Wondering how to eat organic food on a tight budget? It’s possible to support the organic food movement with a few key budget-friendly strategies. I’m sharing my top four tips for eating organic on a budget, as well as ten favorite organic recipes to help empower your sustainable food choices.
If you’re trying to eat organic, it can sometimes feel like a big hit to your wallet. Organic foods, despite their appeal, often come with a higher price tag due to differences in the way organic and conventional foods are produced. USDA-certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines that address soil quality and environmental impact, and prohibit the use of most synthetic additives. Research shows that eating organic foods can reduce the levels of pesticide residues in your body significantly. Learn more about organic benefits here. As a result, this growing method can make organic foods pricier than conventional alternatives. Prices can vary widely for organic foods, depending on store, geographic location, product, season, and availability. Consumer Reports estimates that, on average, organic foods can cost 47 percent more than conventional foods. Luckily, there are many strategies on how to eat organic food on a tight budget. Learn how to cut down on costs when buying organic, so you can get the most for your money. Check out these 4 Tips for Eating Organic on a Budget for inspiration, as well as my top 10 organic recipes.
4 Tips for Eating Organic on a Budget
1. Buy Seasonally
Organic produce is typically cheaper when it’s in season, because there is more of it available when the fruit or vegetable is in its harvest season. Plus, it doesn’t have to be shipped long distances, adding transportation and refrigeration costs to the price tag. In addition to boasting a lower price, seasonal organic produce is also fresher, tastier, more nutritious, and more sustainable than out of season produce that is picked immature and transported over a period of a couple of weeks. Save money by planning your recipes and meals around seasonal produce, such as pomegranates and winter squash in the winter, asparagus and strawberries in the spring, tomatoes and melons in the summer, and pumpkins and persimmons in the fall. Learn more about how to eat seasonally here.
2. Reduce Food Waste
One of the easiest ways to save money in the kitchen, so you can spend more money on quality foods, is to make sure the food you already have purchased doesn’t go to waste. Just think: The money that you spend on wasted food, from that carton of forgotten moldy strawberries in the fridge to the uneaten leftovers on your plate, can be used towards the purchase of healthy, delicious organic foods. You can reduce food spoilage by using the oldest perishable foods first, before eating or buying new foods. Try to use up more delicate foods with a short shelf life first, such as berries, leafy greens, and asparagus, before using foods with a longer shelf life, such as carrots, potatoes, and oranges. It may be helpful to place the oldest foods near the front of your fridge or pantry to help you reach for them first (known as the FIFO method—First In, First Out). Prolong the shelf life of your food by storing each item properly, too. For example, leafy greens and berries will last longer if you wait to wash them until they are ready to eat, and avoid resting fruits on top of each other to keep them from bruising. If you know you will not have a chance to finish food before it goes bad, freeze it long before it has a chance to spoil. If you’re cooking a large meal, portion and freeze servings right away if you know you won’t be able to finish the leftovers within 3 to 5 days. To learn more about food waste, read this blog.
3. Choose Frozen or Canned More Often
Frozen and canned organic produce provide the same overall good nutrition, but at a generally lower price than fresh organic produce. Often frozen produce can provide even more nutrients than fresh because it is picked and frozen at the peak of harvest, preserving the nutrients immediately, while fresh produce can lose some nutrients over time during lengthy transportation to stores (this doesn’t occur with farmers markets or CSAs though). In addition, you don’t have to worry about these foods spoiling as quickly, so they are linked with less food waste.
4. Grow your Own
You can really trim your organic price point by growing some of your own organic produce, by avoiding the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. And you don’t need a big garden to grow your own food. Berries, tomatoes, and salad greens can be grown anywhere you can put a pot, such as a windowsill, balcony, or porch. Herbs can be a good start because they take up very little room and offer a good alternative to buying expensive herbs that often go to waste. Instead, you can harvest however much you need at a time. Download my free home gardening guide here.
Making the Most of Your Organic Food Dollar
If you are unable to buy all of your produce in its organic form, but still want to limit pesticide exposure and support a more holistic agricultural system, there are ways you can prioritize your organic food dollars for where they count the most. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) provides an annual list of conventional produce with the most and least amount of pesticide residue, termed the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15”. These lists can help inform your decision on which produce to prioritize purchasing as organic, and which items you may want to save money on by buying as conventional. The EWG notes that although conventional produce contains pesticide residue, the health benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables outweighs the risk from pesticide exposure. And keep this in mind: Save your organic dollars for real whole foods—fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds—not organic low-nutrient foods, like chips, cookies, and sodas.
Top 10 Organic Recipes
Learn more about organic foods here: