by Sam Peters

More and more families are turning to organic foods in order to eat healthy and free from synthetic chemicals. The one main downside to this is, of course, the price. Organic produce and meat is significantly more expensive than conventionally raised food. Many families simply cannot afford to eat completely organic, even with helpful financial services like Green Dot prepaid cards no fees and with skimping on other extras like that morning coffee from your favorite coffee house. However, there are ways to reduce the cost of your groceries while delivering excellent organic groceries for your family. Here are your best options:

Farmer’s markets—One of the most tried and true ways to get fresh, local, organic food is to shop at a farmer’s market. Most towns have them and many towns have multiple markets. There are many benefits to farmer’s markets: they’re cheaper, fresh, and more personable than grocery stores. In addition, you’re supporting your local farmers. Plus, you will typically have a lot more options.

Get involved in a CSA (community supported agriculture) program –This setup requires you paying part of a farm’s operating expenses. In exchange, you get weekly fruits and vegetables delivered to your doorstep from a nearby harvest. There are usually multiple payment options and scalable price points.

Join a co-op—Cooperatives are member-owned businesses that offer discounted groceries from local family-run farms. Not only are you supporting local farmers, you’re also nourishing a forward-thinking community. Sites like Cooperative Grocer and LocalHarvest provide localized information for your nearest co-ops.

Join a buying club—Buying clubs typically offer 30%-40% discounts. Many people create small cliques, buy in bulk and then divide the groceries among them, saving money and time. Contact your nearest natural food store for recommendations on good distributors.

Use coupons from newspapers, magazines, and the Internet—Old-school savings for a new generation of shoppers, coupons are still a great way to save some bucks! The newest update to this route is using the Internet and its legion of social media sites. For even more savvy technology users, you can utilize location-based services like FourSquare to try and get great discounts. Become the mayor of a venue and cash in on the information superhighway!

This advice should be financially helpful for all people, but especially moms and dads looking to feed their families healthy food without going over-budget. Look into farmer’s markets, CSAs, co-ops, buying clubs, and coupons. Figure out a shopping game plan.

A word to the wise: it is possible to afford an organic lifestyle.

I was quite excited to get to try Member’s Mark 4X probiotics from Sam’s Club. I have used probiotics for quite a while. I do not even remember how long, but it has been a LONG time. I think that probiotics are so important for good health.

I have tried different brands throughout the years, and have found several that have worked great, and others that have not worked well at all. I can tell a huge difference in the way I feel if I am on probiotics or if I am off of them. Some probiotics that I have taken have felt like I was not taking them at all. So, I have been spending a fortune on probiotics over the past few years. While I strongly believe in probiotics, and am willing to spend the money needed to take them, it has been expensive.

I was quite excited to be trying Member’s Mark 4X probiotics because I have heard from a friend that it works well, and it is relatively inexpensive! I replaced the probiotics that I had been taking with Member’s Mark 4X probiotics for the the past two weeks. AND, I am quite excited to say that I was very pleased with the results! The probiotics worked great!

When I am not on probiotics, I have all sorts of stomach issues, and I just don’t feel well. However, when I was taking Member’s Mark 4x Probiotics, I felt great over the past two weeks.

I had my eldest daughter and husband replace their probiotics with Member’s Mark 4X probiotics as well, and they were pleased with the results as well.

None of us felt any different than we felt using the more expensive probiotics that we had been using. I am quite excited to have found a less expensive yet just as effective probiotic for my family to take!

You can read more about my reasons for taking probiotics in this post.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my own and have not been reviewed by anyone else.

While I would love to say that I always give my kids nutritious, fresh, raw & made from scratch foods . . . sometimes life comes up (being on bedrest etc.) & I have to go for convenience foods. Here are some organic snacks that Mariana recommends. While I have not tried many of these since I prefer to make my own or just go with some fruit, veggies or nuts . . . here are some alternatives that are healthier than their non organic counterparts.

Healthy Living: Top 3 Organic After School Snacks 

Let’s face it: the organic food industry sometimes takes advantage of the environmentally concerned consumer. No doubt, organically grown food has its benefits, as do different types of locally grown produce and veggies. The key to successful, practical (organic and healthy food) grocery shopping: be selective!  If you’re on a tough budget, you may not be able to buy everything organic. Instead, look for the must-haves, in terms of normal pesticide content, nutrition content, and of course price range! Some foods are known to have higher contents of pesticides than others (when grown in large scale industrial farms) such as strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, peaches, and apples. You may want to shop organic for those!

What do you do when you have some hungry kids after school is out? In my opinion, it is best to splurge a bit on the snacks! You can find some cheap options as well.  Here are some of my favorites, which are both affordable and absolutely DELICIOUS!

Amy’s Pizza Snacks:

Amy’s is my favorite brand for both organic and vegetarian options. She offers a variety of breakfast foods, homemade meals, and SNACKS. My kids adore her pizza snacks, and I don’t feel guilty giving them these! Made with organic wheat, skim milk, organic tomato paste, and even organic honey, each box of Amy’s pizza snacks doesn’t come with too hefty of a price tag! You can usually get a box for less than $4 or $5! They come in three different varieties: cheese pizza, spinach pizza, and nacho snacks. You can also use these as appetizers for your friends during cocktail parties or group happy hours! They are sure to attract a lot of positive attention!

Tasty Brand Snacks REALLY ARE TASTY!

One of my favorite snacks as a kid: fruit snacks. I loved Gushers, Fruit Rollups, and any cartoon shaped bag of preservatives I could get my hands on. Organic wasn’t that common just a decade ago! Now, I can feel better about my kids eating these great snacks after school! Tasty Fruit Snacks come in three different varieties, and each box is only marginally more expensive than regular fruit snacks.

EnviroKidz: Help Your Kids Eat Healthy and Be Environmentally Conscious!

EnviroKidz Panda Puffs are one of my kids favorite cereals! They often want a bowl of cereal or just dry cereal when they come home from school. This cereal is organic, made from corn, and has a delicious peanut butter coating! Get it for your kids online or at a supermarket today!

By-line:

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online college. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.