5 Ways to Save on Organic Food

These tips will allow you to eat green, sustainable and nutritious foods — while sticking to a recession budget. Also get other tips for saving money while going green.

By Karen Berner

Coupons! Coupons! Coupons!

shopping for organics, coupons, shopping cart According to Consumer Reports, the average American spends nearly $5,000 a year on groceries. With the organic sector showing the largest amount of growth in the food industry presently, coupons for organic foods are also becoming more common. Online coupons from your favorite organic food makers are another viable option to save some green.

Buy Whole, Unprocessed Foods

whole unprocessed foods, unprocessed foods, shopping for organics The more processed or refined food is, the less nutritional value and fiber it will have. If you just have to have that cinnamon honey whole-wheat graham cracker that’s been doubly wrapped, look for either packaging that’s biodegradable or recyclable packages such as glass, aluminum and PET (polyethylene terephthalate — the embossed number \"1\" indicator that you commonly see) whenever you can. Also, check out foods in the bulk aisle and buy enough so that you can enjoy them for the next couple of weeks.

Buy Store Brand Foods

shopping for organics, buy name brand, buying milk woman shopping at a refrigerated dairy aisle If you’re still drawn to the more popular big natural and organic stores because they offer items that are not as readily found in the typical supermarket (such as exotic-tasting soups and funny-sounding figs), look for private-label items. They’re cheaper and taste just as good if not better than those products that have been marketed and packaged up the wazoo.

Learn the Dirty Dozen

shopping for organics, organic dirty dozen, grocery store fruit in a grocery store

The dirty dozen are the most highly contaminated foods with pesticides and chemicals — even after washing and peeling:

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peaches
apples
sweet bell peppers
celery
nectarines
strawberries
cherries
pears
imported grapes
spinach
lettuce
potatoes

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Buy their organic version whenever possible. Look for savings on those fruits and veggies least likely to have pesticide residue.

Don\'t Shop Alone

don\'t shop alone, shopping for organics, girl grocery store woman alone in grocery aisle Shopping with a friend allows for the possibility of sharing of costs on bigger items — not to mention the sharing of gas it might have taken to get to and from the grocery store. If you have a membership at a no-frills warehouse store, split large packages of food up with your buddy. You don’t really need a whole 12-pack of 10 pounds each canned organic tomatoes now, do you?