Yes, you can buy healthy food on a budget! Now that organic foods have become big market, it means that the good stuff is rendering more affordable. As most of you know, I love eating whole, unprocessed foods – nutritious, green foods. But just like you, I don’t like paying high prices for mother nature’s good food. I am hear to tell you about 5 ways to save on organic food.
Coupons!
With the Organic Food sector growing faster than ever, coupons for organic foods are becoming more common. To find the best coupons, check out some of your organic food makers websites for printable coupons. Organic Coupons & Deals has a whole list of companies offering coupons for organic products.
Buy Whole, Unproccessed Foods
Buy products in the bulk aisle like beans and rice. Not only are they more nutritious, they costs are significantly less than their processed counterparts. Just two weeks ago, I learned how easy it was to make refried beans (why did I wait so long?). The cost: $1.68 to feed 8 people. That would have been at least $6 if I bought the canned stuff!
Buy Store Brand Foods
If you feel the need to shop at the more popular big natural and organic stores because they offers items that are not readily found in the average supermarket, at least try shopping at a store like Trader Joe’s. The marketing genius, has about eighty percent of their product sold under their company name. Even better, I discovered that many of Trader Joe’s private labeled products are made by some of the same expensive name brand manufactures (like Tasty Bites Indian Food).
- Trader Joe’s Healthy Product List – “The finest, natural ingredients” with lots of organic good stuff (I was happy to find this tool located at the bottom of their page)
- Trader Joe’s Fan Site
Learn the Dirty Dozen
The dirty dozen are known as the fruits and vegetables most highly contaminated foods with pesticides and chemicals – even after washing and peeling. They are: celery, potato, imported grapes, cherries, apples, spinach, sweet bell peppers, strawberries, raspberries, pears, nectarines, and peaches.
Heidi Kenney’s Dirty Dozen Cheat Sheet
click picture to print yourself a copy
Buy organic versions of the foods on the list when possible. Compare the store’s ads to find current savings.
Don’t Shop Alone
Warehouse membership stores are now carrying a wider selection of organic products. These are items like organic ketchup, fruit snacks & vegetables, peanut butter and dairy. Organic foods are known to have a shorter shelf life than processed food. So, consider taking a friend to help you split costs, packages, and help you use the product within a proper time.
Do you have any tips for saving on organic foods? Also try your local farmer’s market. I was happy to find organic eggs for $3.50/dozen. Yes, I am vegan most of the time (because I can’t stand industrial farming – but that’s another story), unless I can get my hands on products farmed the real way. 😉
