Over the last few months we focused on eating Organic on a Budget. To tie it all together, here’s a recap of the topics we discussed. I also included a print link, so you can print these tips.
15 Tips for Buying Organic on a Budget
- Buy in season. This not only ensures you get the biggest bang for your buck, it also means your produce will taste “as it should” – full of flavor and perfectly ripe.
- Stretch some meals with beans.
- Become a member of a CSA or Co-op. Get a box of fresh, all organic produce for a fraction of what you’d pay at the store. Check Local Harvest for a CSA near you.
- Utilize pantry staples. Pantry staples reduce the need or urge to order out by ensuring you can whip up a meal with only a few fresh ingredients from the store.
- Order organic, unprocessed sweeteners from Amazon. They have a program called “Subscribe and Save” that enables you to buy products at a discount and get free shipping.
- Make your own alcoholic beverages at home.
- Make your own junk food. We all like to cut loose at times, but “junk” food can cost a pretty penny and usually isn’t very healthy.
- Grow your own herbs.
- Buy in bulk. Check out Azure Standard – it’s a virtual “whole foods” at incredible prices. You can find anything from grain to meat to sunscreen. Azure has drop-off locations through out the US. Place your order online (they also have a catalog) and once a month, meet at a specific spot. A large truck pulls up and the driver hands you your goods.
- Buy your organic meats straight from the farm and save hundreds each year. Check Eat Wild to find an organic farm near you.
- Make your own breads, hamburger buns, pizza crust, and granola bars.
- Buy whole foods instead of packaged foods. Why pay for cardboard and plastic when you could use that money to buy food?
- Plan your meals. Meal planning saves money. It limits the spontaneous desire to go out to eat and you also only buy the ingredients you truly need.
- Be Discerning. If you can’t afford to buy entirely organic, choose wisely which items to pay more for. A good rule of thumb is to buy organic fruits and vegetables that have thin skins (like apples and berries). These foods tend to absorb the most pesticides and herbicides. Here’s the list of the “dirty dozen” from the Environmental Working Group.
- Find coupons on the internet. A few of my favorites are: Mambo Sprouts, Stonyfield, and Organic Food Coupons.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
could. not. agree. more.
beautiful post!
Wonderful tips, thanks for sharing!
Great Tips Carrie! Thank you for helping me help my family eat healthier.
Great tips, thanks for sharing. Eating healthy is so important and doesn’t have to break the bank!
These are all really helpful!
Great tips, Carrie. I agree with you that it’s about being discerning when you shop and making it by hand when you can!
These are awesome tips. Thanks so much for going through the trouble. I know I needed to read this!
love #12 about paying for plastic and cardboard!
I loved reading all of these tips. Thank you!
good tips! I need all the budgeting tips I can get
I agree with everything you are saying. I make our own junk food all the time but didn’t realize it until I was packing the beach bag the other day. I don’t have any packaged anything in my house. Cut up cucumbers, grapes, almonds, and peanut butter on whole grain crackers were the snacks du jour! P.S. I love the direction and focus of your message, Carrie. It’s all so intelligent, practical and needed.
Thanks, Susan.
These are great tips, Carrie. I dont always buy organic but I do always try to save money on my groceries and am really conscious of doing what I can from making my own salad dressing to planning ahead to not going thru the “hot bar” take out section of grocery stores to making my own coffee and not buying it when out. All the little things add up!
These are fabulous tips!
Thanks for the great tips.I’m always trying to find ways to be healthy on a budget & these tips r really useful. Planning & prepping ahead always helps.
Thanks so much for this post, great tips. I will definitely be sharing on my Fb page!
Very helpful tips, Carrie! I definitely live by stretching food with beans and grains, and buying food without packaging. Good suggestions!
Great list! I do many, if not most of these. However, I am not sure you’ve considered just how impoverished your reading audience may be. Many of these are impractical for someone like me living in a 300 sq ft home- I have NO storage space to buy things in bulk. Shopping in bulk seems like what people do with large homes in the ‘burbs. Also, I would LOVE to join a CSA, but the costs upfront are high and they don’t accept EBT cards (food stamps). I have learned though that many farmers markets DO, which is fantastic! Some even have offers to double your EBT dollars to encourage fresh, organic produce consumption among the poorest of us. Find coupons on the internet? Hmm…this would assume one has not only a working printer, but can afford the ink to print them.
Great for those “on a budget”, but some of us are struggling even more than that.
Thank you for the Organic coupon sites! Buying mostly organic items these days I don’t have many coupons!
Loving the advice! Bookmarking this – your tips are all 100% spot on!!
Love these tips. Thank you very much! One more place to search for organic coupons and such as Renaissance Mama – http://www.renaissancemama.com/.
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