5 Tips for Eating Organic on a Budget

This post was sponsored by Wild Oats. All opinions are 100% my own.

Whether you are trying to eat strictly organic or simply improve your eating habits, you can most definitely shop for organic foods and stay to a budget. I have always been extremely budget oriented. But NEVER have I let my budget take precedence over feeding my family healthy foods. Here are a few tips I have learned for saving money and sticking to a budget while shopping for organic foods.

1. Make a meal plan This is the same rule of thumb for any “budget shopping”. The best way to make sure you don’t over spend or buy items that will blow your budget is to make a meal plan. I usually base my meal plan around what’s currently on sale and what items I keep stocked in my pantry.

2. Use Coupons I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people complain that there are only coupons for junk food. That is absolutely not true! There are tons of coupons out there for healthy foods, produce, meats and yes even organic foods! Check out sites like Coupons.com, CommonKindness.com and Mambo Sprouts, as well as keep an eye out for my weekly Natural and Organic Foods post (usually posted on Friday’s).

3. Shop Wild Oats Organic Foods Wild Oats Marketplace is definitely one of my most favorite Organic brands out there. They are available at Walmart for seriously some of the best prices out there. In fact, I feel like I pay the same or just cents more for this brands products, than I would for that nasty old junk with chemicals and preservatives. I have tried nearly all of the products they make and have never been disappointed! My families favorite product is of course their granola snack bars! Yum! As the cook in the house, I love the canned tomatoes, chicken broth and spices!

4. Grow your produce This is obviously the best and most affordable way of maintaining organic produce in your home. I have had a small vegetable garden for several years, and absolutely love it. You do not have to have a green thumb to maintain growing your own herbs, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and whatever else you choose to grow. I am not an expert gardener by any means however, I am able to maintain above ground planters and pots with the bare essentials every Spring/Summer. For instance, this year we moved in Spring which made gardening a bit more difficult. So we kept it simple and just planted some basics in pots around the yard! We currently have tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet peppers, every herb you can think of, strawberries and romaine all growing organically, with very little maintenance!

5. Shop the bulk section I am not suggesting buying in bulk necessarily, in fact I am think the total opposite. I love shopping my local grocery stores bulk containers. I am able to pick up organic oats, nuts, grains and so forth in the amounts I need so nothing goes to waste. Because I am not buying in excess and allowing food to waste I end up actually saving money!

Now there is another method of actually shopping in bulk! If you have a large family (like me) you may want to try shopping for some of your items from a organic bulk wholesaler like Organic Matters! They have some fabulous prices on bulk sized grains, flour, seeds, oils and more!