Trekked to Whole Foods Today...Worth it??

Well kids, I finally trekked out to Whole Foods today since it's my husband's day off, he could stay with the kiddos, and it was conveniently Double Sale Flyer Wednesday!

I usually buy all my groceries at 3 stores:  Walmart for the bulk of my shopping, Akins for organic cheeses and brown rice tortillas, and Target for anything Walmart doesn't have (but is cheaper than Akins).  I know those 3 stores like the back of my hand and I can run in and out to all 3 stores in about an hour and a half.  I am a busy mama, afterall, and don't have time to waste!  I usually try to go after I drop my 4 y.o. off at pre-k and before my babies' naps.  So, I am on a time crunch!  I never have time to go to Whole Foods during the week because, well, it's at 41st and Peoria and I live practically in Bixby.  But today I thought I'd check it out since we didn't have any plans and my husband could watch the kiddos while I went.



Now I don't know if it's because I took the wrong turn on the way there, or the construction traffic, or the fact that I do not know my way around the store, but I was not super happy about any "deals" I got.  I took in some coupons:

•  $1.00 off (any 8 oz) organic valley cheese

•  50 cents off any organic valley soy creamer (still in search of the perfect coffee mate alternative)

•  And $1 off any "Health Starts Here" loaf of bread

Plus, they had Double Sale Flyer Wednesday today, where you can combine last week's sale flyer and this week's:
 

(Just an example of what they look like, not actually this week's sales flyer).

I didn't see anything on the sales flyers that I really NEEDED, but I thought I'd at least go check it out.  I went there for 4 reasons:
1.  To price check their organic cheeses and meats to compare to Target and Akins.
2.  To check out their bulk section (beans, granola, seeds, etc).
3.  To check out their bread section (for sandwich bread and loaves of bread - since I had the coupon).
4.  To check out the produce prices and selections.

I actually didn't end up using any of my coupons or the sales flyers.

• The organic valley cheese, with the coupon, was not any cheaper than getting organic cheese at Akins.  I have an 8 oz block at home right now and didn't need any more (unless it was a great deal, which it wasn't). 
• I decided I didn't want any soy creamer (to use the organic valley soy creamer coupon) because I tried some this morning and it thoroughly grossed me out.  But, I did pick up some coconut milk french vanilla creamer:

• The lady at the counter directed me to the "health starts here" bread and there was not a good selection.  The picture on the coupon shows a plain french loaf, but the only kinds they had were a rye bread (with seeds all over the outside) and a "harvest" loaf with raisins and granola in it.  We just don't eat enough bread between Mike and I, and I know the kiddos would not touch these breads.

Here are a couple things I did pick up while I was there:

Organic strawberries for $5.99 (which I can also buy at Target but I didn't want to make another trip since I was already at WF)

 Organic string cheese $4.99 - My 8 y.o has been begging for these in her lunch box.  This was about $1 cheaper than Akins.

 Applegate uncured beef hot dogs $5 - definitely a couple bucks cheaper than the ones I found at Target

 Organic grape tomatoes $5 - I can also buy these at Walmart for about $2 cheaper, but I needed these so I decided to go ahead and pick them up

 Whole Wheat sandwich bread $3.49 - I picked up 3 loaves.  WF has a special deal where when you buy 5 loaves of bread, you get the next one free.  I didn't know this until I checked out, so you know I'm gonna have to go back for 2 more loaves + the free one!  Akins doesn't have a bakery, so no fresh breads like this.  And this whole wheat loaf is definitely better than the Nature's Own bread I get at Walmart.

 I was in need of some more brown rice tortillas $2.19 - this is about $1 cheaper than Akins

Plus, I picked up a bag of organic granny smith apples.  My kids love their granny smith apples and I really prefer to buy organic. But Target rarely sells them and Akins has a teeny produce section. So, this was definitely a score.

I did check out the bulk section in the back

But I was a little overwhelmed and didn't know exactly what I needed (if anything).  I might re-group and check this out at a later date.

It took me about an hour round trip to get to WF from my house (due to tons of construction and traffic in that part of town).  Based on what I got today and what I know I can get close to home, I can't say I will make the trip there again UNLESS I happen to be in that part of town.  Walmart and Target sell an increasing amount of organic goods now-a-days, you just have to look!  Since I am an expert grocery shopper, I know EXACTLY what organic, whole wheat goods Walmart and Target sell and what the prices range from.

If you are making a trip to WF for the first time, let me warn you.  Don't get sucked in....  WF is like a candy store for us health nuts.  You can find most everything you need for your daily cooking at Walmart or Target.  WF prices are pretty high and I would not recommend buying unless it's truly something you KNOW you can't get at Walmart or Target.

ALSO, just because it's at WF does NOT mean it's healthy!!!!  Not everything they sell is organic and I saw many things with added chemicals and sugar.  You have to know what to look for when you go in there.  Use your fooducate app or read the ingredient list, do not be fooled!

OK, a couple good things about WF that Walmart and Target do not offer/reasons I will be back:

• They have an AMAZING restaurant and hot bar.  On Wednesdays, they have "buy one adult entree, get a kids meal free".  

• They sell organic turkeys and hams for the holidays.  This past Thanksgiving, I bought my organic turkey from WF.  No added chemicals, or hormones.  They were very nice and even gave me a run-down of how to cook it (since it was my first time).
• Great selection of organic produce, such as granny smith apples.
• Great bakery and huge selection of healthy sandwich breads.

Also, there is a new WF going in about 3 miles from my house next year.  I am positive that I will make WF a part of my weekly shopping when it opens! 

So this is my run-down of Whole Foods!  I hope this helps if you're thinking about making a trip there, to know what to look for.  Thanks for reading!!