Going organic frugally-i am a couponer! Tips needed!

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

SO I am buying organic, and using up the old stuff. Our snack foods are dwindling, also the cereal and goods are going down and organic flour $4.85 for 5lbs??!??!!!

how do i calm my cheapo side and make it stand in harmony with my hippy crunchy side??

The bottom line, our budget hasn't had an increase in the past 4 months since i've decided to go organic, but it is going to start soon i'm afraid.

Just wondering if there are others out there that have switched over and how much their budget increased. I am trying to shop sales a lot and year number 3 of attempted gardening is underway...

[EmsMom]

I have been buying organice food for a long time (more than 10 years). Coupons don't usually cut it. You just don't see that many. Do look around for "natural" or "organic" coupon books given away by local grocery chains. In NJ, I often get them from Shoprite near the checkouts. I usually will grab a couple, but really, any savings from coupons is minimal. I used to buy in bulk from a food co-op. That gave good prices for things like beans, flour, grains, sugar. But I had to buy large quantities. Now that I am working and going to grad school, I don't have time to do that anymore. I am going to stop by my local health food store and get them to order some of the things I use the most of, like oatmeal, in a 25 lb bag. At this point in my life, though, I cannot store or use that much flour, so I am stuck with the expensive flour. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, they have good prices for some organic staples, including cereal and bread adn canned beans and things like that. I do most of my shopping there and at a local grocery store that has a good selection and decent prices. Try different grocery chains because they can really vary. I believe that sometimes BJs and Costco have decent prices on organics, but I have never found it to be worth the extra trip. Oddly enough, sometimes I find good prices on organic stuff at places like Marshalls and I have heard the same of some dollar stores. The other thing that many people do is make a decision as to what categories will be organic (ie, dairy, meat, veg, fruit) or to buy organic in the "dirty dozen" lists and conventional for other things. One big benefit of organic, though, is that the products are usually also lower in sugar and salt and don't have preservatives or dyes. So there are many products I use minimally but buy organic for those reasons. It is a learning curve on how to do organic within a budget. But it is doable. Just stay away from prepared/convenience foods!

[kavamamakava]

One thing I rarely do is buy prepared snack foods. Sometimes I'll get Pamela's cookies or Newman's Own Oreos for a treat. Check websites if you have a printer or access to one. I just did and look what I found! http://www.newmansownorganics.com/coupon/
I also make my own snacks. I bake mini muffins in batches of 24 and then freeze 12 for later. I make double batches of pancakes and freeze too. We mostly snack on fruit here though. Oh yeah, I make oven fries and freeze some for later.
I also buy products made by companies that are natural but not certified organic. Like Daisy sour cream and Tillamook cheese and Mountain High yogurt. I'm suspicious of products like Cheetos natural cheese puffs. I might read the ingredients someday to see if they are any good.
I also make fresh cheese when I can find organic or local natural milk on sale. We hardly drink milk so buying milk close to the sell by date is only good for us if I'm the mood for making fresh cheese. I tend to shop for sales rather than sticking to a grocery list or meal plan. And I also check a few stores. I don't get to the grocery store more than once or twice a week but I look in the junk mail flyers that I get to see who is having a sale on what and try to shop accordingly. Safeway is sometimes a pricey store comparatively but they have the O organics brand and it is often cheaper than other brands of organic foods.

Trader Joe's does have some lower priced organic foods but they don't taste as good as the other brands of organics and I can't figure out why.

[Satori]

$4.85 for 5 lbs of flour? Thats not bad! We pay that PER POUND or more for gluten free flours. Yesterday I picked up a 1.5lb bag of flour and paid $12, another bag was $8 and the 3rd was the cheapest at $5. That said, I bought a bag of white flour a few months ago and it was $4 something so I would assume $4.85 is a good deal for organic and man, I would kill to pay those prices That said, organic and frugal isn't really possible unless its coming out of your own backyard. Yes you might save $10 a month but your overall food bill is going to be much much higher.

[PlayaMama]

azurestandard.com is your friend if you can find a delivery drop stop near you. they have lots of stuff in bulk and that's the way to go.

you can also see if your local co-op buys from unfi. they are the supplies for whole foods and if someone has a wholesale account (they also have group accounts) and you buy in cases the prices are great.

[sunnysandiegan]

Mambo Sprouts is the best thing going for organic coupons. However, the cheapest way to do organic is to grow it yourself. CSA's can be good for produce, too.