5 Ways Families on Real Budgets Can Afford Organic Food

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Ed Yourdon, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

8/26/2014Updated: 3/25/2022

By Mike Adams, editor of Natural News

Everybody who cares about their health wants to eat organic, non-GMO foods, but the challenge is being able to afford it, right? Thanks to dwindling economic opportunities and job cuts almost everywhere, discretionary income is getting harder to come by for millions.

At the same time, eating foods laden with toxic pesticides or cancer-causing GMOs costs you a lot more in the long run due to hospital bills and severe health problems. Cancer treatments, after all, aren’t cheap. So what’s the real solution to eating healthy without spending a fortune?

Check out these five outstanding ways to save money on organic and non-GMO food right now:

#1) Buy Organic Food Ingredients in Bulk

It sounds simple but it really works: seek out organic food ingredients in bulk instead of in small packages.

You might be surprised to know that at least half the cost of small-quantity organic foods comes from the packaging and containers. By purchasing those same foods or ingredients in bulk quantities, you'll find the cost per ounce (or cost per serving) can be drastically reduced, sometimes by as much as half.

This is especially true for organic grains like rice or quinoa, but it can also hold true on fresh produce such as carrots and apples, both of which stay well refrigerated for an extended period of time.

#2) Grow Some of Your Own

Growing some of your own food may be easier than you think. Sprouting, for example, costs almost nothing but provides you with a high-value fresh source of greens for salads, smoothies and more.

Using nothing more than small containers in a window sill or balcony, you can also very easily grow a nice selection of culinary herbs such as cilantro and rosemary, both of which can be very costly on a per-ounce basis at the store.

Full-scale gardening might be out of your reach, but check out container gardening and small-scale hydroponics for some really interesting approaches to growing abundant food on the cheap.

#3) Shop at More Affordable Food Retailers

Whole Foods is infamous for selling food products are shockingly high prices, but organics are available in a lot of regular grocery stores and retailers, too. Shopping there can often save you 30 - 40 percent on fresh produce compared to Whole Foods.

Even Wal-Mart is getting into the organics business and plans to put tremendous downward pressure on organic produce prices. Although the idea of shopping at Wal-Mart might be somewhat horrifying to many Natural News readers, it’s something to at least consider if they offer a nice selection of organics. In a way, “voting” for organics at Wal-Mart will encourage them to carry more organics, squeezing out the conventional, genetically modified food products there.

#4) Buy Local Organics from CSAs or Farmers’ Markets

Local CSA organizations (Community Supported Agriculture) make organics significantly more affordable by sharing farm production with “subscribers” who agree to purchase a box of produce each week (or so).

Farmers’ markets can also provide you with organic food choices that are significantly more affordable than buying the same produce at retail. That’s because farmers’ markets cut out the retail mark-up, allowing farmers to sell directly to customers at reduced prices that benefit both parties.

#5) Combine Your own Ingredients to Make Mixes and Snacks

It’s not very difficult to make your own granola or muesli mixes by combining bulk organic ingredients purchased at affordable prices.

Mixing your own trail mixes, cereals or snacks can save you a bundle while giving you more control over what you get.

Don’t forget the long-term cost savings of protecting your health!

As you ponder the economics of buying organic, non-GMO foods vs. buying cheaper conventional foods, always remember to factor in the long-term costs of cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases caused by pesticides, herbicides and GMOs.

Buying conventional produce may seem like it saves you money in the short run, but in the long run you’re going to spend far more money on hospital bills and medical procedures than it would have cost to buy organic in the first place. Buying organic is investing in your good health, and it’s an investment that pays huge dividends for the rest of your life.

Because remember:

• Organic foods have higher antioxidants • Organic foods are higher in vitamins and minerals • Organic foods are not GMO • Organic foods are not grown with pesticides • Organic foods support sustainable agriculture