Our family by no means eats a 100% organic diet, but 20 to 25 percent of our diet is organic, because we believe it is not only healthier for us but also tastes better. I grew up on home grown vegetables and let me tell you, organic tastes closer to those veggies of my youth than the non organic ones do by a landslide.

10 ways our thrifty family buys organic foods

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1. Stick to the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 list

My family can’t afford to buy 100% organic food but we can afford to eat a few things organically so I use the dirty dozen and clean 15 lists as a guide to what to buy organic and what to save my money on.

2. Makeena

If you click the rebates tab inside the Makeena app, you will find a list of rebates available on natural and organic products–from organic produce to bone broth and more. What rebates are available changes often, so make sure to check them on shopping day to see what rebates you can claim. There are a few more ways to save money in the app, but that is the area I use.

Use my referral code TWNAVD during sign up to earn 1,000 points (equals $1) once you upload your first receipt.

3. Store Brands

Meijer, where I shop, has its own line of organics and they beat the prices of name brands every time. Aldi also has a small line of organics. I know other grocery stores also have their own store brands of organics so look for them where you shop.

4. Coupons

Yes there are coupons for organics. For instance the website for the organic yogurt I buy often has coupons. So does the website for the organic carrots I buy. Another site to check out is Mamboo Sprouts.

If you are shopping at Whole Foods and other natural food supermarkets, you will normally see a flyer with coupons at the front of the store as you enter, so look for it before you start your shopping trip.

5. Discount Gift Cards

Speaking of Whole Foods, I often see gift cards listed for a few percent off at Cardpool. Cardpool also carries discounted gift cards to Trader Joe’s. So make sure you add these stores to your wishlist at Cardpool so you are notified when they become available.

6. Grow it Yourself

I am just getting started with this, using a book called Square Foot Gardening as a guide.

7. Join a CSA

CSA (stands for Community Supported Agriculture), the closest one to us is 30 minutes away, but if you have one closer I highly recommend them, I see what Jessica Fisher of Good Cheap Eats gets from hers and it is fantastic.

8. Watch Sales

Even organic products go on sale. In my area I buy most of my organics at Meijer and each week before my shopping trip I check to see if there are any online coupons for organics that I can clip and add to their store card or if they have any sales going on in their flyer. This process can be applied to whatever stores you have in your area.

9. Buy online

I have only really started to dig into online shopping for organics. So far I have had great luck buying the organic teas and endurance sport energy products (not fully organic but definitely more natural than most) I like at Lucky Vitamin. I have heard from others that they really like Azure Standard, but the closest drop off site to me is still a 30 minute drive so the savings would be eaten in gas and time lost.

If you know more great online sources for inexpensive organics I would love for your to share them in the comments.

10. Keep A Price Book

Just like I do with other foods I track the price of organics from store to store to see who sells what for the lowest price.

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