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Shopping Organic on a Budget: Where to Buy and Save Money

February 19, 2013 By Kara Leave a Comment

BUDGETORGANICA recent thread in a discussion group I belong to discussed the cost of food and eating healthy.  If you aren’t growing your own food, eating healthy is a budget challenge.  With your health at stake, your grocery budget needs to be a priority.  Think of the co-pays, prescriptions, time, and gas money you spend on your trips to the doctor. Wouldn’t you rather put that money toward something else?  Reducing my grocery bill is something I’m working on constantly.  I am always looking for advice, new programs, and tips on how to get the good stuff at a better price.  Here a few things I’ve found that save me a few dollars. 

Grow your own food.  This is where vertical gardening, raised bed gardening, and container gardening come into play.  Most people may not have the ability to have a large garden and the time to maintain it.  Gardening is still something we can all do.  Even if you just have a tomato plant and small window sill herb garden, you are offsetting some expenses and providing your family fresh healthy produce.  I am building myself a vertical garden right now and preparing for this next growing season.  Keep an eye out for my posts under Brown Thumb Gardening.  The Tower Garden by Juice Plus is a package deal to accomplish this objective.  I know some people using them and they keep posting all of the tasty looking veggies they’re growing!

Local Farmer’s Markets.  Find the local farmer’s market in your area and make time to go there.  Talk to the farmers and learn about their growing methods.  Some farmers use better than organic methods but don’t have the expensive organic certifications, some do.  Feel comfortable with who you are buying from.  You may even get an opportunity to visit their farm!  Windcrest Farm Organics is a great example of this right here in Union County!

Make friends.  Start talking with other like-minded people in your neighborhood or community.  United by a common goal you all may be able to start a community garden or share the bounty from you individual gardens.  Just yesterday I was friendly to a man in front of me at Earth Fare and discovered he has a one acre organic garden.  He said he just gives away the extra and invited me to come by and pick up his surplus kale.  Connections like this are fantastic!

Produce Co-ops.  I love these but for me they can be a small challenge.  This is because I often fail on the planning part.  When I’m in a rhythm with ordering and eating what I order this is a success.  I found out about a local co-op that provides local organic produce as well as grass-fed meats and other grocery items.  There are several pick up locations and the pricing seems reasonable.  Its call Go Local NC Farms.

Trader Joes.  This is my number one grocery store for proximity to my home and cost and quality of food.  I’ve found Whole Foods to have some good prices as well but the store location is a little out of my radius.  Earth Fare can be great with their new Tomato Bank points program.  Kids eat free on Thursday evenings is a terrific way to save some money if you want to go out to eat.  There was a recent post by Groovy Green Livin about how Trader Joes does not allow GMOs in their store label brands.  Thank goodness for that!  I’ve found I need to keep an eye on the produce for freshness when I shop here.  I get a lot of great staples here though at good prices.

Costco.  Big box stores can be helpful.  Costco is the best for my family.  I go about once  a month and buy things like chicken stock, canned diced tomatoes, and bulk fruits.  This helps to stock your pantry quickly.  Try to stick to your list or this kind of store will get you in trouble.  I’ve noticed that everything I seem to pick up is  $10 per item, and that can add up fast!

Other Grocery Stores.  Keep an eye on your local grocery stores and pick up on their sale trends.  Sometimes you’ll notice the organic milk drops down to $3 periodically.  I need to get better at doing this!  Shopping online can help because you can review what is on sale at the store without going.  This prevents you from picking up random things you don’t need!

One thing seems to remain constant….the better you plan, the more you save.  When I have a plan, I save money.  When I don’t, I buy a bunch of random things with no goal in mind.  That is when produce starts to rot in your fridge before you develop a recipe to use it!  Plan plan plan!  I found a great website to help you organize your recipes.  I’m starting to publish the recipes I post here to it as well.  When you are browsing the internet for ideas, you can save them under different categories to this website (almost like Pinterest) and reference them later.  I think this is how I am going to eventually develop my meal plans!  Its called Yumprint.

Along with planning, using the EWG’s list for the dirtiest and cleanest produce can help you make good decisions as well.  This shopping list from It Starts With Food will also get you on the right track!  Print out the worksheet from 12 Months to Toxin Free to start planning on diversifying your diet by incorporating new fruits and veggies.  

Happy shopping!

FB12

Filed Under: Real Food Tagged With: Budget, Education, Real Food

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kara.cozier

KARA COZIER
I stumbled upon this a few moments ago in a book I I stumbled upon this a few moments ago in a book I'm reading...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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"Lord, grant me the grace of Courage. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I don't know what I might face tomorrow or even later today. But these are no longer ordinary times. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Every day holds the possibility of encountering a person who needs someone to speak up for them. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What if that spokesperson needs to be me?"⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
-Caroline Myss ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#quote #quotes #love #quoteoftheday #motivation #life #inspiration #success #inspirationalquotes #instagood #quotestoliveby #entrepreneur #motivationalquotes #art #poetry #photography #photooftheday #lifequotes #business #inspire #fitness #happy #quotestagram #lifestyle #qotd #poem #travel #truth #lovequotes #follow
The greatest destruction that takes place upon yo The  greatest destruction that takes place upon your planet, and the  greatest sadness that is brought about as a result of it, are your man-made, man-induced wars. 

And yet, when we feel into the vibration of  the masses that are involved (not just the leaders, but the masses that are involved) within the conflict, it is a satisfying adventure. 

Wars are created because they are satisfying something within large numbers of people—or it would not be.

Excerpted from Phoenix, AZ on 3/23/02
Our Love
Esther (Abraham and Jerry)

Look within, what are WE supporting? What are YOU supporting? 

Wars in 2021 aren't fought on the traditional battlefield. They are fought in cyberspace.

What does our current cyber war reveal about your shadow shelf? The collective shadow is revealing something within...
As the veil of deception is lifted, may the veil o As the veil of deception is lifted, may the veil of Grace descend. 🙏🏻

The year 1871 was more important in history than most of us realized.
Is there a new behavior you have adopted in the la Is there a new behavior you have adopted in the last year that you now accept as a normal part of life? 

If it was on a list of things you could choose or not choose, would you choose it?

If not, examine why you have adopted it.

When you examine why you’ve adopted it, look into why you’ve adopted it, beyond what someone has told you. 

Look beyond. Dig deeper. 

Look as objectively as possible. 

Be aware of your preconceived notions and conditioning. 

Step out of your need to be right.

Don’t get caught up in the momentum of life to the point that you just keep doing something where you’ve forgotten why.
You’ve probably heard the quote: “All that is You’ve probably heard the quote:

“All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.”

I’m going to take it one step further...

All the is necessary for evil to prevail is for the good people to not just DO nothing but to KNOW nothing.

Add to the list of lessons this last year? 

Sometimes we just don’t even know what we don’t know. 

In the last 24 hours I learned another layer of information I didn’t know and I’m just sitting here grounding myself and reeling from the information. 

What has happened to my world? 

When you feel this way and need a friend, I’m here for ya. 💞

#goodpeople #surroundyourselfwithgoodpeople #themoreyouknow #birthcertificate  #faithoverfear #onemind #moretothestory #stockmarket
“People are sleepwalking through evil. They hav “People are sleepwalking through evil.

They have become so accustomed to the behavior of the dark and demonic that they hardly notice it, much less recognize if for what it is. 

So many people have dismissed the existence of evil, recoiling from the very word. 

Such arrogance is evil’s greatest asset.”
-Caroline Myss

This excerpt is powerful. Caroline continues to share more on this and what she says resonates with me and things I’ve been sharing here via FB Live and others posts. I’m also sharing over in my Telegram Channel.

When we get quiet and really listen we can see, hear, or feel the evil at work within us and within others. 

We can also see the good working to overcome it.

Every moment we get to choose.

Each small choice illuminates our next steps. Our steps create a path. 

Are you choosing a path of sleepwalking with evil or walking in faith with good?
Who needs a blast of positive energy? ✨ Our pri Who needs a blast of positive energy? ✨

Our privateTelegram chat group is having a zoom meetup tonight.

Michele and I are going to chat with you and share some experiences we’ve had that helped us BE THE LIGHT. ✨
You know how I talk about how God whispers to us? You know how I talk about how God whispers to us? It’s like whispers of divine inspiration, warnings, ideas, encouragement...

God: “Hey Kara, do you really think that’s a good idea?”

Me: “Hold my beer.”

God: “Kara, you’re doing it again. How did that work out for you last time?”

Me: “Hold my beer.”

God: “Kara, third strike, you’re doing it again...it keeps not working out this way...”

Me: “Hold my beer.”

God: [Throws brick to upset my plans and wake me up.]

Me: “Oh snap, what was I thinking??? Maybe it’s time to try a new approach...”

What’s a brick look like? 

For me, bricks usually show up as an illness, or some sort of physical ailment like stubbing my toe, slipping and falling etc. Sometimes it’s my laptop or phone breaking. Bricks are meant to wake us up, snap us out of the hypnotic rhythm so we can choose to pivot.

I’m seeing God throwing some boulders right now. 

I prefer whispers. Apparently the time for whispers has passed...

#holdmybeer #holdmybeerandwatchthis #godwhispers #throwingbricks #lifelessons #learning #faithoverfear #wegotthis
We got this 💯. Double tap if you’re ready to We got this 💯. Double tap if you’re ready to slay your dragon. 🔥

#stepoutofyourcomfortzone #faithoverfear #quotestagram #freakingdoit #bringiton #wegotthis
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About The Author

Kara grew up in Massachusetts. After attending college at the University of Minnesota and serving six years in the US Navy, she and her husband moved to Waxhaw, NC. Kara has run businesses of her own and now homeschools her 5-year old twins. She started living a healthier natural lifestyle in 2008. Kara currently blogs about her journey to a more natural, self-sustaining life by eating real food, gardening, and making her own cleaning and personal care products.

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The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

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