How To: Save Money At The Food Co-op
I have taken the plunge. After months of prevaricating, of heading to the not-so-authentic health food shop or hanging at the completely faux ‘health’ food aisle (replete with protein shakes, slim bars and other unmentionables) of Coles, I ventured into my local food co-operative. Co-operatives tend to scare me, as a general rule. I often feel they know that I bought Maccas last week, or that I really fight an internal demon on occasion when it comes to cleaning out cans and recycling them. My guilt is in my eyes. Deep down, I know that this is my own paranoia speaking but it had stopped me from venturing this far for quite some time.
Once inside, I instantly regretted my procrastination. And instantly realised the many ways in which a food co-op can save you money, while improving the quality of what we eat.
Membership
Membership at my food co-op (‘my’ food co-op I say, having been a member all of thirty seconds) is $35 a year. This gets you 10% off everything in the store so will probably have paid for itself within ten loads of vegetables. The food is already cheap, being straight from the supplier without any transportation or middle-man costs, and membership makes it even cheaper.
Get What You Need
Wasting food is one of the biggest drains on our incomes, money thrown away for nothing. As soon as I walked into the co-op, I realised one of it’s major advantages over big supermarkets. You can buy exactly the amount you need. Yes, bulk buying can save money. It’s great if you can bulk buy some staples and get them closer to wholesale price. But often we buy bargains we don’t need, buying in excess of what we will ever use. At a food co-op, you fill up paper bags with what you need and nothing extra. No waste, and instantly saving you money.
No Additional Costs
The co-op gets vegetables and fruits delivered three days a week. Generally, most things in the store are organic and information about who grows them and how is provided. Fresh vegetables and foods grown without pesticide do more than taste good, they’re great for your health. That means the amount of money we spend on supplements, on vitamin boosters and energy drinks, on coffees and chocolate bars and, inevitably, on health care may be dramatically reduced. It’s not a silver bullet, obviously. This won’t happen in isolation, just because we shop at the co-op. But a healthy diet does wonders, for every facet of our lives.
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