Frugal Tips

If you prefer to buy organic food, but are short on cash, I have some good tips for you. I always thought that everything organic was ridiculously overpriced and therefore unaffordable. Thankfully, it is a myth. If you know where and how to shop for organic food, you can actually save money.

Here are my tips on how to get organic food on a budget:

1.    Before going to the store, look for organic coupons on the internet. You can go directly to the organic companies’ website (Organic Valley, or Stonyfield Farms, for example) to see if they have any available. Some sites will have printable coupons; some will ask for your e-mail addresses and mail the coupons directly to you inbox. Or of you prefer you could simply search for “organic coupons” using Google. I like to use Coupons.com to find all sorts of coupons, including grocery.

2.    Look for local food co-ops. Membership is usually relatively cheap ($15-20 a month), and you can purchase all kinds of organic foods at unbeatable prices. Be careful, though, because local doesn’t have to mean organic. If you are specifically looking for organic produce and meat, talk to the farmers about it.

3.    Check your local farmer’s markets. There is a non-profit online organization called Organic Consumer Association (organicconsumers.org), which can be used as a tool in finding local organic farms as well as health stores.

4.    If you have a membership at stores like BJ’s Wholesale or Sam’s club, check them out. Our local BJ’s has great prices on organic chicken and bison. You have to buy in bulk, but it is actually not a bad idea. It will save you a trip or two to a store and as a result, save time and gas. You can freeze everything that you don’t want to use right away.

5.    Look for international and ethnic markets in your area. Most of the stuff gets imported from countries which don’t use nearly as much (if any) chemicals and hormones as is used in the United States. Check ingredients on things you are buying. If there are 50 ingredients listed, then you probably don’t want the product. We shop in Polish, Russian and Arabic stores and most of the stuff is very healthy, pretty inexpensive and delicious.

(to be continued)

Part 2