Trader Joe’s Shopping List and More on Natural Food Shopping
We’re making preparations to make a Trader Joe’s trip tomorrow, possibly. We go every other month. We also visit my three friends from college and their children. We make a big day of it. One of my friends is due to have a baby and the other two will be with her at the birthing center, so if she’s in labor tomorrow, I may put off my trip until next week sometime.
I’ve been keeping track of Trader Joe’s prices for a long time. The things that I buy there I cannot purchase for less money anywhere. Just to make the trip costs me about $15 in fuel, which is why we only go every other month, and why I do my visiting and other errands all in the same day.
Here are the things I purchase from Trader Joe’s, and their prices. I added a star (*) in front of the items I buy every time.
- Pocket Bread, Whole Wheat, 6 loaves, 0.89 (TJ’s brand)
- *Pure Vanilla Extract, Alcohol Free , 4 ounces , 4.49 (TJ’s brand)
- Jam, Organic, Fruit Juice Sweetened, 8 ounces, 1.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Olives, Extra Lg, Pitted, 5.75 ounces, 1.29 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Coconut Milk, Light, 14 ounces, 0.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Tomatoes, Organic, Diced, 28 ounces, 1.39 (TJ ’s brand)
- Tomato Sauce, Organic, 16 ounces, 1.09 (TJ ’s brand)
- *TJ’s Tomato Paste, Organic, 6 ounces, 0.79 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Spray, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2.29 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Olive Oil, Extra Virgin, 1 liter, 5.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- Applesauce, Organic, Unsweetened , 24 ounces 1.89 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Wild Caught Red Salmon , 7.5 ounces, 2.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Balsamic Vinegar , 2.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- Roasted Red Peppers, 12 ounces, 1.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- Broccoli, Organic Florets , 1 lb., 1.69 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Soy Delicious, frozen dessert, 1 quart, 2.99 (Turtle Mountain brand)
- Orange Juice, Organic , 12 ounces , 1.69 (TJ ’s brand)
- Green Beans, Organic , 1 lb., 1.59 (TJ ’s brand)
- Peas, Organic , 1 lb., 1.69 (TJ ’s brand)
- Corn, Organic , 1 lb., 1.49 (TJ ’s brand)
- Soycutash, Organic , 1 lb., 1.89 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Pound Plus Dark Chocolate, 1 lb. plus, 3.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- Moisture Cream, Unscented , 18 ounces, 3.19 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Conditioner, Citrus , 16 ounces, 1.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Shampoo, Citrus , 16 ounces, 1.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Dish Soap , 25 ounces, 2.49 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Automatic Dishwashing Gel, 46 ounces, 3.49 (TJ ’s brand)
- Pineapple Rings, Org, Unsulphured, Unsweetened , 1 lb., 3.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Rotelle, Organic, Whole Wheat, 1 lb., 0.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Spaghetti, Organic, Whole Wheat , 1 lb., 0.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Spaghetti, Organic, Sprouted Wheat , 8 ounces, 1.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- Eggs, Organic, Free Range , 1 dozen , 2.99 (TJ ’s brand)
- *Non-Hydrogenated Spread, 1 lb., 2.29 (Earth Balance brand)
- Tofurky 1 lb. 2.99 (Turtle Island Foods, Inc. brand)
I’m curious whether these are universal prices. If you shop at Trader Joe’s, are these the prices you pay for these items?
When we make the trip, I also stop at a raw, organic foods supplier, where I buy:
- 5 lbs. of raw, organic almonds for about $8.00 per pound
- 5 lbs. of raw, organic walnuts for about $4.00 per pound
- 30 lbs. of raw, organic agave syrup for $1.84 per pound
- 30 lbs. of organic, Thompson raisins for $1.49 per pound
- 1 gallon of raw, organic, apple cider vinegar for $6.05 per gallon
- 10 lbs. raw, organic, moist date pieces for $1.60 per pound
The rest of our food stuffs I buy from Azure Standard, once per month, when the delivery truck drives right through our nearby town. And each week, I stop at the local grocery store for fresh produce. I buy whatever is reasonably priced and organic.
It has taken time, but I’m thankful that the Lord has directed me to good sources for quality organic foods at reasonable prices. He will do this for you, too.
If you’re just beginning this journey, I encourage you to ask around. The people you know may be able to steer you in the right direction. There is also a national database for natural food co-ops, which may aid you. In addition, your local health food store might offer discounts on special orders or bulk purchases. If there is a co-op nearby, they probably know about it.
If you have a good food source that is an hour or more away, consider making a quarterly or every other month trip to stock up on non-perishables. This way, you get the benefit of the lower prices and good quality, but not the expense of time and fuel to get there and back.
Notice that Tennessee is conspicuously missing from that list
However, I have heard word that a Trader Joe’s may be coming to Nashville. If so….. Lord willing we will be shopping there!
Adriana frm the t2chk board, has sent me some things from Trader Joes that were just wonderful. So, I can’t wait to go
I hope they do come to Nashville! You would love to shop there! Do you need anything that I could send you? I would be happy to do it!
Texas isn’t on that list either!
Wow, reading your stuff really makes me think about the things I buy at the store….
Wardeh,
Thank you, but no. I guess I should wait til they get here. 
How sweet of you
Oh I hope they do come to Nashville. Maybe they will be a little closer than Wild Oats is…
Do you have any vegetarian meals that you and your family still eat? It’s November again, and for me that means the desire to cook more. I really lose that desire a lot during the Summer. I am trying to get it to where we are having about half vegetarian meals a week.
Thanks!
Hi Wardeh!
Your site is so much fun!
The surmon was sure good this morning wasn’t it.
We’ll be busy tommorow but I would like to talk to you again soon. ~Christina
Well, hello, Christina! What a treat to have you visit my blog. Yes, the sermon was really good yesterday. I would like to talk again soon, too. Love, Wardeh
Hi
I’m really interested to see that you included apple cider vinegar on your shopping list.
I have been using it to treat my ezcema condtion - it looks to be doing quite well too.
Also interested to see that your are obviously a Christian - me too.
I’ve bookmarked your blog so I’ll come back.
Kevin
Hi, Kevin! Thanks for stopping by! Do you take the vinegar internally or as a rub on the site of rash?
Hello Wardeh! I’m still learning and making changes so that my family and I can eat healthy. It is a very interesting process and honestly exciting. Exciting because I love discovering there are healthy options out there. I wondered if you could tell me what Agave syrup tastes like. We can not get it here. Actually, we’re pretty limited in what we can get, but we’re on our way to Colorado which is a health smorgasbord.haha So we’re hoping to load up on a few things. Thank you again!
Hello, Shelley! Agave tastes alot like sugar. Really. It doesn’t have the strong honey flavor. It is mild. Hope you get to try it; I think you’ll like it! Love, Wardeh
Bring Trader Joe’s to Nashville!
If you would like to sign a petition to encourage Trader Joe’s to open a store in the Middle Tennessee area, please visit our site:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/tjsnash/petition.html
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Carol
cayr01@hotmail.com
Carol, thanks for this link. I will pass it on to 2 of my friends, who will probably love to see a Trader Joe’s there! ~Wardeh
We are moving to Nashville in January and I found your blog when I did a google search to see if there was any chance of a TJ’s opening in Nashville.
We currently live in CA, and do 90% of our shopping at TJs.
I seriously have no idea what we will do when we move-drive 5-6 hours to Atlanta and go shopping? Probably:(
Some of my favorite items include the Greek style yogurt, the Penko Breaded Tilapia (perfect for fish tacos!) the TJ’s brand Dill, and the High Protein Tofu.
Hi, Flo. Did you sign that petition (link above) to get a TJs in Nashville? I don’t know what I’d do without TJs. We were just there yesterday to stock up for the next 2 months. Hope your move goes well! ~Wardeh
Hey Wardeh,
I found your website while trying to find a recipe that used the flours I happened to have on hand (Azure come this week)…I am also in the Pacific NW. I am wondering what store you get your Agave from I have been purchasing it from azure, but the price you have listed for the organic raw foods store is cheaper. Can you share the name?
Hi, Suz. I will email you that info. Love, Wardeh
I have a friend in the real estate business who has told me that Trader Joe’s retained a commercial realtor to look at property in Green Hill’s back in 2005. This was before Wild Oats was bought out by Whole Foods. Now that the Wild Oats location on Hillsboro Pike is closed, rumours are spreading that TJ’s is one of five companies in the running to get the Wild Oats property.
Whole Foods had the ability to block TJ’s if they had kept the property and sublet it, but now they have no say-so. The owners of the property can lease it to anybody, and the top 5 (in no order) likely to vie for it are: Harris-Teeter, Publix, Crate and Barrel, Fresh Market, and Trader Joe’s.
Update: According to good friends in the Nashville area, there is now a Trader Joe’s in Nashville! Yay!
And many of the prices in this post have gone up. For instance the walnuts that were $4 per pound are now $7.50 per pound.
~Wardeh