27 Insanely Smart Ways To Save Money At Whole Foods

In addition to its in-store coupons, Whole Foods also accepts manufacturer coupons. Just make sure to familiarize yourself with the products and brands that your local store carries.

If you can't find any coupons for products you like in the Sunday paper, try emailing a few of the companies that produce them to see if they can send coupons via email or snail mail.

Check out the Find a Store section on their website to find local Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram profiles.

The bulk spices are usually located with the regular bottled spices, rather than with the rest of the bulk items.

The prices on spices aren't always that great (in my experience), but it's convenient not having to buy an entire jar of a spice for just one recipe. For example, if you don't bake often, then you really don't need a full jar of whole nutmeg for one pumpkin pie. Instead, you can get just one little nutmeg nut, which will shave a good 5 to 10 bucks off the cost of the pie.

When you buy bulk items, you're paying for the weight. Most of the time, the weight of the plastic bag isn't going to make that much of a difference. But if you're buying a nut butter or another item that would come in a plastic container, then you might be able to save a little by bringing a container from home. Just have customer service weigh it before you head to the bulk section and you'll be good to go!

If you live in a state where Whole Foods sells wine and you drink lots of it, buy six bottles at a time to get 10% off. 🍷

While you're at it, try Whole Foods' store label Three Wishes, which has delicious wines for under 5 bucks a bottle.

Buying fruits and vegetables when they're in season can really make or break an attempt at a "frugal" visit to Whole Foods. Their seasonal produce isn't actually that expensive, especially compared to organic produce at other stores. However, off-season produce can be expensive no matter where you buy it, and especially so at Whole Foods. I once spent $12 on a tiny head of cauliflower during off-season, without realizing it until I was already at home.

Always check prices on produce and keep an eye on your total as you're checking out. If something rings up as more expensive than you were anticipating, simply ask your checker to remove it from your bill and think of more affordable alternatives.

Seriously, you'll spend 9 or 10 bucks for a small container of cantaloupe, when you could buy a whole cantaloupe for a fraction of the price and slice it up at home for free. 🍈

If you want to make a coleslaw, but don't need a whole head of cabbage, hit up the salad bar!

A trip to the salad bar can get expensive if you go wild (see below), but it can actually be a really convenient source for small amounts of presliced produce.

A lot of stores offer discounts on meat purchases weighing three or more pounds. Ask your local butcher about this and other potential ways to save on meat.

Frozen and prepackaged meals from the refrigerated section are perfect for lazy yuppies, but wreak havoc on the shopping budget. If you do buy a lot of frozen meals, then keep an eye out for sales, and find yourself some manufacturer coupons.

Most Whole Foods locations sell fresh pizza dough for a couple of bucks. Grab a container of 365 Everyday Value pizza sauce, mozzarella, and some fresh toppings from the salad bar, and you'll spend significantly less than it would cost to buy frozen pizzas.

If you're serious about your pizza, get a pizza stone to take your homemade pizzas to the next level. Whole Foods doesn't sell them, but I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for only 15 bucks. 🍕

Whole Foods has a wide range of delicious cheeses. But just because wedges are prewrapped doesn't mean you have to buy twice the amount you need. The person working the cheese counter will happily split apart and rewrap wedges for you. There's also usually a small wedge bin with items for $4 or less.

Just don't. I know, hard boiled eggs are delicious in a spinach salad, but your salad is being weighed and those eggs are expensive as hell. Other items to avoid: beans, bulky vegetables like broccoli, etc.

Some people get pretty dedicated when it comes to keeping their salads insanely light, but I usually just avoid heavy stuff, and keep a few bottles of my favorite salad dressings at home. Dressing inside a little plastic container is unnecessary weight, IMO.

If you buy milk or cream in one of the glass containers, you'll be charged a deposit. It depends on the size of the item, but can be up to $3. So make absolutely sure that you don't toss the empty container into your recycling bin — bring it back next time you go to Whole Foods, and they'll give you a voucher at customer service.

Whole Foods has a great return policy, and customer service representatives are usually pretty friendly. Don't hesitate to return items you either don't like or change your mind about. Additionally, they'll usually let you swap items if they went bad really quickly after you bought them. This depends on the store and specific situation, but I've totally swapped out berries that developed mold overnight.