You may be thinking, "Great! I would love to eat healthier and not consume a chemical cocktail every time I eat or drink...but I can't afford it. Did you miss the memo, we're in the middle of a recession!?"
How can you make the most of an organic lifestyle while still sticking to your budget?It's not about being perfect, but rather making subtle changes in your lifestyle. You may have to take at look at what spending priorities mean in your life; do I really need a $5 drink from Starbucks everyday to "survive"? Do I HAVE to have the latest tech gadgets? Do we have to eat out a couple of time a week? To each his/her own. However, according to Laura Klein, publisher of OrganicAuthority.com, you can make the transition to organic without busting the bank.
Check out OrganicAuthority for more information.
- Commit to buying your favorites, organically
- Check out the organic food sections of your market to get to know which products you'll be buying on a regular basis - Safeway, Bashas, Albertsons and Fry's all have a "health" section, but selection may be limited. Also, try Whole Foods, Trader Joes, AJ's, Fresh & Easy, Sprouts & Sunflower Market
- Use a grocery list! - we should ALL be doing this, organic or not - eliminates those impulse buys, like those 3 bags of Dove Dark Chocolates that ended up in your cart because they were on sale....
- Prioritize your shopping list - and know where 'organic' counts (we'll touch more on this in the future)
- Look for organic generic or private labels from your supermarket chain
- Shop bulk
- Buy local & in-season - see Local Harvest link
- Don't rule out non-organic when it comes to local farmers
- Buy organic coffee and tea
- Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) - check out the Local Harvest website link under resources
- Don't see it at your favorite grocery? Ask!
- Grow your own, organically! (This option isn't really an option for us in the desert - our ground is way too hard!)
- Buy Online - search for internet deals on organic products
- Check for local organic delivery services - Some located around Arizona include: Matt's Organics - Tucson,AZ (they have organic gift baskets too!), Boxed Greens - Tempe, AZ (they have everything from produce to pet food and household goods), Nature's Garden Delivered - Scottsdale, AZ (also includes coffee & tea and pet food)
- Spend a little more now and save your health later - you are what you eat! Think of it as preventative wellness - as opposed to the normal reactive medicine we engage in after we're sick
- Commit to eating out less - we should ALL be doing this regardless of our diets = more money in the bank for things that count!
- Think about your values when you shop
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