In a quest to go organic and cook healthy meals for my family this year, I discovered many easy ways to buy organic products and still save money in my grocery budget. Trust me, organic doesn’t necessarily have to mean expensive! Being a one-income, stay-at-home-mom to a toddler, I really have to meal plan and shop around the sales to save every penny I possibly can. But wanting to be more health-conscious for my family meant adjusting not only what I buy, but how I cook our meals too.
Buy organic on sale
Scour your local grocery store’s weekly ads/circulars, or check out www.mygrocerydeals.com to compare weekly sales for all your local grocers. You can also look online to see if your favorite grocery store has a website. Keep a check on Kroger's sales; they’ll sometimes have their organic meats and produce marked down dramatically. I scored organic chicken on sale one time because the expiration date was coming up. I froze it and used it for a meal later in the week.
Follow the “Dirty Dozen” rule
Especially if, like me, you’re just starting your organic food journey, this list will guide you to the fruits and veggies to buy organic and which ones don’t really have to be. For example, bananas don’t have be organic. Pineapples, coconuts, mangoes-anything with an inedible peel or shell-can be enjoyed without being organic.
Shop locally
While local doesn’t necessarily mean “organic,” it can still have fewer pesticides and contaminates than regular produce at your local grocery store.
Blog contributed by CU Content
