Going organic is not really cheap. According to a study by Consumer Reports, organic foods cost about 47% more than their conventional counterparts. But that does not mean that you have to forego the benefits of eating organic food; you just have to make careful choices about where to shop and what to buy. Here are some strategies for buying organic foods without making too big a dent on your grocery bill.
8) Choose and pick your organic foods.
One way to save is by making a compromise on what organic foods to buy. Perhaps certain conventionally grown foods like avocados and bananas get a pass while others such as grains, apples and soy products have to be organic.
7) Scavenge for deals.
Although organic product coupons are not as common as conventional ones, they are out there. Here is where you can find them:
The Grocery Store
Believe it or not, grocery stores are great places to get coupons. You can find them on product packages, manufacturers’ coupons in store aisles and taped to displays. The deals are there if you know where to look.
On Manufacturer Websites
Organic companies like Amy’s Kitchen, Organic Valley, Bob’s Red Mill, Simply Organic and Eden Foods offer deals and and coupons on their websites, social media and free email newsletters.
6) Grow your own food.
Growing your own food will save you lots of money. For instance, one bag of 25 organic cherry tomato seeds costs around $2.99, which means that you will have 25 plants at 12 cents each. Assuming that each plant will yield around 30 tomatoes (this is a conservative estimate), you will end up with 750 tomatoes, all for that $2.99 investment. If you have never grown a plant before, do not worry, here is a great article from the Organic Consumers Association to help you get started.
5) Try buying from a small store.
According to Washington Consumers’ Checkbook, when it comes to organic produce, the prices at Mom’s Organic Market were 8% lower than those sold at Washington-area grocery stores. Another example is Trader Joe’s stores, which are small but offer one of the cheapest priced organic foods.
4) Shop online.
Try shopping online as some online grocers offer cheaper organic products than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. For example, you can buy a month’s worth of snacks for a family of four at an online grocer called Thrive Market for $46, compared to the price of $61 at a specialty grocery store. Another great online grocer is Brandless.com, which sells organic products for $3 each.
3) Go generic.
Another great way to save is going for generic organics. Whole foods has its “365” brand and Safeway has its “o” brand. According to a report by Consumers’ Checkbook, generic organics are cheaper than name-brand conventional foods.
2) Save on non-food groceries.
By getting other products for little or nothing, you can spend the money you have saved on organic food. You can achieve this by matching coupons with sales or stacking multiple coupons together. Saving money this way is not as difficult as before as there are websites now that specialize in finding deals.
1) Go natural.
There are two tips within this tip. The first is to buy seasonally as produce becomes less expensive when it is in season. The second is to join a Community Supported Agriculture or CSA. When you do this, you are essentially subscribing to a local farmer, whose products you will be picking up weekly in a central location.
