Expensive Organic Foods!

I also do TCForganics.net They are reasonable adn deliver.. my kids LOVE it because they pcik throught he box. Wehn we get something we new there is always a recipe and if not I can call Rita and she tells me what to do. Very reasonable and we no longer waste food either. We get a Fruit and Veggie box every 2 weeks delivered for abotu $34. We also do the milk from them it is a bit pricey a little less than Oberweis and you get glass bottles too if you want. Its all what you prefer!

We prioritize and do all organic dairy (excpet butter - I figure we don't really eat enough butter to make it matter too much) and most fruits and veggies.

We tend to get our produce from either the Farmer's Market (during the season), from Stanley's on North and Elston (if you live in the city), and our first choice during the winter is Freshpicks (www.freshpicks.com) - they deliver LOCAL organic food and it's great - and reasonable. After reading quite a bit I'm convinced that buying locally is as - if not more - important than buying organic. Freshpicks is usually both, and their food is really high quality. (Similar to Timber Creek Farm). Stanley's is definitely the cheapest place to get the produce, but a lot of their stuff is imported from South America and Brazil, and I'm not sure those countries actually have the same organic standards as the United States.

Unfortunately, it is expensive. But when I compare our grocery bill to my in-laws (they tend to buy a lot of convenience foods that we don't) - they're about the same, only our house is filled with organic and local food and there's is filled with Pillsbury frozen pancakes and Kraft Easy Mac. :P

Well, I think it's ALL pretty darn expensive... so I recommend doing a little research and choosing to buy organic for those foods that give you the most bang for the buck. Like apples and peaches, for example, because non-organic absorb more pesticides than other fruits (even beneath the peel). I'm anxious to hear others' comments too, good luck!

I was looking into more organic foods in our household as well. I found through another friend that she goes to Target and Costco carries alot of organic items. Trader joes would be good too - I also know if you go online to a specific company like Horizon you can get coupons that help deflate the price some - I also found happy Valley also - just a matter of checking on the internet for the organic companies websites!! Good luck.

I recently bought 10 pounds of organic carrots from Costco for less than $6! You can always chop them up and freeze what you won't use before they spoil.

I do not know where you live but in Gurnee Illinois there is a store called Easy Gourmet Meals. There is a listing for it on Mamasource. We have organic, fresh, and natural ingredients. Our customers are amazed that they can have a healthy meal for around $5 per serving. Basically the same cost as McDonalds. My guiding principal when I started the business was to make organic food accessible to more people by having reasonable pricing while making it convenient. I am a 2 time cancer survivor and I feel very strongly about organic food. I applaud you for making these decisions. I am currently writing a book titled "Organic food of tomorrow becomes conventional food of today". The purpose is to educate people on what we are doing to our environment which is ending up in our bodies. So hats off to you!

Hello S.,

I also have the same experience. I don't know what area you are from (I'm in Aurora, IL) but I have friends that are in co-ops such as Timber Creek Farms, Angelic Organics (there are more but I just can't remember the names) and they are supposed to be so much more reasonable than the stores. And the produce is usually fresher. I believe both have websites in which you can find more info. In regards to stores in the area, I have found that Trader Joe's, Meijer's, Target and Fruitful Yield can have reasonable prices. More and more "mainstream" stores are carrying organic or natural products. I find myself "store hopping" sometimes to find the best prices.

Hope this helps you....

A. M

Hi, my family has been eating organic for the last 10 years. We don't buy everything oragnic, but the main stuff. The foods that have the most pesticides and hormones are meats and fruits and veggies. I always buy organic meat and can't even cook nonorganic meat anymore. Fruits, veggies and eggs to me taste better organic. The best and cheapest way to buy organic is to go to Whole Foods in Wheaton since they carry almost all organic, their prices are better. Super Target by my house, Bartlett, also has a ton of organics now. I can buy meat, chicken, and fruits there. Their eggs aren't very expensive either. My children love organic fruits, they say they have more flavor. I hope this helps.

I was addicted to Whole Foods before moving out to the 'burbs but the time it takes to travel to the nearest one and the amount of money I was spending was ridiculous. I made it my mission to find organic foods for less money (and less of a drive). I go to Trader Joes, Costco and Dominick's. I don't like the produce at Super Target (but that's my opinion). I do buy some canned or boxed goods at Target if I need them. I started saving money because Whole Foods seems to have a higher markup on their merchandise than the other retailers. I do use coupons when I receive them. Visit the food companies' (Horizon, Muir Glen, etc..) websites, I'm sure they have money saving offers available. I hope this was helpful.

A.

I agree, prices are scary. Especially when you really don't know if the farms are protected from runoff from other farms in the area. I am finding it hard to trust anything mass produced and am now heading toward buying from individuals. How to afford it? Give up the non-essentials, like coffee, restaurants, etc. If you do the math, you'll see... But if you don't want to do that, Trader Joes (Lake Zurich, Algonquin, Arlington Heights) has the best selection at the lowest prices.

I do a lot of my organic food shopping at Trader Joe's and SuperTarget. Their organic item prices are more reasonable.

Additionally, I've also been using more natural products like baking soda and vinegar as cleaning agents. Instead of using the rinse agent Jet Dry in our dishwasher, I use just vinegar. I was worried about spots on glasses and silverware, but I have been pleasantly surprised and save a lot of money by no longer buying Jet Dry.

If you have time, go online and search on "natural cleaning products" or "natural cleaning methods" to find "recipes" to make your own cleaning solutions. Many of the ingredients you can clean with can be found at your local store and can save you a lot from buying regular cleaning solutions.

I prioritize what we buy organic, based on how much we consume the food (milk, for example, every day) and whether it's on the "organic dirty dozen" list, which you can google for or here's a link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13737389/page/2/

Unfortunately, I don't live in an area that's great for grocery store choices nearby, and don't have the time to drive all the way to the less expensive stores every week. All the stores mentioned already seem to have decent prices. Whole Foods would bankrupt us although it's nearby and I buy some stuff there - but we eat tons of fresh produce, which is expensive. We stock up when we do see deals, and we also subscribe to one of those organic farmer things thru our PTO (http://www.tcforganics.net/) where they deliver a box of mixed produce every couple of weeks. (Which is fun, because then you can play the "what the heck is this root vegetable and how do I cook it" game!)

So I guess, short answer - spend more on the things that have the biggest impact, and generally buy less processed foods and convenience foods. I don't have any money-saving secrets, though!