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How Real People on Real Budgets Can Afford Organic
Guest Blogger
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Robyn O'Brien:
In a world in which we are constantly worried about the health of our families, the stability of our jobs, paying the mortgage and all of life's responsibilities, the simple act of trying to eat healthy often becomes a challenge.
Not to mention that if your family is anything like mine, then you've most likely got some picky eaters, limited time and a limited budget with which to pull all of this off in a world of soaring food prices.
So here are a few tips for those who want to start buying organic food but don't want to pay the high price:
- Go Orgo-Generic. Major grocery store chains like Safeway and Kroger, and big box food retailers like Costco and even Wal-Mart, now carry their own organic foods. And all foods labeled "USDA organic" are created equal, no matter where you find them. No need to upscale your grocery store when Wal-Mart gets it done.
- Buy Frozen. Frozen foods (like strawberries and fish) are cheaper than those that are delivered fresh. So if the prices on fresh produce are eye-popping, cruise on over to the frozen food aisle for a discount.
- Eat with the Season. Retrain your taste buds to think like your grandmother did. She didn't eat strawberries in the middle of winter. Locally grown foods are usually cheaper than those flown in from another hemisphere so if you eat with the season, you'll be eating more affordably.
- Skip the Box, Embrace the Bulk. Food that comes in boxes costs more because of the packaging costs associated with designing those pretty pictures! When you buy in bulk, you're not paying for all of the packaging, you're paying for the food which is what you want anyway. So slide on over to that bulk food aisle in Safeway and look for noodles, cereals, rice and beans in your local grocery store.
- Support the US economy and Buy Local. You can save money by becoming a member of a local farm (just like you became a member at Safeway or Costco!). How do you find a local farm, you ask? Well, thankfully, the USDA now has a list of online sites to help you find the closest farm near you.
- Comparison Shop. You wouldn't buy a car without comparison shopping, so before you even head out the door you can compare the prices of organic foods at different retailers from the safety of your own computer.
- Coupons, coupons, coupons: Organic bargains are everywhere so click on About.com's Frugal Living page where you will find All Organic Links.
- Grow One Thing. If you're as busy as we are, there's not a chance in creation that you are going to be able to feed your family off of your home-grown harvest, but you will find that growing a tomato plant can be incredibly inspiring. And it's not as intimidating as it seems. So pick one thing to grow -- you can do it (we all grew lima beans in cups as kids, right?).
- Find a Friend. It is way more fun when you share this adventure with someone else, so be sure to find a friend, share this link and get back to us with your success stories (and if you have a tip that you want to add, please post it in the comment section below!).
Good luck! And keep us posted on your success stories at our website.
This article orignally appeared in the Huffington Post. Robyn O'Brien is the founder of AllergyKids and author of The Unhealthy Truth.
Find Out More:
Healthy Child Healthy World.
Posted by Stephanie on 08/25/2010 at 11:31 PM
These are great tips, Robyn! I think eating organically is definitely more expensive in the short run, but…not in the long run. There isn’t really a price tag for good health, long life, and less toxins in our bodies. :)
We save money by eating less meat, eating seasonally, and eating in.
Posted by Crystal - Prenatal Coach on 08/18/2010 at 03:25 PM
Great article. Here are the ways that we buy organic on a budget:
1. We purchase a share (CSA) in an organic farm for our veggies and when the harvests are local and bountiful we stock up by freezing, fermenting, jarring etc. for the fall/winter.
2. We opened a buyer’s club account with the distributor that sells natural foods to places like Whole Foods etc. so that we can buy in bulk, at wholesale prices.
3. We make a lot of our food from scratch. Even something as simple as making your own chicken or vegetable broth works out to be a lot cheaper (and healthier) than the store bought varieties!
4. We make more than enough food for dinner so that we have leftovers to take for lunch the next day. Eating out only 1x a week enables us to save money that we can then spend on buying healthier, organic food.
Looking forward to seeing how other people buy organic on a budget!
Posted by Daisy on 08/18/2010 at 02:33 PM
Excellent points. I’m working on retraining my family to think “in season” rather than buy expensive but poor quality produce. I’m learning to can, too - my own tomato sauce will taste better than the mass produced cans.
Posted by Wendy on 08/18/2010 at 01:33 PM
All of your suggestions, except the first one, are great ways to eat organic on a budget. All organic food is not the same because all organic companies are not the same. There are deviations in the ways organic companies respect their workers and the land they farm. All organic food does not travel the same road from seed to shelf.
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Posted by Bernard Brown on 10/17/2010 at 07:32 AM
Great list, but I think you’re missing one big one - building meals around plant-based foods rather than animal products. Given that we usually pay a higher premium for organic meat, dairy products, eggs, etc., going more with beans and other relatively unprocessed plant-based foods as the base of meals can help fit organic into a tight budget. This doesn’t necessarily mean vegan - indeed using animal products more sparingly can allow you to afford higher quality, more sustainably raised, and local products.