Here are some handy tips for fresh and natural food shopping on a budget. You’ve made the decision to eat better; that’s great. But are you worried that shopping for fresh and organic foods will cost a fortune?
Buying wisely, wholesome, fresh ingredients can be more economical than filling a shopping car up with lots of packaged and processed goods. Here are 10 creative money-saving tips for natural food shopping on a budget.
Consider the condiment aisle your best friend
Ready-made sauces and condiments are cheaper than buying individual ingredients to create your own. You can also store them in your fridge and reuse them for months. Plus, they taste great! Try ready-made sauces like peanut, teriyaki, and Indian sauces to add a quick, cheap, and delicious touch to your food.
You don’t always have to buy organic
Consult the Environmental Working Group’s annual lists of the Dirty Dozen™ and Clean Fifteen™ produce. The Dirty Dozen are the fruits and vegetables that are the most pesticide-laden. It would be best to buy the organic varieties of the produce on this list, which is almost always topped by strawberries and spinach.
On the other hand, the Clean Fifteen list features fruits and vegetables that have little or no pesticide residue, like cabbage, onions, and corn. That’s where you can save a bit of money on your food bill without compromising your ethics.
Shop in season
Foods that are grown in season don’t only taste better, but they tend to be less expensive. During the winter, look for foods like root vegetables, citrus fruits, carrots. In the fall, look for sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and apples. In the summer, stone fruits, melons, and summer squashes are at their best. Asparagus, peas, and strawberries are best to buy during the spring.
Shopping at farmer’s markets is a great way to support local growers and get produce that’s at its peak of flavor and freshness. It’s not always the most budget-friendly way to shop, however. Consult these smart tips for shopping at farmers markets to get the most of these worthwhile excursions.
Bulk buying
Grains, dried legumes, nuts, and spices are all categories of food that can be bought in bulk. But make sure not only that your source is a good, reputable company, and that you have proper storage (and use) for the goods in your pantry. There’s no point in buying 20 pounds of barley if it’s just going to sit for years and go bad. There are a lot of good sources out there, too many to list here. Search for “bulk grains,” “bulk beans,” or whatever it is you’re looking for, and you’re on your way.
Ugly produce can be beautiful
Join a subscription service like Misfits Market. I’ll let them explain, from their website:
“It’s a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together.
… but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want ‘perfect’ foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world.”
Learn lots more about Misfits Market on their FAQ page.
Frozen produce can almost be as good as fresh
Frozen fruits and vegetables are picked ripe and then frozen immediately to maintain their nutritional value. They’re so convenient, often cheaper than fresh fruit, and are a blessing to have on hand in the winter or when you want lots of veggies but don’t feel like chopping.
When buying frozen produce, avoid those with unnecessary ingredients or additives. The only ingredient should be the vegetable or fruit itself.
You can also make your own frozen food with fruits and vegetables on sale or less-than-perfect produce. After prepping and blanching (when necessary), place in airtight containers in your freezer for future use. Here’s a basic guide to freezing produce.
Put your chef hat on and get into D.I.Y.
Sometimes, buying the ingredients to make something can be cheaper than buying it ready-made. Store bought plant-based milk is one example. Make your own with as few as two ingredients. Explore 18 Plant-Based Milk Recipes to learn how to make your favorite nut, seed, or oat-based milk at home.
You can also make your own nut butter and nut-based cheeses using affordable ingredients. Not only are they cheaper than buying them ready-made, but they can also be used for a variety of easy recipes. Use the nut butter to make your own granola bars and other baked goods, or just smother it on a slice of bread and top with sliced fruit.
Seitan, a high-protein plant-based food, isn’t easy to find in stores and tends to be rather pricey. It’s surprisingly simple to make your own using gluten flour as hundreds of satisfied readers attest in the comments of this site’s hugely popular Easiest Homemade Seitan Recipe. Or, for a different flavor and texture, Easy Homemade Chicken-Style Seitan is a good one to experiment with.
Other D.I.Y. fare that saves you some money while being quite gratifying to accomplish:
Spice it up with seasoning mixes
Spices are a great way to transform and add bursts of flavor into your food. Rather than buying unnecessary ingredients to garnish your food and make it look appealing, cut down the cost and focus on spices you can add to enhance the flavor of your dish. Seasonings can be expensive, but they last a long time in your pantry and can be reused for other recipes.
One way to save money on spices is to use readymade blends like Italian seasoning, herb-and-spice blends like Mrs. Dash and Frontier, and barbecue seasoning blends. Even curry powder is actually a blend. That way you don’t buy 1,000 spices that sit in your cabinet for years.
Photo: Earthbound Farms
Be on the lookout for coupons
Subscribing to your favorite brands can earn you coupons as well as other awesome perks. Earthbound Farm’s produce is farmed organically with no harmful pesticides. Signing up for their eNewsletter allows you to get coupon frequently emailed, recipes, and other tips.
Organic Girl strives to offer the best organic produce. When you sign up for their email list you will receive coupons and promotions regularly along with easy recipes. Another simple trick is to look for coupons on product packaging. Keep an eye out for fruit coupons on cereal boxes, for example.
Save your scraps for making broth or composting
Don’t let your food scraps go to waste! You can easily make use of them for a variety of purposes. Toss your vegetable peels into a boiling pot of water to make your own vegetable broth. You can also put your scraps into a compost bin to create fertilizer.
If it inspires you to start gardening, that’s great! Growing your own fruits and vegetables can save you tons of money, plus it can be fun! Container gardening doesn’t take up much space at all.
Natural food shopping on a budget doesn’t have to be stressful; in fact, it can be fun and pleasurable.
- More like this: 10 Money-Saving Tips for Vegan Grocery Shopping on a Budget
- Helpful Vegan Meal Planning Tips for Busy Cooks.
- See more tips and trends for plant-based living
Skyler Isabella Gomez is a 2019 SUNY New Paltz graduate with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in Black Studies. Her passions include learning about the ethical and environmental benefits of veganism to create a better world for generations to come.
Leave a Reply