Food Cost!!!!

[locs19]

How do you guys manage the cost of shopping on a mostly organic diet? I look for sales and things but It still gets pretty expensive sometimes! I just need some Help!

[jenni-anti-fur]

Thats what I do I match sales with coupons...I heart coupons never shop w/o them...and save me alot of money....my local grocery has a line of food called organics and did a coupon book where certain items were on sale certain weeks and when you bought so much you got freebies with mail in rebates and things like that...with out the sales and offers I wouldnt be buying them.

[locs19]

What grocery line and can I find them near Douglasville,Ga.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

I shop at the "Scratch-and-Dent" Grocery Outlet. Lots of vegan items show up there. Not always organic but I do the best I can.

Coupons usually only do you any good if you are willing to buy name brands, which are usually way more expensive in the long run. But not always....

Farmer's Markets and produce stands are good, and even though it's not a favorite suggestion to make for a lot of people, (*Gasp*) Walmart has a small selection of organic produce (at least here) and it IS actually less than at regular supermarkets.

[jenna]

if you have a kroger around you, they usually have fairly decent prices and a good amount of food in the natural section.

[LovelyPerv]

Someone mentioned Farmer's Market which is good, also watch for road stands, and often flea markets have good local-grown foodstuffs.

Also, keep in mind that being certified organic costs money. Just because something doesn't have "Organic" as the biggest word on the packaging, doesn't mean it isn't. (also, 'organic' can be as misleading as 'free range' sometimes)

My advice is to pick out your 'staple' foods, that you'll pretty much always eat, and keep on hand. Find the best price, and then find out where it comes from.

I get great prices on lentils, dried beans, grains, nutritional yeast, etc at my favorite health-food-market. They'll be able to tell you how organic something is, even if it isn't labeled as such.

TIP FOR EVERYONE! Pay attention to the 'per lb' cost of certain things! I just discovered that at my grocer, raw macadamia nuts are HALF THE PRICE of their almonds, pecans, and walnuts!!! They're just packaged in a way that seems like the macadamias are more exotic and expensive (because they generally are)!

[greenrunner]

You can also look into a community garden, or a "good food program" like we have here and I know exist in many communities. You pay a very small amount per month, like $10, and in xchange you get a ton of local, organic produce. They call you once a month and you come and pick up your goods. Think outside the box ;)

[raefactor]

I second Kroger. They nearly always have a health food section and if you request things they can usually start ordering them. :)

[sleepydvdr]

Organic foods are always more expensive. If you can live with just regular veggies, you will spend a lot less. If you want premium food, you must pay premium price.

Buy stuff that is in season - much cheaper. You will have to adjust your eating habits, though. Right now, green peppers can cost $4 each ($6 for red). But a whole onion is $1 (sometimes less). So, my fajitas don't have peppers in them right now. I also buy frozen veggies. They may not be as fun as fresh veggies, but many times you can't tell the difference. I have seen many 2lb bags of veggies for $2. They last longer, too.

I whole heartedly support the farmer's market idea that Tofu-N-Sprouts mentioned. The tomatoes I have had from them have been heavenly. Local HFS can have good deals sometimes, too. I have an EarthFare nearby and they usually have organic bananas for .59/lb.

I would like to see someone do a chart that categorizes foods by a nutrition to price factor, listing highest to lowest. That would be interesting. I bet potatoes, broccoli, bananas, beans, and mushrooms would rate near the top. But I wouldn't be surprised if I were surprised by the actual results. LOL...

[DMZdogs]

Right now, green peppers can cost $4 each ($6 for red). But a whole onion is $1 (sometimes less).

Dang~ where do you live? Red, yellow or orange bell peppers are 2 for $3 here. Don't know about green ones...never buy them, but they are always under a dollar each. ooohhh~ :dizzy: I get it...you were talking about organic ones. :wall:<--me..must pay more attention when reading

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

Organic red bell peppers are about a dollar each right now here, they'll get cheaper in the summer. We tend to have pretty good prices (on average) for produce, compared to the rest of the US, but a fair bit higher than average for most packaged/canned things.

I'm sorta in the Seattle-ish area.

[nogardsram]

There's a lot of great suggestions.

The one thing I don't really understand is what people are buying.

My wife and I take out $200 in cash for food a month (we buy almost all organic) and then spend about another $50 on bulk special order items (stuff on sale and when we buy in bulk, we get an extra 10% off at our local health food store). I do have to put in that we do get some free veggies cause she works at the local health food store and she brings home the culled items (stuff people won't buy, but we can still get some food off of).

We eat fairly decently on $125 a month each, mostly organic, and some free food. If we were to really cut back, we could eat all organic and spend well than $100 each (I suspect around $50 a person a month).

Then again, we also make a lot of food from basic ingredients.

[LovelyPerv]

I also buy frozen veggies. They may not be as fun as fresh veggies, but many times you can't tell the difference. I have seen many 2lb bags of veggies for $2. They last longer, too.

Yes! :yes: I just got three 2lb bags of frozen fruit (peaches, strawberries, melon balls, etc...) for $1.50 each on sale! They thaw out pretty nively for a snack, but I plan to use them mostly for smoothies!

So anyways, I just got 6lbs of very nice fruit for $4.50.

As far as buying organic goes, I generally only buy organic if I can actually tell the difference between the organic, and non-organic version.

Example: Carrots. Organic carrots seem to have A LOT of carrot juice in them. It almost seems to drip out at times. Plus, they grow in funny shapes. So, whatever is being added to them must really be screwing with them...and the organic ones don't cost much more.

[jenni-anti-fur]

I shop at the "Scratch-and-Dent" Grocery Outlet. Lots of vegan items show up there. Not always organic but I do the best I can.

Coupons usually only do you any good if you are willing to buy name brands, which are usually way more expensive in the long run. But not always....

Farmer's Markets and produce stands are good, and even though it's not a favorite suggestion to make for a lot of people, (*Gasp*) Walmart has a small selection of organic produce (at least here) and it IS actually less than at regular supermarkets.

I always use a coupon...no exceptions....match a Coupon with a Sale and not always for name brand but store brands and the Organics brand at my local store is their brand of Organic foods and they always have a deal with a coupon...I get alot of items free...(got free lettuce and spinach and a can of chic-peas for free today) or less than a dollar...I am a coupon princess:) and will not buy unless its a decent price.

It may be different where you are but the Walmarts here have awful produce...I dont shop there but have friends who have worked and shopped there

[ElaineVigneault]

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Stop buying substitutes: You don’t need meat substitutes or vegan cheese. If you like them and can afford them, by all means get them. But you don’t need them. So if money is tight, opt for lentils and rice instead of frozen fake chicken.
2. Eat the cheap foods: Beans and rice, peanut butter and jelly, potatoes, soups, etc. Look at the diets of people without access to cheap meat and emulate them. Start shopping in the “ethnic” foods section and stop shopping in the section designed for rich, white folks.
3. Plan your meals: Plan your meals so that shopping trips don’t involve unnecessary, expensive items or foods that will go to waste. Make large batches of soups, chilies and other foods and freeze half for later.
4. Shop at green markets: Farmer’s markets are invariably cheaper than Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or other large groceries. And farmer’s markets are often organic. (Many states now allow you to use food stamps at farmer’s markets.)
5. Look for sales: Often groceries will put produce on sale if they have an excess quantity or if it’s ripe and will over-ripe tomorrow. You can snag these items in large quantities, prep them at home, and toss them in the freezer for use later.
6. Buy in bulk: Many groceries have a dry foods section with grains and beans. If you bag and label the food yourself, you’ll usually save some money at the register. Also, if you’re comfortable with it, shop at places like Cosco where you can get bulk produce and some other non-animal foods. And if you don’t have storage for bulk items or if you can’t afford the price, go in on it with a friend or neighbor.
7. Shop in season: Try to buy the foods that are in season where you live. They will often be less expensive than the imported foods.
8. Use coupons: Most of the time coupons are only for specific brand names, but sometimes you’ll find produce coupons. So just keep an eye out for them and use them when you see them.
9. Shop online: You can buy some vegan foods online. For example, Tasty Bite sells prepared dishes online at about half the cost of what the stores charge.
10. Opt for the alternatives: You don’t have to buy always fresh, organic produce if it’s too expensive or not available. Nonorganic produce, canned, frozen, and dried vegan foods are still a better choice than animal products. (Here’s a guide to pesticide loads. You could choose to buy only the organic versions of foods with high pesticide loads and buy the nonorganic versions of foods with low pesticide loads. This won’t do much to help the environment, but it’s better for your health.)
11. Use cookbooks and guides designed for cheap living: This book, Student’s Go Vegan Cookbook, is designed for the frugal vegan. There are other vegan guides, too, like Alternative Vegan, that focuses on easy to find vegan foods. And you can often adapt advice about frugal living geared for omnivores to fit your vegan lifestyle because most of it is about saving money, not about consuming animal products.
12. Grow your own food: Even if you only have room for a small container garden, you can still grow some herbs and cut back on that expense. If you have more room, you can grow some fruits and vegetables. And if you don’t have room, but you’re feeling adventurous, you can start a guerrilla garden.
13. Keep your produce fresh longer so nothing goes to waste: I love these bags because they help my produce stay fresh longer. But you can also use paper bags, the crisper in your fridge, or you can freeze the produce.
14. Reuse bags or use cloth bags: Many grocery stores give a discount of 5 cents per bag. It might only save 25-50 cents per shopping trip, but that adds up. It’s good for the environment and it’s good for your pocketbook.

[sleepydvdr]

This week, Compare Foods has some really good deals on veggies and fruits. Bananas are .39/lb. Green peppers are 2/$1.00. A head of lettuce is .79. Jalapenos are 2lbs for $1.00 (who can eat 2lbs, though?).

I'm starting to like this store more and more.

[m.t.ness]

Then again, we also make a lot of food from basic ingredients.

Yes, I agree with that... My husband and I eat well for about the same amount of money, and we are able to mainly because we buy very little prepared food. If you are just buying raw materials instead of paying for all the processing and packaging, you can buy mostly organic staples and have a noticeably smaller drain on your budget. Plus, I just like being able to have a little more control over how many chemicals are in my food, etc. And we also shop farmer's markets, so I'll add my praise for those.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

I always use a coupon...no exceptions...

Thats cool if that works for you and where you shop. I get my produce from farmers markets and stands - no coupons there... I don't buy canned beans, name brand or otherwise so again, no coupons. The bulk foods warehouse doesn't use coupons. My "regular" grocery doesn't have this "organics" brand but all I buy there is generic brand soymilk, Earth Balance and a few other minor items.

[muzz]

Where i live there isn't much of a selection of veggies or other vegan foods... so once a month i make a 45 mile trip... buy mostly in bulk and only allow 2 fake meat products and i always leave just enough money to splurge for my amy's roasted veggie pizza (they are like heaven) and my tofutti ice cream sandwiches...

But i have found with recent price increases... it is getting harder and harder to afford anything...

The best advice i have is to buy ur staples(flour, egg replacer, grains,etc) in bulk because vegan pancakes everynight for a week is better then nothing!

And the frozen veggies quite often are very good... i can get red, yellow, green peppers frozen and already cut in a 1 lb bag for 1.05 compared to one pepper for 1.00 fresh... and usually i can't tell a difference when i cook them up

[Sketchy]

Buy Local. Look for CBA (Community Based Agriculture) in your area. Find a Local Farmer's Market. Watch for things like soup and beans at Discount / Dollar Stores. Check your local (or nearest) Asian or East Asian market for things like Rice and Flour and other staples.

Organics are not all they are cracked up to be, really look into what kind of value you are getting. Many organics cost more because they are flown in from all over the world and you can find equally good food from local sources, you may just have to settle for more 'mundane' fruits and vegetables rather than Mangoes and Grapes you might get Apples and Peppers.

[virgo]

I think when you buy basic foods,WW pasta,brown rice ,frozen veggies/fruit dried beans olive oil,good peanut butter your food bill is low it's when you buy all the extras thats when the bill is sky high my family is on tight budget right now so that what we buy .Can't wait till summer fresh veggie are much cheaper.I also love Kroger if you go in the middle of the week they always have stuff marked down that's when I buy soy milk and/or tofu.

[jenni-anti-fur]

Thats cool if that orks for you and where you shop. I get my produce from farmers markets and stands - no coupons there... I don't buy canned beans, name brand or otherwise so again, no coupons. The bulk foods warehouse doesn't use coupons. My "regular" grocery doesn't have this "organics" brand but all I buy there is generic brand soymilk, Earth Balance and a few other minor items.

Thats too bad Most of my local farmers markets takes coupons from the small papers at my grocery and I do fantastic there....I get a ton of stuff for under five bucks...and as for warehouse shopping i shop at Costco where they take there own coupons and have plenty of organic Items...I dont buy Generic Soy Milk like you said you do...I dont buy Generic Anything really dont need to with my awesome Coupon Savings...Nothing Against People who Say that they dont use Coupons...Or they are a waste of time and money....but I just dont get it...I never will...Coupons and Me a Perfect Match Made on Earth....hehe:sunny::sunny:

[DMZdogs]

Jenni, where do you get all those coupons?

[LadyFaile]

check the flyers. i always read the flyers and compare prices. i skim through them first looking for items we normally buy on a typical grocery run to see who's got them on sale. then i look more thoroughly through that store's flyer to see what else is on sale that we would use and may want to stock up on.
though i admit lately we've fallen back into the habit of just always going to the same store every week because we know what they have and where it is. we need to be more careful to shop where the better sales are. hubby's excuse is always that the one store has the best selection of soy products for me, and i need to stop agreeing with that logic lol and say yeah but i eat too much soy crap anyway let's look at other cheaper options. it's so convenient to just throw a vegetarian chicken breast in the microwave and have it with whatever potatoes and veggies everyone else is having. but yeah expensive as hell.

anyway we also buy store brands as much as possible and club packs as much as possible (loooove the club packs lol). buying in bigger quantities or in bulk is often cheaper in the longrun. no real trick other than that and what others have mentioned regarding farmers markets and buying local produce etc.
also sometimes we get wrapped up into thinking something is a great bargain when it's really not. don't ever buy something just because it's on sale without considering first if it really is a good deal and if you really do need it. i almost bought up a bunch of canned veggies at the dollar store once cause i was like "woo veggies at the dollar store, awesome!!!" and then realized the grocery store's generic brand canned veggies are like 79 cents a can, the dollar store's are obviously a dollar. sometimes the dollar stores have great deals on food but usually it's a ripoff. i remember one time they had unfrosted poptarts for a buck a box because some of the boxes were dented so grocery stores wouldn't take them. i bought a ton of them and now i can't find unfrosted ones anywhere. but usually i'll just look around and compare in my head what i can get elsewhere for less money

i do cave and get myself little treats that i know are a ripoff. like this amazing bean salad at the deli in the grocery store we usually go to. a small container is almost 4 bucks. i doubt it would be that hard to duplicate using dried beans from the bulk store, i'm just not quite sure what all is in it or what all the different types of beans are or how to cook them, or even what is in the dressing.
i also buy hummus a lot but to buy the boxed mix costs almost as much and doesn't taste as good IMO. i should figure out how to make it from scratch too

[Skylark]

Move to a tropical or semi-tropical region where "in season" and "local variety" take on entirely different meanings. :D

In the above locations, only rarely shop at grocery stores. Shop instead at the street markets. Yes, the raw meat laying out in the sun collecting flies may turn your stomach, but you won't find the variety of produce at the store as you will in the market. Figure out which vendors are consistently good, and shop from them. Don't be afraid to dicker prices down.

Make everything from scratch, except maybe pasta and bread.