How to Save a Ton of Money at Whole Foods

You can save a whole bunch of money (and reduce plastic packaging) by buying food in the bulk section at Whole Foods or any other natural health store or co-op. It’s like getting mega coupons without having to do any clipping.

In fact, it’s astounding how much cheaper the exact same brands of various food can be when you’re not paying for the well-marketed and convenient packaging you find in the grocery aisles. Nuts, cereals, grains, nutritional yeast, and even spices are perfect examples. After all, a spice jar purchased from the aisle could be $6, but in the bulk section the same amount could easily be under $1. I mean that’s exciting, right? Why would we want to keep paying for packaging when we can put that money towards other quality food or other useful things?”

So, here’s how to save some serious cash and lighten your landfill load. Just bring cotton bags or jars (that have been weighed up front in advance) and fill them up, then label what you have with a provided twisty tie. SimpleEcology offers organic cotton muslin bags that are machine washable and can be kept with the rest of your reusable bags. I prefer the large or extra large sizes, but whatever size you choose the good news is they last forever!

Holistic Secret

If you’re looking to reduce waste even further, reuse the twisty ties for labeling the bulk items (I keep mine in an old Ziplock bag with a pen, stashed inside one of my other reusables.)

Once you’re at home you can store the bulk items in store-bought glass jars or even old pasta sauce or salsa jars. Most people would agree that Mason jars are more attractive than plastic, plus they’re healthier for you and the planet too, which is a win-win.

I recommend stocking up on these awesome bulk items:

• Raw nuts
• Seeds rich in Omega 3’s and clean protein (like hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds)
• Whole grains (like brown rice)
• Lentils and beans
• Dried, unsulphured fruit (like apricots and dates)
• Coconut sugar (for baking)
• Superfood mixes

* Of course, the more organic you can buy the better, especially with fruits.