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. Big Lots
Big lots is my hidden weapon for inexpensive organics. I find at least a few brands of different organics there each time I visit for less money than they are on sale at my local grocery store.
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. Money Saving mom runs a weekly coupon round up for natural and organic products. Another site to check out is Mamboo Sprouts.
If you are shopping at whole foods and other natural food supermarkets, they normally have a flyer with coupons at the front of the store as you are walking in so look for it before you start your shopping trip.
5. Discount Gift Cards
Speaking of Whole Foods I often see gifts cards listed for a few percent points off at Cardpool. Cardpool also carries discounted gift cards to Trader Joe’s as well. 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 amazing.
 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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I saw your post on the IBN facebook page about the Thrifty linky. Thanks!
whoops, I think I was replying to the wrong post. I saw your link on the comment share and pinned this post to Pinterest.
I just found this article and your blog via Pinterest. First of all, I’m excited because I’m definitely a more moderate, slow changing type. (Most of the time.) So I am looking forward to checking out your blog. Secondly, although it is not always the case, you can often tell how interesting and helpful a post is by how many links get clicked in the article. I now have two other tabs open that I’m about to check out. Thanks for such great information. So glad your blog exists.
I would have never, in a million years, thought to look at Big Lots for groceries. 🙂 Thanks a million for that. Seriously, who knew? LOL
Nuts online has a great selection of organic foods!
Thanks for the tips. I had no idea that Big Lots had organic food.
My daughter is nursing her first baby right now and she told me that they have found pesticides in breast milk…. scary. I’ll share these suggestions with her. I know that price is generally the reason people don’t buy all organic food. Thank you for your suggestions!
These are great tips! I’m pinning this. Here are two other strategies that work for me:
Our local health food co-op sells many organic foods in bulk so that you buy the amount you want in your own container. Because you’re not paying for packaging, most of these are cheaper than in other stores and in some cases (spices and raisins especially) cost less than the very cheapest conventional brand.
Most foods cost less when they’re in season in your area, so if I want a particular food and it’s too expensive, I think about what’s similar in taste or nutrition but is in season now. This especially affects which fresh fruit I buy: berries in the early summer, then peaches, then grapes, then apples in the fall. The preserved version (canned, frozen, jam, etc.) usually goes on sale about a month after the fresh version, so that’s the time to stock up.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
Amazon.com’s prices vary a lot and they update them in real time inside your shopping cart. If I see something organic that I use regularly, I put it in my shopping card and wait to see how much (and how often) the price changes. Most orders over $35 are eligible for free shipping.
Thanks for the great tips.
Doortodoororganics.com delivers organic food in many states. The fresh fruits and veggies I get in Michigan are fantastic (and competitively priced when I consider that I don’t have to go out and shop for them). They have organic pantry items, too. I’ve been a regular customer since the first day I decided to check them out!
If it doesn’t have the organic seal on it is not organic…just because it says meijer organics does not make it so. I have read that it has to have the symbol…just saying
Meijer organics and Aldi organics do have the organic seal. You can’t see it well in the picture I took, but it is down there at the bottom of the labels.
Great tips! Thanks