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Are you thinking about going organic completely but money is an issue? Want to know HOW TO EAT ORGANIC ON A BUDGET without worrying about becoming broke?
Listen, I completely understand organic food is WAY MORE expensive. I thought the same when my sister introduced me to it. The cost accounts for the high standards organic farmers have to go through to bring you nutritional, chemical-free and GMO-free food. It’s not stuffed with a load of crap that will cause all sorts of diseases long-term.
In this post, I’m going to spill some life-changing tips on how to eat organic on a budget that has helped me A LOT along with some that I’m excited to try out myself.
This post will give you helpful and practical tips on how to eat organic on a budget.
10+ Seriously Life-changing Tips On How To Eat Organic On A Budget
1. Set Your Realistic Weekly Budget
To learn how to eat organic on a budget for a week think about your weekly budget that you can ACTUALLY afford. Think about all the food items that you usually buy like fruit and veg, protein sources(meat, fish, beans etc.), essentials(milk, oats, eggs, honey etc.) and things like pasta and rice.
This is SO important because having a budget prevents you from overspending on things that you don’t need. Remember to stick to it or very close to it.
It’s also a good practice for tracking your expenses. So, you’re not confused halfway through the month about where all your money has gone.
2. Pre-Plan Recipes Before Shopping
This has helped me A LOT! When I started shopping for organic food I would buy anything I thought I would use but I didn’t end up using them. So, it would end up in the bin.
You know those random tins of food or fruits in your fridge you didn’t realise were there until it started going off? Yeah, no, we don’t want that.
Plan 1 or 2 recipes that you’re going to make for the week and write them down digitally on notes or on paper. So, when you go shopping you know exactly what you need which avoids unnecessary shopping.
Having a clear goal in mind not only makes the shopping process quicker and prepares you for the week but also helps you stick to your weekly budget. This will help you master how to eat organic on a budget for a week.
3. Look For Organic Foods At Your Local Supermarkets
When me and my sister started this organic food journey we shopped at Riverford. I’ll be honest it was EXPENSIVE! A grocery shop for the two of us would cost almost £80. That’s a lot I know! We still needed to buy meat and other things.
I had no clue how to eat organic on a budget that was sustainable before but everyone starts somewhere, right?
So, after searching online for organic cheese, we found out Asda sold organic produce. The organic food was SO much more affordable. Why didn’t we do it before?
Check out your local supermarkets like Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi and more to shop for essentials and you’ll find the cheapest supermarket for organic food that works for you.
DISCLAIMER: The only downside of shopping in Asda online was that when they didn’t have organic food they would replace it with something non-organic so look out for that!
4. Dirty Dozen
I’m sure you’ve heard Dirty Dozen before. Every year the environmental working group releases a list of 12 non-organic fruits and vegetables that have the highest levels of pesticide residue. They call this list the dirty dozen.
Why is it useful to you?
Well, learning how to start eating organic can be HELLA overwhelming. So, take baby steps towards it starting with the dirty dozen list of fruits and veg that you must buy organic. Anything else you can buy inorganic until you find your feet and your own strategy that works for you.
Here is the 2023 Dirty Dozen list
5. Clean 15
To contrast the dirty dozen there’s the clean 15. It’s basically a list of produce that has been found to have little to no traces of pesticides and is safe to consume in non-organic form.
So, if you’re short on budget you can buy these organic produce anxiety-free.
Here is the 2023 Clean 15 list.
6. Opt for a Fruit and Veg Box Scheme
Okay, this is something I have tried this week as a challenge for myself to buy all the organic food I need for the week on a budget of less than £30 a week.
And… it went really well!
I chose to buy a fixed box of fruit and vegetables for a really good price of £16.45, it had 7 different vegetables and salad lines and 3 fruit types. Then all I needed to buy was some pasta for my pasta dish and some essentials that I got from Tesco. It totalled £27.58. That’s a whole week’s worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For you, that could be cheaper £16.45 for a fruit and veg box and then £5.00 for meat and a few other essentials and you’re sorted.
Check out these fixed fruit and veg boxes I used and recommend.
This ‘how to eat organic on a budget’ journey doesn’t have to be boring, you can enjoy the process you know. Having a random selection of fruits and vegetables will bring out your creativity in the kitchen which I’m excited for.
7. Meal Prepping
It’s been over a month since I made the very smart choice of meal prepping for the entire week and I have never looked back once.
I swear to you it has saved me SO MUCH time! I can spend that time doing more important things like sharing with you these helpful tips on how to eat organic on a budget.
All I have to do now is get the container out of the fridge and warm the food and in a few minutes, VOILA! I’ve got my meal.
You can do that too. All you need to start is some containers and your recipes planned. Then buy your ingredients and pick a day that works when you’re free and spend an hour or a couple to meal prep for the entire week.
Creating wholesome food will prevent you from snacking and getting a takeaway which means A TON OF MONEY SAVED!
Honestly, I promise you it will be the best thing you’ve done this year.
WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER!
8. Cook From Scratch
Cooking from scratch just screams ‘EFFORT‘. Why? Because we’re so used to ease and ‘I want this now’, ‘I don’t want to wait’ type of mindset. But it’s actually a lot easier and less time-consuming than you think.
You’ve got YouTube and social media experts who will teach you exactly how to cook things from scratch. It all starts with a search. A Goal + Action= SUCCESS
The first thing I made from scratch was granola, literally 2 or 3 ingredients thrown together and chucked into the oven. Very effortless and not as time-consuming as you think. I’ve also made tortilla wraps. Next on my list are bread, peanut butter and mayo which I know is going to be another life-changer!
See this organic food journey as a way to become independent of these large corporations whose primary focus is profit. The benefits for you: LOTS OF MONEY SAVED AND A LONG HEALTHY AND HAPPY LIFE!
9. Organic Frozen Fruits And Vegetables
I had a look around and the price for frozen organic fruit and veg is quite good. I didn’t think about it before. If you bought the same quantity fresh it would be slightly pricier. So, that’s definitely a good alternative to fresh when starting your ‘how to eat organic’ diet on a super cheap budget.
Let me dispel a myth that organic frozen fruits and veg are less nutritional than fresh ones. NO! That’s completely wrong. Organic frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritional as fresh ones.
10. Grow Your Own Food
Another way to become self-reliant and save A TON of money on organic food is growing your own organic food. I know what you’re thinking ‘That’s a lot of effort’.
Anything great in life requires some effort but in the long run, it benefits you! You don’t need a massive garden you can grow some organic food on your window sill or any small space you have.
You can start by spending maybe 10 minutes or 15 minutes or whatever time you have daily to research. Then, slowly once you know what you’re doing bring this goal to life.
Recently, I spent some time researching how to grow your own food and found the possibilities are endless. It actually inspired me A LOT that I had to put it on my bucket list. There is someone out there who’s mastered it and you can learn from them on YouTube or any other social media platform.
TRY IT, YOU’VE GOT THIS!
11. Bulk Buy Essentials
When I was younger I saw my single mum bulk-buying a lot of things onions, garlic, meat, chicken, rice, pasta, spices and other things. She wouldn’t need to buy these for the next couple of months and they don’t go off that quick. It’s a very smart idea.
Think about it, let’s say you buy organic honey for £3.00 every week which adds up to £12 a month. But if you bought a large honey for half the price it would last you the same amount of time or more.
Start by listing out all your organic food essentials and then the ones you can bulk buy that have a long life like onions, pasta, spices etc. Also, list out organic food essentials you can bulk buy and then freeze to preserve for longer.
This will significantly decrease your weekly budget making it SO much cheaper. You’ll be on your way to mastering how to eat an organic diet on a tight budget without all that stress.
REMEMBER WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER!
12. Check Out Your Local Organic Farmers Markets
If you type into Google ‘local organic farmers market near me’ you will realise that there are many local farmers that sell good quality and affordable organic food right next to your door.
Just pop in and have a wander around, they’ve got everything from meat to dairy products, fruit and veg and more wonderful organic produce at a good price.
Maybe you can get a discount through a bit of negotiation and rapport skills. *wink, wink*. Maybe, bake a blueberry pie and take it in with you. Casually, giving you tips to emotionally connect with your local farmer. You’re welcome!
This post gave you 10+ Life-changing tips to help you master how to eat organic on a budget that you can try right now!
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