Reasons to go organic and tips to make it affordable?? - Page 2

[serenbat]

I heard about this new organic food program thing that is coming out the end of this month!  Please everyone read this short article that explains what it is about, it makes so much sense! http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_23769.cfm

I'm signing up to get the first year membership free.  Click the link at the end of the article and you can too!  It is supposed to be very affordable and have organic and non-GMO products.

Here is my referral link, I think it is supposed to benefit us both if you sign up through someone else's link?  I dont really know, I just signed up lol but I guess its worth a try:)  http://www.greenpolkadotbox.com/invite/5818/

item price wise I don't find it to be any savings - at least for me, savings of less than a quarter off certain items I already do buy and only going 2 miles to the store is not worth it to me

same with Amazon- and they give free shipping on most items over $25.00 - again, most organics that we buy I would only save 10 to 15 cents per item! and I go to my local chain grocery stores as it is--to us it is not saving any thing worth doing

90% of our produce, dairy and meats are local-I do need to travel once a month to get meats (beef pork and some lamb) that takes me 30 min to get to but I get organic ground meat (for ex.) less than what I would pay for non-organic at the grocery store

it really does take time to find what is in you local area but once you do it can be really worth it

I make out far better using mombo sprouts, my local grocery store organic coupons their booklets with coupons and my local health food store run special buying weekends- I am luck my are offers a lot

[1love4ever]

Originally Posted by serenbat 

item price wise I don't find it to be any savings - at least for me, savings of less than a quarter off certain items I already do buy and only going 2 miles to the store is not worth it to me

same with Amazon- and they give free shipping on most items over $25.00 - again, most organics that we buy I would only save 10 to 15 cents per item! and I go to my local chain grocery stores as it is--to us it is not saving any thing worth doing

90% of our produce, dairy and meats are local-I do need to travel once a month to get meats (beef pork and some lamb) that takes me 30 min to get to but I get organic ground meat (for ex.) less than what I would pay for non-organic at the grocery store

it really does take time to find what is in you local area but once you do it can be really worth it

I make out far better using mombo sprouts, my local grocery store organic coupons their booklets with coupons and my local health food store run special buying weekends- I am luck my are offers a lot

Thats great, I am glad that you have fairly cheap organics available to you.  Where I live, it is $5.00 for a bag of organic whole grain macaroni.  I hope that this can help someone else out.  You are very fortunate.
 

[Shield]

We belong to an organic CSA and receive a huge quantity of high quality veggies each week for a very low cost. 

Also we grow things ourself and can/freeze to help with cost.

Kroger sometimes has a clearance bin with organic items, which I stock up when I see it!

Hope this helps.

Erica

[stompykitty]

Don't think anyone mentioned this, but we do raw milk. Here's a GREAT resource!   http://www.realmilk.com/where2.html I buy from a farmer that sells at a farmer's mkt not far from me for $6 gal.

[1love4ever]

The youtube video I mentioned awhile back barely touches on raw milk, but here is another video I should have posted!  http://nourishedkitchen.com/mark-mcafee-raw-milk-interview/ 

We drink raw milk and I certainly agree that it is the way to go!!!  Much much MUCH healthier!!  Always go for grass fed, never corn fed for sure.  We were drinking raw goats milk til our supplier decided to breed her goats again, now we are working out a deal with someone who has a cow.  If we did not find the person with a milk cow we would have gotten organic pasturized NON-homogenized milk from the co op, but even that bothers me so we wouldnt have done it very often.

If you cant find raw milk, post in the finding your tribe area and ask, also if you have a local forum(my town has a forum, it is a fairly small town that loves to gossip and such) ask there(raw milk is illegal here so I just asked if anyone around here had a milk cow or milk goat, did not mention wanting to buy milk).  Also, take a drive out of town, look for goats and milk cows, and stop and ask if you see some.  Ask Hutterites or Amish if there are any near you.   Ask people at farmers markets who are selling organic produce, grass fed meat, etc if they know of anyone.  If there is anyone really in to organic living around you, ask them, etc. 

[StevensMommy]

First, we have so many food allergies and intolerances ( Celiac disease and cows milk to name a few) that the organics just plain treat us better. Second, they just plain taste better! We also hate the concept of feeling like we have to detox after every potato or apple we eat. In my house, though, it is kinda rough sticking with it. We have six adults and a baby and the few adults who can earn a living aren't making much. We usually stick with the dirty dozen (especially since I eat a LOT of spinach while nursing) and anything that has an edible peel. Thankfully, while our local Wic office doesn't cover organic dairy, they do cover organic produce. Also, my son is allergic to cows milk protiens (even while I breastfeed), and they do cover goat's milk. My family and I also hit the local farmer's market and are looking for another sharecropping gardening venture, which yields more flavorful produce and other goods (our area also is very keen on using only organic practices, and you can tell those from the ones that don't because the flesh of the produce is more supple and has a far richer flavor than it's pesticide-ridden counterpart.). We also lean more towards whole foods, which are naturally gluten free and far cheaper. We also have a Vitamin Cottage in our town now and because the call for natural and organic is so high in my area, a lot of their prices run cheaper than the local chain grocers, and they accept food stamps! Saves my hide when I need to pick up goat butter and goat yogurt, which can run almost $2 apiece for an 8 oz cup of yogurt. I also use any veggie scraps I can to make broth. Carrot tops, beet tops, stuff most people would automatically throw into the compost or trash- and it comes out really rich in nutrients.

Many chain grocers are also coming out with their own brands of organics, but two things you HAVE to remember: if it doesn't have a national certification seal on it for being organic, take it with a grain of salt. The second is that you HAVE to be a good label reader. I have seen so many things that have said they were organic, and turns out they were just made with (mostly) organic ingredients. I have found so many "organic" pre-packaged foods that have "natural flavors" in them, which could mean anything from carrot juice to soy-based MSG.

While I would love to treat my family to ONLY organic, grass and grain fed meats, it's still pretty out of our price range. The food stamps at the natural market help, but when at least three of the adults in this house eat like they're eating for two (myself literally), it can blow our budget to smithereens. So I mainly look to beans, peanuts and peanut butter, quinoa, and the like for protien sources, as well as rice protien. Rice protien tastes pretty awful, but my pea protien isn't available in our area anymore and has a bunch of added amino acids and the like that my boob-fed baby just isn't realy for yet.

[littlelady33]

Our family has numerous health issues and food allergies...we try to make sure that what we put into our bodies will help us to heal.

Organic is expensive... plus we are gluten, egg, dairy, and soy free which makes even home made goods from scratch cost quite a bit!  Our biggest success has been buying a half share at a local CSA and we are loving the fresh produce each week!