A Woman on a Mission,
A Mom on a Budget

(How To Go Organic without Going Broke…)

by Shannon Wendt

I’ve always tried to feed my family what I thought was healthy. I’d look for things labeled “Sugar Free,” “Trans Fat Free” or “Natural.” Those all seemed like great things, until I began to look a little closer. I found out that when they say “No Trans Fat,” what they really mean is “Well, maybe if we make the portion small enough we can slip a little partially hydrogenated oil in there and you won’t notice,” or when they say “Natural,” they should really say, “Some of the ingredients are made out of some things that were once upon-a-time part of something that grows,” and “Sugar Free” might really mean that, “We didn’t put refined sugar in here, instead we used highly refined chemicals that may eventually cause cancer.” Truth in labeling, right!

I wanted something safer for my family. I was literally sick of over-processed foods. If it wasn’t one thing it was another. My husband and I both suffer with colds, irregularity, moodiness, headaches, stomach troubles, you name it. That’s when a friend turned me on to organic food.

When I learned about the gold standard of Organic food, I was on a mission. I had visions of Super Mom flying into the health food store and scooping up the best and healthiest foods to save her family from impending doom! But I must admit, my first foray into the world of organic food was a bit overwhelming. I suffered from a bit of sticker shock. I thought, “How am I ever going to balance eating healthy with living on a budget?”

First of all, I realized feeding kids a fresh organic diet is cheaper and much easier then doctor visits and prescriptions. But I’ve also figured out a few ways to make day-to-day organic shopping cheaper.

Cook from Scratch!

A package of organic cookies will cost you at least $3. Baking them yourself will cost much less. Get creative! Make your own bagels, pizza, bread, rice milk, granola, french fries, or whatever other recipe you can find. Look on the internet for the directions and make substitutions with healthy alternatives. You could set some time aside every week to just cook the things you know you’ll need. Make more than you need and freeze things that you can use later.

Work Together

Join a food co-op. Buying things in a group can make it cheaper. You can also start a “Dinner Co-op.” Gather a group of friends, plan a menu of entrées, individually prepare a large quantity of a single entrée (or two), freeze it in meal-sized portions, and then swap. You can do the same thing with your fresh garden vegetables.

Buy in Bulk

You can get things much cheaper from a co-op if you buy by the case. Also buy in bulk when things go on sale at the health food or grocery store. It may seem strange to have twenty jars of tomato sauce in your cupboard, but if it was 50¢ off per can that’s $10!

Clip Coupons

You probably won’t find them in the Sunday paper, but they do exist! There are some websites such as Stonyfield.com and Mambosprouts.com where you can print coupons. You can also write the company and ask for them. Also, look carefully at the box; sometimes coupons are printed right there on (and inside) the packaging.

Join Me on a Healthy Hunt Shopping Trip!

Every month I take shoppers on a mission for healthy food. We go through the where, when, why, and how to go organic, how to read labels, and plan diets rich in all the nutrition we need.

This is your mission if you choose to accept it! To boldly go organic where no budget has gone before!

Shannon Wendt helps families and individuals reach their health goals through her nutrition consulting business, Healthy, Wealthy and Wise Nutrition. She resides in Coopersville. Feel free to call her anytime with questions. (616) 633-5541; e-mail: Shannont007@msn.com