I knew I was going grocery-shopping after work yesterday. I’d just returned home after being out of town for 6-days and my fridge was actually empty.
Ya, I had two bottles of wine in my fridge and no food. It’s all good.
Anyways, as you all probably know, I really like to try and buy organic/home-grown food, eat ethically. Yadda, yadda.
But I ain’t rich.
So, yesterday, while I would have liked to have done the majority of my shopping at a local store or organic store, and normally I probably would have, I caved and went to Superstore for the first time in awhile. It’s just so much cheaper – I couldn’t resist!
I got all of the abvoe at Superstore for only $44.
On my way home, I decided to check out the local organic store because I’d never been there before and it’s right on my way home.
I was planning on picking up some Almond Butter since I ran out this morning but balked at the price!
In the end, I grabbed some Liberte yogurt because I’ve seen it raved about in the blog world, some tortilla’s because I’d forgot to get any at Superstore, and some sushi and samosa’s for dinner.
This tiny pile of four things came to $22. A quarter (or less) of what I got at Superstore, yet half the price.
No wonder more people don’t buy organic food! I certainly can’t afford to shop there very often. The local small grocery store I normally go to isn’t even that expensive. It’s ridiculous!!
This brings me around to the topic of Ethical Eating. Something I am trying to be more conscious of lately. Caitlin did another great post yesterday on Ethical Eating and what it means.
I try to eat ethically, I do. Right now I’m not eating meat and when I did eat meat before I tried to buy local. I try to support the local dairy farm and buy my eggs local (although, as you can see I caved and bought cheap Superstore eggs yesterday) but I just cannot afford to always buy local. It’s too darn expensive.
Do you buy local and organic? If so, how do you afford it!!!? (I kid. Kind of 
) What do you consider “eating ethically” to mean?
PS: I’m meeting up with Jaimie from Embracing Balance for breakfast this morning as she’s on the last leg of her cross-country roadtrip! How exciting, I love meeting bloggers!
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We can barely even afford to buy cheese, let alone yummy gourmet things like almond butter! We don’t buy organic, either although we did pay our first visit to the farmer’s market last week.
I know it’s bad, but I don’t buy free range eggs. I do buy a good, Kiwi brand (Farmer Brown) and hope that it’s better than buying the house brand.
Free range chicken at my local supermarket seems to be coming down in price – last month it was only a dollar or two more per kilo than regular. I might be able to start buying free range!
Organic is way too expensive for me. I buy whatever is on sale. I sometimes get in moods where I want to buy organic, but then my wallet tells me otherwise. I’ve never considered what “eating ethically” means or is, though I don’t believe I’m eating unethically.. I guess it is just a personal opinion for everyone.
So true. Caitlin’s post got me thinking also. I TRY to do all these things but it is hard! I think what matters though is that we try because every little bit helps. Its not gonna do anyone any good if we have no money left to buy food later because we blew it all on organic food now. I also think it is a process. We are both young, but educated about this and hopefully someday it won’t be an issue to buy a $12 jar of almond butter!!
I totally agree, healthy eating is really expensive! I look at it as th emost important thing I can do for myself and cut out other things where I can to save money but sometimes I feel a little faint when I get to the checkout counter lol. I don’t eat a much organic as I would like to. One tihng I have noticed as I am eating less and less meat (see yesterdays post if ya want) is the bill is less when I get protein from beans,quinoa etc. so that is definitely a weolcome change.
I try to eat as much fresh/local/organic that my budget allows. Probably about 50% of my food budget is still spent in the grocery store chain, but that’s still an improvement!
We try to buy as much of our meat & produce organic, and my big recommendation is to not buy pre-packaged food (I see some sushi & another deli container there!). Buying organic frozen chicken for Mister and making it into wings is a little more of a hassel, but once you have the spices you can make them for a really long time. Fresh produce can often be bought for cheaper at farmers markets, so we’re a big fan of that.
My main philosophy is that I have a priority list of what I buy ethically: #1 is dairy & meats, #2 is produce, #3 is sugar & coffee & chocolate. I never compromise on #1, #2 is “most of the time” and #3 is a “when we can afford it” kind of thing.
I do so so on eating locally/ethically. We have a chain of grocery stores here that are sort of an upper scale chain and they are great about stocking local produce. My beef comes from a farm near my parents so I feel good about that. The rest of my decisions are probably not all that ethical. Like you, though, i am on a tight food budget so buying everything locally/organically is just not feasible without breaking the budget!
I live in a town where people are very conscious of what they are buying and eating. I’m sure some of my coworkers would flip out if they found out that I often shop at Walmart. What can I say? I don’t make much to begin with, and I’m getting ready to start grad school. I just can’t afford to buy local and organic most of the time. It’s something that I’d really like to do though. I try to do my little part by at least (sometimes) bringing my own bags. One step at a time.
I would love to buy locally, but there isn’t much to my small down. We have a local fruit/veggie market, but that’s about it. Luckily, my husband’s grandparents have a garden right next to my house, so in the warmer months, we’re able to get fresh cucumbers, squash, zucchini, cabbage, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, etc… from the garden (though it’s been super hot and dry this summer, so it’s slow-growing). Unfortunately, I live about thirty minutes (without ANY traffic) from a good grocery store (Kroger) and about an hour from an organic grocery store that we LOVE (Greenlife Grocery, which has only two locations–Chattanooga, TN and Asheville, NC–but is now owned by Whole Foods), so we pick up a few things there when we can. I prefer to buy bulk items from Walmart because it’s much cheaper, though I hate supporting Walmart.
Once we move to Chattanooga again, we’ll definitely be able to buy more local, organic food from Greenlife. We’ll probably stick to getting fruits & veggies there, but buying bulk items elsewhere because it can get expensive. I’m really looking forward to getting out of Small Town, USA for a while!
Also, I LOVE almond butter. We used to only eat peanut butter, but the jar would just last FOREVER because we rarely ate it. Then I bought a jar of almond butter, and it has barely lasted because I absolutely love it. And I see that you bought almond milk. I used to be lactose-intolerant, but I’ve mostly grown out of it. Even so, I don’t drink milk often, and I can’t have too much or it hurts my stomach, so I saw a status or something from Emily Jane (@fuchsiag), and I saw that she drinks almond milk… So I bought some Silk Almond Milk the other day, and my husband and I love it. He’s been using it in his cereal, and while he doesn’t think it could completely replace milk (he LOVES 2% milk), I will be keeping it stocked in our fridge. Plus, it lasts much longer than regular milk.
I try to do what I can but agree it can be expensive. I hit the local farmer’s market and often can get produce there for the same price as the supermarket and it’s local, but not necessarily organic. I go to a separate store for any meat/cheese/eggs products, but have been doing that less as our meat intake has decreased. Last stop is the regular grocery store for anything else and I pretty shop there according to what is on sale and/or coupons.
I don’t really buy organic. Living in a small town means that I have no health food stores near me. I frequent a store that does try to buy local when its in season but for the most part do my shopping at a chain grocery store. During this time of year and into the fall, my grandfather has a huge garden so a lot of veggies come from that and I love farmers markets.
I try to buy organic as much as I can. I tend to buy whatever is “organic” at the regular supermarket that I go to. I am also a HUGE fan of Trader Joe’s, which I don’t think is in Canada but for your U.S. readers, they are worth a look-see. I also buy organic meat, dairies and produce whenever possible, but truth is, I usually only eat meat when I go out to eat so it’s harder for me to tell where that is coming from. But I buy organic or soy dairy products (I’m on a Silk kick right now!). I also buy from a local organic market for most of my food, which isn’t as expensive as other places. It’s important to shop around for the right organic market too. I have noticed that some are more expensive than others. If you look for “organic chains” (i.e. Whole Foods) I’ve noticed that they tend to be a little bit cheaper than mom-and-pop organic places. It’s also good to buy bulk items at superstores, and smaller individual items, like almond butter, at organic places, especially if almost butter isn’t something you use everyday (if you’re buying $11 almond butter once a week, that’s a problem, but if you buy it once a month, then I don’t think that’s so bad).
as much as i’d like to eat more organic – it’s quite difficult and way too costly. I am however participating in a Community Supported Agriculture. So every week I get to pick up half a share of local produce.. and it’s been quite amazing!!!! the produce is fresh, and somehow much more flavorful!
I was totally planning a post this week on “how to shop at whole foods” because I usually split my shopping up at several locations to save money…check back with me on Friday!
I struggle with this too! I feel like I’ve pretty much given up for now what with both my boyfriend and I not being gainfully employed for 40 hours a week. I have relatives who get mad if I mention shopping at big chain stores and dispute the fact that it’s costs more to shop at Whole Foods or somewhere similar. Your post just proves me right! I think you can still find a balance of healthy foods at the superstore though!
Amber you are SO right, eating organic is very expensive. I bought a dozen eggs, organic (imported from BC to Sask) it was 6.50$ for the dozen!!! That is over twice the price of ‘other’ eggs.
I have been dipping my toe back into meat, and a pound of Bison grown and raised in Sask was 9.50$.
We have ‘Dad’s Organic Store’ and all of their fruit is from Uruguay, or Chili. The question I have is if these fruits and vegetables are ‘organic’ how can they travel from another country and still not be spoiled?? Just makes me wonder.
And what is classified ‘organic’?
We just try to do what we can. I planted a garden this year and didn’t have to buy spinach at Superstore last night because we could cut greens from our own backyard – how cool is that??? We just keep inching closer and making small changes towards buying organic and/or ethical. I found out that a co-worker raises grass-fed cows so we’re going to get a freezer pack of meat from him. I try to buy organic when it comes to the “dirty dozen” foods with pesticides, but we can’t get organic peppers at Superstore, so we just get the regular kind. I also always check at Superstore first for specialty/health food store type foods, because they often have it, and at a better price. And…I don’t use any cleaners except dish soap, borax and vinegar!!! It’s so cheap and easy and these seem to do the trick for most of what I need to clean.
We’re not perfect but we take steps here and there where we can. Now if I could only stop supporting sweat shops in Cambodia with my clothing budget…yiee.
You know, for me, it’s less about eating ethically or unethically … and more about the quality of the foods I’m eating. We find that produce and meats are just BETTER at our local organic store. They taste better and stay fresh longer. We found, before, we were wasting money when we’d buy food that would go bad before we could even eat it. So, now, we tend to buy perishables at the more expensive, organic store and buy everything else at a more traditional grocery store. It works for us.
I’ll buy local when it’s in season, but otherwise, I’ll just buy whatever. I’d love to grow a little garden one day so I can cut costs in the summer and have my own fresh produce.
From working at a grocery store, it’s amazing to see the price difference between organic and non-organic foods! Especially with the bulk nuts – Prices will jump from $0.99/100g to $1.49/100g, and people won’t realize it! They they say they don’t want their 1-pound bag of very expensive nuts and we just have to throw them away because we can’t put them back due to health & safety. Oy!
My family and I have started going to the local farmer’s markets; since they just pay for land (as a coop, I think?) the prices are still super reasonable and most of the produce was picked super early that morning. That’s just in terms of produce, though. We have a chain of local grocery stores who (say) they buy their meat and etc from local farmers so hopefully that’s true! The rest of the time, we just go to Trader Joe’s if we can, or Whole Foods and buy organic when we can though it’s surely not super cheap. It’s tough to eat healthy/support local/protect the pocketbook and be an ethical eater! I understand your dilemma. I guess I see why people grow their own food and start mini gardens in their backyard
I’ve noticed this has been a big topic around the blog world lately. I completely support those who put in the effort to eat ethically, whatever that means to them.. but I can also see the other side of the argument from people who simply can’t afford it. It’s a sticky situation. To me, eating ethically is just doing the best you can with what you’ve got.
i love organic meat! it tastes SO much better!!!
Yay for a blogger meet up! I’m thinking we’ll have to take you to a Trader Joe’s when you’re in Portland. We’ll get you some almond butter for much less than that. I paid $10 for Justin’s Nut Butter once, but really wasn’t THAT impressed with the stuff to buy it again for $10.
I buy local and organic on the stuff that matters most to me. I try to buy local and organic milk and eggs, especially. Otherwise, most produce is organic but not always local. Much easier to do in the summer with the sat market. I also save $ by trying not to eat out often or buy drinks at restaurants. But really, eating organically and locally is spendy!
So, the only organic food I have eaten is Greek yogurt and I BALKED when I saw the price for just 3 containers…when I can get 10 containers of regular yogurt for 3/4th’s the price! I don’t even know if we have a farmer’s market around here but I do want to look into it, since I do want to start eating fresher stuff.
The expensiveness of it just turns me off. It’s expensive to eat healthy when you’re not trying to just buy organic. And right now, it just isn’t an option for us.
Man do I hear you about food prices. I would love to do all my shopping at organic markets if everything wasn’t so freakin’ expensive. I only have so much money to spend each week on food and that usually means going to the regular grocery store, buying organic when I can and buying regular otherwise.
I liked the fridge with no food and just wine in it. It made me think of me.
I buy organically sometimes but the other thing I find with organic, apart from it tending to be more expensive, is that it doesn’t last as long. Probably precisely because it doesn’t have anything to preserve it in it I guess, but with stuff like veg I don’t always use it all straight away, so I find that very frustrating personally if it goes off before I get around to using it!
I try to buy organic when I can, and local when I can. But it isn’t always affordable! I also take a look at the items that have the most pesticides & try to buy those organic, and then buy non-organic for the items that aren’t as likely to be infested with pesticides.
I also try to buy local when I can. I find that it’s usually only a few cents cheaper and so much more fresh. In the long run, that is very valuable, because if I buy too many of something, they usually last longer when I buy them locally.
Food is definitely not cheap, but it’s one thing that I try not to be too skimpy about. I’d rather pay a bit more for good, wholesome food than save a few bucks but loose out on benefits to my body.
Of course, I think marketers have taken the “organic” label too far in some situations. “Healthy organic Cheetos?”…paint them what you will, they’re still not healthy.
Wow that almond butter is INSANELY expensive. What I do is buy locally and organic when I can (when things are on sale or I’m splurging), and then sometimes I just don’t because I can’t. I subscribe to the do what you can do, it’s better than nothing school of belief
Your fridge looked exactly like mine when I got back. All wine, no food. Hilarious. I do like organic and supporting local but I can’t afford it all the time. So I do it when I can but otherwise, I buy from mainstream grocery stores. Sadly, my wallet needs to be relieved.
This is a really interesting topic – there are some things I refuse to buy, one of them being cheap (aka BATTERY HEN) eggs, and will ALWAYS go free range/organic. But you can’t argue with Superstore being cheap – and I am often of the poor variety, and though we have an Organic food store literally a stone’s throw from where we live, we always make the trip to Superstore and just nip in Organza on the way home for a couple of things
Funny you mention this now when I read another blog post about this woman who cut down her family grocery budget from $400 a month to $185 a month (http://www.thenester.com/2010/07/debt-free-is-beautiful.html). It’s ridiculous how we spend so much money on groceries, and it seems like all the healthy choices (veggies & fruits) can be more expensive than some junk food. I’m determined to change our grocery budget so we can save more money!
My husband and I try to buy locally and organically as much as possible, and yes, it is very expensive. I just bought eggs the other day for $6.99 a dozen!!! I just choose to pay for it, and not think about what I am spending … it makes me feel better to not think about how much it costs! Bad, I know!
We spend WAY too much on groceries. Like sometimes $600-$700 a month. Once we have kids, we will have to re-think it, but right now, we don’t worry.
I realize that I spend WAY too much on groceries. Like an INSANE amount for one person, although, I always seem to have friends stopping by and get-togethers to go to, so I’m constantly making larger batches of things to make and share.
When I’m being really good and in a routine I have certain items I purchase at costco (organic baby spinach, organic baby arugula, organic quinoa, free range eggs– or at least mine had this?!) that were the basic staples of my diet, then I would add cheese from costco (usually non organic, but limited to reg goats cheese, a container of feta) and I hit up the local farmers market type store for all my produce.
I would indulge in way too many specialty items I never would eat up, and waste money. When I see items like almond milk on sale, I buy a few more and keep them in my cupboard. I don’t feel bad for buying the pricer items like greek yogurt or almond butter (also, big jar at costco for cheap!) when I was meal planning and taking lunches to work every day. I’d rather buy a $5 container of yogurt that lasts 5 days then blow $10 on a take out lunch I didn’t really enjoy anyway!
If you want, I can send you the list of items I’d purchase at costco and their prices… produce always lasted at least 10 days, and the pantry basics a month or more
I buy a mixture of regional an organic food. Sometimes this is hard, but on the other hand what does organic mean. Can an apple that has been shipped from Argentina really be labeled organic? Or wouldn’t it be better to buy the apple from the farmer around the corner? For me organic doesn’t only involve the product I’m buying, but also a view of the whole “product-life cycle”. However, I agree with you that organic food is more expensive than “normal” food, but that’s also because it could be considered “rare”.
I completely feel you on this! I try to eat organic and locally grown foods as much as possible. I even signed us up for a CSA this year, but the farm got flooded right before it was time to start getting all the great fruits and veggies, and we didn’t get anything. Sad face.
So we try. It’s hard. And it’s expensive. But it’s important. Glad to hear other people are doing the same thing, too, even though we are all drawn in by the superstore for those deals!
Coming back from vacation is the best time to clean your fridge!
I afford eating organic by choosing what I buy organic. All dairy, some fruits, some veggies, most grains. I know money is really tight when I pull the regular tomato sauce off the shelf instead of the organic. But there are some items I’ve read are least important to buy organic from a health standpoint (like bananas for instance) so I rarely by those organic and put those extra dollars towards the items that are more important to me to buy organic – like apples and yogurt.
Hello I couldn’t help but notice our mention on your blog post. Yes overall organic can cost more, but it all comes down to selection and knowing what foods have the most environmental and self health impact to switch out first. In your selection of foods, you have selected some of the more expensive items (raw organic almond butter), and premade items do have a larger cost that fresh do it yourself products. Check out our blog post to see ways we suggest to shop healthy and save.
Thanks a bunch and have a great day!