Go Organic on a Budget

Many consumers are changing over to eating only organic foods and with good reason. Concerns about the use of chemicals, antibiotics and growth hormones have Americans looking more closely at their food. Unfortunately a lot of what we eat really isn't food at all anymore. Fillers, excess sugar and the like make up most non-organic foods.

Often time organic foods are more expensive than their conventional counterparts, but it doesn't mean you can't feed your family a healthy organic diet while sticking to a budget. Starting with a few simple rules can help ease the adjustment and make your transition more successful.

Don't switch everything over at once. Start with your most often used items. Go ahead and finish using your non-organic food items up before you buy the organic equivalent. Common items to start with are dairy products and staples. Milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream are all readily available in organic options. The same is true for dry cereal, juice and bread. Start with these items and gradually replace the less frequently used items in your pantry as you run out.

Make a list and keep it current. This is very important for working with a budget anyway, but even more so when shopping for organic items. Be sure you know what you have and what you need. Since organic items are usually more expensive you don't want to purchase more than you will use within a reasonable amount of time. Keep a list posted in your kitchen of your most frequently used items and check them off as you run out. Not only will you have a ready-made shopping list, but you'll avoid overbuying.

Look for store brand organic. Many markets that specialize in organic foods, like Whole Foods, have their own brands. These are generally private label products that are produced by major manufacturers and labeled for the particular store. Generally items within this brand are less expensive than their nationally recognized equivalents and the ingredients are of the same or similar quality. Many a dollar can be saved by purchasing organic store brands with no sacrifice of quality.

Make produce the star of the meal. Once upon a time chicken, beef and pork dishes were reserved for special or Sunday night dinners. The main reason for this was simple - expense. It was far too expensive for the average family to have meat as the main ingredient in their daily meals. Similarly, organic meats have a much higher price tag than their conventionally grown counterparts. Organic, free-range chicken can range from $3.85 to $6.00 per pound. Organic grass-fed ground beef can easily be $6.99 per pound, compared to conventionally raised ground beef that can be found for just $1.99 per pound.

The simplest way to feed your family healthfully while not breaking the bank on organic meats is to use vegetables, legumes and fruits the main ingredients in your meals. There are so many ways to get proteins into your meals without using meat it can be a fun adventure to see what your new family favorite may be. Beans, root vegetables and tofu are great substitutes for meat, both in texture and nutrient level. If you're not adventurous enough yet to go for tofu, try something as simple as layering spinach and other vegetables in your lasagna and omitting the ground meat. Many a hearty soup can be made with nothing but vegetables and pasta. Stuck for ideas? Search a website like Allrecipes.com for vegetarian dishes and you'll have more recipes than you could try in an entire year. You can even search for dishes that use specific ingredients so if you got a great deal on organic broccoli you can find plenty of creative ways to use it.

Do your food shopping less frequently. This advice goes hand-in-hand with the old adage, "never shop when you're hungry." Unless you are extremely disciplined and shop for only what is on your list you are bound to have impulse buys. If you're the type of person who runs to the grocery store three times per week, and you spend just $10 on impulse buys each trip, that's $30 per week or $1560 per year. Conversely, if you shop only once per week you'll reduce those impulse purchases to only $520 per year. That's an immediate savings of over a thousand dollars a year and you haven't changed any of your other purchases.

Grow your own organic produce. This is a great way to get the most from your food budget. Gardening has a great many benefits, especially if you have young children. The best thing is you can control what goes into your food and grow it more cheaply than buying it at the grocery. Plus, if you learn how to preserve what you grow through canning or freezing, you'll have a surplus to last you through the non-growing months.

Once you have an idea of how much certain organic items cost it will be easier for you to plan out your meals, which will help you budget your costs even further. Overall, just remember to be flexible. If something you want isn't available organically or is just simply way too expensive, make the best decision you can and feel good about it. Going organic is supposed to be better for your health; shopping for organic foods shouldn't stress you out because of budget concerns. Going organic can be done without breaking the bank.