Saturday, December 19, 2009

Saturday Savings - Going Organic?

This week I shopped Thursday night. By the time I got home and got everything into the house it was almost 9pm. I decided right then and there to take a Saturday Savings break for a couple of weeks. My deals this week weren't amazingly exciting and I won't shop much (if at all) next week. Feels good to take a break :)

I do need the help of my readers though! I'm reading an interesting book right now by Jillian Michaels of The Biggest Loser.
I've always been skeptical about the importance of buying Organic and All Natural foods but this book is changing my tune. So Thursday night while I was shopping I strolled through the Organic/Natural section at HyVee and took note (literally - I had a pen and notebook) of prices. Ouch. $6 for Organic milk?! I pay $2.35 for "regular" milk right. I have a hard time fathoming spending almost 3 times as much - especially when we go through 4 gallons a week.

This morning I ventured to Whole Foods. I had only been in that store once since moving to Kansas City and it was probably 4 years ago. I spent a LONG time in there today jotting down prices on everything from produce, to whole wheat flour to milk and pasta. Talk about sticker shock...

So here's my plan. I'm going to start a price database for organic and all natural foods. I figure even if I just start small I'll want to make sure I'm getting the best prices on stuff. Come spring and summer I'll rely a lot on my own garden and the farmer's markets in town to supply my produce.

I need your tips though! Where do you shop? How do you make Organic and All Natural work in a budget? If you don't do 100% Organic and All Natural, how do you pick which areas of food to focus on? Feel free to comment here (for the good of all the readers!) or e-mail my directly at threetimesthegiggles@gmail.com.


9 comments:

Emily said...

I have just recently (in the past 2 years) started buying more organic stuff than I used to. That's one reason I chose Costco over Sam's. I think they have more organic selection at typical conventionally-grown item prices. I can't afford organic milk right now, either. I strive for organic fruit and veggies (frozen, salad greens, etc.) and beef. I mainly get my organic stuff at Costco or Whole Foods. The regular grocery stores are too expensive! This fall, Whole Foods has had an organic fruit item (apples, pears) for 99 cents a pound nearly every week. Be sure to check their sales flyer online that usually comes out every two weeks. Also, I'm sure you've heard of the dirty dozen - the top items that are most pesticide covered that you should try to buy organic. That helps to simplify things a bit for me. I will look forward to seeing what you find with your price comparisons! I just try to remember in my head right now... Also, if you buy beef at Whole Foods and buy 3 or more pounds at a time (even if you have them package them by the pound which I do) you get 50 cents off per pound! I've also noticed that it IS higher quality ground beef and doesn't cook down as much. I also really like their store brand items. Sorry for rambling!

RoseAnneH said...

I started to try to buy more organic foods during the past year in order to increase our nutrient intake and reduce the bad stuff. While there are conflicting reports on the difference of nutritional quality of organic compared with conventional, I think that organic has to be higher in nutrient content. I buy most of my leafy greens in the organic section of my supermarket. I try to buy other organic produce as my budget allows. I would love to buy free range beef and poultry as I am convinced that the meat has a healthier balance of omega-3 versus 6 among other advantages. It is just hard to find that meat. Time for a visit to Rising Tide (the natural food store near us). I found a list online that helps you prioritize the types of produce to buy when looking to lower pesticide intake. Here is the link:http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/green_sustainable/organic_or_not_is_organic_produce_healthier_than_conventional I look forward to the input from other readers.

RoseAnneH said...

Sorry - let me try the link again so that someone can just click on it. http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/green_sustainable/organic_or_not_is_organic_produce_healthier_than_conventional

Christina said...

Please keep me posted on this!! I would love to see the prices, and how you shop to save money. I would love, love to go organic, but right now can't see us being able to afford it.

Amanda said...

I like to buy as much organic/natural as I can as well. With milk, I buy regular milk because now they do not use the hormones (double check on the labels though when you get it). I definitely try and buy my veggies and fruit organic (especially anything that is in the ground ie potatoes and things that are sprayed a lot ie apples). Sara Snow's website (www.sarasnow.com) has a lot of tips on how to eat organic on a budget and where to start. Also, check to see if you have farmers markets in your area, sometimes you will find a certified organic booth in there that has cheaper prices than the grocery store.

Laney said...

My only tidbit is that we find the cheapest organic milk at Target - the Archers Farm brand.
Also, google organic dirty dozen - if you want to start small, this will show you the more important things to do organic on.

Helen said...

Such helpful responses and links ladies! Thank you!

Keep 'em coming!

I'll keep you all posted on what I find for deals - that's for sure :)

Brennan S said...

We use to buy everything organic and my food bill was always around $150-$175 per week. Now we buy the big items organic: meat and chicken, dairy (raw cheese), oils, nuts, usually flour then whatever is on sale at a good price. I buy the rest at Price chopper and Aldie. My weekly bill is around $100. Price chopper has great deals for butter and cheese that's organic. But I do spend $7 per gallon for milk.

Lauren said...

Emily, I thought of Costco right away too. Their oatmeal and Amy's organic soups are staples at our place and buying them at Costco isn't all that bad budget-wise.

Fortunately, here in the NW, I can hit up farmer's markets most of the year to get what I can organic.

I hadn't thought of keeping a price list for only organic items though. I do it for our staples per store only.

I just started the 30 shred video and might use my B&N gift card for this book too. Sounds interesting.

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