Whole Foods Couponing 101

Yes, I saw Extreme Couponing.  Yes, I got excited and thought I could get everything for free.  And yes, I came to the conclusion that I was not willing to eat all that crap just because it was free.

So, HOORAY for healthy solutions!  Now I save money at Whole Foods, where I already shopped.  I'll post my coupon matchups as I do them (this means a coupon matches up to a sale for super savings).  First, here is a walk-through of how I save money at Whole Foods.  If you focus on the items you regularly purchase, the savings can snowball over time.

Whole Foods Couponing 101

First way to save:  Whole Foods puts out The Whole Deal every two months.  This is a booklet of coupons that is free to you.  You can pick it up in-store, or print the coupons right from your computer -- here is the link.  You can print as many as you want -- Whole Foods encourages you to use them.  I LOVE this about WF, because shopping there can definitely get pricey.

Second way to save:  Whole Foods has tons of sales.  They last for two weeks at a time, and the sale time period is listed right on the little sale tag on the shelf.  The new sale starts as soon as the old sale ends.  Buying the sale items regularly can save you lots of cash.  These little orange tickets are your new BFF.

Third way to save:  Guess what?  Whole Foods gives you 10% off if you buy a case of a product!  How many are in a case?  It's listed right on the tag on the shelf.

Now, the (not-so) tricky part...

Combine them for huge savings.  You can see (and this is a real example) that the $3.99 Imagine Vegetable Broth is on sale for $2.99.  Then you see that there is a coupon for $1 off 1 Imagine Soup, Broth or Gravy, which brings the price down to $1.99.  Since vegetable broth keeps in the pantry, if you use a lot of it (like me), then go ahead and buy a case, which will knock an additional $0.20 off each item (yes, you'll use 12 coupons).  Now, we got our broth for $1.79 each instead of $3.99. Hooray!

This is the method I follow for matchups:

1. Since the coupons only change every 2 months, you'll get to know them pretty quickly.  Print a list of the current coupons and bring it with you when you do your regular grocery shopping.
2. If a couponed item is on sale, make a note of it for next time (assuming we are at the beginning of the sale period).  That way, you can budget or meal plan around it.  There is no need to get wack and buy it all up that day if you still have time in the sale.
3. If you want it in bulk, make a note of how many you need to buy (and therefore how many coupons to bring with you next time).
4. Print your coupons at home.
5. Bring them with you the next time you go grocery shopping, buy your sale/couponed items and roll around in the cold hard cash you saved.

That's it!  There are usually only 2 or 3 matchups each sale period, so it's not particularly time consuming.  If you buy it in bulk, this can translate to a savings of $20-$40 biweekly, which is money I think most people can use.  Happy shopping!

Share your healthy living coupon tips in the comment section -- I'm always looking for more ways to save.