How to Eat Organic on a Budget

There are many reasons to eat organic: avoiding chemicals and GMO’s, higher levels of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and in many cases even better flavor! But if you are living paycheck to paycheck, eating organic can be a real challenge! In this article, I will be sharing 5 hacks I have learned about how to eat organic on a budget!

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We’ve always lived on a tight budget, but incorporating healthy, organic foods into our diet is something we had to make work! So we have learned how to eat organic on a budget. It can be hard at times, but we’ve figured out a lot of tricks to help!

We also have food allergies and cannot have wheat in the house, an additional challenge when it comes to eating on a budget!

These tips should help you to get more bang for your grocery bucks!

Hack #1 Track Your Grocery Spending

If you don’t already know how much you are spending on groceries each month, it’s time to keep track for a couple months to figure out the actual numbers! You can easily keep track by putting all your grocery receipts for the month in one place.

Once you know how much you are spending overall, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. Take a little time to write down some of the meals you most often cook, and estimate how much the ingredients cost.

I do this every year or two, and the results can be eye-opening. Here are a couple examples of meals I have priced out:

Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Salad

Ground beef $6
Onion and spices $1
Potatoes $1
Lettuce $1
Condiments $.50

Total $9.50

Fresh Taco Salad

Leftover chicken $1.50
Lettuce $1
Beans $.50
Rice $.25
Tomatoes $1
Cheese $1
Salsa and sour cream $.50

Total $5.75

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Whole Chicken $14
Carrots $1
Celery $1
Frozen green beans $3
Potatoes $2
Onions and spices $1.50
Ingredients for homemade bread $2.50

Total $25 divided by 4 meals = $6.25

If you are able to grow some of your own food, you can factor that in as you calculate meal prices.

We eat our own homegrown potatoes about 8 months out of the year. We grow many of our own vegetables and spices, and sometimes butcher our extra chickens. So depending on the time of year, there are often meals we can make completely for free.

Hack #2 Shop by What’s On Sale

Take advantage of local sales. If you are on a tight budget, go into the grocery store with a list, but be flexible!

When you head to the produce section, take the time to compare prices. Organic bananas are always cheap, so that’s the first thing I will buy. But when I write out my grocery list, I write “fruit”, leaving the type of fruit up to what’s the best deal that week.

Learn to eyeball a package of meat and calculate how many meals it will last.

Don’t be afraid to try new brands or switch it up when there is a good sale!

*Grocery shopping tip: if you tend to overspend on groceries, it can be helpful to add approximate prices to your shopping list to help you stay on track.

Here is an example of one of my grocery lists:

Milk $4
Butter $5
Vegetables $8
Fruit $10
Meat $15
Cheese $8
Ketchup $4
Maple syrup $8
Vinegar $4
Dish soap $3
Paper towels $2

Total $71

Hack #3 How to Eat Organic on a Budget: Buy in Bulk

You can often find organic foods for a fraction of the price by buying in bulk. Pay attention to prices and take the time to shop around a little.

When I mention buying in bulk, you might think of the bulk section of your local grocery store, but there are many more places you can find bulk deals!

Sometimes local farms, or vendors at farmers markets, will offer cases of produce that can be frozen or canned for winter.

If you eat a lot of meat, consider purchasing a half or whole animal directly from the farmer. You can find meat for sale on your local Craigslist.

How does it work? A farmer might charge a set price for the animal, or set a price per pound. Most small farmers are happy to deliver your animal to a local butcher, who will cut the meat to your preferences and call you when the meat is packaged and ready for the freezer. You’ll pay the farmer for the meat, and will get a separate bill from the butcher.

If you are able to swing the cost of a whole steer or hog, this can really save a lot of money compared to buying meat from the grocery store. We sometimes buy a whole lamb this way, because a smaller animal is more affordable for us than buying a 1500lb steer! In our area, we can get a whole lamb for $100-$125, not including butchering costs.

Buying in Bulk From Food Co-ops

Our favorite co-op for non-GMO, organic and allergen-free foods is Azure Standard. Azure delivers to most of the US, with wonderful customer service!

On certain foods I often save 50% or more from the price I would pay at my local grocery store.

Some of our favorites from Azure include bulk organic and gluten-free flours, organic coconut oil, cocoa powder, popcorn, dried beans and natural sweeteners. Azure also offers fresh and frozen produce, supplements, spices, organic animal feed, and garden starts and supplies.

We’ve used Azure for many years, and I very highly recommend the company!

You can find out more about Azure here!

Hack #4 Grow Some of Your Food

Most of us have a little space where we could grow food, even if that means a container garden on a patio!

Growing your own food doesn’t have to be limited to vegetables, either! Think about what food items cost the most on your grocery budget.

Some ideas:

Fruit trees (most types of fruit are now available as dwarf trees that can fit in a large pot on a patio!)
Berries
Grapes
Melons and Watermelon
Nuts
Potatoes
Spices and herbs
Onions and garlic
Grains and seeds
Ingredients for salsa, ketchup and other condiments
Pickles
Natural sweeteners such as stevia, sorghum and agave
Popcorn
Salad greens or microgreens (these can even be grown indoors in an apartment!)
Mushrooms (another indoor option for apartment dwellers!)
Honey and beeswax
Eggs and chicken
Pork
Beef
Lamb
Milk, butter and cheese

You can find tips on growing food indoors right here: Indoor Gardening

Hack #5 Take Advantage of Free Food

Especially if you live in a rural area, you can probably find free sources of food nearby if you are willing to do the work of harvesting!

Opportunities we sometimes take advantage of in my area include wild foods growing on public land, such as wild blueberries, wild strawberries, elderberries, thimbleberries, rosehips and asparagus.

Every year, by watching local Facebook pages and Craigslist ads, I find free fruit ready for the picking! Usually someone has a fruit tree, or several, in their backyard and just doesn’t have time to pick it all, so they let others pick for free.

Another resource we take advantage of is gleaning on nearby small farms. At the end of the season, farmers and sometimes left with produce that’s not big enough to sell, or just have extra that they don’t want to go to waste.

One local farm here offers a community potato dig every fall. Anyone who wants to can come and help fill bins of potatoes for the food bank, and all are welcome to take home boxes of potatoes for their own use!

Saving Money on Organic Food

There are so many ways you can save money on organic food. Eating healthier does not have to break the budget!

I hope this article has given you some helpful ideas about how to eat organic on a budget!