Buy Green, Save Green

When it comes to going green we all want to save our green and not lose it! It can seem as though organic food is more expensive, and frequently people use the excuse of not buying organic food because it costs more. There are simple ways to go green in this department without breaking the bank! Recently, MSN Health even reported how to eat organic on a $7 a day budget, so it can be done! Here are some simple pointers that won’t take too long and can save you money and help you buy organic.

♦Choose to buy organic on some items like milk, cheese or meat. Start with one to see how this affects your grocery bill and perhaps cut out the stuff you really don’t need in the house (soda, cookies, etc) that can rack up the grocery bill.

♦Maybe grow some fresh veggies to help cut out the cost of buying them at the store. You don’t have to grow everything but what about just tomatoes?

♦Coupons for organic food might be hard to come by, but not if you sign up for the name brand newsletter or go to their website. I’ve written about this before and use this method often because I get monthly coupons from some of my favorite organic brands. Another solution: pick up the phone and call them! Ask for coupons and tell them you want to try their products.

♦Buy local. Maybe the fruits and vegetables aren’t organic but they probably use less pesticides than industrial farms. Just use some vinegar and water and wash them well.

♦Make your own baby food verses buying commercially made baby food. For example, if you’re making potatoes for the family, mash some up for the baby or toddler. Your mashed fresh food is much healthier than the canned baby stuff.

♦Buy fruits while they are in season locally, clean them well and then freeze them. This will save you tons of money long term.

♦Join a CSA with a few families and begin trying new local organic veggies and recipes. This will cut the cost, and allow your family to sample fresh organic veggies for nearly 18 weeks or longer. Some CSA’s even allow you to volunteer and save even more! I’ve also written about this and other steps before, but remember each tip or step has to work for you and your family, and a CSA isn’t for everyone.

♦Hormone free meat is expensive but it does taste better. It just does. No yucky fillers, hormones and antibiotics allow for the flavor to really come through. There’s a great article on Body Ecology about good meat verses bad meat and if the taste doesn’t convince you, maybe the article will. It might make you want to eat meat fewer times during the week and spend more for the hormone free grass fed meat. Find a local farmer and split the cost of buying the beef, poultry or pork with a few families and then you all win! Buying from someone local is going to be better then having your meat frozen and shipped from who knows where and what farm, that just slaps a label on the packages promising to not use hormones. Look the farmer in the eye and ask questions.

Going green isn’t for just the rich and doesn’t have to break the bank. You don’t have to do everything either, start by picking and choosing what works for you and your family. If you can’t afford something because it’s “green” or “organic” decide what it’s worth to you, your family and the environment, and then maybe make sacrifices on other spending. It’s about compromising and finding what will work for you. I don’t subscribe to the notion of driving yourself crazy or feeling guilty over something silly because it’s not organic. Just do your best and start there, knowing you can continue to do better and will work on doing better each day or week. You’re human too!

For more ways to be a shade of green visit Sommer at Green & Clean Mom

Original post written for 5 Minutes for Going Green