Comments on: Organic/Natural Foods Journey

By: Andrea Donsky

Andrea Donsky — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:40:42 +0000

I am happy to hear you are trying harder to incorporate more natural and organic products into your lifestyle. I have been living that way for more than 13 years now and love it. In fact is has become my passion. So much so it prompted me to start my own website about educating people on how to live a natural and organic lifestyle and ways to start. We do offer a lof of ways to do so on a budget and even have e-coupons on the site — which are very helpful. I agree with the ladies above that is can cost more, but it is definitely worth it. Our e-coupons can be found here: http://www.naturallysavvy.com/free-ecoupons. Good luck Andrea! And please let me know if you have any questions…I am happy to help (from one Andrea to another :-)).

By: Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship

Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:23:37 +0000

Andrea,
I’m subscribing to you just to watch your journey. I mourn the loss of my coupons, so I hear you on the “not break the bank”. My biggest $ savers to make from scratch are: chicken stock, yogurt and tortillas. I save over $200/yr on yogurt alone! I use a lot of dried beans, too, and def. less meat. Looking forward to seeing how you do it!
:) Katie

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:24:07 +0000

I am so excited to hear of your new food journey! We have been trying to eat organic for several years now. Sometimes it can be discouraging because it is hard to find coupons and save money. I would love it if you could find some great deals! So far, I have only found a few ways to really save some bucks on good, healthy food.
1) http://www.organicfoodcoupons.com/organic/coupons/about-us/ (great website with organic coupons)
2) Once you start finding brands you like, go to their websites and sign up for their newsletters and they will send you coupons in the mail and to your email inbox
3) Farmers Markets have great deals !!! Also, check into a local CSA program!
4) You will also find you save a lot of money by making things yourself vs buying something in a box. It is cheaper and you know what is going in it!
5) My friend and I have a blog and once a week we try and post something about organic/natural/healthy foods. We just recently made a post about milk which is very interesting! Someone above also mentioned an organic food delivery company. We will be doing a give-a-way on our blog for 50% to all who sign up through the blog for a company very similar. They serve Arizona, Georgia and Ohio River Valley.
http://motherhoodsupport.blogspot.com/ You should check it out!

Hope this helps! Good Luck!!!!!

P.S. Costco does have great organic food deals and Food Inc. is a MUST see!!!

By: Rosemary

Rosemary — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:56:23 +0000

The “moneysavingmaine-iac” blog does a lot of postings for organic and Whole Foods. Maine has a lot less options for grocery stores (Shaw’s, Hannafords, some IGA and one Whole Foods in Portland) and Teresa at this site does a great job finding deals. If you bring kids shopping with you at Whole Foods, you can pick up a member-type card for kids to get a free, healthy snack when they go to Whole Foods. I asked what type of snack and they said granola bars or popcorn. AND I love Whole Foods for the samples while you shop. I went on Earth Day and didn’t need dinner!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:47:23 +0000

I wrote an article on Cooked food versus Raw food. I hope this information will be helpful. I personally eat more organic raw food and found that I eat less, therefore I spend less. I have to shop more often, but it’s worth it. I ate a green veggie salad yesterday and I got so excited…lol My body loves eating this way. I feel so much better when I eat a mostly raw food diet. http://www.lovinglifeat40.com/p/diet-and-fitness.html

By: Naomi

Naomi — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:39:35 +0000

I forgot to mention earlier, for snack we do a lot of the Whole Foods brand (365) organic unsalted pretzels, which are $1.99 for a medium-sized bag. We also do a lot of Stonyfield Farms or organic Private Selection yogurts. And Toys R’Us always has mark-downs/sales on a lot of organic snacks, which paired with coupons are an awesome deal!

By: Camille

Camille — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:19:18 +0000

This is great. We get organic produce delivered every other week with a company called Farm Fresh Delivery. It is excellent. You do need to watch Food Inc. It is an eye opening film.

As for fruit snacks we eat the Annie’s bunny fruit snacks. They are pricey, 5/pack for $4.69 at Kroger and $4.79 at Whole Foods.

By: Lili

Lili — Tue, 11 May 2010 12:11:22 +0000

You should check out the Weston Price Foundation website and pick up a copy of “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon at the library. The Lane Library has it. My sister started this 6 years ago and it’s been a positive influence on all of us.

By: Naomi

Naomi — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:52:48 +0000

My family and I have switched to mostly organic a few years ago, and there’s no going back! I love being able to feed my children wholesome foods that have not been loaded with pesticides! And with all the markdowns at Kroger, Jungle Jim’s and others, we have actually managed to stay within and sometimes well below our food budget! Jungle Jim’s has an awesome produce mark-down area where you can sometimes find organic fruits and vegetables at incredible prices. Also, I use this blog: http://organicdeals.blogspot.com/ as source for organic deals and coupons.
I also buy a lot of Stonyfield Farms yogurt, since Kroger has them on manager special pretty often, and you can enter the reward codes in their (Stonyfield) website to accumulate points and redeem for free products, including more free yogurt!
One last thing: Costco has by far the best price on organic brown rice and organic cheddar cheese!
Good luck and I am looking forward to reading more!

By: Emily

Emily — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:44:11 +0000

I can’t wait to read your future posts on this! Ever since watching Food Inc. a few weeks ago I can’t bring myself to buy the mass produced meat at the supermarket anymore which has put a strain on my menu until I find an affordable source for better meat! We also grow a good veggie garden every summer and Im looking forward to checking out Findlay Market this season.

I also agree you get what you pay for. As a couponer I pass up a LOT of great deals because I dong think they’re so great for my family’s health. Kroger is a great source for deals on organics and healthy alternatives.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:25:04 +0000

So excited that you are doing this! I love getting a good deal but have to be careful I don’t go overboard on box snacks, hotdogs, etc., that aren’t good for us. I recently found LifeLine Ministeries in Northern KY…they have discounted produce, cheeses, and sometimes other things that grocery stores don’t want because they may be slightly damaged or close to their expiration date. Often they have organic stuff and they have a local farmer supply eggs. AND, a few weeks ago they were offering organic meat (I don’t know the details on this since I automatically assumed it was too expensive…which I shouldn’t have). Maybe there is something in your area that does this? Looking forward to your posts!

By: Sarah H.

Sarah H. — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:56:32 +0000

My kids love fruit leather…..I think you can get organic at whole foods, or if you’d rather you can make it at home with a food dehydrator. Then you’d know exactly what went in it, and where it came from. {:0)

By: Teresa

Teresa — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:28:42 +0000

I LOVE that it seems many more people are starting to realize this is the way to go with food! My family has always eaten fruits and veggies but I was always a bit blissfully ignorant about what we were REALLY eating. My moment of realization came when I had a miscarriage this past year and finally understood that I was overweight and not taking care of myself. (I was also watching a show on BBCAmerica called ‘You Are What You Eat’. LOVE that show, she has a great book too!!) I was depressed, had headaches all the time, and never had any energy. And I am only 25! This should be the best time to enjoy life, enjoy my family! My husband wasn’t overweight so I started wondering how the food was probably affecting him. It was probably building up in his arteries. We couldn’t continue to eat all the fatty, processed and sugary foods!

So we switched, cold turkey. We’ve always eaten whole grains but I threw out all the boxed processed things from our cupboards. Threw out anything that was high in saturated fat. Most of our fruits and veggies are organic, when I can get them that way. We don’t eat white potatos anymore, sweet potatos are soooooo good! And it satisfies that sweet tooth. We have chosen to not eat red meat for now because I have found it is too hard to digest (for me at least). And since switching to organic chicken we can tell the difference to the regular old Tyson. My husband and I also don’t eat dairy. Rice milk and soya cheese are a great alternative.

We are LOVING the healthy lifestyle!! Endless energy, feeling great, no headaches. And this year I had NO problems with seasonal allergies! And a great added bonus has been losing 25 lbs! Luckily my husband and 2 year old son will eat ANYTHING, so the switch wasn’t hard at all. I have still kept the same budget as my food before. I don’t get the same stockpile for the money, but its such great fresh food. Plus, we don’t need as much food because the things we are getting are exactly what our bodies need! I haven’t even had a craving for soda pop or any of the other things we used to eat. Check out Kroger’s natural foods section, they put things on manager special all the time!!

Much support and encouragement to you and your family!!

By: AB Smith

AB Smith — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:29:45 +0000

glad to see you posting about this issue. Eating bad is cheap – eating healthy and fresh takes a lot more work.

My friend and I have been working towards being more natural in what we feed our families. ESPECIALLY since seeing the movie FOOD INC – which I highly recommend to anyone needing that extra push to get them motivated!

By: mandi@itscome2this

mandi@itscome2this — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:25:58 +0000

Yay! I’m looking forward to this!! It’s definitely harder on the budget (and also the ego) to buy organics at the grocery store. I was getting excited about my measly savings & then they plummeted when I went to more organics (and I’m not even FULLY there!!). I do LOVE the manager markdowns on organics though at Kroger. It’s amazing what you find in those bins for no apparent reasons at 50% or more off. Tera Chips, Horizon Milk Boxes, breakfast bars, and lots of baking things. Can’t wait to read more!

By: Alyssa Louagie

Alyssa Louagie — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:31:18 +0000

Forgot to add that one thing I loved about the local farmer’s market is customer service. I shopped the same stall regularly and commented on some cool round zucchinis they had. The next week the farmer had sent a small pack of seeds with his wife for me to try growing myself this year! You can’t get customer service like that from big-box stores! Plus, one of the egg vendors knocked $.50 off a dozen of eggs because they “looked small” – they sure looked normal sized to me.

By: Alyssa Louagie

Alyssa Louagie — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:28:19 +0000

Just an FYI – many small farms raise animals organically, but don’t go through the hassle (and especially the expense) of having their animals certified organic. So you may be able to find a cow that has been raised by organic methods (especially if it has been primarily grass-fed) but that isn’t officially USDA certified organic.

2 years ago we bought a 1/2 cow from a local small farm and this was the case.

I also think it is a case of “you get what you pay for” – I LOVE to shop at our local farmer’s market. The prices are a bit more than the grocery store, but the produce is WAY fresher, and plus my money is going to support people I have directly purchased from rather than a huge corporations like Kroger. I do regularly shop at large grocery chains, but also believe in supporting small businesses.

I garden organically myself and have saved a slew of money by raising my own produce, and it does not require A) lots of space or B) lots of time or C) a magical “green thumb”.

http://www.mambosprouts.com is a great source for coupons on organic/natural foods

Also, Costco has quite a large selection of organic foods at very reasonable prices.

By: Andrea Deckard

Andrea Deckard — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:27:35 +0000

Terri, I think one of the biggest challenges for me will be snacks for me and the kids. I bought an ebook online with healthy/portable snacks. I’m going to share about my experiences making items from the recipes too. I’m actually excited to try them!

By: Andrea Deckard

Andrea Deckard — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:26:32 +0000

Crystal – HA! I’d probably still eat the sugary/regular Fit Newton’s though :)

By: TheThriftyMama

TheThriftyMama — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:26:00 +0000

It was those Fig Newman’s wasn’t it? Hah! I’m so excited you are doing this Andrea! Check out LocalHarvest.org to find farmers, farmer’s market and co-ops in your area.

By: Terri K.

Terri K. — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:20:03 +0000

Andrea, I really appreciate the fact that you want to try this. While I was at Meijer a few weeks ago, I was amazed at the amount of items I was buying versus the low, low cost. But when I piled everything up onto the conveyer, I was almost mortified. All I bought were boxes of fruit snacks, macaroni n’ cheese, and Capri Sun. And while I appreciate what couponing has done for my checkbook, I’m not so sure that I am providing the best for my family as far as nutrition is concerned. I know for me, it will start with organic fruit snacks for my toddler. He LOVES fruit snacks, and if I could find good prices on something healthier, I would definitely make the switch.
I’m looking forward to taking this journey with you!