Organic is too expensive!

[rawdanig]

When i go grocery shopping i realize i'm spending so much money(100 bucks a week) and when i get home to try and make a meal i feel like i have no food! I think to myself where did all that money go. It's because organic is really expensive 1 avocado is $5 dollars a bag of grapes is $4/lb strawberries are $4 bucks for 1 lb...now the whole point of me going raw was to see how much more money i save by buying whole real foods versus processed foods and so far i'm being proven wrong. I've decided to no longer freak out about my nuts being raw and that i can buy organic sprouts fairly cheaply rather than doing it myself and save time. I love being raw but i'm not made of money nor do i have the space and resources(like a home and garden). Do you buy everything organic or just some things? I know there's a magic list of fruits/veggies that definitely should be organic such as tomatoes and your greens but all in all other foods are ok regular. Any suggestions?

[Steven]

I am spending between $80-$90 a week on food for myself and I manage to get 3,000+ calories a day of organic produce. My tips are talk to your local produce managers about buying in bulk, usually they will give you a 10% discount. Also look for for wholesale distribution places in your area, some will sell to the public and you can get some really good deals on bulk organic produce. Then lastly check out farmers markets and try and make deals with the people there. It can easily work out to be cheap eating raw and organice, you just have to have the determination and make sure to check out all your resources! :)

[DebB]

There's a list called "The Dirty Dozen (http://www.takepart.com/news/2011/06/14/apples-top-the-dirty-dozen-list-of-most-pesticide-contaminated-produce)" that I follow "loosely", trying to buy organic of these items - but I don't all the time. I just do the best I can. Sure, I would love to buy 100% organice, but I don't.

I buy what I can at the Farmer's Market. I talk to every vendor to see if they are certified organic, or if not - what they spray or fertilize, etc. with - if anything. It's expensive to certify, so I just ask. The produce is so much cheaper there than in the store.

If I couldn't afford organic, I would buy conventional and call it good, but that's just me. For what it's worth, I've never bought organic avocados, pineapples - and will only buy organic bananas if they are "overripe" and marked 1/2 price. I don't worry about the thicker skinned fruits/veggies. Again - that's just me. *Ü*

[EscapeArtist]

I don't focus on all organic, I just buy things with the most pesticides organic. Where is one of those lists..
Most pesticides: Apples, celery, strawberries, peaches,spinach, nectarines, grapes, bell pepper, blueberries, lettuce, kale, collards

Least pesticides:. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mango
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms


I'm sure there's a better list out there, this is apparently an updated 'new' list. Didn't see grapes on there on the old ones! I guess they've upped the pesticides on them :( Looks like it's organic grapes from now on...

Oh what Deb said is a good point too! Those with the most pesticides seem to be the fruits that have edible skin.Maybe these have more pests or something, but the things with inedible thick skins would have less exposure to pesticides..So you probably don't have to worry about the thick skinned things

[rawdanig]

Thanks for the posts! I really would love to be able to buy 100% all day every day also but it's looking to unrealistic for my current life(broke college student who pays for everything,gas,rent,bills,on an 8/hr salary lol)

I'm going to find that magic list again and go by that. I think that its true that if it has a thicker skin it's safe even if it's not organic cause you normally aren't eating the skin. Also i could invest in that fruit/veggie cleaner that help get pesticides off.
But what sucks is that the farmers market here only sells baked goods and meats barely veggies and their veggie prices even if not organic are more expensive than my grocery store. My local co-op organic bananas were 99 cents/lb and the grocery store organic bananas are always 64 cents/lb? same brand!

I just went today and they have upped their organic section a lot and have revamped the produce section with clearly marked organic section and the prices aren't too bad compared to whole foods and farmers markets but still i'm going to have to be selective on what is organic. I guess it's more important that i'm eating raw fresh foods and saving gas since there's a gas rewards program through the grocery store lol

[T-Bird]

I assume you don't have a yard? Any sunny window to grow some greens?

[brydee]

Im with T-bird, if you can do it really helps if you can grow some of your own food, even if it is just salad greens.

When I have been raw in the past I have also spent alot of money, I cant at the moment though so either going to have to eat less, or go out and find some wild greens to bulk everything up(which im finding hard in the uk in the summer as everything is fully grown)

I have been looking into organic farm boxes, they deliver to your house and the prices are quite competitive with the supermarkets, I expected for them to be alot more money. Whats better is that alot of it is grown locally and if not is fairtrade.

[Dirkg]

If money is tight, its better to buy non-organic/bulk rather than having to skip something.

[Eatrawordie]

Do you guys have kids? I am single and the most I spend is $30 a week at Trader Joes. I have gotten addicted to Hail Merry's Lemon Tarts and Chocolate Almond Butter Cups so that's another $10 a week. Oh and The Laughing Giraffe's Vanilla and Almond Chunks so that's another $10 a week so i'm spending $50 a week. I just get so addicted to the raw food brands out there. They make such good food!

Sometimes I make my own treats but I don't always have time.

[rawdanig]

T-bird: No i don't have a yard i live downtown in the city in a crappy small apartment lol Not much space. So far the only window space i have was enough for a basil plant but for a whole mini garden probably not.

I'm just gonna buy non organic on certain things and even buy some raw/vegan brands every now and then when it comes to sweets. My goal is to get back into spending only 40-50 bucks per week. Might even get a meal plan at school just for those days where i want to save food at home(they have an awesome salad bar)

[T-Bird]

Sounds like a sensible plan - Good luck!

[Raw Angel Mom]

There are a lot of farmer that don't use harmful substance to grow their produce but aren't organic certify. Look around in your area for market. Ask the farmer how they grow their food.

Yes, it is expensive but the price went down due that people are buying more organic. Winter cans be challenging. My grocery is very expensive at time but not as close expensive then the time i was vegetarian and eating cook food (organic food of course).

I am craving for a lot of wild edible plant and juice it. You can consider to sprout your food too.

If you buy basic, it isn't too bad. I spent yesterday $170 for three adult and one child and my fridge was empty due that we were away. Today it was $60 on microgreen. (two tray of sunflower sprout, 4 large bag of microgreen and leafy greens). I need to buy water and frozen mango and i will be set for a while.

Maybe you can find a family that want to do organic and you can buy as a coop. Or a farmer that could sell you a box of fresh produce.

If you are located in the State, you will save tone of money from medical bill so you are investing in your health.

[greenrunner]

I spend about 90/week and I have more than enough organic food to keep me full for the week.

Focus on the good advice above (those with high use of pesticides/etc) and don't beat yourself up. Eat healthy and be happy.

[trenchchic]

Try going to www.bountifulbaskets.org. I can get one basketfull of organic veggies and one basketfull of organic fruits for $25 bucks. The drawback is...you get what you get. Last time around I got a cantaloupe - bleck.

It's some kind of volunteer co-op thing. I hope they have it in your area!

[MysticTree]

I think it is very easy to spend too much money.

Watermelon is a good buy I find. It's a lot per fruit but a large one can last me 2 days and then it works out as a lot of fruit for the money. Mangoes are wonderful but I can happily eat a whole one right off.

Sprouted seeds and grains are a good way to bulk up the day for VERY little money. The jars take up a small amount of space on my draining board and I rinse them 2-3 times a day. I can buy a pack of buckwheat grain for less than the same amount of sprouted buckwheat and I can control how much I sprout and which sprouts I have and when. It is very easy. All you need is a jar and some net to over the jar and some elastic bands - and some seeds or grains to sprout.

Why not try with just one jar of something Dani?

[MeredithLee]

Haha! I would KILL to pay $100 a week. I feed four people and I spend about $200 a week. And I eat lunch for free every day at my salad bar. On one hand I can't afford it, on the other hand I can't afford to not eat like this.

As far as organic food, I'm only 50% or so organic. I have a CSA share that was $500 for the year and that gets me a ton of lettuces and other unique produce throughout the summer. It is not certified organic, but they assure me they use organic practices. I buy by the case at the health food stores and check their "hot deals" from the distributor. I got strawberries at $.80 a pound a couple weeks ago. I don't buy organic bananas, I get the "red tape" ones that are over ripe and a third of the price as regular.

I try to do all organic lettuces, celery, and berries. Unfortunately, only about half of my apples and pears are organic, I don't do organic tropical fruits (not available in my tiny midwest town anyway), carrots, onions, tomatoes, or other stuff that I can find very inexpensively at the grocery store. Once the CSA picks up and my garden grows, I will have free, local, organic produce at my fingertips.

My theory has always been to buy the best food for your family that you can afford. There have been times in my life that I could afford all organic and mostly local. This is not one of those times.