I won't compromise on food - I'll cut back in other areas first, like getting my hair cut less frequently, turning down the thermostat 3 degrees, taking shorter showers, and in general buying less crap. But I will never compromise on my food.

We're still receiving our CSA for another month, so luckily, we won't have to deal with produce prices until it is over.

I still buy organics - especially fruits and vegetables - but I've been trying to curb my impulse purchasing on prepared foods. I have a tendency to shop with eyes that are bigger than my stomach, which can lead to too much food and not enough time to eat it all before it goes bad.

Don't you think that people are just more aware that even though processed foods are organic, they are still full of things that aren't necessarily healthy?

I'm a Park Slope Food Coop member. I mostly bought minimally processed veggies before (vs organic) and still do, esp since organic apples at $3/lb make them overly expensive. It seems that all produce costs more, not just organic.

I'm seriously considering buying into a local farm's winter CSA. Locally grown winter veggies from Dec. through April sounds pretty good. Then I can supplement it if needed with additional produce.

I'm also trying to plan my meals better so I don't impulse buy or buy too much. I refuse to compromise on quality, but with better planning I'll still save money even if I continue to buy local and/or organic.

I buy local (though not necessarily organic) fruits and veggies. Luckily, I've found some good produce at the Greenmarket on Union Sq, and Whole Foods has also had good discounts lately. However, I still insist on organic milk and eggs.

I think Eliza is right, everything has got more expensive.

our fall/winter csa started 3 weeks ago, so i have actually been eating more organic produce than usual. it even works out to being less per week through the csa than i spent at the farmers' market over the summer.
another way the csa is saving me money is that it is forcing me to plan my meals for the week. i get an email in the middle of the week listing what will be in the bin on saturday. i use the list to plan out the meals for the week so i am sure to use, not waste, any of those precious veggies. since the meals are all planned we don't really eat out, which saves tons of money. plus, we're trying all sorts of new foods! last night my husband discovered that he likes chard!

While I'm not surprised people are cutting back, I'd like to study people's food spending habits in more detail.

I went to Trader Joe's on Sunday and it was a madhouse. The clerk mentioned that Saturday (the day before) had set a new sales record (the store has been open for roughly 2 years--I know this because I was their first paying customer--no joke).

So, that got me thinking that people are buying more food to prepare at home. If TJs is up, why is Whole Foods down?

I'm only speculating here but both stores sell good quality, interesting foodstuffs. WFs has more organics overall but if given the choice I'll bet a huge number of people will overlook organic certification if that means more expensive groceries. Will they be sacrificing quality? Not necessarily when they can go somewhere like TJs and then pick and choose a few items from WF's on the way home or from the Green Market on Wednesday or Saturday morning.

Also, to me, I know that I will not leave WFs without spending $32.00 just to cover one night's meal plus a little leftovers for lunch the next day or some leftover wine or beer. TJs (and it's not my intention to endorse one store over the other) has so many good, affordable, make at home meal options where that $32.00 would stretch twice as far. Think frozen portioned wild fish, Indian entrees, wood-fired frozen pizzas, iqf veggies, interesting salad mixes, cheeses, good cheap wine, good cheap beer, dessert stuff, snacks, cookies.

I'm a huge fan of the small vs. the large menu. Give me the well thought out edited version rather than the huge, let's get them lost in the peripherals scenario. When I go to WFs I feel like the latter- I get lost looking for the black eyed peas. And I know there is a reason for that which has no benefit to me.

Here's a meal that I made last night entirely from TJs-
rough price estimate:
brats-$4 (used all 5--very hungry :-) )
sweet potato fries-$3-4 (used entire bag)
bright lights chard mix-$3-4 (used entire bag)
Niman Ranch smoked bacon-$4 (used 2 slices)
Pane Tuscan sliced bread-$3-4 (used 3 slices)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/3000262552/

Our grocery bills are a whole different ballgame here in Switzerland and France...

At home, I would never have worried about not buying organic (alas, no Whole Foods to tempt me though) -- with 2 incomes, life was good.

Here, I am not working, and we are living on my husband's (North American, not Swiss) salary. Yes, there is a bit of an adjustment to it, but not nearly enough to make up for the loss of half our income.

A week ago, I bought 2 (count 'em 2) medium-sized sweet potatoes. They cost $10!!!!

A few months ago, a 5 pound bag of regular (not organic) potatoes and a box of shreddies cost $18. (I remember because I almost fainted at the cost of 2 items)

At home, I would buy organic pork tenderloin, paying anywhere between $7 and $14 for the piece. Here, regular (not organic) pork tenderloin (smaller in size) costs between $24 and $30.

So besides the fact that organic food is not as readily available here as at home (the Swiss groceries tend to have more organic meat then the French; I have not come across organic meat at the French Butcher's, although his meat is very good, and there is only a limited supply of largely seasonal fruit and veg), it is sometimes too expensive to eat. A Poulet de Bresse usually costs 16 Euros a kilo, so a 3 to 4 pound chicken can come to close to $30.

As for eating out, we only do it when a) someone else is paying (i.e., a work-thing) or b) we are traveling. In Switzerland, in the city in which we live, a main course averages $30 to $35 for a reasonable (e.g. neighborhood) restaurant (the expensive ones, well...), and so dinner for 2 quickly comes to $150 even without the $20 to $25/hour babysitting charge.

There is next to no take-out (what there is is limited to pizza, shwarmas, and really bad chinese food, none of whom deliver, and are only available after 6:30) so we eat at home a lot (and I am getting very tired of my own cooking).

mschatelaine, it's nice to have a different view on the cost of food. It reminds me again that food prices in the States are kept artificially low through subsidies and a general lack of respect for food, animal welfare, environmental health. People in Great Britain pay eight dollars for a dozen organic eggs!

I want my family to eat good, clean, and fair food. The economy won't change that. The vast majority will remain organic and local and I am not buying CFO meat. We buy whole animals of excellent quality and the price is great. We supplement with additional meat from WF. If we get really pinched we just change the portions of what we eat so that the luxury items occupy less of the plate. We out less and hire a babysitter less often.

TJs is great for lots of things but their overpackaged veg bumms me out and I am not interested in processed food.

Another thing about WF that people should be aware of is that they lead people to believe that all of their meat is organic and free range.

This is most definitely not the case. In fact, my experience with many of the "butchers" is that they are not sure what the classification of their meat is and provide a vague answer.

WF organic, free range meat tends to be prepackaged and there is only a small selection fresh or frozen.

There is a huge difference between "all natural" and organic and free range. Just like greenwashing, meat can be marketed in such a way to make the consumer think they are making a more ethical choice.

For instance, if I'm not mistaken, antibiotics are no longer allowed in poultry production or are voluntarily not used. That's fine, so why the need to put a sign saying "no anitbiotics?" Or "all-natural". Pork and chicken are obviously all-natural-there is nothing artificial about them--they are living breathing "organic" creatures.

So, to me, I think people are somewhat misled when they go to a grocery store that is supposed to be organic and are not walking out with organic meat--unless they diligently seek it out.

Don't mean to stray far from the subject but one of my points is, if organics are down and WF is suffering what is the connection? You could buy much of the same quality meat that WF's sells from a cheaper chain grocer.

i still go to whole foods but it was reading 'the omnivore's dilemma' not economy that has gotten me to re-think what whole foods is all about. for example the book says that 80-90% of all items labeled 'organic' in the california stores come from two huge distributors in california -- the book also talks about deceptive labeling -- the shopper isn't getting pesticides but the long haul is still there and the huge corporations

WF does have much higher standards than the industry as a whole. It isn't perfect-- I don't like the chickens they sell in California for instance. But they do have better standards for beef and pork and frequently offer grass fed or organic at my local store.

At the very least,

They are the only source for non-confined veal in my area. They are the only source for pork that doesn't use gestation crates. We can usually buy organic.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/meat-quality-standards.php

The CSA is still a great deal for me. I am definitely using this opportunity to make sure I cut down on my meat intake. I am doing organic meat too, just very little of it.

Lotsa legumes and grains.