by Sat-Jiwan Khalsa •
With the economic downturn still weighing heavy on many families, how can we continue to eat well, or even eat better, while saving money? Do you believe the Whole Foods slogan, "More of the good stuff for less", or do you feel like the unofficial nickname, "Whole Paycheck", more accurately reflects shopping there?
This month we take a quick survey of some of the natural and organic food prices at some local stores. Who has the best deals? Where CAN you get the good stuff for less? And what are some other tips for saving money with different shopping and eating habits?
I'll admit my strong allegiances up front. I prefer to shop at the TPSS Coop in Takoma Park and at the TP Farmers Market. Mostly because they are philosophically the most in line with way I think food should be sold, but they are also very close to where I live so I can get to them without a car easily. Sometimes economic priorities can put our ideals and convenience in the backseat, and force one to adjust where, or at least how, food dollars are spent. I thought I would be writing an article showing you how to split your shopping list up between 3-4 stores to get the best deals on each item, but as the table(s) below show(s), sometimes the differences aren't that great, and tend to balance out. Besides, changing what items you buy and kinds of food you prepare has a much larger impact on your food budget. You can eat very well by choosing simpler, inexpensive ingredients and following some of the tips below.
You also have a great influence by the businesses you choose to patronize. Whole Foods (along with My Organic Market) purchases 100% wind power for its stores' non-renewable energy use, and they have a growing number of stores with rooftop solar panel installations. On the downside, Whole Foods has and continues to be quite anti-union, while the TPSS coop stores unionized about two years ago. At Shoppers Food Warehouse you can find a couple lower-priced (yet still organic/natural items). But, at such time that you have the financial flexibility to do so, would you rather buy organic/natural items from a store that treats them as a specialty item, or from a place where their core business is sustainable agriculture and healthy living?
No Farms, No Food
Farmers markets are certainly the best place to get the freshest and most local goods, and helps keep our region's farmland in the hands of production, out of the hands of sprawling development. I haven't been able to save much money at the Takoma Park market on Sundays, but I hear that Mike Tabor's Licking Creek Bend stand at Tuesday's Brookland market and Saturday's Adam's Morgan market have the best deals in the area. You can also save at the market by asking for bulk pricing, seconds, and buying foods that are in the peak of their season.
The Sunday Takoma Park Farmer's Market (above), the Saturday Silver Spring FarmFresh market, and the Wednesday Crossroads Market offer healthy food.
You'll save time, money and energy by using a pressure cooker to cook dry beans, along with faster cooking on grains, soups, stews, even vegetables... the simpler and more basic ingredients you start with, the more you can save, though you will have to balance out the amount of time you spend preparing food.
Make Enemies with prepared foods
They have their place once in a while, but if you want to stay on a budget, stay away from frozen meals and prepared food items.
Bulk Up
The bulk food and spices bins at the Coops and Whole Foods often (but not always) have the best deals in the store, in addition to letting you reduce packaging and get just the amount you want.
Do you want a case? (Case of what? Quesadilla!)
At the Coops and Whole Foods you can get a 10% discount if you purchase in case quantities (usually 8-12 units). You'll also help yourself by having more of your shelf-stable staple items on hand and reduce how much daily or weekly shopping you need to do. For more perishable items like milk, eggs, cheese, and produce, consider splitting cases with friends and neighbors. I don't know if Shoppers has any case discounts, but they do sell more items in large containers to get price breaks (20-25 lbs bags of rice, 6 lb cans of beans, 2 liter bottles of seltzer).
Become a Coop Member
Not only will you support a store "for food and not for profit" built upon cooperative principles in which you have a vote, some of the discounts available at the coop are only available to members. "Anyone can shop and anyone can join". On the first Tuesday of the month you can get 10% off your entire bill. The coop also maintains the "Basics List". Everyday low prices on staples like beans, rice, eggs, tofu, etc... All this for a one-time $100 membership, which is fully refundable should you move on and want to invest in another coop.
Sat Jiwan climbed up on his roof to pick cherries for his neighbor, earning a bowl of cherries as a reward. Madelyn shares the bounty.
Dry vs Canned
I always "knew" that dried beans were cheaper than canned ones, but never how much cheaper. It turns out they average about 66-75% cheaper than canned, especially when you buy them from bulk bins.
Cook in bulk
When you cook, save yourself some time by cooking double, triple, quadruple batches and refrigerating or freezing extra for quick meals later. You might even create a meals coop with neighbors where you exchange or barter extra meals with them so you don't have to cook as often and you get a better variety of dishes. Also can your own beans without "canning". Cook some extra beans and save in fridge (use within a couple days) or freezer (use within 6 months) in 2 cup quantities for quick use in recipes.
Eat Lower on the Food Chain
In this country meats and dairy products are disproportionately low-priced due to grain, grazing and water subsidies. From an environmental standpoint they are also costly because they are higher on the food chain and take more resources (i.e. available land) to produce. Even with artificially low prices they still cost more than vegetarian or vegan alternatives. Try eating like the rest of the world where meat is more of a condiment than a main dish. Or better yet go mostly or fully vegetarian or vegan and do the planet's resources, your body and your wallet a good turn.
Blend Your Food and Entertainment Budget
You gotta spend money on food anyway, right? Instead of going out (for food or entertainment) save most of that money, use a portion of it on some special ingredients, and invite friends over to make something you and/or they have never made before, from scratch! At the end of the night your stomach will be filled with yummy food and you'll have a memory that'll last a lot longer than... "what was that movie you saw two weeks ago?" And you may even have some leftovers for the rest of the week.
Sat Jiwan Iklé-Khalsa is a Coop member and volunteer, and former Whole Foods employee... and is a recent green home renovator and a green building/renovation consultant . Find past articles, local green building stores, info, resources, including annotated green house renovation photos and services at: www.Truthful-Living.com or call 301.891.8891
For latest green articles and discussion visit the Green Voice blog: www.takoma.com/green
CORRECTION:
Correction: This article had incorrect information about where and when Mike Tabor's Licking Creek Bend stand is at local farmers markets. He currently sells at Tuesday's Brookland market and Saturday's Adam's Morgan market and is known to have the best deals in the area.
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