How to cut food costs while eating whole foods/organic?

[batsoup]

xposted in nutrition...

My grocery bills keep going up as I gradually move our diet towards even more whole foods. I've cut out all added sweeteners of any kind and all refined flour. Going for only whole foods, as organic as possible. Raw cheese for me and babe, at least organic for DH. (DS and I are fighting yeast).

So how do I cut my costs back down again? I'm thinking I need to go back to shopping at Trader Joe's with a few items from Whole Foods; we recently moved and started going to Wegmans for everything, but I think it's too pricey.

Share your tips and tricks with me, please When do you opt for non-organic to save $$? etc.

[AaronsMommy]

The best way that I have found is to save money whenever else you can, so the extra $ on Organics doesn't hurt so much. I only buy non-food and pantry items when on sale (and stock up when it is a really good deal.) My grocery store is just beginning to put organic items on sale (like baby carrots and red peppers) and hopefully will continue. In the Spring/Summer we get all our produce from CSAs and Pick-Your-Own. As far as what to buy organic and what is okay to buy conventional, there are tons of resources out there, but I subscribe to the Daily Green, and they always have the newest information on pestiside use, sustainable agriculture, etc. etc. Also, if you search for coupons, you can find some for organic brands (Cascadian farms, stoneyfield farms, horizon, organic valley, etc.) not for produce, but mostly for dairy, frozen fruit and veggies, cereals, flours, etc. Good luck

[xmysticprincessx]

check out the united natural foods buying club.
http://www.unitedbuyingclubs.com/
there's a catalog with thousands of products in it. you usually have to buy by the case, but there's some really good deals in there. on a $250 order, i saved almost $100 vs what it would cost at wegmans or the natural food store here. (although, sometimes wegmans does have some good sales in their nature's marketplace.)

[holidaymama]

Check out the website: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com This woman has some AMAZING ideas on how to live organically.

Even though I work fulltime, I am going to start trying to make our own bread...also, I am going to cut out the snack type foods. Even though I buy the healthy brands (Aunty Annies) it really adds up and is pretty unnecessary.

Also, have you ever thought about buying a side of beef? I have been looking into this and you can find grass fed organic beef for less than the grocery store. Most places also have chickens and eggs too. Some even milk and cheese.

Anyways, hope you find the site helpful...I am newly addicted!

[Pariah]

Do you have a Big Lots near you? I frequently see Cascadian organic cereals there, and organic pasta sauces. Sometimes soy milk, too.

[chinaKat]

Buy a chest freezer. Get a CSA share (or two!), frequnt farmers' markets, and/or grow your own fruits/veggies. Freeze as much as you can to get through the winter.

[SugarAndSun]

:

I'm eating almost all whole foods too. I feel great, but it is more expensive than eating mostly rice or pasta as I was. I find nuts are especially pricey. I don't have any cheap stores around. I actually went to aTrader Joe's for the first time yesterday. It was cheaper, ut not cheap enough to equal a tank of gas. I don't eat meat so I am eating tons of fruits and veggies.

[FiddleMama]

I think you're on the right track. I've been blogging a bit about this particular quandary over the last year. Basically I try to buy organic and as local as possible and that helps keep costs low. I buy what's in season except under certain special circumstances.

For October/November, I only bought food produced within 100 miles of my front door. It was a really good exercise for me because I became so much more conscious of the items I viewed as essentials (like bananas) which really aren't.

Most of what I buy is either in the produce section or the bulk bins. You can save a LOT shopping the bulk bins.

I definitely echo the CSA recommendation come spring!

On another note- my son and I have been battling yeast too and it's helped me a lot to cut dairy out entirely except for yogurt. Big savings here too because dairy is expensive!

[RosemaryS-F]

Ideas:

Do you have a natural foods store near you that sells bulk foods like rice, couscous, dry beans granola, spices, flours etc? Ours does, it's organic and it's just as cheap as regular.

Make your own yogurt. You can possibly find a farm that sells raw milk, and then it's even cheaper. You can also make cheese.

Organic meats are expensive. Use them as condiments to flavor dishes, not as the main part. Rely more on other proteins like beans that you soak and cook yourself. Local is often as good as organic--see if there is a farm near you that has its own butchery.

Plan ahead--way ahead. Usually we spend the most on "inspiration" meals that you have to go out and get ingredients for.

Shop monthly or bi-monthly to save on gas--and time. You'll need that extra time to remember to soak your beans

[batsoup]

I am digesting all of your wonderful ideas. Thank you all so much!

[adtake]

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[Jennisee]

Great ideas so far!

For me, the biggest thing is cutting out the middle man and buying directly from the producer. Go straight to the farmer, the orchard, the beekeeper, the grain mill owner. It is sad how little of the money we pay at the grocery store goes to the producer, so by going straight to them, they get paid more AND you save money.

Also, eating in season is huge. Strawberries in the winter are several dollars per pint. Strawberries in June directly from the patch cost me $7 for an entire flat.

Finally, grow a small garden if you can. If you can only manage a tiny plot or a few pots, grow the things that cost you the most at the store--peppers, tomatoes, herbs, etc.

[wendizbaby]

Well, for me, I have yet to get organized enough to actually join a CSA or buy local beef and chicken. I've (recently) found that I can keep our food budget (only non-food items are vitamins included in this budget) to around $300/month for the three of us. I meal plan for the entire month and make sure to utilize everything in the recipes...so when I use an $11 whole organic chicken, I throw the leftover meat and bones in the crockpot and make chicken broth with it. I also probably spend about $20/shopping trip on prepackaged foods (not including dairy). So I buy a box of crackers for my son to snack on when we go out and some canned goods and perhaps a few condiments. The rest is all organic produce and meat/dairy. I pretty much make everything else from scratch. Oh...and I also make sure to buy on sale and stock up when I can.
Once I get organized enough, I would love to have my own garden and perhaps co-op on a cow once we get another fridge.
Wendi
Just thought of something else....Costco is starting to carry organic stuff...my dad just got me three pounds of organic ground beef for $9!!!

[SugarAndSun]

Originally Posted by FiddleMama

For October/November, I only bought food produced within 100 miles of my front door. It was a really good exercise for me because I became so much more conscious of the items I viewed as essentials (like bananas) which really aren't.

Wow! Now you are really making me feel bad about all the persimmons I have been enjoying form Israel!!!

[twogreencars]

We belong to the local CSA where we get local produce in season and also where we buy local chickens, beef and lamb. We have an upright - huge - freezer where the meat and bulk cooking goes. Join the local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) - investigate it today. Ours has a local website - yours probably does, too! find your local CSA here


GOOD LUCK!

[cking]

We belonged to Honey Brook CSA for the past two years, and it was great. They have box shares that can be dropped off near you - I think the closest one would be Moorestown. I definitely recommend a freezer to go with it too - you'll get lots of extra.