Shopping Centsibly at Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market offers healthy, organic foods at affordable prices when you know how to shop there. Following a few steps to get organized before you hit the store will save you a sizeable amount of money. You need to fill yourself up, plan your meals around the seasonal or sale items and look for "stackable" coupons from Whole Market Foods, independent publications and the manufacturers themselves. While you're at it, don't forget to get your canvas bags ready as well. Sure, a trip to a Whole Foods Market store can set you back a bundle, but it doesn't have to when you do a little planning.

Clip both in-store and manufacturers products for items on your shopping list. Whole Foods Market has a policy of allowing "stackable" deals. This means (for those of you not hip to couponing lingo) you can combine Whole Foods Market deals with Manufacturer Coupons. Whole Foods Market does NOT allow double coupons however. This means that you can only use 1 of each particular coupon for each transaction. If you have a coupon out of a Whole Foods Market book and you have a coupon for that same item from, say, your Sunday paper, you CAN do that - thats called "stacking" and not "doubling" ;) The difference is in the source of the coupon and not the item itself. Kiwi Magazine Online is a good source for organic coupons. We've been posting a lot of organic grocery coupons at Centsible's facebook page. Wholesale Foods Market also lists their instore grocery coupons online.

AND, this month, don't fail to buy a 2011 Whole Foods calendar for $2 and get $20 in coupons.

Be sure to not get too hung up on using your coupons only at Whole Food Markets. Many of the products sold there will also be available at other local grocers. It could be worthwhile for you to start a spreadsheet with a worksheet for manufacturers coupons and a different worksheet for in-store coupons. On the instore coupon list, have a separate column each for the store, the product brand, the discount and the expiration date. On the manufacturers coupon page, have a column for the brand, the discount, the product type (ie dairy, cleaning, frozen foods, etc..) and the expiration date. This way, you can quickly perform a search on your spreadsheet by brand or product type while matching up your coupons with sales. Sorting your inventory by expiration date will help you to keep on top of your coupons and make sure you don't miss out on any good ones. Keep your coupons grouped together in your wallet by store or by product type if they are manufacturers coupons.

Keep aware of what's on sale at your local Whole Foods Market when you sign up for newsletters and read your store's online flyers. "The Whole Deal" downloadable PDF file appears once every two months, bringing recipes, meal plans and featured bargains. Browse the specials and plan meals around discounted items. Visit the websites of products featured on sale and see if they're offering any manufacturers coupons. Check your growing spreadsheet to match up deals with coupons you may already have. While you're visiting your favorite products sites', sign up for their newsletters and get coupons sent to you rather than having to search them out. After a while, you'll have established a whole strategy.

Make it easier to stick to your grocery shopping list by familiarizing yourself with your local Whole Foods Market store. Visiting a Whole Foods Market is a treat. It smells fantastic. The food looks amazing. The layout is less grid-like than a standard supermarket, urging you to wander through most areas of the store. All of these factors make impulse purchases a real danger. Eat a good meal before you shop so you'll be less tempted by the appetizing smells and have a good list. Most importantly, stick to your list and match as many coupons as possible to it. Have your coupons organized, maybe even clipping them to your shopping list so you can refer to them for a useful reference of product details for valid items.

Combining menu plans, in-store sales, store coupons and manufacturer coupons will help you save money on your next shopping trip to Whole Foods Market. Not only will you reap immediate savings from following these couponing strategies for Whole Foods Market, you'll also save in the long run from the improved health you will enjoy from eating organic, healthy foods.