Organic on a Budget: Saving at Whole Foods and Meal Plans

It's no big secret, but I feel it is something that people just don't do as often as they should when trying to save money -- meal plan, research sales, find coupons, buy more of what is actually on sale so it rolls over into the coming weeks.

Meal plans, you say?  Here's some of what I have in store for this week (recipes and critiques to come!)

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chicken Cajun Pasta (Lite Version!)

Baked Ziti with Spinach

Avacado BLTs

Cilantro Chicken Salad

Let's start with Whole Foods:

I started looking at the Whole Foods sales flyer online here.  It's really great.  They give you the new pricing, old pricing, percent that you're saving -- it just makes it all easy and puts the money you're spending into perspective.  My advice?  Stock up on some of the great sale items.  You're freezer is your friend!

My favorite deal this week:
1.99 lb Organic Braeburn Apples -- cheaper than Walmart's conventional variety by over $1!

And COUPONS!  Did you know you can print off coupons right from Whole Foods' website?  See here!  The Krazy Coupon Lady also has a section devoted to Whole Foods coupon match ups/printable coupons -- see here!  ***This is seriously a great resource, and I plan on using it ALL OF THE TIME. Here are some of my favorite scores I got this week:

Organic Valley Dairy Creamer, 16 oz $1.99

Use $1.00/1 – Organic Valley Dairy Creamer, Hazelnut or French Vanilla, 16 oz, Whole Foods Coupon – (wholefoodscoupon.com)Final Price: $0.99

Stonyfield Organic Greek Yogurt, 4 oz 4 ct $2.79Use $0.50/1 – Stonyfield Organic Oikes Greek Yogurt, 16 oz or 32 oz – (stonyfield.com)And use $1.00/1 – Stonyfield Organic Greek Yogurt, 16 oz Cup or One 4-pack 4 oz Cups, Whole Foods Coupon – (wholefoods.com)Final Price: $1.29

Naked Juice Berry Veggie, 15.2 oz $3.39Use $1.00/1 – Naked Juice Berry Veggie Product, 15.2 oz, Whole Foods Coupon – (wholefoods.com)Final Price: $2.39

 Larabar, 1.6 oz $1.19

Use $0.85/3 – Larabar, Uber or Jocalat Bars – (pillsbury.com)Or $0.85/3 – Larabar, Uber or Jocalat Bars – (eatbetteramerica.com)Or $0.75/3 – Larabar, Uber or Jocalat Bars – (coupons.com)And use $1.00/3 – Larabar Uber or Alt, Jocalat Bars, Whole Foods Coupon – (wholefoods.com)Final Price: $0.57 each, when you buy 3

Kashi Go Lean Berry Fruitful Cereal, 13.8 oz $3.39 Use $1.00/1 – Kashi Berry Fruitful Cereal – (coupons.com)And use $1.00/2 – Kashi GoLean Cereals, Whole Foods Coupon – (wholefoods.com)Final Price: $1.89 each, when you buy 2

It was a really successful trip!  I went in there thinking to myself, I'm going to only spend 46% (yes, I was that specific) of my weekly grocery/household item budget.  Guess what -- I cut it to 45% and I still got everything on my list in order to make those healthy meals.  My local grocery store (Schnucks) carries a lot of the other staple items that Logan and Jake have become accustomed to, and some less expensive organic products that I'll grab tomorrow.  Then, of course, I'll have to wrap up at Target after that -- still on budget, but with healthier, organic food.

Sure, it takes a little bit more planning and time, but I think the benefits of having a healthy, clean diet outweigh the 30 minutes or so that I spent meal planning and searching for deals.  What do you think?