Saving Money on Organic Groceries
Like most Mommies I want to feed my family the best quality, healthiest foods I can. Unfortunately, most of the time the best foods can be the most expensive ones. I think everyone knows that organic and all natural products are really good for us, but they can be so expensive it is hard to justify the added costs. Those high prices have us asking ” Is it REALLY that much better?”. The answer, in short, is YES. Organic, all natural, garbage additives free is really better for us, our children and our planet. So, what to do about those high prices?
Get the best prices on the “good stuff”; here’s how:
1. Use Coupons
It can be so easy to find coupons for non-organic foods, convenience foods and junk foods, but how can you find coupons for organics and other health-conscious foods?
A few great places to start:
Mambo Sprouts:offers a selection of only all natural and organic foods coupons that are currently mailed to select areas of the country. And they produce the coupon booklets for Wild Oats/Whole Foods Markets. They are also building a printable coupon system onto their website that is sure to be a hit.
Manufacturer Websites: Stopping by your favorite organic brands websites can save you a bundle-they almost always have printable or snail mail coupons, samples, rebates and even giveaways. If you find a newsletter sign up, go for it and you will be amongst the first to receive freebies of all kinds.
Some organic companies that offer coupons:(there are plenty more out there)
Call the Companies: Calling those Toll Free numbers listed on product packaging can lead to big savings. Most companies will be happy to add you to their mailing lists and send you samples, coupons and company updates.
Magazines: Most magazines that cater to a green,organic, health conscious or related idea will have at least some coupons for organic products. I enjoy reading these types of magazines, but don’t like the prices. So, I buy the back issues for less than a quarter a piece at our library. The issues are a month or two old, but the material is still relevant to me and the coupons are usually still good (most magazine coupons are good for more than one month). You could also ask for any back issues your doctor or dentist is about to toss anyway. And, you can always subscribe for a fraction of the newsstand prices.
Store Coupons: Depending on your area, you may have local organic markets or larger regional or national chains. Whichever type store you have, check the sales ads/fliers and ask in the stores about coupons. They may offer a monthly savings booklet or some other such thing. It never hurts to ask and the potential savings are definitely worth it.
2. Shop Smarter
Even with coupons and double coupons, organics can be pricey and the ability to buy all organics is still unattainable for most of us. This does not mean we should scrap the idea all together. It is better to know a better way to shop for organics than to not shop for them at all.
Know what is a must: Fresh produce, meats and dairy should always be your organic priority. Things like snacks and ice cream aren’t all that good for you to begin with, so buying organic versions isn’t really helping you out. Things that don’t have a lot of room for artificial or junk ingredients (like pasta) can be optional organic-meaning if you find organic versions at the right price-stock up, but don’t sweat it if you have to buy the regular stuff.
Know what to do if you can’t find organic: Read labels carefully-if a dairy or beef product does not specify that it is hormone or rBST free,don’t buy it. For produce, it is best to peel the skins off of things like apples or pears and wash all produce thoroughly before serving/cooking. If an organic fruit or vegetable is off season-try a frozen variety.
What about store brands?: Not only do the organic markets have their own store brands, so do many major chain retailers. Safeway, Kroger, Target; lots of grocery chains are starting their own organic lines that are relatively cheap and can come with the added perks of convenience-you can buy ALL your groceries in one place. Check with your local grocery stores for their available products.
CO-Ops and Community Agg Clubs: The potential to save by joining in some sort of bulk buying group is pretty great. You can even start your own group if you know others that would be interested. To learn more check out the following:
Odds and Ends: You can often find discounted organic goods of the non-perishable variety at places like big lots or other discounted goods stores. This is a great way to stock up on organics without paying the organic prices. You may not have a large variety to choose from, but even a few cans of organic tomatoes can make your next marinara sauce that much better.
Organics don’t have to defeat your budget. You can buy organic and non-organic alike and still save yourself a lot of money while feeding your family the healthiest foods you can. We try to eat all organic, but it never works out to a full 100% of our food, but we sure do give it a shot!
What about you? Do you buy a lot of organics? Do you have any tricks to saving money on organic foods? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
Topics: Finance & Money, Shop Smart |
March 25th, 2008
This is a great post because there is always an argument in our household around eating frugal or eating healthy. You’ve proven a way to do both!
March 26th, 2008
One of your least expensive ways to get really good beef is to find someone local and buy a quarter or half a beef. Often a small farmer’s growing methods will be very near organic. You’ll also be supporting local agriculture, and in turn supporting ecological and open space values.
One more website to help you find farmers is http://www.eatwild.com, which has farmers that adhere to grass-based agriculture (producing grassfed beef, lamb, and pork). You can search by your state.
March 26th, 2008
Great blog! I linked back to you.
March 26th, 2008
This is the reason my family started being more frugal. We wanted to fit organics into our budget! We have learned a lot of ways to do that and we are now in the process of finding a local farm to buy as much of our fresh produce/eggs and meat as we can! It’s so cool to actually KNOW where your food is coming from.
We will be talking a lot about this, as well as other all natural, organic solutions for everyday life at our blog…becentsable.
March 27th, 2008
Thank you for the response via email and for putting this blog up. I agree with Kristin when she says that a reason why her family became more frugal is to fit organic foods into her family’s diet. At this time, it is only my husband, my miniature dachshund Raku, and myself at 9 mos. pregnant, but we feel that all of us, including Raku, should deserve to eat healthy, organic, natural foods. Yes, even Raku and his organic dog food is only a couple of bucks more than the Science Diet dog brand we were getting.
We tend to shop at Whole Foods Market which, luckily, my husband is employed at and gets a nice discount along with all the other employees. This helps so much, but we even try to buy Whole Food’s brand ‘365′ Organic products just to save even more. This can make, honestly, a $5 dollar difference.
I’m sure you all have heard of the beef recalls and Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are probably going to be the safest places to purchase meat because their standards are so high when working with these other companies not just because they want high quality meat, but they want to make sure that the animals are being treated a little more ethnically. This is pretty important to us.
We tend to stay away from junk food (and yes, organic natural stores will have junk food) and make our own cookies and pastries from scratch. We also stay away from too many soy products. I found that I’m allergic to a preservative in Silk Soy Milk and that many of the frozen soy ‘meat’ products have too many dyes, preservatives, and believe it or not even MSG.
I’m glad you shared that coupons for organic and natural foods are available. Besides these large corporate grocery stores you can find some of the best produce buying locally, especially, if you have the fortune of living in California or some coastal state. I’ve been in Cali. for almost 2 years and there is certainly a difference from the milk and oranges in Texas to the ones that actually have flavor in CA.
March 27th, 2008
Jennifer-Fitting organics in is a priority for us too. We try to save on other aspects of our budget to afford the organics, but coupons sure do make it easier and I try to shop sales when they pop up, although organics go on sale far less than other brands.
March 29th, 2008
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April 1st, 2008
What a great post! I’m super-frugal when it comes to grocery shopping, and I’ve stayed away from the organic section and the (WONDERFUL… sigh) Whole Foods store since we’ve tightened our budget but from what you’ve written here, it might still be possible for me to sneak a few organic products back into our daily life. I have a 3 year old that exists mainly on fruits and veggies, and it’s the trip to the local farmers market each week that makes that possible and affordable. I’m going to take a field trip back into Whole Foods and check out the prices on the 365 products and just do some comparisons, maybe we don’t have to live on preservative-filled cheapie stuff after all!
April 2nd, 2008
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