Eating and shopping for organic produce, meat and dairy, and even products have become significantly easier in the past decade. While there are a few points that are no longer quite as true as they once were, the expense of organic products can be daunting. This article will provide some handy tips to get around the sticker shock, and help you to make the most of your organic purchases.
Mind Where You Shop and Shop the Sales
You need not visit a specialty store unless that store is a farmer’s market. Large retailers tend to hype the fact that they sell organic produce, but you can now find natural organic products of all sorts in your local grocery store or online. The selection may be spotty in stores, but the prices will definitely be comparable, especially for perishable fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, and dairy. Retailers that have traditionally higher prices will also discount their perishables, but it won’t be nearly as noticeable. Be sure to shop sales, too. When a product such as milk or meat isn’t moving fast enough, stores will often run a spot sale to rotate the items more quickly and prevent loss of revenue.
If your community has a local farmer’s market where individuals dedicated to organic processes sell their wares, it’s advised that you patronize them. For one, you’re supporting members of your community by buying their products. If it is a viable lifeway, veteran farmers will be more inclined to invest in the more intensive organic systems. However, if no one is buying, pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizers are cheap ways to bolster overly intensive farming practices that cost less in the short run.
Meat and dairy are also expensive to raise ethically. In order to ensure that the livestock is treated well, but not given antibiotics, improper diet, or unsustainable living conditions, livestock and dairy farmers must invest in considerably more land, make sure that land is healthy, and engage a regular veterinarian for health checks. While the price tag and overall ecological cost of meat and dairy are higher, especially for organic, humanely raised, and harvested livestock, there is one way to get around this. Eat less meat. The custom of Meatless Mondays is a good way to practice eating less meat fewer times per week, which means you can shop for and enjoy animal products that are well-raised and harvested without breaking the bank.
The other reason to shop at farmer’s markets is somewhat less direct. Much of the non-organic produce is grown in one of several locations and shipped cross-country. However, the same can be said of organic products. Unless it comes from a local or regional farm, which is almost always preferred. This adds up in fossil fuel costs and makes buying organic somewhat moot, given the unsustainable method of transport.
Buy It Frozen
Buying frozen vegetables and fruits that are organic can significantly reduce your costs and help with storage. Frozen vegetables keep for months, whereas many fresh fruits and veggies begin to spoil in around a week. In addition to this, sales are periodically run, making organic frozen vegetables a good investment. This goes for frozen novelties as well, and since everyone needs a treat occasionally, keep your eyes open for discounts and sales on this type of product.
More Than the Food You Eat
Organic applies to many products beyond foods and beverages. While you won’t eat sunblock or laundry detergent, how these products are made, what ingredients they contain, and how they are shipped do matter. For example, laundry detergent and soap or shampoo all end up in the water supply system and must be filtered out at the waste treatment facility, unless your community harvests gray water. In the former case, some chemicals are easier to filter than others which can slip through into the water supply. In the latter case, the gray water, or used shower and household water, is reapplied directly to plants and goes into the water table.
In other cases, topical pain creams and beauty products, vitamins, and other daily-use items are consumed more directly into your body. This is one of those areas in which a little extra vigilance pays for itself. The ingredients in these sometimes more expensive products are not tested on animals, but they are tested to ensure they won’t impact the environment or you. It may seem like a luxury, but it is far from it. Many companies do cut corners at some point, but the price of vigilance and care is apparent and clear for the products that promise to be organic and healthful in every way.
Buying organic can seem daunting at first. However, if you approach it as a process, a habit that can be built and elaborated, it becomes a great deal easier. No one expects you to make the shift overnight. Start with one or two products, shop the organic produce at your local farmer’s market, and begin to read labels. All healthy and beneficial habits start with an intention, and living an organic lifestyle is no exception.
