“Switching to organic is tough for many families who don’t want to pay higher prices or give up their favorite foods,” writes Tara Parker-Pope at The New York Times. “But by choosing organic versions of just a few foods that you eat often, you can increase the percentage of organic food in your diet without big changes to your shopping cart or your spending.”
Last fall, Parker-Pope spoke with pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, who suggested five organic foods that can have a large impact on a family diet with minimal strain to the pocketbook:
- Milk. Some people are reluctant to drink mass-produced milk for fear of being exposed to antibiotics and hormones. Organic milk can cost twice as much as the regular stuff, though, which leads some to question if the benefits are worth it.
- Potatoes. According to the article, a commercially-farmed potato “has one of the highest pesticide counts” of all vegetables.
- Peanut butter. I’m a recent convert to grinding my own peanut butter at the health food store. It tastes great. (Though it needs a bit of salt.)
- Ketchup. Organic ketchup has double the antioxidants of normal ketchup. (That’s a good thing.)
- Apples. Kris and I grow our own apples, so I can attest to how difficult it is to grow good fruit without chemicals. Your average apple in the grocery store has probably been sprayed a dozen times. Organic fruit costs a little more — and isn’t as pretty — but brings peace of mind.
If you’re interested in budgeting organic foods into your life, start with just a few items to make the transition easier.
Actually, starting slowly is a great way to ease into most financial changes. If you’ve decided to contribute 10% of your income to your church (or favorite charity), consider starting with 3%, and then moving to 6% after a few months. If you’ve decided to start a Roth IRA, schedule a $25 monthly contribution. When you know that this is doable, bump the contribution to $50, and then to $100. Small steps can lead to big changes.
[The New York Times: Five easy ways to go organic]
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My ‘moonlighting’ job involves web research in the field of environmental health, and as I learn more about the toxins that are found in our foods (and, of course, in our bodies) I’m trying to be more aware of what I’m eating.
I can see that I still have more to learn! For example, I wasn’t aware that potatoes have one of the higher pesticide counts! I use potatoes as a staple (along with rice and beans) in my debt-reducing/savings-increasing/frugal-living plan. A 10-lb pound of potatoes costs less than a fast-food hamburger, and can help feed me for a month.
I’m starting to think more about the ‘health’ cost of my frugal grocery shopping too, though. More trips to the co-op (and the farmers’ markets, when they re-open) may be in order, in spite of the higher cost. Becoming financial secure won’t be worth a hill of beans if I’ve not taken care of my health.
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I met some organic farmers a few years ago, a husband and wife. They were relatively new (but successful) in the organic business and had interesting things to say about the industry, what classifies as “organic,” how farmers try to beat the system, etc.
But what I remember most from my dinner with them was that they told me, “If you can only eat two organic foods, choose strawberries and peanuts.” They explained that since these foods are grown on/below-ground, the non-organic versions soak up a lot more pesticides than above-ground fruits and vegetables. I guess potatoes should be added to that list as well!
I buy most of my produce from a Mom and Pop fruit stand in my neighborhood. They are slowly adding more organics so I’m adding more to my diet as well.
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My mother only uses pesticides on the potatoes in her garden. Otherwise she says the bugs will eat them. Every two weeks I get a box of organic veggies and fruit, mostly local if available, for $25. It’s great. I went apple picking in September and my friend said apples are usually sprayed early in the season, but I don’t know what that means really.
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As much as I’d like my diet to be organic-only, one of the only foods I eat exclusively organic are eggs. They just TASTE better and they are so much better for you. And what a peace of mind knowing the hens were raised cage-free, vegetarian-fed, and are hormone-free.
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When I was a journalist, I started working on a story (which I never finished, it was on spec) about organic apples versus those grown using integrated pest management (IPM), which involves limited and targeted spraying. A guy from a local orchard that practiced IPM had lab results from the University of Massachusetts showing higher pesticide residues on organic apples sold at Whole Foods market than the residues on this guy’s IPM apples, although that seemed to be due to wind-drifted pesticides affecting the particular crop of organics in the store. (Which itself is a cautionary tale: if you have one organic orchard surrounded by many acres of conventional orchards, chances are good that the organics will have pesticide residues.)
Basically, the story was that IPM allows growers to grow great-quality apples using very little or no pesticides or artificial fertilizers. So while I do get organic apples when they look good and are affordable, IPM apples are a good alternative and are often better quality (and cheaper). They’re just not as widely available.
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Locally grown produce is more important/ better than “organic.” Find a local CSA and have farm fresh goodies delivered weekly; also supports the local/ regional economy better.
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How does organic milk taste? No difference? I’ve never had it but I have this weird opinion that it would taste, um, weird, like I was sucking it right from the teet.
Someone tell me I’m wrong!
I suppose another healthy alternative to milk is soy milk; another milk I’ve never tried.
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i am able to get goat milk here. surely it’s different than cow milk, but more digestable also. i will assuure youu though, organic milk tastes the same, but more nutrients. also the goat milk i get is raw, unpasturized, also much better for you. if you are lucky enough to find raw, organic cow milk in your area – go for it
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Josh, I’d assume it’d taste about the same. Less pus maybe? (it’s such a gross thought, but I still drink milk…) Ick.
Organic apples taste about the same….you just don’t have to worry as much about what’s in them. Or you do, considering what Brad said. Same with organic carrots and whatnot. I’d assume milk is about the same.
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I second sal’s comments on the CSA! I just joined one that offers 100% locally grown, oraganic produce, and although the upfront costs can be big ($425 in my case), it will provide me with enough food to freeze and can to enjoy year round at a 20% savings to what I spent at the farmer’s market last year.
For more on “local” vs. “organic” check out anything written by Michael Pollan.
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Better than organic milk, and cheaper too is Raw milk. You can find a local dairy to get it from and it tastes AWESOME. You could never go back to pasteurized or even organic if you taste raw milk.
Great advice though – I would suggest organic butter too, since pesticides tend to stick around the fatty organs of the animals.
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I don’t care how much organic dairy and eggs cost – I couldn’t live with myself if I bought factory farmed stuff, perpetuating animal suffering just to save a bit of change. Although free-range (but not organic) is a slightly cheaper, but still relatively ethical, alternative.
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I don’t understand this love for organic food. There are ZERO health benefits to organics. Will someone please point me to any scientific study that definitively demonstrates that organics are more healthy than regular food products? I just don’t think it’s worth the pricey premium you pay.
-Raymond
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@ Sal, I would hesitate to recommend unpasteurized milk to all, it should be avoided by the young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
@Josh any time I’ve had organic milk (purchased when the grocery store is out of regular milk) there has been no noticeable difference other than a slightly sour after taste when I realise I’ve paid twice as much for it!
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Cost has definitely kept us from going organic. Interesting about the ketchup, didn’t know that.
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So organic milk costs TWICE as much, but switching to it is an “easy” change?
Am I the only one not getting the logic here?
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Organic milk tastes exactly the same as regular milk. I switched about six months ago, because I was tired of buying milk and having half of the carton go bad in my refrigerator a week before the expiration date. The organic milk at my supermarket (a store brand) always has a longer expiration date, and is packaged in paper cartons instead of plastic, which limits the amount of fluorescent light absorbed by the milk inside.
Sure, it’s a little more expensive, but I actually DRINK the entire half-gallon of milk, instead of throwing half of it away, so it’s a much better value.
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I haven’t noticed any difference with organic food other than price. I did notice a big difference in selecting a grocer that had better quality produce.
I should mention that I do buy organic lettuce because it seems to last a week whereas the normal stuff lasts two days. Really, I just choose the best quality I can notice.
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I know there are cost reasons, and maybe I’m being old fashioned, but I think it’s funny how people want proof that organic is better for you. Shouldn’t the question be whether or not the chemicals found in inorganic stuff is bad for you? It just seems to be a bit like someone breathing in smoggy air and asking for proof that fresh air is better.
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I would rather save my money and buy local farmers crops then to try and buy “organic”. I would suggest to use local food to anyone!
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One of our local grocery chains has it’s generic brand selling organics too! “Roundy’s” Sold at both Copps & Pick’n'Save, for those of you in the Wisconsin area!
It’s a great way to add some organics into your diet, & they are only a LITTLE more expensive (example: $.99 vs $1.29). And to those who wish to extolt local vs. organic: Both are good, but you can’t always afford both.
I got into the organic-wanting, once i realized i was allergic to some food pesticides (those used in apples, and carrots for example). Not all, so i don’t have to go over board, and they’re fine once they’re cooked… still, one of the best things i got out of college was learning i could eat a raw apple!
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I’ve always heard that if you have to buy one organic food, make it berries, because berries don’t have a hard peel, so the pesticides soak in.
That being said, I don’t eat a lot of organic food, but I do try to buy local as much as I can.
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@ Carrie, I have read a lot about raw milk and spoken with some organic dairy farmers as well. The consensus seems to be that although the dairy farmers drank raw milk as children and came out fine, most of them would not want to risk distributing it to people outside their own family. There are too many risks of contamination, and for this reason raw milk is illegal to sell in many states. (Some consumers get around this by buying a percentage of a cow, thus “owning” the cow and buying “their own” milk). But already I have heard of e.Coli and other infections resulting from unpasteurized milk and juice. I love raw orange juice with a passion but I would never give it to my kids, and purchase it very rarely.
I view it the same way I view vaccinations for children. There once existed a public health threat, causing us to enact a certain process, and in an attempt to make life more “natural”, some people have forgotten what the threat and how serious it was.
Just my two cents.
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I go for the organic foods myself…they really do taste better. The milk is the same, but w/o the hormones, etc. Oh, try looking for non-homogenized milk. (the homogenizing process is not good for your heart) and if you have to get pasteurized (like in Colorado) try Vat pasteurized.
Oh, and did you know that the orange color in Cheddar cheese is added coloring….organic cheddar cheese is white.
If you question Why Organics, think about this…is it natural to have your foods sprayed w/ pesticides, injected w/ hormones, and meat fed to vegetarian animals…? In order for your body to work properly and to the best of its capacity you need whole, natural, and healthy foods. Why put unnatural and synthetic foods into your body?
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@ Money Blue Book … do your own research. There are a number of studies showing that organically grown produce has fewer toxins and more nutrients. More than that, organically managed soil is more productive and hosts considerably greater biodiversity. JD pointed to one of these studies with his comments about the antioxidants in organically produced ketchup and another with his observations about the pesticide residue in potatoes. The evidence is abundant, although you will sometimes have to read between the lines on studies conducted by the agri-chem giants.
Let me pose the question another way … how much pesticide residue do you find acceptable on food your children might eat?
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This is somewhat related to this post, but I thought it was so interesting, I couldnt’ help but share it. The link goes to photos of different families around the world sitting with their groceries for a week. The differences in cost and what is purchased is astounding.
http://ambersbug.gaia.com/blog/2007/11/what_is_eaten_in_one_week
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While organic milk tastes the same to me as regular, I find the Organic Valley cream tastes much richer than the ordinary stuff.
For some good advice on when it’s worth spending the extra bucks on organics, check out the Environmental Working Group’s shopper’s guide.
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Raw milk is playing with fire.
Like it or not, please realize what comes out a cow’s rear is pretty liquid – when the cow’s hosed down, some of that goes in your milk, which is why you want even organic milk to be pasteurized.
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I had no idea about the ketchup thing at all! That’s pretty neat info.
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I like the idea of organics, but for the most part, cost is prohibitive. I’d say the same about farmer’s markets, because where I live (Washington DC area), they really are more expensive than the regular store, and aren’t always local. Here they seem to jack up the prices since it’s something trendy and they can.
That said. . . I have found a chain of local supermarkets that tries to use local produce whenever possible, and sells it at competitive prices. It turns out that not only does my money stay local, it really is the best bargain on produce I can find.
As for organics, there are a couple that really are worth the price: Milk and peanut butter.
In the U.S., most dairy cattle are raised on enough hormones to make it so that milk is pretty much just water, sugar, and fat, with few nutrients. If you drink organic milk, however, even the low fat varieties taste better and are very thick. I’d say 1% organic milk is about as fulfilling as regular whole milk. I’d even go so far as to say that organic milk tastes better than the processed variety.
Yes, organic milk is more expensive, but not as much as you’d think. Note that it tends to be packaged in cardboard, making it last far longer than regular plastic carton milk. Also, Costco has started selling it in 3 carton packs, bringing the price down significantly per unit.
As for peanut butter, well, that’s another story borne out of dieting attempts. I was looking for peanut butter that didn’t have high fructose corn syrup in it, and at the time, organic was the way to go. It was more expensive, but since I hardly eat peanut butter, I didn’t mind. The oil on top part was a bit gross, but once you stir it in and keep it in the refrigerator, that problem goes away. Also, since it’s a bit thicker, I’m more inclined to use less of it. The fact that it’s organic really just makes me feel better at that point.
On another note about peanut butter, there’s one more thing to watch out for. Some organic peanut butter still has sweetener in it, and some is just peanuts and salt. The sweeter stuff is sweetened with cane sugar, so it tastes better and is healthier than HFCS, but is still full of sugar. Also, some stores have started selling “old fashioned” peanut butter, which is not organic, but is also just peanuts and salt. I’ve taken to buying this stuff, because it is cheaper than organic, and well, I care more about lack of sugar than I do lack of pesticides.
Just some thoughts.
~EEE~
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If you are starting to incorporate organic foods into your diet, be sure to only buy organic products that are necessary. For example, organic bananas and oranges provide no health benefits. However, any dairy, meats or certain fruits and vegetables like blueberries, spinach and lettuce, are certainly worth the extra money required to switch to organic.
If you click on my name, it will link you to an article with more details entitled “When Eating Organic Pays Off and Doesn’t.”
Lisa
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Great advice! Especially the last part (starting slowly).
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This is a tough one because the milk and potatoes are both so much more expensive than the non-organic. I looked at organic potatoes one day and they were $4.99 for 1 lb. that is one meal for my family. I can’t pay $4.99 for one meal of potatoes, when the non-organic is around $.50 a pound. The price difference is too much. I do grow my own and this year plan to do more. Milk is the same, it is double the non-organic and with a big family that adds up to a lot. We do what we can though.
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I hear you, Raymond. There’s a lot of assumptions being made about organic food right now that are not (as far as I can tell) backed up by scientific evidence.
Ebola is “organic.: So are the plagues that wiped out Europe.
To me, this whole thing seems like another fad. Yeah, maybe I’ll die sooner than organic-food-junkies, but then again, maybe I won’t? If I end up living longer and healthier than organic-food-junkies, don’t hate me for smirking. If you all end up healthier than me, kudos to you.
Anyways, my own suspicions are based on studies say that the key to a longer, healthier life is just eating a whole lot less. Of everything.
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Organic milk tastes much better to me — it tastes cleaner.
The same is true with maverick ranch ground beef — I’ve actually had to get used to it, because it smells different and tastes different to me.
And — hah! I’ve really gone over to the other side. I can’t stand the taste of flavored yogurt anymore. Plain, organic yogurt tastes so much better.
I’ve noticed that the less corn syrup and processed food I eat, the more I notice these taste differences. Also, I periodically take a course of herbal detox pills and it’s really made my sense of smell and taste more acute.
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Having just read Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, it seems that ‘organic’ is not as meaningful as people would hope. Many organic food companies have industrialized to the extent that it would hard to find substantial differences in taste, nutrition, or (unfortunately for all of you who get peace of mind from this) the treatment of animals.
I would recommend checking Pollan out in general. He makes a lot of eye-opening points about how what we perceive to save on cheap and easy food has actually come at a horrendous cost to our health, the environment, and our humanity.
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Not sure if this was mentioned yet, but if you are environmentally minded, make sure your organic food is grown locally. Organic food that is shipped in has higher economic and ecological costs than local foods.
I am skeptical of some of the claims that organic food proponents make, so until I start seeing better science on the organic food benefits, I’ll stick with what is affordable.
I should point out that the human body is equipped with a liver, which can deal with a certain amount of toxicity. It’s when you go past that limit or your liver is damaged that you need to worry.
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My order of produce-buying goes something like this:
1. farmers market
2. organic, local
3. organic, far away
4. commercially-produced, local
5. commercially-produced, far away
The farther away a fruit is from you, the earlier it was picked from the tree or ground and therefore not as sweet or packed with nutrients.
Even if healthier food costs more, the long-term benefits (i.e. longer life, less illnesses, more energy) outweigh the initial savings.
You can also eat less of quality food than more of not-so-great food.
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In my opinion, best thing about organic ketchup is the lack of corn syrup. My mother is allergic to corn and was very happy to find most organic ketchup uses sugar. That really is more healthy.
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I’ve been a vegetarian and have been consuming increasingly larger percentages of organic foods for 5 years now. I’m also a RN with a decent background in nutrition.
I read a lot about food and nutrition and feel comfortable in accepting the consensus that organic is truly better. I grew up on a farm and watched the older generations who poo-poohed the idea that good food couldn’t be grown without industrial fertilizers and pesticides.
I also watched MANY family members and close family friends who were also farmers develop and die from a multitude of different cancers including primary liver, prostate, metastatic bone cancers, thyroid cancer and more. My life experiences, observations and my scientific education have led me to believe that this organic movement is one that is well worth the expense and effort of joining. Besides, in my case, since I don’t buy meat, I’ve more than enough to buy the more expensive organic veggie alternatives.
I have also read several articles discussing the fact that organic veggies are more nutrient dense than their conventional counterparts. This is because unlike the artificially grown stuff, organics grow the way nature intended and at the rate nature intended – that is they aren’t forced to grow to enormous size in half the normal time. They themselves are more healthy because they fight off disease and parasites themselves rather than having chemicals doing it for them.
As for milk – regardless of it’s type – it’s not something meant to be consumed by humans regardless. The fact that it was ever in the “Food Pyramid” is more a matter of the powerful dairy lobby than it’s actual nutritional benefit. On the contrary, a study done as a German university in the past couple years implicated cows milk consumption by humans early in life as being a causative factor in Type-I diabetes. It seems the foreign (to humans) protein in milk in some instances may be initiating some sort of autoimmune reaction. Many other maladies are also attributable to milk as well.
There are books such as “Don’t Drink Your Milk” as well as writings by the late Dr. Spock and Dr. Neal Barnard of PCRM discussing how “milk is for cows”.
But back to organic, I certainly believe the pros far outweigh the cons. The health, environmental and ethical benefits are certainly worthy of consideration.
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The “buy local” argument so many of you are pushing confuses me. Where do you live that you can buy produce in February that is exclusively local?
I live in Missouri, and I love avocados. Should I never eat an avocado, because they can’t be grown locally?
I always get a kick out of hearing people I know who proudly claim that they shop at the big open market in town and therefore buy locally and better quality produce. In actuality, the produce at the open market is EXACTLY the same produce at the grocery store (they all buy from the same distributors). It is certainly cheaper at the open market, but they are still bananas from Ecuador or tomatoes from Chile, etc.
I’m all for buying locally grown veggies in the summer and especially growing my own, but let’s not kid ourselves – our winter diet would look much different if we only ate local produce!
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We’ve tried organic foods, vegetables, fruits, and especially the milk spoil a lot faster than “regular” foods. It is amazing how much of a difference the preservatives make. So the organic food is more expensive and spoils faster – not a good combination for our household. Thanks for the ideas about getting the most bang for the buck!
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I no longer buy organic milk. My main concern was the artificial recombinant bovine growth hormone; now our local milk producers no longer use it. Lighter on the budget.
I usually just use the “dirty dozen” produce list and buy those items organic, the rest conventional.
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Not all Organic is Created equal. Especially when it comes from an animal (milk, meat, eggs.)
For example, some organic milk is only a small step up from the regular milk. Still better than regular milk but for pennies more (between organics that is) you may be able to get something from cows that go out to pasture instead of cows that are close to factory farmed in tight quarters and fed organic feed.
Here’s a good resource for comparing the quality of major brands:
http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html
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I’ve read some disturbing reports on the fungus in organic peanut butter.
Yes, less dangerous if you grind it yourself, but with out the spraying its a health risk. That organic stuff that sits on the shelves growing its evil brew.
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you’ve been blogged on this entry!
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We are eating about 80% organic/local products.
I’m not going into the discussion if organic is okay or not, this was about switching to organic and budgeting.
We used the following ‘strategy’. We cut drastically on meat consumption, you could say that we became ‘parttime-vegetarians’. That saved us a lot of money. We also reduced our dairy consumption. 1 Pack (1.5 liters) of milk and yoghurt each, for the entire week. That saved money too.
All that saved money could now be spend on fresh organic/local food. Eggs and cheese still brings us B12 vitamins, and more green vegetables gives us enough calcium. So that compensates the previous steps a bit.
And of course, the meat and milk that we do eat are also organic!
I realize it can be quite a big step for people to give up meat and such. But try to eat less meat, and use the saved money for organic food. That’s my advice then. Thanks!
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I’ve tried some organic products, aside from vegetables – dairy, cereal mixes, biscuits, spreadables, snacks. And bread, especially: pre-sliced bread. well, I can’t go back to any non-organic psb, which tastes funny to me now, while the organic version is almost as good as bread from the bakery. All of these things have good ingredients in it and a lovely taste. Just try.
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We get our milk from a local dairy in glass bottles, it’s not organic but they don’t use the hormones so I find it a good compromise. No hormones and local plus when you bring back the bottles you get a discount on the next purchase. I do find it tastes better than regular milk, even the 1% is creamier to me in comparison.
We grow a bunch of our own food in summer and we do that organically, saves us a lot of money at the store and the kids love to nibble right off the vine.
But teaching them about organics has bitten me once or twice in the pocketbook. Organic strawberries were so expenisve one day, I said let’s buy regular, but right in the store they recited right back to me what I’ve been teaching them. No pesticides, better for the earth, no one wants to eat/drink chemicals (we have a well so we’re real careful about our groundwater), they taste better…oh well, at least they listen to me! It cost me a few bucks to learn that lesson!
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We drink local, organic raw milk. It is delicious, well worth the cost (it’s $6 a gallon, less than pasteurized organic milk in the stores but more than regular milk).
Raw milk is one of our budget splurges. We live very frugally… but we spend $36 on milk every week. BUT, we spend $0 on health care sick visits in a typical year and we are extremely healthy.
For us, it makes sense financially and physically.
PS I have a couple posts about raw milk on my blog.
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