I feel like I need to start off saying this is quite a #firstworldproblem but I’m not going to let that stop me. See, I live in the land of suburbia; a land that overflows with car washes, discount box stores, frozen yogurt shops, TGIFridays, and the like. It’s not my favorite thing about where I live, but it comes with the territory.
The $12 dress I’ve been living in this summer
Recently I found out they are building a Lidl, a German grocery chain new to the US, in our area. At first, being a grocery store aficionado, my initial reaction was a little squeal of delight. After all, it’s supposed to be a rival to Trader Joe’s, selling items at outrageously low prices (jars of peanut butter for $1.19 !?!?). My mind lit up with thoughts of low grocery bills and an overflowing pantry.
Then I looked at where they are building it (local friends, right next to Josh’s Farmers market), and I just shook my head in disbelief. The site location has a Publix, Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Lowe’s Foods, Aldi, Super Walmart, Super Target, BJ’s, Sams, and a farmer’s market all within a 3 mile radius.
I honestly know nothing about super market margins, but I did read that over 20 grocers have filed for bankruptcy in the past 3 years, and I believe it. How is it possible for us to have so many options so close? And this doesn’t even include the Fresh Market and Whole Foods that are only a short drive away. It’s insanity.
Personally I’m all over the place with how I buy my food. I get on kicks where I’m all about our budget. I use Walmart’s pick up, stop by Aldi, and buy meat in bulk from BJs. I rejoice in our low grocery bills and that I found organic salsa for less than $2. Then, we take a trip to the farmers market, like we did this Saturday and my heart starts to sing.
The charm of local musicians, the freshness of in-season produce that is there because of the farmers’ sweat, and the strength of the community feel is intoxicating.
Not only that, the food just tastes better. Is it mental, influenced by my local kombucha samples happiness haze? Perhaps, but my reality is that it does in fact taste better. Or maybe I just appreciate it more?
Whatever the reason, I find myself wandering the booths with a new dedication to quality over quantity and an appreciation for freshness. I love the connection with our local farms and producers. I love eating the produce that is currently in abundance. I love the sweat that forms on my brow as I peruse the tomatoes and the heat that I want my kids to learn to handle.
They’re still working on it.
So now I find myself leaning back in the direction of supporting fresh, local, higher quality. I know this comes at a monetary cost, but we’ve always been OK allocating our budget in alignment with our priorities when we’re able to. And truth is eating this way does light me up inside. Picking up our weekly CSA makes me giddy. Food is my love language.
I have no doubt I’ll be back to Aldi and I’m sure I’ll use the Walmart pickup again, but as I wandered the aisles of Healthy Home Market (a local grocer) yesterday in awe of their renovation and offerings, I felt pulled back to my roots. I asked the cashier at check out how business was and he was quite honest with me when he answered, not great. It made me sad to hear. Are mom and pop shops and local farmers markets being put out of business at a startling by these super retailers? And if so, should I not be more conscious about voting with my dollar?
But then on the other hand, it’s hard not to get excited about a 4 pack of applesauce pouches for less than $3 at Aldi.
Like I said from the start, first world problems at their finest, but still, I find myself thinking about it lately and really wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter.
How to you choose from where to get your food?
Does convenience and cost reign supreme?
Are you OK spending more if it means higher quality or supporting local business?
How do you decide?
Jeannie says
I love to go to the local farmers market but that’s more random bc it’s just more convenient to shop for everything at the grocery store (stop and shop in NJ) and at Costco instead of making so many stops. Also the occasional Trader Joe’s run to stock up.
I’m always impressed how you shop at a variety of stores but I know you love food shopping.
Jennifer says
I love shopping at the farmers market!! I agree with you when you say your heart sings – I just feel energy being around all the local food. (Sounds crazy) We used to shop weekly at the farmers market but when we moved 2 years ago we don’t have any close to us on Saturday morning which our only time to go. 🙁 We sometimes make a trip out to our old favorite but it’s just not always easy. But I whole heartily agree I like to pay more for quality than have a tiny grocery bill full of artificial ingredients. But sometimes the budget is smaller than others. It will always be a balancing act but I feel it’s so much better for everyone to buy local in the end.
Stephanie says
I think I go through phases and figure the cost/budget impact evens out eventually. Using Thrive Market has helped because I can shop at the local, budget place (they sell local produce when it’s in season), but still have access to organic, healthy shelf staples that we need. And, my husband’s work has a farmer’s market on site, so he’s able to pick up some local produce there, too.
Brittany Dixon says
Great point about Thrive; they have a great service! I should probably use them more often than I do. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
Christen says
I’m kind of all over the place when it comes to where we buy our groceries. I buy a fair amount of boxed goods at Target – cereals, granola, applesauces, lunch snacks for the kids, etc. But for meat and produce, I usually shop at Hannaford (we live in upstate NY and they’re a regional grocer to us). Although, in the summer, we do shop at our local farmers market as well. We also have a ton of grocery options and I just stick to what’s cost effective, but also what’s good. We try to find that balance!
Megan says
This is so interesting to me! I literally obsess over our groceries. We spent A LOT of money on groceries. It’s just my husband, 1 year old son & me but goodness can my boys EAT. Like my 1 year old (16mo) eats more than me on occasion! We are implementing a monthly budget instead of weekly starting aug 1 to see if that helps us reign in costs. We don’t have the option to shop farmers markets right now, and bounce between Trader Joe’s, Giant (we’re in PA) BJs & wegmans. We’ve shopped Aldi before too… my understanding of how they keep their prices low is through the structure of the store (no bags, no music, etc) so I think that’s understandable to want to shop. We have been on a Wegmans kick lately, but it does get expensive. We have nearly eliminated red meat consumption at home, which helps in terms of cost. But, at the end of the day, we’ve accepted that buying organic is important to us and that comes at a price. We don’t use any food pick up services, but only because I am so type A that I need to pick out our food myself!!
Brittany Dixon says
We switched to a monthly budget and it helped with costs quite a bit! It made me feel “allowed” to have a bigger bill for when I was buying in bulk and as a result, a lower bill over all. You’ll have to let me know how it works out for you!
Heather says
Unfortunately I find myself dictated by convenience and price, which isn’t always my favorite. There used to be a fantastic little grocery store near my kids’ day care, but it didn’t make it. Too many people felt it was too expensive and had too many healthy options (!?!?!) I miss it a lot. We do try to support locally where we can, though, which is why we now buy our grass-fed organic meat from a local farm even though it costs more (you can taste the quality) and we get our milk delivered to our house every Monday from a local milk man. I’m definitely trying to adjust our budget to better align with the kind of consumer I want to become.
Brittany Dixon says
Can I just tell you how much I love hearing that people have a milk man? It just sounds so wholesome! And I agree that you can taste a difference in quality meat too. We are getting near the end of our freezer cow share stash and are looking into doing it again. It just worked out so well!
Laura says
I have to say that we rarely get out to our local Farmer’s market with our busy schedule these days. When I had one child who had no extracurricular activities it was a fun family outing on the weekends, but with 2 kids and soccer on Saturday mornings, it is just way more convenient to pick everything up at the grocery store. We do have a local independent store nearby that I often go to that carries a lot of great local produce at good prices during spring/summer/fall.
We are also in the suburbs and have basically every grocery store within a 5 minute drive. So we do shop around a lot to get the best deals. But, at this point in our lives with small children, convenience definitely reigns supreme. Sometimes that means spending more and making one stop at the more expensive grocery store and, while we eat a TON of fruits and vegetables regardless, it also sometimes means consuming more processed food and purchasing more wasteful plastic packaging on a more frequent basis. My hope is that we can cut back on both of these things and start hitting up the Farmer’s market more often as grocery shopping becomes less of a chore as the kids get older and more independent.
Brittany Dixon says
Such a great point about schedules! Our weekends will be full of soccer soon so leisurely farmer markets walks will be less frequent. I think I’m going to join the fall CSA, but then who knows, I’ll probably be stuck in the same hip hopping in different directions dance that I’m doing now 🙂
Jenn says
I really need to start a grocery budget! I usually end up at HEB or walmart, but too often than not Im running in with no list, 4 kids, and not really sure what to buy. A recipe for disaster and spending way too much! But what stuck out the most in this post was the comment on getting your girls to handle the heat! This is a huge problem Im running into on these crazy hot summer days! And Ive never really thought of it in a way as something I need to teach my kids to handle. Good point!
Brittany Dixon says
Hailey is so hot blooded and as soon as we get into the car it’s always “uhhhh mom I’m sooo hot” and my go to response has been “yup, it’s called summer.” Not something I could say to a baby of course, but at age 5, I’m trying to toughen her up a bit!
bella says
I love going to the farmers market once a week for most of my organic fruits and veggies. I go to Whole Foods for organic milk (love Clover brand), yogurt and a few other things. I also love going to Costco every month or so. My regular to go market is Ralph’s (Kroger) and adore Bristol Farms for specialty items and superior meat department. I would rather spend money on food, than Doctor bills. Buying and cooking good food is one of the most important things I can do for my family!
Brittany Dixon says
Definitely a good point you bring up about good food and health. When I alter my POV to see it as an investment in my family’s health, it certainly does change things! Thanks for chiming in!
montessoriishmom says
I definitely struggle with this. I love farmers markets, they are my happy place, but in terms of buying the bulk of our food, it is largely determined by cost, which I don’t always feel great about. I try to balance getting quality food with the prices, and given how much food we’re already buying for our 9 month old, I imagine this only gets tougher as kids get bigger…I can’t imagine our grocery bill when he’s a teenager!! I shop mostly at Trader Joe’s and, while it’s certainly not a mom and pop shop, I have heard it’s a good company to work for so I do feel good about that at least.
Brittany Dixon says
Hey, I struggle with it too, so don’t feel bad! Hailey eats as much as I do and she’d only 5, so I only see our grocery bill growing. I’m grateful to have so many options, but my goodness, it’s quite the mess to navigate sometimes!
Taryn says
We try and buy whatever we can as local as possible. Currently we buy raw milk from a farm (18 gallons at a time and freeze and defrost as needed). We buy 1/2 a cow every March. We buy eggs and raw honey at a local farm stand. My husband has a HUGE garden, so we get the majority of our veggies at home (during the summer). We are hoping to can/freeze/preserve a ton of in-season produce this summer, whether we grow it or not. He’s also trying to convince me we need our own chickens 🙂
That being said, I also love a good deal, and supplement a lot from our new local Costco. We live in a small town and only have 2 regular grocery stores to choose from (which is probably a good thing). Sometimes I cringe at what we spend on food, but we don’t buy expensive clothes or drive expensive cars. We feel that it’s so important to invest in our health. Great post!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my goodness, I want chickens SO badly! Right now we have a friend with chickens who sends a dozen our way every so often and its such a treat.
Your husband’s garden sounds amazing. We are enjoying cherry tomatoes and banana peppers from a few of our porch plants and will enjoy when the day comes that I can invest more of my time into gardening. Eating food from the backyard is so rewarding!
Heather says
Oh man, this is a big one for us! I currently work for a local organic market in MD (until I become a SAHM in less than 2 months, ah!) and this is always something I battle with. Personally, I am only buying organic produce and meat (local farms are even better). I get a really nice discount through my employment, but I have been wondering where I will be shopping once I lose that 30% off everything. I love my company not only because it is family owned and local, but because their main focus is on the environment. I think we forget about what the true cost of cheap food it.
Cheap food is awesome and a really nice privilege we have in the US, but it does come at a cost –
whether that be working conditions for laborers or how animals are treated in places like CAFOs. Not to mention the tons of pesticide we dump into our land and waterways growing these monocrops.
When I buy food I always think first that my health is my wealth. I will always spend a little extra for quality food that I know has been grown or raised with at least some consideration for the human/animal/environment.
My plan for after baby number two is Costco for their organic items only. Trader Joe’s for their staples that they somehow can sell way cheaper than any place else ie. organic black beans and frozen organic fruit, farmers markets because I love supporting my local economy and knowing my farmer, and I still need to figure out where most of my produce will come from. Will it be Whole Foods, Wegman’s, or my current employer? I don’t know. As long as I am conscious about where I spend my dollar, I am OK shopping anywhere that I can feel good about swiping. Total first world problems, but if we have the dollars and the voice to change the food system, it will trickle down to everyone.
Brittany Dixon says
You bring up some really great points about the real cost of cheap food. I’m prone to guilt (always working on this) sometimes for spending so much on food, but then my rational side reminds myself that it truly is an investment in my family’s health, not just something that makes me happy. I’ll be interested to hear where your path leads you; you’ll have to let me know! 30% off sounds pretty incredible so stock up now 😉
Emily K says
I ebb and flow on this as well. I love the convenience of doing the Whole Foods curbside pick up on Mondays and the Walmart pick up on Thursdays on my way home from the office. However, we stopped by a new small farmers market of sorts in a parking lot near our house Saturday and I could taste the difference in the green beans and the peaches were out of this world. My girls devoured 4 softball sized peaches last night at dinner and the green beans were amazing. I want to try and make an effort at buying more local as I feel it is better for us all around and I want to help the farmers in my area too stay in business. Thanks for the reminder on this and good food for thought.
Brittany Dixon says
The peaches right now are incredible aren’t they?! We made cobbler on Saturday and I nearly fainted. So delicious!
Laura says
I totally get what you are saying- shopping at the farmer’s market is an experience! It was the July heat at a Saturday market years ago with my one year old that got us to subscribe to our local milk delivery. They were offering samples and seeing my flushed faced boy chugging the cold fresh milk is a member I will never forget. I also have fond memories of buying bags of tomatoes and cucumbers when I was in the throes of first trimester nausea and tomato and cucumbers salads with lemon was all I could stomach. I love buying the items that are really special to my area- freshly roasted green chiles that are fantastic for chile rellanos, local bison, pinon (pine) nuts, Olathe sweet corn and Palisade peaches. As you say, it makes my heart sing! A majority of our groceries will likely always come from Costco (no time for guilt here!), but farmers markets will continue to be worthwhile experiences for me and my family.
Laura says
Also, don’t know if you’ve seen Over the Hedge, but your description of all the grocery stores in the area reminded me of when RJ the raccoon was describing the humans love and obsession for food (FOOOOOD!!!)
Brittany Dixon says
No I haven’t seen that but now I kind of want to 🙂
ali says
Our split is to purchase local & organic when possible, but to get the ‘staples’ at the big boxes – things like pasta, oil, rice, spices, etc that we couldn’t get at the farmers’ market if we tried. In the winter, more things come from the box store, and in the summer, far less.
erin says
I too love checking out grocery stores. However, I do 90% of my shopping at Trader Joe’s. I like what they have and it’s convenient. I’D love to shop around more, but just don’t have the time. I usually do a big shopping trip once a week and stop off someplace else if I really need something else. We have a decent farmers market and while I am cool paying more for better products and to support local farmers, I find our farmers markets to be pretty pricey. I am always amazed wen people say they get good deal at farmers markets because ours are definitely not cheap. have you been to a Wegman’s? They are amazing:)
Hilary says
I started shopping at Sams Club earlier this year to save money, but over time the lower quality started to bother me. I have now been shopping at Lucky’s Market, a type of Whole Foods of sort, but cost friendly for the most part and it is such a nice balance of local and mass produced products, but yet still making my budget!
Rachel says
I love Farmers markets! I also find that it is a good option for people (like me) that are currently cooking for one or two. Being able to buy just one or two carrots or a single small onion at the Farmers market helps me reduce food waste.
Jessica says
I am SO on the same page as you! Mom of two toddler girls, living in the suburbs of Northern California. Farm fresh produce and markets are abundant; local agriculture is everywhere. And we have many grocery stores to choose from. While I would love to do farmers markets all the time, I also deal with a budget and get on the exact same kicks where I want to get healthy food at the lowest price. But then, we go to a Saturday farmers market and I vow never to buy anything but local again. It’s a hard battle! It makes me feel better knowing I am in good company.
Brittany Dixon says
I’m cracking up because “vow to never buy anything but local again” is exactly how I feel when I’m wandering the farmers market! It’s like a natural high, haha!