Newsweek has an interesting article about how to shop organic on a budget. It's true that organic produce costs a lot more than non-organic, so it's good to see that some consumer advocates are taking up the issue.
Craig Minowa, environmental scientist with the Organic Consumers Association, has these tips: First, learn to buy big. Many health-food stores have bulk sections, and if you fill a bag with, say, organic cereal, you may end up paying less for it than you would for the nonorganic variety, since you're not paying for packaging costs. Second, form a buying club. If a bunch of people pool their grocery lists, they can often special-order directly with the store, he said, and that, in turn, can lead to much lower costs.
Another path to frugal but healthy shopping is to choose your battles carefully. If you can't afford to fill your entire shopping cart with organic food, you can still feel good about what you buy. Sarah Bratnober, communications director at the Organic Valley Family of Farms, advises following the 80/20 rule-80 percent of the benefits come from 20 percent of the purchases. Think about what your family eats the most of, then go from there. For example, if you have a choice between organic milk and organic mayonnaise, and your kids go through a gallon of milk in a week but only two tablespoons of mayo, go for the milk. Fruits and vegetables are also good choices, especially the ones your family eats lots of. And if you have the option, get into community-supported agriculture, where you own shares in a farm and get a share of whatever it produces.
The article notes that most organic products have the same shelf life as regular products, but that organic breads and pastries don't last as long because they don't have any preservatives. That applies to any fresh-baked products, really. Just put a loaf of Wonder Bread next to a loaf of french sourdough bread from the local bakery and watch the sourdough deteriorate in a few days, while the Wonder Bread remains pristine and plastic-looking. Kind of scary, really.