Okay, so the title of this post is hyperbole. My family of 4 (plus one cat on a gourmet veterinary diet) shops almost exclusively at Whole Foods. Once in a while, we supplement our food stock with items from Trader Joes and Safeway (get 10 cents per gallon off gas if you spend $50, which really is pretty easy to do). In the spring and summer, we buy fruits and veggies at our local farmer's market.
Whole Foods has been nicknamed "Whole Paycheck" because they are expensive. But we shop there anyway. So there.
Inspiration for this post? How We Eat on $250 a Month. This story is about a family of 5 (2 adults, 3 children) who make their household income stretch R-E-A-L-L-Y far. I applaud them.
We find it hard to buy food from the supermarket. As times change, incomes don't stretch as far, and energy costs keep us guessing, we may change our tune. We like Whole Foods. They buy local. So do we. They have a huge variety of organic food. Safeway and others don't. And, since we're going to buy organic (I know, it's not frugal to buy organic), we've done the comparison shopping: Whole Foods is substantially cheaper on the products we're going to buy compared to anywhere else.
I certainly give it up to those who can spend only $10 a week on groceries (or $62.50). I have read that those folks spend 1/2 a day or more shopping and driving around town. I'd rather spend that time with my family. You always pay one way or another.
For us, it's a moral choice, a healthy choice, and a prudent choice.
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