I had been holding on to the gift cards my parents and in-laws gave us {the HH and me} last Christmas and for our birthdays. In years past, I’ve used these types of gift cards in January or February, but for some reason, this year I kept them tucked away in an old tea tin not wanting to spend them.
That was, until last Monday.
I cleaned out the fridge and freezer and wiped down all the shelves and then realized we didn’t have a lot of fresh or frozen food {I had only bought milk and bread the week before}. Which normally wouldn’t have bothered me because I knew the HH would be working a lot and The Girl was leaving the next day for a camping trip. Also, after going way over my grocery budget in July, I didn’t want to shell out a bunch of money to fill the fridge and freezer anytime soon. I figured I would just get creative and use what was in the pantry instead.
But then I was like, if my husband is going to be coming home late every night exhausted and The Girl will be gone, do I really want to be making dinner super late at night for just 2 people {The HH and Monkey Boy}? I know they probably wouldn’t care if I made something during the day and just popped it in the microwave for them and then immediately went to bed, but still.
So I figured with the long work week ahead {75+ hours for my husband}, this would be a good time to pull out all those gift cards and buy a bunch of fun and delicious meals I know the boys would love {and not have to pay out of pocket for them}.
It would be a treat for them {food I normally wouldn’t buy} and a treat for me as well {not having to spend money on food}.
So The Girl and I grabbed the gift cards, the cooler, some reusable bags and set off.
Our first stop…
Trader Joe’s $99.53 Free with a gift card
If I was a single, working professional who didn’t like to cook, Trader Joe’s would HANDS DOWN be where I’d do all my grocery shopping, and I could probably get away with shopping there just once a month. Trader Joe’s frozen kung pao chicken, have you tried it? It has a kick to it, runs $4.99 a bag and when paired with some rice, could easily stretch to 4-5 servings. At $4.99 a bag it’s my favorite TJ’s product.
Other winners include the orange chicken $4.99, steak and stout pies $6.49, white cheddar corn puffs $1.99, frozen cheesecake $6.99 and lemon curd for $2.99.
Then, because we were close to the HH’s work, we decided to pick him up a treat. Or rather, treats for all of us, because you know, we had a gift card.
Starbucks $45.49 Free with a gift card
My first thought after laying our items on the table to photograph: How do people do this everyday? This is the difference between saving for an emergency or retirement vs “splurges” adding up right here. This and other so called indulgences is just one of the many reasons why over 69% of Americans have less than $1,000 in their bank account. I’m convinced of it.
A wave a guilt came over me as I stood there and snapped the photo. Sure, I’ve used gift cards I’ve earned or been given to buy my favorite London Fog lattes before, but for some reason this time seemed different. Which, felt odd because the Starbucks card was a GIFT. It was meant to be spent on overpriced beverages and snacks. I would never have spent $11.99 for a pound of coffee with my own money. And here I was, doing just that, because I had a gift card.
I think our grandparents would be appalled, {mine at least} at the hard earned money people allow to slip through their hands on a regular basis without ever really thinking about. There is nothing wrong with a splurge, when you can afford it, and if it’s TRULY in moderation. To me, once a week, or once a month, is not a splurge. Twice a year? Yes. But so often you can’t pay your credit card off at the end of the month or have a 3-6 month emergency fund? No.
And that’s not me being a miserly curmudgeon either. It’s the truth. The little things do add up.
Whole Foods $174.87 Free with a gift card. Seriously.
My first instinct was to scan the store for the cheapest products. But instead, I looked for food items I thought my family would enjoy and treat the $175 worth of Whole Foods gift cards in my hand as a gift. Knowing the giver would have wanted me to spend the gift cards on items I normally wouldn’t buy, in a place I normally wouldn’t purchase food from.
I shopped at the University Place Whole Foods store which is about half the size {and has half the products} of a traditional Whole Foods Store. It was my second time at this particular store and I am not a fan of this location. But, it’s the closet one to my house and I was doing an all gift card shopping trip so I stopped there. To say it pales in comparison to their Seattle or even Portland, Maine location would be a huge understatement.
I selected a full sized lemon tart for $20, sushi for The Girl $12, shrimp for Monkey Boy $11, teriyaki chicken and cabbage for the HH, and $70 worth of cheese, salami, spreads, olives and crackers. A disappointing decaf earl grey tea {I should have grabbed the ginger peach, which I know I love}, BBQ ribs and frozen cod fish for the boys and an individual dessert for everyone. The whole time keeping a running tally on the calculator feature on my phone.
I left the store unimpressed, questioning why anyone would shop there on a regular basis and vow only to go back to Whole Paycheck if it was for a lemon tart {or to get dinner from their salad bar if I was on vacation and had a gift card}.
I don’t know. I don’t see the point of paying $2.99 a pound for pears {on sale!}, or apples or tomatoes when I can get them for $.99 a pound {or less} from Winco or Fred Meyer. I don’t feel like paying $2.00+ more a pound for organic is worth it when if that’s the route I wanted to go, I could easily get the same thing {although in a larger quantity} from Costco for much less per pound. {Note: I am not against buying organic, I’m against ridiculous prices}.
I’d like to think I am a relatively healthy person who for the most part, eats a pretty simple diet. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink soda, I don’t take any medications, I don’t eat fatty foods {unless we are talking the occasional pastry} or eat excessively. I drink plenty of fluids, and although I work online and from home, I feel I get enough exercise from walking my dog and gardening {most days around 10,000 – 15,000 steps}. So really, are the 3-4 apples I eat each month {that are not organic} really going to make a difference in my health?
Also, as far as Whole Foods {and stores like them} are concerned, I don’t need to walk down aisles with nice shelving or artful displays of food, handmade bars of soap for $8.99 each, or food stacked up in baskets with loud happy signs to feel good about my shopping “experience”. And lastly, I have no desire to pay nearly DOUBLE for canned or boxed food items that sell for half the price at Fred Meyer.
Maybe I’m weird. Maybe I’m missing something here, but I just don’t see the compulsion to pay more for something {like food} when I don’t have to.
Now, on the flip side… When I was staying on the east coast, I would shop exclusively at the local farmers market and pop up vegetable stands for all my fruits and vegetables. I’d happily pay a little more for my produce. Why?
- It was a small, but awesome farmers market and the prices weren’t crazy like some of the farmers markets I’ve been to lately.
- I adore card tables at the end of driveways that sell extra garden produce.
- I was literally handing my money over to the person who grew the food. Not the middle man who was paying for fancy displays, lighting, packaging that inevitably ends up in the garbage, the team of people it took to invent shopper cards, apps or schemes, or for the 2,500 miles worth of gas it took to get the produce to the store.
Food, and what we are willing to spend on it, is tricky.
Until it’s not.
Spending the gift cards at Starbucks and Whole Foods made me feel cranky. I guess, it’s because I didn’t feel like I got value out of the things I brought home. Maybe if I would have spent the gift cards on toilet paper or a 25 pound bag of bulk oatmeal I would have gone home happy. But then again, probably not. I know that Winco sells bulk oats for $0.59 a pound and paying 5 times more for them at Whole Foods probably wouldn’t have made me feel any better either.
Maybe what I should have done was used those gift cards to buy 1 thing at a time. Then maybe, seeing the register tally wouldn’t have been so shocking. I don’t know. But logically, in the end, it would all add up to the same thing.
Overpriced food.
~Mavis
Total Spent This Week $0
- Total Spent in January on Groceries $202.99
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $143.94
- Total Spent in March on Groceries $183.35
- Total Spent in April on Groceries $205.67
- Total Spent on Groceries in May $248.60
- Total Spent on Groceries in June $147.47
- Total Spent on Groceries in July $293.63
- Total Spent on Groceries in August $5.78
************
- Total Spent in January on Take Out, Date Nights, and Bakery Treats $42.19
- Total Spent in February on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $118.45
- Total Spent in March on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $25.29
- Total Spent in April on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $62.50
- Total Spent in May on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $54.52
- Total Spent in June on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $119.15
- Total Spent in July on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $12.45
- Total Spent in July on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $0
- Total Spent in August on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $0
Lauren says
I’m a little sad that using all those generous gifts left you feeling cranky. Isn’t one of your goals this year to live a little? I think used the gift cards in a great way. It sounds like what you got for your family makes a tough week a little more fun – that’s a great gift!
Also, I almost never comment on posts but I’m in a stage right now (finding my bearings as a working parent), where I’m learning to give myself permission to live a little and spend a little more money on things that might be slightly nicer or more convenient so that I can have more time and energy to spend with my family or doing other things that I’d rather be doing – so I guess this just resonated with me today.
Mavis Butterfield says
I was a little bummed out as well that the Whole Foods and Starbucks gift cards made me cranky. I felt like I got value from the Trader Joe’s card though. I guess, because I am so focused on saving this year, it’s hard to “live a little” when I can’t rationalize getting the most bang for my buck. How do I shut off the “this is a total waste of money” way of thinking?
Lauren says
I’m still trying to figure that one out. And I can totally relate to having different reactions to things based on my focus at any given time.
I think focusing on what you’re gaining (fun treats for your family, extra time to garden, read, or lounge) instead of what those treats “cost” helps. And think of the gift as being those experiences instead of just goods.
Also, perspective. You do so much and save so much for your family, using a gift card to splurge for decadent groceries once or twice a year keeps everyone sane. I find that doing something like that every once in a while really helps me feel content with my more basic lifestyle the rest of the time because it takes some of the glamour out of it.
Also, it’s cheaper than going out!
Teri says
Seems like maybe it was overboard using them all so quickly? And if the Whole Foods you went to was smaller than the other ones that maybe was another disappointment? Thanks for the article — I try to get the most bang for my buck so would probably feel like I wasted my gift cards.
Erin says
Be sure wherever you move to is close to an aldi….you will never go to another store again! I shop there for everything but meat (zaycon) and even Walmart makes me cringe when I have to venture there and they aren’t that overpriced. When you know what you could buy with that amount of money at reasonable places it irks a person. Convenience food always let’s me down and reminds me to just make it myself.
Mavis Butterfield says
“When you know what you could buy with that amount of money at reasonable places it irks a person.” That’s exactly it!
erin says
By the way, mavis…I showed my hh the picture of your whole foods spree and he said he’d have that gone in a day (minus the shrimp). How much was that small thing of olives?
Mavis Butterfield says
$3.30. 🙂
Sue R. says
Ask for WinCo gift cards next time 🙂
Nan says
I give cash now- my family can buy what they want. I’m with ya on Starbucks- too $$ for me. I love Trader Joes though and Whole Foods. I’m a good cook but would buy some of the entrees/salads and mixed nuts yum.
Lisa says
I’m the same way, Mavis, I have to get VALUE for what I spend. Since you seem to get gift cards for presents often I would suggest dropping subtle ‘hints’ throughout the year. There are ways to bring things like this up in conversation without seeming overt. Talking up Costco or other places you normally shop, restaurants you love to frequent for date night, for example, may just get you gift cards there. People who care enough to give you a gift card want you to splurge on yourself, not be cranky. You just have to figure out how to let them know.
Ashley says
First world problems I guess. I was a touch offended actually. As a sahm of 3 with a husband who works super hard, eating expensive food isn’t the reason our savings account is sad (although it has more than $1000 thankfully). The reason isn’t that we can’t save money, it’s that everyone can’t make that much. Imagine how much your food would have cost if the cashiers and barista’s made enough to get by. They work hard, too. I’m sorry spending gift cards that your family could affords to buy made you feel sad, but I know you are a smart woman so you will have a reality check soon. Please try to be grateful for blessings. My in laws gave me $100 gift card for school supplies and I am over the moon thinking about how awesome it will be to take my kids to target and get what they need without worrying about the budget the rest of the week. Glass half full.
Anita says
I couldn’t agree more…you SHOULD be grateful for your blessings. You are blessed to have relatives who love you and are able to give you these gift cards, not to mention the blessing of your own lovely family. You did the right thing in sharing the gift cards so generously with your family, buying the things you know they love. Your attitude makes all the difference in how you “see” things. Carry on Mavis. 🙂
Juli says
This sounds like a great way to treat your family and use gift cards, but it totally sucks to feel jipped from the exorbitant prices! There are very few reasons I go to Whole Foods, because the one time we shopped there our normally $140 grocery trip cost $300. However, there are a few standouts. In our area, it’s the only place to buy coconut aminos, which if you ever go on a Paleo/Whole30 kick, are a staple. I also LOVE their San Marzano canned tomatoes. Weirdly, I can very much taste the difference between their canned tomatoes and the cheap ones at our local store. I mean, in a perfect world I’d make sauce from real tomatoes, but I don’t have that kind of time. I could get a can of crushed tomatoes for $.69 at my store, or pay $2 a can at whole foods… and sometimes we “splurge” and go for the nice ones for delish sauce. (As an aside, if you ever want to try the sauce and recipe we splurge for, check out http://meljoulwan.com/2014/03/17/chicken-pesto-meatballs-marina/ – we use ground turkey because it’s cheaper).
Katelyn says
I have a few thoughts about this. My initial reaction is that you didn’t enjoy using these gift cards because “splurges” aren’t something you value – you personally would rather get a practical gift (maybe not a bushel of corn, but something practical…) than a typical gift or tchotchke. You didn’t enjoy this exercise because it doesn’t align with your personal values; and even though the “gift” was for someone else, you couldn’t get past that misalignment.
What I’ve observed about you after years of reading your blog is that you are increasingly focused on what you perceive to be value – that seems to be defined by your output of money for what you receive. I look at grocery shopping differently – for me, the money I spend isn’t just about the apple; it’s about how it was grown, how those employees were treated, and how the employees at the store that sells it to me are treated. We don’t have a Whole Foods where I live but if we did, I’d shop there. I’m not a person who loves to “throw away” money but Whole Foods offers competitive wages and benefits to any associate who works there at least 20 hours a week. That aligns with my values. To me, an apple from Whole Foods isn’t the same as an apple from another store if the other store isn’t comparable to what Whole Foods provides its associates. If paying $2.99 means that another hard working person is paid fairly, I’m down for that. (I should point out that I live on the east coast and we don’t have WinCo or Fred Meyer, so maybe they offer similar benefits to Whole Foods – I don’t know.)
I hope this comment doesn’t sound judgey – I don’t think this is an issue of right and wrong; it’s just that everyone has their own things that they value and they make choices accordingly. I think you’re swell and I enjoy your blog. You’d probably lose your mind if you looked at my budget but that’s the joy of us each getting to live our own life. Keep on keepin’ on, Mavis!
Mavis Butterfield says
Katelyn, I loved your comment. I totally understand what you are saying. Thank you.
Lauralli says
Perhaps you should read this. My husband just sent it to me this morning. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-14/that-chicken-from-whole-foods-isn-t-so-special-any-more
Lorien Mahay says
I agree 100% regarding an apple not being just an apple! How food is grown and the treatment of workers, both those who grow the food, and those who sell it, MATTERS!
Linda says
My family loves the meat lasagna from TJ’s. I shop there pretty regularly.
KC says
Different people have different needs/priorities.
Examples:
– to progress most rapidly in some careers requires going to have lunch with everyone else; an extra 10,000+/year wins out over the cost of weekday lunches.
– extroverts who Need People Time to function well and who have work-from-home jobs have told me that going out for a coffee once a day is the cheapest indoor-space people-saturated solution. (I am *not* an extrovert, but given how my introvertedness causes my environment to affect my productivity, I believe them.)
– people who have multiple dietary restrictions in their family may be able to get all they need at Wholefoods rather than having to hop around to multiple grocery stores, which is a serious consideration when people are short on time and energy. (as you may remember from your experiment with seasonal work, it’s *hard* to do all the thrifty budgety things, like from-scratch cooking and shopping the sales and multiple small grocery hops to hit the ideal prices when you’re also doing full-time tiring work; this obviously is exacerbated when people have small children or chronic illness or additional challenges layered onto their lives)
Then there’s the fact that a weekly London Fog latte is going to run you $208 for the year (approximately), which is probably comparable to the cost of, say, one session of therapy. Do I argue that small enjoyments are equivalent to therapy? No (and also I think that they lose some degree of effectiveness with repetition), but they can still have reasonably large-for-the-cost mood-boosting effects.
And then there’s scratch tickets – I used to think that all lottery forms were merely a tax on people who were bad at math, until I met someone who was having a rough time with college and who bought a $1 scratch ticket in the morning to save until she was heading home on the bus – $1 per day gave her approximately 6 hours of her “default” state being pleased anticipation of the fun of scratching it off and the “maybe” of winning something, instead of her default state being “bleaaah why am I here I’m terrible at this,” This seemed, actually, like a pretty good bargain to me, provided you had the $1 – she was increasing the effectiveness of her tuition costs (misery: not conducive to effective retention of information) as well as getting a pretty good bargain on cost per hour of enjoyment.
Now, if you can get as much of a boost from feeling the cha-ching savings of *not* buying a habitual latte, then that’s fabulous! And with your blog, you’ve cultivated an ability to emphasize that feeling. But most people do better with concrete, tangible rewards than with very-slowly-climbing numbers, and most people do not have a blog on which to make those savings tangible. There’s also the general feeling when general unavoidable expenses are high, that you’re not in control of your money anyway, so what does it matter? (which is not entirely rational, but when something costs $1,005, something that costs $1,015 doesn’t seem like much more.)
Personally, I do best with having the reward in my pocket, so to speak, knowing that I have something set aside so that I *could* have the tangible treat but mostly indefinitely deferring it. But I’m a weirdo, and not everyone is built that way. I think we can alter the ways we are to some degree, and we can also work around the way we are, but there are limits – so I’m going to stick with “the same things don’t make equal sense for everyone.”
Also, not all debt is equally avoidable or “curable” with minor living adjustments – people who buy expensive “stuff” weekly that they don’t use/wear/eat anyway; not the same as people who are not earning enough to live on even if they could stick to a diet of 100% oatmeal; not the same as people who got hit with enormous unexpected medical expenses (if I recall correctly, the main cause of bankruptcy in the US) or similar your-life-just-burned-down kinds of things. And telling people in those last two categories to just give up lattes/Wholefoods/whatever-expenses-you-deem-frivolous would not be appropriate; that’s not the seat of the problem, and implying that reducing discretionary expenses via your specific methods would Fix Everything would be patronizing and a real jerk move. (which I don’t think you’re doing here, but I’ve seen done by frugal people so.many.times. and it drives me up a wall. Skipping a weekly avocado purchase is not going to provide enough equity for a home purchase in most places with jobs anytime this century…)
Ashley says
I can’t even tell you how much your last sentence strikes home with me. I try soooo hard to save money with small things that I cut out my 1 avocado per week in my sad kale salad. There comes a point when you realize that 89 cents is a small price to pay for a week of happy lunches. And it would take soooo many tiny adjustments to make an impact on budget that it is just not worth the impact on your life. You just have to understand your own self to know when to save and when to spend. Like the extrovert thing- as a total introvert, I cannot imagine spending money to sit with other people and eat lunch (nightmare), but that is how some people roll and in that case it is worth the cost of lunch!
Brenda says
I agree with the remark about the avocado/week. But some people use this to rationalize 20 items/week and they wonder why they are always broke. This comment thread is just 1 way to prove that there isn’t going to be a 1 size fits all fix to budgets, especially when incomes (and other budget needs) are vastly different.
Jane says
I love gift cards! I totally get the feelings you are having though. Im pretty frugal. We went back to school shopping with some very generous gift cards from Grandma. Even though we got good deals it was more on things like shoes than I would have normally paid… and I kept waking up all night feeling sick about how much we spent on stuff even though it was a gift!! Goes against my nature.
Mary3M says
As a Grandmama, that is PRECISELY why I send money for school shoes, ballet tights and just generally ‘because’ gifts. I was a single mom who sometimes didn’t have enough money to get to the end of the week. I NEVER want my sons to struggle the way I did. My precious 3 granddaughters should fit in with the rest of their school mates. Shoes are a big deal and if I can provide a bit of help and stress release – well I feel that I am doing ‘good’ by my family. My son says TJ gift cards are the best. As the girls have grown up and out of their allergies, the Whole Foods things is less important. So they get Costco gift cards from my card points and TJ when I am buying. Win win all the way around. Glass full I would sayt
Ashley says
I commented earlier about my in-laws giving us a random gift card for school supplies. I just came back from shopping and I can’t even tell you how amazing it was to be able to just buy what was on our list without having to stress about the cost. Seriously, as a family that is not poor or rich, it’s crazy how much something like paying for school supplies will stress you out. My in-laws also bought our kids some back to school shoes, and it was so appreciated. Bless your heart for helping your kiddos/grand kiddos out- you are doing it in a perfect way!
livingrichonthecheap says
First, just want to say I love your site, so different from a lot of bloggers, you blog about saving, frugality and splurging once in a while which a lot of bloggers don’t get. We no longer have a mortgage or child support so get to splurge more often – but – I completely agree. How do people shop at these expensive places all the time? Hubby went to Whole Foods in Victoria (a new location, they just came to Canada) a few weeks ago when he was there on business. He actually bought his lunches there – the salad bar for $16 a pop. Fortunately we weren’t on the hook for that, our client was and a lunch out in a restaurant would have been the same or more – but as a rule we don’t spend our own dollars in places like that. I hoard gift cards, actually have a hard time splurging after a lifetime of saving and being frugal. By the way, I found what is possibly the best lemon tart in all of Canada at our local artisan bakery/handmade chocolate shop called Hot Chocolates located in Courtenay on Vancouver Island. Mom and I stopped in for a splurge (you see, I can do it) last week and it was to die for. Needless to say on our next splurge we might be revisiting it. If you ever get out this way you need to stop there.
Carrie says
My MIL gets me $100 to Starbucks every year for my birthday. I stopped buying drinks from there years ago when I started my savings journey. I use the gift card to buy multiple gift cards to give to my brother and friends who loves Starbucks at Christmas. I use the rest to buy bagged coffee beans. I wish she would just give my $100 cash instead to pay extra on our home or to buy something special but she loves to see us unwrap something. I could totally unwrap a $100 bill. lol I try to see it as a blessing. I have 3 gifts I don’t have to pay for and coffee for about 6 months.
Mary3M says
I think you are missing the point of her giving you gift cards. It’s for you to enjoy/do something that you normally wouldn’t do. She wants to do something for YOU – not for you to turn around and give the present she gave you to someone else. Starbucks can be a reat – though my husband has to have his morning cafe after crossing all the little ones to school. Look at thelove she is giving you – even though you wo uld wish for something else.
ruthie says
I totally get where you are coming from. Even if I have extra money or a gift card, I still want to get good value. I feel a lack of joy when I spend money carelessly because it is part of who I am. When my parents take me out to dinner I don’t go crazy and order something I’m not willing to pay for myself, as opposed to another family member who orders the largest platter he can – because someone else is paying for it. (I’m not saying that any of the above comments suggest they do) – I just enjoy getting value – no matter the occasion.
Marcia says
Gift cards are great. I agree with someone above who thinks maybe you got cranky using them all at once.
I don’t often shop at Whole foods. We have one, but it is definitely a small store. There are certain things I buy there because they are high quality and/or reasonably priced, and I cannot get them elsewhere.
(For example, their bulk foods are reasonably priced and their 365 brand of tahini is the best price in town).
In any event, whether or not a food seems overpriced is going to depend on your situation, and where you live. Is organic worth $2 more a pound, and is that overpriced? Well, let’s examine that.
– How much harder is it to become certified organic – paperwork.
– How much more labor intensive is it to become certified organic.
– How large is the typical organic farm vs conventional.
In many cases, when you buy organic you *are* buying from the small farmer but with a mark up. Many of the produce items in our local WF are local. The advantage to the shopper is that if you want to buy something at 7 pm on a Weds, you can. The farm stands are closed, and the farmer’s markets are on specific days. You have to pay a premium for that.
I think your vision of why some food is overpriced is also clouded by the fact that you have a garden. I do not. I have gardened in the past (and grew up in a family who gardened). But for someone who doesn’t garden, food doesn’t seem so expensive.
Finally, Americans pay a shocking small amount on food, compared to other countries and compared to how things used to be in the past. (Straight up cost AND percentage of income/ expenses).
Why is that? Well, we’ve gotten used to cheap food. Pesticides, shipping produce from China, Mexico, South America, etc, where labor is cheaper. Using cheap, illegal labor where often the workers have few rights and very poor conditions (An American Way of Eating – very eye opening book). How much *should* food cost if we are trying to eat “real food”. That is – food that is grown by people. Picked by people when it is ripe (plus we need to get used to real food, not just pretty food). These are people who need to pay rent, pay for health insurance, pay for food, pay for clothing.
It’s a balance. What are the overall societal benefits to eating food that is sustainably grown, by people who can make a decent living. Eating animals that were not tortured or force fed or stuck indoors their whole lives. And is it worth it to pay more for that? It doesn’t all exist in a vacuum. It’s all related.
I personally prefer a balance. I buy local (and pay extra) when I can. I often buy organic. But I balance that with food from regular grocery stores because it’s affordable. If all anyone ever bought was cheap produce from Mexico, then we’d never be able to buy stuff from our local farmers. Because they would go bankrupt.
Katharine says
I so agree with this! There’s a restaurant in Seattle called Portage Bay Cafe and their slogan is “Eat like you give a damn” which I try to do. I’m a vegetarian, and am trying to reduce eggs and dairy in my diet because I think the way animals are treated in the factory farming system is horrific and unethical. So, I buy the $6.50 a dozen eggs at the farmer’s market instead of the 99 cent ones at Fred Meyer. (I live in an apartment and can’t have chickens, unfortunately.) If I buy milk or cheese, I go as local and humane as possible, which will of course cost more. Mavis, you save as much money as you can on food so that you can retire early/travel more/whatever else you want to do, which is great because it’s your priority! Not everyone has the same priorities, and I have actually expanded my food budget as I’ve made more money (instead of trying to spend less) so that the foods I eat more match my values and priorities.
Cathy says
Amen, sista! Several years ago, I won a $500 Whole Foods gift card. (Yep, an entire $500 to blow on crazy-expensive items!) I had butterflies in my stomach just driving through the parking lot. Me, a fish out of water, trying to spend $500 on groceries as if it was a natural occurrence. It took me months to finish spending the money, simply due to the fact that I had a difficult time justifying the cost of items in that store.
Martine says
If I may be so cheeky as to ask you, did you ask for giftcards for gifts at Christmas or do people just know you like them? I like giftcards too but usually from somewhere like a craft shop or T K Maxx (your T J Maxx equivalent here in the UK) where I can buy something for the house or for me! It would never occur to me to ask for ‘grocery type’ cards, perhaps I should rethink that! I love your self discipline and I aspire to some of it myself, not so good at it though, but I’m trying. 😀 Thanks for your inspiration. x
Mavis Butterfield says
I asked for the Trader Joe’s gift card. 😉
Emmie says
We don’t have Whole Foods so that problem solved 🙂 but when we travel we visit them as a tourist destination sometimes. For example, the hh and I had a great time at the big Whole Foods in Kensington, London. We bought fancy Ethiopian coffee to take home and had fun learning to use the big grinder, then chose extremely tasty olives and ate them at the bar with a glass of wine from their wine hub machine (which I wanted to learn to use bc I’m such a nerd). Good times! Maybe try that when you’re using up a gift card — pretend you’re on vacation when you can live a little? Then bring nice food gifts home which everyone appreciates more than a fridge magnet.
Amy S says
I love receiving Starbucks gift cards. I then transfer the money to my Starbucks card which is also on the app on my phone. If a friend wants to meet me for coffee, then I gladly go. She doesn’t need to know that my drink is technically free to me. We have a good time chatting and sipping our beverages. I don’t go to Starbucks very often so a $20 balance will last two or three months even when I buy a fancy latte each time.
Jennifer Meyer says
You sound like me! Someone gave me a giftcard for bath and body works once which is a totally frivolous place for me that I only shop at during the semi annual sale. So I saved the giftcard for like 6 months until semi annual sale time and found a coupon code to save like an extra 10% and free shipping. Got like $120 worth of products for $50. All free to me using the giftcard. Some became christmas gifts and the rest I am still enjoying 3+ years later lol!
Alison says
I went to Whole Foods last week because we are on vacation and I am on a ridiculously restrictive elimination diet for health reasons. I picked up a “naked” rotisserie chicken for me and had no problem with the price because of my diet. I started getting stressed and cranky when I had to get food for 2 of my children for lunch and items for a “picnic” for some people we were visiting. Everything there is obnoxious and expensive. I missed Aldi. Glad I’m not the only one that stores like that make cranky 🙂
Patricia says
Dear Mavis, Take it from me…. you really need to give yourself a break. The gift cards were meant to make you happy. To let you get things you don’t normally buy. If you’re feeling grumpy wait until another day to shop.
I have incurable cancer. I wish I hadn’t been so serious about a lot of things as my family was growing up. There is not going to be a lot of money spent on fun things during retirement as there won’t be slot of retirement time. Live your life now which I think you do from some of your postings. Your children are going to want memories of you enjoying all those lemon tarts motif pinching pennies. A little is good. Too much is overboard. Find a middle ground. It will help you lighten that load your caring around.
And no more grumpy days
Mavis Butterfield says
Cancer sucks. And I am sorry to hear yours in incurable. I agree, life it too short to be so serious. I’m working on it. Wishing you happiness Patricia.
Lorien Mahay says
You know what’s interesting? I did a side-by-side price comparison between the store versions of food I buy at Whole Foods vs. the store bought versions at Trader Joe’s and, largely, I came away with the conclusion that the food I buy is cheaper at Whole Foods! Mind you, our family eats vegan, so we largely focus on things like tofu, tempeh, produce and bulk bin selections (beans, rice, oats, etc) so this may be very different for others, but I find Whole Foods to actually offer great deals! I only buy their store brands and I LIVE in their bulk bin section and always come out feeling pretty fantastic. Plus, they have an app that allows you to get discounts on produce! If it’s not obvious, I’m kind of a fan 😉
I feel you on Starbucks, though!! That one hit home pretty hard 🙁 Any suggestions for a die-hard coffee store addict? Making it at home just doesn’t give me the feel-good vibes that my overpriced coffee habit does. But then again, neither does my bank account…
Pam Thornton says
Hi Mavis. I watch my money but I LOVE shopping at WF for all those speciality ingredients that I cannot find at the local WalMart/Kroger/Aldi…. wonderful vinegar, specialty oils, salts, canned tuna, unique nuts, etc. These add that something extra to the foods I love to make for my family and that adds value to me. I enjoy your blog so much… can’t wait to find out your secret goals 3 and 4!