Buying Organic on a Budget

For those who would love to buy organic but are needing to watch their budget, here's few tips on how to buy organic cheaper!

1.) Comparison shop. Compare different products at different markets. Some sell organic baby food for $1.29 while the same product at another location would be $.69. As for produce, you'll always save when you buy fruit in the season.

2.) Go local. You can find organic growers at most farmer’s markets, and a USDA study in 2002 found that about 40 percent of those farmers don’t charge a premium. For listings of local farmer’s markets and other sources, go to www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets and www.localharvest.org .

3.) Start your own organic garden or join a community farm team. You'll save when you start producing your own organic products!

4.) Order by mail. National providers will ship items such as organic beef ( www.mynaturalbeef.com ). Some local businesses, such as FreshDirect ( www.freshdirect.com ) in the New York City area and Pioneer Organics ( www.pioneerorganics.com ) in the Pacific Northwest, offer home deliveries. Other helpful sites are at www.eatwellguide.org and www.theorganicpages.com .

5.) Be a supermarket spy. Make sure you get what you pay for by watching where produce sits on shelves. All grocers are legally required to stack organic fruits and vegetables where they won’t be exposed to water runoff from the misting of conventional produce, which could contaminate organic items with pesticide residue. If a store is not following that rule, you may be wasting your money by buying organic produce there.

Most importantly, remember that things are done best in moderation. You don't have to break your budget, just be a smart shopper and choose what things make the most sense for you to go organic on. Good luck and happy shopping!