Recently, I’ve been explaining the concept of organic food to my young children. “Organic food is plain old food,” I explain. “And food that is not organic has been sprayed with a bunch of poison. I don’t want us to eat poison, so that’s why we buy organic food.”
The problem is I don’t exclusively buy organic food. With skyrocketing gas and food prices and a limited budget, I can’t afford to buy it. Yet as a concerned shopper, I wantto buy organic foods and drinks for my family.
God’s good gifts
In fun ways, I’ve recently watched the Lord pour out many organic blessings on my family.
- First, while I was grocery shopping at my usual grocery store, I noticed that the store brand organic products were the same price as name brand non-organic products. Among my purchases, I was able to buy a huge box of organic toasted oat cereal for the same price as a huge box of Cheerios.
- Second, a good friend recently told me about a discount grocery outlet a half an hour away. On an afternoon when I had a little free time, I scooped up Big Brother and Little Sister and checked it out. Oh my. I bought 37 items – and probably eighty percent of my purchases were organic – for $43. Ever since that grocery trip, we’ve been enjoying organic drinks, macaroni and cheese, salad dressings, snacks, and soups. I couldn’t believe most items were sold for only $1.
- Finally, last night I was grocery shopping (again) at my usual grocery store, and I noticed about ten carts of groceries were reduced for quick sale. Many of the reduced groceries were organic – and marked down to $1 or less. I stocked up like crazy, and now we have all sorts of things like organic tea bags and organic sauces.
Within the past month, I’ve been able to feed my family mostly organic foods – especially when you consider I’ve cooked a LOT with our fresh garden produce – while saving money on my grocery bills.I
know this is an unusual circumstance, yet I am certain that the Lord brought that affordable, healthy food across my path. I am so incredibly grateful for these deals! I’m beginning to think that as long as I diligently watch for great organic bargains, I just might be able to find them.Talk back
How have you been able to afford organic purchases? Do you have any organic bargain shopping tips to pass along?
Today, I’m linking up with:
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Would you be able to share some store names for us local readers?
Sure! My usual grocery store is Giant Eagle. And the great discount store I’ve discovered is R Grocery Outlet in Hartville, Ohio.
Thanks!
At my local Grocery Outlet (Elk Grove, CA)I purchase organic toiletries. I try to go in about once a month since the selection changes constantly.
If you’ve not heard of them, check out Azure Standard. They are an organic food co-op in Oregon. Me and 25 other families order from them monthly and pick up my order directly from a truck driver along his retail route. What a treat for us in NorCal.
I found your blog from the Women Living Well link-up. From hat I’ve seen, I would like to read more…. Just not now. It’s 9:47 and I’ve not gotten anything started today and my coffee is drunk…
We live near Bowling Green, Ohio and a couple of hours from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s– Regardless if we drive to Michigan or Columbus. (My husband went to seminary in Columbus and we were regulars at WH and TJ’s.) Bowling Green is a Div. I university town and there is a vegan deli and health food store and something similar that is not vegan, but the restaurant does mostly organic, even with the meat. A family in my husband’s church raises cows and pigs organically and as humanely as possible. (They actually supply to the Ohio Whole Foods.) That’s where my husband gets most of the meat and cheese for our five-year-old. (As treats, she does get conventional cheese and pepperoni pizza.)
Meijer is also decent, as well as Kroger. People seem surprised when I tell them I don’t alwasy buy organic. (I’m vegan so I guess they just make the assumptions.) However, I would rather buy my kids conventional potatoes than organic potato chip.
Hilary– My husband grew up in Ohio and with the exception of the two years we lived in Indiana (the first two years of our marriage), has lived here his entire life. I asked him if he knew where Hartville is and he said no. (Personally, we like Giant Eagle for their “adult beverage” selection.We don’t shop there any more because we bought too much in that department. That and we used to buy the organic baby food for our son who is now 22 months.)
Hi Laura! Hartville is in Northeastern Ohio, so quite a long way from Bowling Green. I know there are little bargain shopping treasures in every area, though … the trick is finding them. We happen to be a couple hours from a Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or Earth Fare, too. Bummer. At least they’re always a highlight when we make a trip to the “big” city. ;)
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