« This September Was a GOOD Month for the S&P 500 Index! | Main | Fun Math: How to Calculate Returns Using Monthly Data »
From the Motley Fool: The Cost of Going Organic
By JLP | October 1, 2007
Here’s an interesting article from the Motley Fool: The Cost of Going Organic. In the article, the author suggests some ways to cut down on the expense of going organic.
Her suggestions:
1. Find your nearest CSA (community sponsored agriculture) program.
2. Learn how to cook.
3. Go late to the farmer’s market.
4. Preserve.
5. Think seasonally.
6. Cooperate.
7. Turn your thumb green.
My only problem with these suggestions is that most of them are too time-consuming! So, I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with paying through the nose at the grocery store.
Topics: Budgeting | 3 Comments »
October 1st, 2007 at 9:48 pm
preserving doesn’t have to be time consuming. if you have a stand alone freezer, you can preserve via freezing. I do this a lot, because canning is a pain and I don’t have a pressure canner, so it’s even more of a pain.
I guess I am at a loss as to how most of these are time consuming. I get that gardening (7) and preserving could be time consuming, or even, possibly going to the farmers market (though I don’t find it so). Finding a CSA can be done online with relative ease, cooking is something you do anyway, thinking seasonally isn’t time consuming, and neither is cooperating (you could accomplish the same thing she suggests by forming a group of friends to buy in bulk).
And, by the way, she missed a big one. If you can find a local source of organic meat, you can save huge amounts over grocery store prices. For example, I am an incredibly fortunate individual in that I am not too far from Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm (see the Omnivore’s Dilemma and other stuff). I buy my meat directly from Joel, which cuts the price significantly. I cut the price even more by buying in bulk – in this case, three friends and I are splitting a whole steer, and two friends and I are splitting a whole hog. Anyway, the point is that if you can find a local source, you can buy directly from them and save a good bit.
October 2nd, 2007 at 8:16 am
It may be time consuming but after investing a good number of hours, you will become a more efficient cook and preserving will save you some time in the store during the winter. A front-load of hours in the beginning will give you a better economic return in the end. Suck it up and learn how to cook and buy real food!
October 4th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
One easy way to eat more fresh vegetables is to learn how to sprout seeds. Alfalfa, mung bean, and many other varieties can be grown anywhere you have water. (the white bean sprouts you see in asian markets etc. are grown in complete darkness!) It’s less time consuming than gardening, and works every time. Some dieticians now recommend eating sprouts and organic vegetables to encourage growth of flora in your stomach, improving your ability to break down foods easily.