How do I cut my organic grocery bill?

[phoenix78]

So our family committed to an organic lifestyle about 2 years ago and during that time I transitioned us from organic produce only, to organic produce, dairy, and meat to pretty much all organic food. Our grocery bill for family of 3 (plus bf babe) has skyrocketed to about $200-250/week plus eating out usually once a week around $50. That was okay when DH and I were both working but he is in his final clinical year of chiro school and has had to quit his pt job in order to get enough clinic hours to graduate. Without his extra income, we're in a really tight spot and dipping into our saving too much. Groceries are one of the biggest expenses. The issue is that now that I know so much more than I did 2 years ago about how food is produced and the dangers of many non-organic foods, I haven't been successful at stripping us back to just organic meat and dairy and the dirty dozen produce. I have been growing our own produce this summer in my garden and supplementing with farmer's market which has been cheaper. We're also trying hard to cut back on the eating out (which obviously isn't organic, but it's a bad habit when we're tired). If possible, I'd like to keep buying all organic, just looking for some tips/tricks to trim the budget. Thanks mamas!

[goldingoddess]

Ughh I wish I could help. We spend just a little less than you for a family of three, and we buy zero convenience foods and make everything from scratch (we do live in an extremely high COL area). I have compiled a list of things that organic doesn't matter for (in terms of pesticide use) I buy these things conventionally grown, they are;
pineapples
avocados
mangoes
baby green mixes
kiwis
papayas
asparagus
sweet corn
onions
garlic

we also do not buy meat except fish, which we eat sparingly, that makes a difference too.

[LittleBlessings]

Maybe try to find a U pick close to your house. It is cheaper if you pick them yourselfand also a great family event

[Sailor]

Are there any CSA type of things near you?

Farmer's markets?

Personally, I eat organic, but I'm not obsessed with the "USDA organic" label. I go to farmer's markets, and when the farmer tells me he doesn't use pesticides - I believe him. I also get my produce from a great CSA near me. It's grown organically, but WAY cheaper than what I'd buy at Whole Food$!

Also, I tend to not care so much about organic produce if I'm going to peel it. Like a banana or avocado. I realize there's still pesticide residue or it might be genetically modified. But, I can get a whole box of avocados from a street stand for $5.00. Whereas the health food store avocado is like $3.00 for ONE.

We don't eat dairy, but it's the same thing. Are there any local dairy farms near you? Where my mom lives, she has a dairy farm near her - they don't use hormones, don't use antibiotics, but they don't have the USDA organic sticker. Which makes them cheaper.

Meat .... meat is tough. It's insanely expensive when organic. We get ours also through a CSA, but it costs an arm and a leg! And we haven't found a way to save on this. The only real way to save on this is not to eat meat daily.

[AahRee]

One thought is to make sure you're buying local and in season, even if it's at the grocery store. You'll typically get better prices on local produce that is in season than on produce that has to be shipped/flown in. Also, I've found some organic produce at Costco. So, if you have a big family, or can go through a lot of produce yourselves, that might be a less-expensive option?

[amyamanda]

Give us some idea of what kinds of foods you eat/cook/bake/buy, and we can give you ways to trim back what you're spending.

There is a current thread here that has ideas that will help you strip down your spending even if you continue to buy all organic.

[CookiePie]

Have planned left overs & a few make ahead meals ready for those nights when you're tired & would like to eat out. It takes some planning but when you see how much you can save it is worth it. Just yesterday we were tempted to go out for pizza, DH was really puching for it, & I wasn't much feeling like cooking. Then I thought about how much it would cost & how guilty I would have felt spending money when I have all the ingredients to make pizza at home. So I decided to just make my own, it was way cheaper, I used organic ingredients plus when we get pizza out we eat white flour which we avoid, so by making it at home it was whole wheat with flaxseeds! I inlisted help form the girls & DH was the clean up crew so it was fun & didn't feel like such a chore. We also did a copy cat salad of our favorite pizza place & it was delicious.

Incorporate more dried beans into your diet, dried organic beans are way cheaper than canned! Soak over night cook in big batches & freeze in recipe sized portions in canning jars. I buy them form the bulk section at WF once a month or so, as well as oatmeal (way cheaper than cereal), brown rice, flax seeds, I also get big bags of organic carrots. I buy nuts dried fruits & nut butters from TJ's as well as sweet potatoes, bags of apples, garlic, avocados. I do I also look at the store flyers & plan where I want to shop for my weekly needs, I stock up when on sale & fill my freezer.

[Yooper]

Location is a big factor. We too have a family of three big eaters and we eat as close to 100% organic as possible. Our costs are around $150 a week. I can cut that down to $100 a week when money is tight. At our current shopping habits, I do buy some expensive ingredients that are not "necessary". The biggest factor in keeping our bill down is to eat locally or at least not really out-of-season exotic stuff. I will buy a mango or kiwi as a treat once in a great while, but for the most part we stick with staples in the off season and local produce during the summer and fall. We do not even eat salad unless lettuce is available from around here. We preserve a lot of food too. I do a lot of canning. But even if I did not have the time or desire to go that far with food preservation, a chest freezer and some basic freezing techniques can go a long way to save some cash. Tossing in a few gallons a local blueberries when they are $10 a gallon is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying frozen or fresh berries in March, you know?

We are also vegetarian and limit dairy which eliminates the the high cost of these goods in the weekly bill. Just cutting back in these categories will save a lot. A cup of bulk, dry organic kidney beans can make that chili 1/2 the cost as the same chili with organic meat. And it is just as filling. If we could kick our cheese habit, I could slash $15 off the weekly bill!

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by Sailor

ersonally, I eat organic, but I'm not obsessed with the "USDA organic" label. I go to farmer's markets, and when the farmer tells me he doesn't use pesticides - I believe him. I also get my produce from a great CSA near me. It's grown organically, but WAY cheaper than what I'd buy at Whole Food$!

Also, I tend to not care so much about organic produce if I'm going to peel it. Like a banana or avocado. I realize there's still pesticide residue or it might be genetically modified. But, I can get a whole box of avocados from a street stand for $5.00. Whereas the health food store avocado is like $3.00 for ONE.

We don't eat dairy, but it's the same thing. Are there any local dairy farms near you? Where my mom lives, she has a dairy farm near her - they don't use hormones, don't use antibiotics, but they don't have the USDA organic sticker. Which makes them cheaper.

Meat .... meat is tough. It's insanely expensive when organic. We get ours also through a CSA, but it costs an arm and a leg! And we haven't found a way to save on this. The only real way to save on this is not to eat meat daily.

That. We eat mostly organic, local and in season. But I don't get the majority of our food from a store. I'd look for other sources for your food.

[Norasmomma]

I have one suggestion-if you do organic milk you can freeze it. Buy a bunch when it is on sale and freeze it-this is what I do. I have literally 6 gallons or so of OG milk in my freezer right now, in the past I have also talked with the dairy manager at my local store(I live in a small town) and he's given me a case of organic milk for just over cost. I'd also be trying to find a source of organic meat from the farmer.

Costco is really a great place to get organics too-for a fraction of the price. Organic milk there is $9 for 3 half gallons. I also buy coupons for Organic Valley milk and when it is on sale I buy as much as I can. With my freezer stock I got the half gallons for about $2.50 a piece.

[CookiePie]

I did not know that you could freeze milk!?

[Norasmomma]

Originally Posted by CookiePie

I did not know that you could freeze milk!?

Oh yeah I freeze it all the time. I've only had one half gallon pop, but I didn't give it enough room, so when it expanded there was no room and it got a leak on the bottom.

Milk freezes fabulously. I then take it out and let it thaw either for like 4 days in the fridge or overnight on the counter with a towel under it. My Dh's mom had 7 kids and of course went through the milk like water, so she'd buy it on sale and freeze it. She also would mix it sometimes with powdered milk to stretch it. Sometimes I'll find at date milk for a really good deal and I'll freeze it too.

My DD is a HUGE milk drinker and so we don't like to be without milk in our house. Also last year it kept going up, so I asked on here if you could freeze it and people said yes, and I also talked with my MIL about it. Thankfully milk prices have declined, but I still buy it on sale and freeze it-it just makes things easier for me.

[phoenix78]

Thanks Mamas for all the ideas (especially liked the frozen milk one!) I think I am doing a lot of what is already suggested. I bought a 1/4 cow this year from a local farmer but it ended up costing as much as store-bought once we calculated it all up at end of year, so that was a bit disappointing, even though I preferred supporting the farm. The CSA around here also only does pick ups during the day when I work and they weren't willing to make other arrangements, so that was kinda disappointing too. I hit up the farmer's market every week and have been canning and freezing away right now. We don't have CostCo here but BJ's and Sam's club. They are just starting to have an organic line so that is another thing I'll have to check out. I could definitely do better at having more veggie meals in the mix too.

Anyone know where to find organic food coupons?

[Noelle C.]

Buy fresh produce on sale and freeze it. Shop according to what's on sale. We go to the store with a list of what we'd like, but then adjust based on sales.

[SeekingJoy]

Organic food coupons: check ebay. Seriously. Just search the brand and the word "coupon."

[phoenix78]

OMG, how did I NOT know that you could buy coupons on EBAY? What a fantastic idea! I just put a bid on for all my weekly brands! Also thinking of trying to pick up a deep freezer on craig's list, which would give me more room to do freezing in the summer. I've been stocking up on bulk veggies at farmer's market but am now out of freezer space. Canning scares me a bit more, so I've stuck to freezing only right now. Thanks again mamas! Great ideas!

[allnaturalmom]

Originally Posted by phoenix78

Thanks Mamas for all the ideas (especially liked the frozen milk one!) I think I am doing a lot of what is already suggested. I bought a 1/4 cow this year from a local farmer but it ended up costing as much as store-bought once we calculated it all up at end of year, so that was a bit disappointing, even though I preferred supporting the farm. The CSA around here also only does pick ups during the day when I work and they weren't willing to make other arrangements, so that was kinda disappointing too. I hit up the farmer's market every week and have been canning and freezing away right now. We don't have CostCo here but BJ's and Sam's club. They are just starting to have an organic line so that is another thing I'll have to check out. I could definitely do better at having more veggie meals in the mix too.

Anyone know where to find organic food coupons?

We just joined bj's yesterday. They're organic butter is 2 lbs for 6.99 and organic milk is 2.99/gallon. They also sell an organic cheddar cheese block 1 lb/7.99, but had a coupon in their sales flyer for 2.00 off. They also have decent prices on organic olive oil and organic chicken broth. They have the best price on rumford non-aluminum baking powder 2-pack for 3.19.

I hesitated joining, so I'm hoping it will help us to save some money. /no costco around here.

As for organic food coupons, join mambosprouts. They will send them in the mail to you. mambosprouts.com

hth