December is a serious shopping month. Seriously. While we can’t provide any advice to help you with the craziness at the mall (other than avoiding them!), we do know the ins and outs of getting the most out of your shopping at Whole Foods Market. Here are our favorite tips for getting the good stuff — and the basics — at the best prices possible.1. SHOP THE SALESMore than 1000 items are on sale in our store right now. Sign up for our e-newsletters opens in a new tab for what’s on sale, and in the store look for the sale signs to save!2. GET YOUR VOLUME DISCOUNTSGet discounted pricing on many items when you buy a full case or more than a certain amount at once, including cases of party favorites like tonic water and our Top 10 Holiday Wines opens in a new tab in most stores. Get the details at Customer Service.3. PLAN YOUR MENUSCreate full menus and shopping lists for all the meals you’ll need, especially when you’re expecting company so you don’t overshop when the time comes. Make it easy with our iPhone recipes app opens in a new tab and online recipe-box and shopping-list features opens in a new tab.4. REMEMBER MEALS BETWEENYou won’t be eating at parties every meal this month! Keep simple meal makings on hand to avoid budget-busting takeout.
Buy a big bag of individually-quick-frozen chicken breasts (they don’t need thawing before cooking).
Try “breakfast for dinner” with cage-free eggs or whole wheat pancakes and fresh sausage patties or links.
Toss frozen broccoli florets into the cooking water a few minutes before the pasta is done for boxed mac ‘n cheese.
Organic frozen brown rice is a quick, filling base for our popular simple recipes featuring winter greens, such as chard, mustard and kale. For a bunch of recipes, go to our recipes page opens in a new tab and search for “greens” or by the greens’ name.