Great Organic Deals

One of the biggest complaints about organic food is the price. Admittedly, some of it is a bit pricier than traditional chemical, antibiotic, and hormone-ridden foods. But, the good news is that organic food is really quite accessible if you shop around, use coupons, and make eating safe food a priority. Here is a list of the foods that I consider easy, inexpensive, no-brainer switches to organic. I have included the approximate price that I usually pay at my mainstream grocery store... obviously all stores are different, so you may pay a little more or a little less. If you are fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby (as I am) then you might pay much less (I LOVE YOU, TRADER JOE'S!) :)

So here's the list...

1. Carrots- very minimal price difference for a vegetable that is normally grown in pesticide-filled soil and then eaten raw. I think I pay between .99-$1.50 a bag.
2. Celery- how often do you go through a head of celery? Less than once a week, I bet. This is listed as one of the most important pieces of produce to eat organic and the price difference isn't much. I pay $2 a head.
3. Kid's yogurt- Stonyfield has so many coupons available that there is no reason to give your kids the other stuff. With a coupon I pay $2.50 for a 4 pack.
4. Ketchup and mustard- with the amount of time that it takes to go through a container (months, for me!)  it is worth the extra 50 cents or so. 
5. Crackers- look for the store brand organic crackers or Annies's (at Target) you may get a little less in the box, but the price is about the same as traditional. Stretch the box to last as long by eating fruit and veggies instead!!! $3-4 a box.
6. Boxed cookies- I'm a big baker, so we don't buy much of these... plus they are probably not the best thing to be eating. But if you must, organic is the way to go. Newman-O's (which are similar to Oreos) are comparably priced and quite tasty. There are plenty of others out there, too. If you get less in a package- consider yourself lucky and go eat some fruit instead! :) $3-4 a box.
7. Macaroni and Cheese- Yummiest and best for you homemade, but I don't know many mom's who don't use this for lunch in a pinch (if you don't- you're a better mama than me). Try Annie's mac and cheese. There is a very minimal price difference if you get it at Target (who for some reason, has Annie's foods much much cheaper than the grocery store). Back to Nature also has some which is reasonably priced. Maybe $1.50 a box...? I'm not positive on this one.
8. Jam- I'm planning on making my own this summer (and so will you when I tell you how!!), but until then... it's important to me because it's full of concentrated fruit (and non-organically- that's concentrated pesticides). It lasts a couple weeks and you might pay a dollar more. I pay $2.99 a jar.
9. Oats- We should all be eating lots of these and the switch costs pennies. I think I pay $1.50-2 a canister. It's less if you buy them in bulk at the health food store!
10. Cereal- Cascadian Farms always has coupons out there and some grocery stores do buy one, get one (with which you can use two coupons and save a ton!). They even have some kid friendly flavors, which are made much more healthfully than traditional kid's cereals. Store brand organic is also a great deal (Publix Cheerios are a steal at $3.99 for a huge box). 
11.  Canned tomatoes- These are similar to jam in that they are sprayed heavily with pesiticides and then concentrated down into cans. Muir Glen puts a lot of coupons out and store brands are reasonable. I pay $2.19 a can.
12. Pasta-  Watch for sales, but store brands are very well priced. I pay $1.39 a box for organic, whole wheat spaghetti.
13. Beans- We eat a LOT of beans in our family, and for that reason, we only eat organic. You're going to save money by buying them dry, but I usually just get canned. I pay $1.13 a can.
14. Canned/boxed soup- Make your own! But if not, watch for sales. Wolfgang Puck is very well priced and Muir Glen has lots of coupons. Look at the ingredients in regular soup and you will want to make the switch. I pay about $2 a can.
15. Bottled Iced Tea- Sweet Leaf Green Tea with Mint and Honey is one of our favorite drinks! I pay $1.50-2 a bottle. 

These are just a few of the amazing deals out there. I encourage you to make these changes now, and then systematically start switching out your other foods for organic. One thing to remember is to make it yourself when you can! Typically, whole foods are less expensive than packaged foods (and much, much better for you!) Take a look at your grocery receipt from last week, I bet if you added up how much you spent on unnecessary and unhealthy packaged food, you could have bought all organic produce, meat, and/or dairy! One frozen, ready-to-eat dinner costs $6-8... you could make it yourself and use the savings to make a big difference in the way you eat. One bag of Doritos costs $4, skip the Doritos and switch something to organic. Name brand toilet paper and paper towels are ridiculously expensive- switch to the store brand recycled stuff and save a ton! Everyone has places in their shopping that they can cut back... find yours and make some changes today! Happy shopping!