How To Shop At Whole Foods For Less Than $50

I absolutely love Whole Foods Market, but it can be extremely spendy at times. After shopping at Whole Foods for odds and ends here and there, it inspired me to do a whole week's worth of grocery shopping on a fixed budget, and without having to spend big bucks. If you have been reading my blog lately, you may have come across my Whole Foods Market posts (here and here). If you haven't been following along, I have been conducting research, coupon hunts, compiling lists, and meal plans in preparation for the big shopping trip. Originally, my goal was to spend $40, or less than $40, but after having a hard time trying to find coupons for the items I wanted, $40 was looking a little unreachable. Little did I know that I actually have saver's savvy, and I left Whole Foods Market today with two bags full of a week's worth of groceries; having only spent $45. Here is how I did it...

A little warning before I begin, this budget fix is for one person, but with a little tweaking, and maybe only $15 more, you could make this budget shopping trip to Whole Foods Market for two people. Today, my budget shopping trip was only for me. 

First, I compiled a list and put together a simple meal plan, complete with snacks and side dishes. I would add prices that I knew next to the items to control my spending early on. Knowing the prices is important when shopping at Whole Foods Market, so on your next trip there, write down the prices of your regular items, or make note of prices on basic things. It will help you out when planning for your shopping trip, and grocery budget. 

Next, you go on a coupon hunt. Most of the items I bought were Organic 365, Whole Foods Market's generic brand. If Organic 365 does have coupons available, they will be on the Whole Food's website and, or in the store. Whole Foods provides their coupons to their shoppers in-store, always available to them. They have some great deals in there, unfortunately none of the items I bought had deals running for them in the Whole Food's coupon booklet. I did end up finding four coupons to use, and they saved me a few dollars. 

When shopping at Whole Foods, looking for the cheapest deal is my plan of action. On my list, I planned for expensive apples, but I knew I could probably find cheaper apples in the produce section, and that I did. I also saved myself $1.99 on almond milk because I bought it boxed, and unrefrigerated. I shot high on the almond milk, and scored low prices with good decisions. Just look for the low prices, in-store deals, and sale items going on during your shopping trip. These help you save money in a pinch. I was circling store comparing prices, writing prices down, and making sure that I did not go over budget. 

Here is my $45 haul. I made the mistake of shredding my receipt, I have no idea why I did that before posting, but after I used Checkout 51, I figured I was done with my receipt. I remember most of the prices, the prices that I am unsure about is the wild rice, and the almonds from bulk. 

-365 brand Whole Grain Seed bread: $2.99 (no coupon)

-365 brand Frosted Flakes: $3.89 (no coupon)

-365 brand Almond Milk: $2.00 (no coupon, used in-store deal)

- 2 Sweet Potatoes: $3.98 (no coupon)

- 2 Mamma Chia, Chia Squeezes: $2.58 (with coupon: $1.00 off purchasing two) (rebate)

-Chicken: $7.89 (no coupon)

- 4 Gala apples: $3.35 (no coupon)

-Medium Cheddar Cheese: $3.89 (no coupon)

-1 half dozen organic eggs: $2.79 (no coupon)

-1 package of Glory Bee Clover Honey Sticks: $1.69 (no coupon)

-1 package of WOW Baking Company Gluten Free cookies: $4.99 (no coupon)

-3 Larabars: $3.00 (with a coupon for each bar, .40 cents off each bar)

-8 oz. bulk almonds: $1.89 (approx) (no coupon)

-1/4 lb bulk Wild Rice: $1.54 (approx) (no coupon)

I also received .10 cents off my purchase because I used a reusable bag, and then I uploaded my receipt to Checkout 51, picked a few rebate items on my receipt, and earned myself $1.50 on the Checkout 51 rebate app. Technically, I paid $44 for my groceries due to the rebate app. 

I am so happy with the results to my project, and I am happy with my meals for this week. It is exciting when something works out. I will post my meals and meal plan during the midle of this upcoming week to share how I am doing with the very end resuts of my project. I am proud of myself, happy with the resuls, and proud of the research I did.