22 easy ways to save money at Whole Foods

It costs a lot of money to shop at Whole Foods.

The company has earned the nickname "whole paycheck" it's high prices.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

We picked up some tips from money-saving experts on how you can save.

Get comfortable in the kitchen first.

There's a lot of preparation needed before making an efficient trip to an organic grocery store.

"If you know how to cook and you plan ahead that grocery shopping on a budget, even organic, can be much more feasible," Jess Dang of Cook Smarts, a meal planning company that specializes in budgeting for healthy food, told Business Insider.

"The way that I think about it [...] you want to take advantage of sales [...] even if things aren't on sale — x is cheaper than y at the grocery store. I think people get really afraid about making substitutions, even if they go in with a list, because they've planned ahead with all of these recipes, and they see that 'oh, actually this is on sale, but what I need is red peppers' — they're afraid to make that swap."

"Having a good knowledge of cooking [allows you to] feel comfortable you can make a swap based on sales or based off of better prices," she said. Ultimately, it "allows you to take advantage of better deals and save money."

Check your pantry before you go to Whole Foods.

"If you have that well stocked pantry [...] you actually don't have to be adding very much every additional week," Dang said, while also adding you should just be "checking what pantry things you need to replenish."

"It shouldn't be that every time you go shopping you need to buy a ton of pantry goods," she said. If you know what's in your pantry, you won't have to splurge on a ton of things you don't need, saving you money right off the bat.

Look for sales, and remember the importance of Wednesdays.

Looking for sales is a given, right?

But Molly Siegler, content editor at Whole Foods, informed us there are specific days items go on sale, which is important to keep in mind when preparing a shopping trip. "New weekly sales start on Wednesday and run through the following Wednesday, so there are actually double sales every Wednesday!" She told us. "Stores regularly have one-day or weekend sales on specific items— from packaged goods to fresh produce to wine and beer."

It's also important to look for sales before you go, and then make your meal plan around the deals that will be present rather than succumb to what's in front of you. Siegler pointed us to Whole Foods sales flyers, which are readily available online, and The Whole Deal, which has ample coupons and deals.

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