How to Shop Organic Foods on a Budget

I have heard the excuse time and time again (I'm even guilty of giving it myself)..."I wish we could eat organic foods, but I just can't afford it." I'm was right there with ya'! We live in a fixed one-income, middle-class household, that supports two children. About three years ago, we decided to eat organic produce, meats, and some dairy (milk). This decision was based on new knowledge I had gained, through researching the food industry as a whole. What I found is that the food industry is out to get rich, even if it is at the expense of your health. They cut corners to produce cheap, yet tasty food, ultimately altering the natural ingredients for a cheaper "replica". The end result? Consumption of preservatives, chemicals, pesticides, additives, and other harmful substances. For more information on what foods to avoid, and alternatives, visit my Guide to Clean Eating. What I have found is that by cutting out prepackaged conventional foods, and eating with fresh ingredients, my grocery bill has actually decreased. I have been able to feed our family of four, fresh organic meals (three main meals, plus snacks and desserts) seven days a week, for under $100 per week. The trick begins with strategically planning your menu for the whole week. Here are some things I do, to stay within that budget:

• Plan meals that will include meat, every other day, verses having it in every single dish.
• Only buy what you need for the week and not a thing more (unless it is a GONGA deal that you can incorporate into next week's menu).
• Stay away from recipes that require a ton of ingredients, or specialty ingredients that you'll only use once.
• Compare fresh organic produce to frozen organic produce. For example: If you buy a whole head of broccoli that you are paying per pound for, and don't intend to use the heavy stems that are being included in that price per pound, then you are wasting money. Instead, compare the price to frozen organic broccoli cuts, where you are only paying for the part you will actually use. 
• Substitute any dinner leftovers as lunch during the week. We typically have two to three dinners that provide enough leftovers to eat for lunch.
• Stay away from specialty stores (Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Trader Joe's)! Although they have a great selection and unique stuff, you typically pay more in your overall bill. For instance, I get my organic meat cheapest at Costco, but since they don't carry a large selection of organic produce, I shop for those items at a local grocery store. I look at my circular ads on Sundays and plan my meals around any organic sales for that week. If I am going to buy a 5 pound bag of organic potatoes, to use a few for one recipe, then I try to plan another meal that will use the remainder of the bag. If I have still have leftover potatoes, then I make homemade potato chips or fries :) The key is to not let it go to waste.
• Know what is important in organic form, and what you can still buy in conventional form. Some items just don't need to be "certified" organic, yet can be just as healthy for you. Most of those items will read as "All Natural". Be careful though, as I have seen refined white sugar read as "all natural", but that doesn't make it healthy. As long as you are reading your labels, you can weed out the bad products verses the products that are still good for you. The key is to stay away from as many preservatives, hormones, fake sugars, additives, and chemicals as possible. The fewer the ingredients, the better for you. You can read a list of Pesticides in Produce, listed in order from the highest levels of residue (buy these organic), to the lowest levels (don't need to be organic). Not all produce has to be organic.
• I make a lot of my baked goods from scratch. If we are having pizza, I make my own crust. If the kids want cookies and snacks, I make it. This is much cheaper than buying the organic prepackaged snacks, which can often be as high as $5 a box! I normally double the recipe of whatever it is I am making. That way, I can freeze the second batch, and pull it out when needed. This saves time from always being in the kitchen! During the week I make up a batch of hummus, muffins, or other snacky items, that the kids can grab in between meals. Pick a "baking day" and pop it all out at once.You can find a lot of my recipes in my What's Cookin' section of my website.
• Know your limitations. If you know you went heavy on meat this week, then chances are you are going to have to put that $5 bag of organic oranges back on the shelf. As I am shopping, I actually jot the price of my items down, next to the item name on my shopping list. Before heading to check out, I do a quick add up of my groceries (rounding each dollar up or down to add it quicker). If I have gone over budget, then we put some of the "extra, non-necessary" items back. Yes, it will take sacrifice on your part, if you want to eat organically and stay within budget.
• Use coupons when you can. Organic coupons are hard to come by in the newspaper. You can however find them online with a little searching. I don't use a whole lot of coupons towards my food. 

Now I know your probably wondering if this budget includes household items such as toiletries, cleaning supplies, and such. Because I coupon those items, I typically get those items for free, or dirt cheap. Those items also come from my grocery budget, but are not purchased on a weekly basis. When I know I need to pick up a full priced household item, I adjust my grocery shopping for that week, to allow for the additional cost (aka: have to sacrifice another item). To learn how to save even more money with coupons, read my Tips for Newbie Couponers.  Have questions?  Email me!