Organic Comparison Shopping

I decided to comparison shop during my last food shopping outing. Luckily, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are directly across the street from one another in my area, so it didn't take much to shop both. I thought some of my findings would help others who want to get the most green for their green!

I did not find much in Trader's Joe's produce department. They don't seem to offer as wide of a selection as Whole Foods; but I did purchase a few items. Before shopping, I had perused Whole Foods online circular, so I knew watermelons were on sale for $3.99. When I arrived at Trader Joe's, I saw watermelons for $3.59. Hey, a savings of $.40 is better than nothing! The other item I compared was bananas. This is a hard thing to compare because Whole Food's offers bananas for $.59/lb and Trader Joe's sells them for $.29/each banana. So, I think you would find better savings buying the banana's for $.59/lb from Whole Foods.

I don't know about you; but I feel like I am constantly purchasing Olive Oil and it is not cheap! But, you can find a $2 savings on Extra Virgin Olive Oil at Trader Joe's. If you purchase the store brand at Whole Food's, it is $8.99; whereas at Trader Joe's the store brand is $5.99. Pretty good!

One place I did see significant savings at Trader Joe's was in the fish section. The difference is you are purchasing flash frozen fish as opposed to fish from the fish counter. However, the savings are wonderful! I was able to get a pound of Coho Salmon fillets for $7; as opposed to the $9.99 it is on sale for at Whole Foods. Wow! Almost $3 in savings! I, also, bought a pound of Alaskan Dover Sole for $4.50. Now, that is a reasonable price to pay to feed your sophisticatedly green family!

Overall, I would recommend going to Trader Joe's for fish, dips (hummus is $1.99 at TJ and $3.99 at WF) and sauces, canned, jarred, and packaged items. For the most part, they were less expensive than Whole Foods. If you are looking for fresh meat, produce, bread, or dairy items, Whole Foods is the place to go!

And, I recommend both stores for their customer service! Every time I walk into either store, I feel like I am walking into a small town, family owned market. It makes shopping such an enjoyable experience!

I hope this comparison helps you and your family live sophisticatedly green!