A couple weeks ago I mentioned I was thinking of cancelling my CSA because the quality and quantity was going down. This past week when I saw the contents I was slated to get, I went ahead and cancelled. I was disappointed with the variety and volume, so it just didn’t make sense to continue to subscribe. As Emily pointed out, it’s a classic case of they got too popular and didn’t have enough food to go around!
Ordinarily, I would have had a CSA box this week, so, instead I set off on a challenge that went like this: See if I could buy only organic produce at Whole Foods Market and meet or beat the price I was paying for my CSA share. While I was at it, I bought all our groceries there.
My CSA box always had 12 items and cost $37, so, each item was $3.08. On my challenge, I would buy at least 12 produce items, and try to beat $37 while buying at least or more than the typical CSA “portion.” I tried to buy a variety of items that would mimic would I would get in my share.
Here is where I netted out:
Former Bi-Weekly CSA – 12 items – $37
Whole Foods Market – 12 Items – $33.71.
And, the best part is, I got more volume from WFM that I had been getting each week, in some cases by double (for instance, I would only get 2 potatoes, or 2 tomatoes in the produce box, and I got four here). I will admit I went blueberry crazy – they had organic blueberries for $1.99 a pint last Friday only, so I stocked up – but 3 pints only counted as one item! (And they are pretty much all gone now.)
Oh, and how did I do on the budget overall?
Goal: $75
Actual: $74.12
Magic! No calculator, just the little bit of grey matter between my ears. I know WFM gets a rap for being expensive, but I really didn’t find it to be over the top. Their 365 beans are cheeee-ap, and have no salt added, which is nice. And, their organic skim milk is the exact same price as our Trader Joe’s.
| Whole Foods Market | Qty. | Extended Price ($) |
| Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips | 1 | 4.99 |
| Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips | 1 | 2.99 |
| Quick Rolled Oats | 1 | 3.29 |
| Original Corn Thins | 1 | 2.79 |
| Chobani Greek Yogurt, Plain | 1 | $5.69 |
| Garden Veggie Tempeh | 1 | $2.79 |
| 365 Brand Frosted Mini Wheats | 1 | $3.39 |
| High Fiber Cereal | 1 | $3.69 |
| Organic Nonfat Milk | 1 | $5.79 |
| 365 Organic Black Beans | 2 | $2.00 |
| 365 Organic Pinto Beans | 2 | $2.00 |
| 36 Organic Garbanzo Beans | 1 | $1.00 |
| Blueberry, pint | 3 | $5.97 |
| Russet Potatoes, Organic | 4 | $2.71 |
| Red Chard, Organic | 1 | $2.69 |
| Green Kale, Organic | 1 | $2.69 |
| Yellow Peaches, Organic | 3 | $2.44 |
| Shallots, Organic | 4 | $1.36 |
| Roma Tomatoes, Organic | 4 | $3.03 |
| Broccoli, Organic | 1 | $3.08 |
| Asparagus, Organic | 1 | $3.03 |
| Kiwi Fruit, Organic | 4 | $2.76 |
| Cremini Mushrooms, Organic | 1 | $1.96 |
| Carrots, Organic, 2 lb bag | 1 | $1.99 |
| $74.12 |
Menu for the Week
- Monday: Lentil Burgers and Russet Potato Home Fries
(I just threw a variety of stuff in the food processor and came out with a good lentil burger – it seems those are the times things come out well and I don’t write it down. Drats.) - Tuesday: Tasty Black Bean and Corn Tacos
- Wednesday: By request: Teriyaki Chickpeas — 2Chili cannot get enough of this dinner. If you have picky eaters and haven’t tried this, I highly recommend it!
- Thursday: Baked Cashew Ziti
- Friday: Refried Bean Enchiladas
- Saturday-Sunday: TBD
Budget Buddies
- Emily Levenson
- Veggie Converter
- Dairy-Free Cooking
- Motor City Girl In the Steel City
- Veggie Burgher
- The Happy Cactus
- Test Kitchen Tuesday
- Newly Vegan
- Veggie on the Cheap
- MeloMeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day
- The Veggie Life
- Caroline Cain Holistic Health
- Going Veggie
- Under The Apple Tree
- Be the Change
View Comments (2)
WTG!! You are a total shopping and budgeting rockstar.
A bit sad that the CSA didn’t work out, seems like they should put a limit on the number of people they take on each season. A lot of CSA’s do that around here.
Yeah, it is sad about the CSA because I really do believe in them! But, I do love going to Whole Foods, so that will be a good solution until I find a new one. I guess there is something nice about picking out your own produce, too…