Anyone do all/most of their food shopping at Trader Joe's?

Glendi2.0

I struggle to answer those "what do you buy at TJ's" posts because that's my main grocery store- I do hit the regular supermarket for a few particulars, but in general, 80-90% of my stuff comes from TJ's. I don't think it ends up affecting our grocery budget that much- but do others feel that it does? I do think I'd pay a bit less for some stuff in a regular supermarket, but I love the variety of the selections, and the peace of mind of knowing most of their stuff is made with the best possible products, least amount of additives/preservatives, etc... Makes eating healthy a bit easier (and is a MUCH cheaper alternative to Whole Foods!)

Anyway, just curious!

Jodi&Joe

Don't ALL Parenting Nesties do their shopping there?  All organic.  All natural.  All fruits and veggies!  *snort*

CleoKitty

I don't think I could. I like a lot of their products and use them regularly, but I'm not a huge fan of their produce or breads. I prefer to use them to stock up on various oils, dried fruits, nuts, bacon, chicken sausages, frozen fish, maple syrup and some other pantry but buy most of our fresh stuff elsewhere.

Besides, Trader Joe's is 1.5 hrs from me anyhow. ;-)

veloelle

When I lived 5 minutes away, yes, we did most of our shopping there. It's cheaper, but you do have to read labels. I think TJ's has a huge misconception about that everything in there is whole food, nothing is processed, it's all naturally fat free AND it makes youshit rainbows. They do have great deals, but I shop there like a normal store; hit the outside aisles and stay away from most of the inside (packaged food) aisles unless I read the labels. They have an awesome tomato soup that is all natural.

EliseB0323

I would do more shopping there if their produce didn't suck in our stores.

Mominator

I would, but the closest one to me is about 20 minutes away and not very convenient. I do try to get there once a month to stock up on their frozen fish, breads, canned goods, etc. I'm not really a fan of their produce and I think that even for organic it is overpriced.

Glendi2.0

Jodi&Joe:

Don't ALL Parenting Nesties do their shopping there?  All organic.  All natural.  All fruits and veggies!  *snort*

Ha... so true. I should add, my TJ's produce dep't sucks, but I end up shopping there out of convenience a lot more than I should. And I spend my fair share of money on their not-so-healthy crap. I don't care who makes it or what you call it, fried mac-and-cheese bites aren't healthy for ya! (but they're delicious, dammit!)

penguingrrl

I probably do 60-70% of my food shopping at TJs. And since I started shopping there I've seen a 15% decrease in my food expenditure. DH is great at keeping prices in his head (I have absolutely no head for numbers at all) so when I make a grocery list he tells me what's cheaper at TJs and what's cheaper at our other store. A lot of staples are way cheaper there, although their produce selection is limited and sometimes not great looking. I try to avoid buying meat elsewhere since theirs isn't too expensive and is higher quality by far.

peekaboo716

We do probably most of our shopping there. We buy most produce at Whole Foods, Costco, or our local grocery store though, since the produce isn't great. I find that TJs is mostly cheaper on anything dairy/cheese, meat, and staples like nuts, oils, and pasta. I looooooove my TJs, and we do spend less by shopping there than shopping for similar items at other stores.

mgfit1

I shop a few markets and kind of rotate around based on what I need to buy at each place.  At TJs I stock up on cheese, orange juice, frozen veggies, breads, yogurt, cereal, pasta and nuts.  I buy mostly organic.  I get my meats from a poultry farm and Costco (organic/hormone free) and I do make runs to Whole Foods and Kroger or Meijer for their organic items.  I so wish I could shop at just one store......