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Saturday, February 25, 2012

How to afford to "Go Organic"

We live on a fixed budget.

Not as tight as it was the last 2 years, but still not as free flowing as before the move.

And yet, we buy organic.

And local, if we can get it.

And fair trade certified.

And non-GMO.

(More on all of that later!)

If you look in our pantry you will find organic pasta (mostly non-wheat varieties), organic snacks, and organic grains.

In the fridge you will find organic veggies from our CSA (I'll tell y'all all about it later!).


GO COX FAMILY FARM!

You'll find organic fruits, ketchup (sans any corn product), milk, eggs (once again CSA), cheese, yogurt, and juice.  Jelly, sunbutter...the list goes on!

In the freezer is organic meat.  Free range, grass fed, and always tasty.  Fish is wild caught.

If we can find it organic (and local and free trade!) we buy it.

How do we afford it?

Sounds expensive.

And it can be.

But here is the trick:

We eat mostly whole foods.

Yep, you won't find lots of pre-packaged chips, cookies, crackers, etc in our house.

If we want a snack we eat the organic fruits and veggies.

Not having the other things in our home opens up a part of the budget.

It truly does!

When we eat meat, we use a small amount and bulk it up with other things.

Beans, grains, and veggies do wonders!

When we use cheese, it is a small addition to the meal to add flavor.

NOT a staple.

We eat a lot of vegetarian meals.

We eat a LOT of eggs.

We buy in season.

We buy what is on sale, or the least expensive type we can, unless it is something we don't like.
(Example: we do NOT eat Red Delicious apples. Yuck.  Even if it is the least expensive variety we get some other type of apple.)

And we are healthy.  And can tell a difference in how we feel!

And I feel good that JMonster is growing up with as few unnecessary chemicals and preservatives in his body as possible.

And if any of us get cancer, we can honestly say we tried.

And that (as the Doc says!) we must just have #$%@ poor protoplasm.

Questions about how YOU can afford to go organic?  
Or where to buy?  
I'll help in whatever way I can!

2 comments:

Kim said...

Swizz, we are starting to go more organic also. We buy our fruits, veggies and meats at Sprouts (similar to Whole Foods). Great write up!

Pamela said...

Yes, organic can be more expensive! We also have a set grocery budget, so I extend it by making what I can. I make all our yogurt, mayo, salad dressings, baby food etc. Spice mixes we create on our own using each individual spice. And we buy fresh, local organic produce from a CSA. By making what I can, buying on sale when possible & sticking to whole complete foods we save enough to go organic, gmo free & BPA free.