My 8 Tips for Buying Organics on a Budget
Posted 5 months, 4 weeks ago at 4:02 pm. Add a comment
1. Go meat-less one day a week.
Since organic meat/poultry can get pricey, reduce your meat intake (stretch those organic dollars.) Get your protein from nuts, beans, and whole grains one night a week. We try to have two meatless nights in our home – Meatless Mondays (home-made veggie pizza and spelt pasta with organic veggies are favorites) and we also have Shaky Wednesdays (ah…an homage to the famous cleanse – we love those organic shakes!)
2. Buy organic agave instead of sugars/corn syrup
Agave (another homage to the famous cleanse) has made such a difference in our lives. Agave is a low-glycemic natural sweetener (25% sweeter than sugar, so you use less and it’s ingested in the body slowly – no blood sugar spiking, thank you very much.) It’s expensive, but worth every penny when it comes to your health. I’m even baking with it!
3. Shop at the Farmer’s Market in your area
A Farmer’s Market is a great place to buy your produce. Organic produce is inexpensive compared to organic produce sold in the supermarkets. Please note, just because the produce at the Farmer’s Market is not certified organic, do not rule them out. Some farmers simply cannot afford the cost of an “organic certification” – which doesn’t mean that their fruits and vegetables aren’t pesticide, fumigant, or chemical-free. Just ask if the produce is “grown organically” the way mother nature intended it. Oftentimes, the answer is yes!
4. Shop at your Big Bulk Stores for your organics
Did you know that BJ’s Wholesalers and Costco carry a wonderful selection of organic products that are in-keeping with low prices for bulk items? I get all my organic frozen fruit at BJ’s (I use to get our frozen fruit from Whole Foods…they were roughly $1 – $1.50 more per 10 oz. bag.) Like I said, we do love those organic fruit shakes!
5. Join web sites for your favorite organic products to receive coupons.
Coupons for organics were hard to find but I quickly found that if I visited the web sites for organic products that I liked and joined their mailing list I would get free coupons in the mail. Many of the sites also had printable coupons you could get immediately.
6. Buy the “organic” House Brand
Major supermarkets (Whole Foods, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Publix, Winn-Dixie, etc.) are getting into the organic food game. The House Brand Price is just as good in quality compared to the bigger-name organic versions, but much, much lower in price.
7. Grow your own
If you have the space (even a window box) you can grow your own herbs, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber or whatever. Have your own organic salad growing right before your eyes, just make sure you have organic soil or even organic compost for your soil.
8. Don’t get too caught up with the term “organic, lots of products that are non-organic are just fine
Wild salmon is much better for you than farm-raised salmon. Ever heard of “organic” salmon? A lot of people are buying “organic” salmon, but the reality is, it is farm-raised salmon that is fed an organic diet. Regardless of diet (organic or otherwise,) farm-raised salmon contains substantially more PCB, dioxin and other cancer-causing contaminants than wild salmon. So how can they get away with the term “organic?” Well, currently the National Organics Program of the USDA has no policy regarding seafood.
Almond milk is better for you than organic milk, simply because the organic milk still comes from a cow (I always tell people, “Think about it…cow’s milk is really supposed to turn a calf into a one-ton beast.”) Just because it is certified organic, it does not mean that it’s good for you. Almond milk has less calories, dairy free, cholesterol free, lactose free, and contains 0 saturated fats.
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