as you train your palates to enjoy a less-processed food.
Sorry for the length of this post. I will pray for your retinas. Happy shopping!
10.1.2008
This is really great! i would love to hear more from the fruits of your research and experience! i would also love hear about your “journey to health” and the resources you mentioned. I am a compulsive reader and researcher so giving me your list plus my chocolate equals BIG FUN to me! LOL:) Seriously, thank you for sharing.:) Praying for you all, jen in al
10.1.2008
Where are you getting your chicken and beef? We have been getting beef from a local farmer, but I think I want to try someone who will just give us ground beef- the steaks are chewy from being frozen…
Are you getting raw milk anywhere or just doing the Wright Dairy?
Also worth mentioning- for some folks, the best they can do is to buy frozen organic- usually more affordable than fresh organic, and more healthy than canned foods.
(Here is me, being thankful for the employee discount at Whole Foods!!!!LOL)
10.1.2008
Did you have any trouble connecting with your buyer’s club at first? I found one that is supposedly in our area a while back and ahve tried to contact them and have never heard back from them. I’m so envious that everyone else but our city has a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods!
10.1.2008
Thanks for your ideas! I love organic foods. We are supposed to get a Whole Foods, at some point. Personally, I cannot spend over $70 a week on groceries, without breaking the bank. I am interested in co-ops for buying organic. I wonder if it would be affordable on my budget.Blessings, dear friend.
10.1.2008
Great tips on eating healthy. Now, if only I could get my hubby to go along with something like this . . .
10.1.2008
Thank you for your info on the organic food buying. We are slowly working our way into it, so this is a huge help!
Sherry
10.1.2008
Man, I got all excited about the United buying club option and wouldn’t you know it, the don’t have them in Texas. As big as we are and yet…nothin’! Dang.
We are in the process of revamping our eating and opting to eat healthier, but I just cannot, at this point, shop exclusively at Whole Foods for a family of soon-to-be 8. Costco has been a great resource because they sell a lot of organic stuff (like yumm-o organic hummus for cheap!), but I would still love to take it further.
I have to pester United and ask them just “WHY” they’re not in Texas. BTW, I would love to see some of your food lists and hear some of your ideas for feeding the littles. Oh, and one more random comment….you are right, Whole Foods has the best fruits and veggies anywhere! Hands down!
10.1.2008
Aw, sad, we don’t have one of the United Buying Clubs in Colorado! But we do have Whole Foods! Thanks for the tip!
10.1.2008
Thank you for the tips.
10.1.2008
good post. My family has a running joke: “it’s Whole Paycheck, not Whole Foods.”
10.1.2008
Thank you for that info, very helpful. Whole Foods pulled out of our community a few months ago and my best friend and I have been wondering what we will do because we were both AVID shoppers there. We had considered making the hour long drive to the nearest WF market, but I will definitely see if she and her hubby are interested in buying bulk- this may be just what we’ve been looking for - thanks again!
10.1.2008
Thank you! We are a Feingold Diet family, and do not have a whole foods. I am so excited to look into this!!!
10.2.2008
I’d love to get some more resources…we do good bit of organic as our regular stores are carrying more and more of it…and we make the occasional stop at Whole Foods for the more scarce item (with the distance, time and cost of gas it’s less of an option these days) but, the bank is breaking big time and I’m trying to figure out what else can give. We also have the added joy of severe food allergies in our family — something most easily accomodated with the healthier foods.
I will look into the Buying Club as well. I want to know more about how it works, but, please tell me that hte $750 minimum is per club, not idividual!
5.11.2009
[...] of eating more protein but saving money, I recently ordered a 25 pound bag of pinto beans from our buying club. My favorite do-it-yourselfer had an ebook available on “what to do with beans,” so I [...]