How To Eat Organic Food On A Budget: 6 Tips To Eat Healthy & Save

The following is a guest post by Danielle of Zumper and highlights 6 tips on how to eat organic food on a budget.

As the cost of living continually rises, buying and eating organic food may feel like a pipe dream. We all want to eat healthy, knowing that healthy and nutritious food is the best way to be kind to our bodies. One of the best ways to avoid additives and harmful pesticides is to choose organic.

Here’s how you can do it while still staying within your means.

1. Choose The Right Stores

When trying to find cheap, organic food, the store in which you buy your food makes all the difference in the world. Consider a store that offers many services, such as packing your groceries, in-house prepared foods for you to buy, or even fancy non-food items, otherwise known as frills.

All of these frills come at a cost, which means the store needs to raise the cost of the groceries in order to ensure they can afford the extra little luxuries of their store. So, if you want to find organic food at a lower cost, select a store that offers minimal services, that is, groceries and that’s all.

2. Consider Frozen

Organic frozen food is just as nutritious as organic fresh food. It is flash-frozen within hours of being picked from the fields and is ready to use once you purchase and take it home. The options are varied, from fruit and vegetables to cheap, organic meals.

Plus, you don’t run the risk of it going bad in your refrigerator if you forget to use it up right away, and you can use it for multiple cheap, healthy meals. Consider making smoothies, soups, stir-fry recipes all with a delicious array of healthy, organic food ready to be added to your meal straight from your freezer.

3. No-Name Brands

It is easy to believe that the brand of a bottle of ketchup describes the quality of the contents within. But, if you take the time to compare the ingredients from a no-name brand to a well-known brand-name product, you’ll find that there really isn’t much difference except the order of the ingredients listed.

Next time, try buying a no-name brand of your favorite organic condiments or, in some cases, the store will have their own proprietary product that is considerably cheaper than what you would typically buy. I have saved a lot of money over the years on organic products like oatmeal, rice, frozen entrées, and the like by going either route.   

4. Buy In Season, Buy Local, Learn To Preserve

If you are a stickler for buying fresh, then learn to identify what vegetables and fruits are available at what time of year. Many people love to go to a farmer’s market and buy all the local organic food which is less expensive due to the fact that it comes from local farms and it is in season.

Eating healthy on a budget is much more attainable when you aren’t trying to buy fresh organic corn in the middle of winter or adversely organic squash in the springtime. You can also choose to stock up on these fresh organic finds and preserve your foods by freezing them or preserving (think canning or pickling) them to eat at a later date.

5. Plant Your Own

Whether you have a backyard space, a balcony, or a small bit of free space in your kitchen you can plant your own fruit and vegetables from organic seeds for some great, cheap, organic food. And don’t think that a garden will only grow when it’s warm outside, there are plenty of plants that also like the cooler weather.

Remember that every fruit and vegetable have their preferred season, so do your research and see what magic you can create in your own personal organic garden.

Know that if you really want your planted garden to truly be organic, select a soil that is also organic and not full of unnecessary additives. The same is true for any plant food you choose to add to your soil, try sticking to organic egg shells, fruit peels, and such to keep it all the organic.

6. More Tips And Tricks To Eat Organic Food On A Budget

Enjoy these few extra tips to help you on your path of organic food living. Meat is more expensive, so limit your consumption to reduce your cost. Identify the ‘Clean Fifteen’; a list of fruit and vegetables that don’t absorb the pesticides and are often fine to eat as an inorganic option.

If you have the time, price comparing or seeking coupons is another way to save money. Knowing the difference between natural and organic is huge, so be sure you understand the label of any products you buy. Lastly, focus on what is most important to you and your family and you will be eating organic on a budget in no time.

Conclusion: How To Eat Organic Food On A Budget

Thanks Danielle! This post covers two things I’m continually trying to improve: eating better and maximizing my budget.

It can be such a tough balance to try and hit both objectives. However, as we’ve seen above there are some actionable tips to test and learn from to help you eat cleaner and not break the bank.

Based on the experiences I’ve had this year trying to do just that, I wanted to share a few more thoughts.

First off, take advantage of the farmer’s markets in your area and use those as another source of organic foods. To identify the farmer’s markets closest to you try a service like Local Harvest. Get to know the local vendors and try to come at the end of the day if you want to be able to bargain or get better pricing.

Second, use services like Checkout 51 or Ibotta to maximize savings and earn cash back on your purchases. These apps and websites won’t make you rich but they can give you free cash back, discounts and special offers to help you get the most bang for your buck.

Finally, when the cost-savings make sense to do so, try to buy in bulk on products online or in-store. I do this with protein powders, green mixes, nuts, seeds, etc. on Amazon. I even subscribe to some of these products to get an additional 5% – 10% off.

If eating cleaner and more sustainable is a goal of yours, start small and see what you can fit into your lifestyle and budget.

Here are some other posts you might want to check out to save money on food:

• Checkout 51 Review – Free App To Earn Cash Back & Save Money On Groceries
• Save Money On Groceries – 13 Easy Ways To Save On Food

Author’s Bio

Danielle thrives on researching and writing on all aspects of life. Further to writing for Zumper blog and personal finance, she is an advocate of self-improvement and living a life that is both financially responsible and knowledgeable. When she is not on her computer, she can be found spending time with her husband and two sons.