Buying Organic Foods Without Breaking the Bank

By Nicole Rodgers
HL&S Guest Blogger

We at HL&S LOVE organic food – eating it raw, cooking with it and making it apart of our everyday lives. If you are unable to start your organic garden, as we taught you on Friday (perhaps you lack free time or live in an apartment building), but would still like to eat organic, have no fear.

Food grown 100% organically is appealing to individuals looking to live healthier lifestyles. But buying organic food can be expensive. Not every shopper can afford to spend those few extra dollars every week at the grocery store.

Buying organic can be expensive.

These easy tips can help buyers to eat better and spend less on organic food at the grocery store:

1. Coupons are the best friends of organic shoppers on tight budgets. Shoppers should always scour newspapers and the advertisements placed in most mailboxes to look for coupons that apply to the local organic stores, or larger chains that offer organic products. Saving a few pennies here and there can really make a difference over long periods.

2. Buying bulk items is always a good idea to save money, and this applies to organic shopping as well. However, this is not always possible with certain food items, namely fruits and vegetables. To cash in on savings, shoppers should limit their bulk items to dry goods and drinks. Purchasing bags of fruit like apples and oranges may be a good idea, but only if shoppers use them regularly.   Buying fruits and vegetables from organic shops can add up very quickly. For this reason, some individuals must make a compromise by purchasing only a few pieces of produce at a time.

3. Buying produce in season is a great way to cut the costs of organic shopping. Furthermore, many organic grocery stores display advertisements for specials, so shoppers on tight budgets may consider planning their shopping trips accordingly. For the shoppers unable to purchase from organic stores, many large grocery store chains provide organic shopping options, and they may cost less than local organic stores.

The Environmental Working Group strongly encourages shoppers to buy organic foods whenever possible, but if you’re unable to commit 100 percent, they have supplied a list of produce items most like to accumulate pesticide residue:

apples
pears
imported grapes
lettuce
potatoes
cherries
celery
peaches
Apples have a high amount of pesticide residue. Peel the skin to cut it down.

Shoppers may choose to avoid buying organic broccoli, cabbage, bananas, pineapple, and onions because these items do not usually accumulate pesticides and can be purchased in the non-organic variety.

Many individuals purchase organic food to avoid eating harmful pesticides used to grow and harvest traditional food. Others do it for environmental reasons, preferring methods that do not harm the earth. The rest enjoy the freshness of non-processed food. Whatever your reasoning, do it affordably and sustainably while you peruse the produce section.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging for three years; she loves to eat organic foods but knows how hard it is to stay within a budget while doing so. Another way that she stays on budget is by going online and finding great deals and coupons at Savings.com.