Organic is too Expensive for Me! 12 Creative Ways to Save Money AND Eat Sustainably
In this final part of my series on conventional vs. organic farming, we are concluding with a vital topic: the affordability of organic food. Maybe you want to buy more organic, but you fear that it would be too expensive for you. I get you – because I’m still a student and have a tight budget myself! Here, you’ll learn how to save money while food shopping and how to make healthy, sustainably produced food affordable to yourself in creative ways. Also, you’ll discover how I’m able to buy organic food, while spending half the amount of money on groceries than the average German does.
1. Buy only what you need
We’ve all probably experienced this: you go into the supermarket (maybe even hungry – very bad idea!) and have no clear idea of what you need. You take what’s appealing to you at the moment, buying this and that – and end up with loads of junkfood and things you actually didn’t need in your shopping cart.
What about this more time-efficient & money-saving alternative: meal planning. Think through the week ahead and ask yourself what you’re going to cook each day. Then write down all the ingredients you need to buy. And then stick to your list! Of course, you can still buy something spontenously when you see it and think you might need it. But try to stick to your list as much as possible.
This method not only saves you money & time, but also helps you avoid food waste.
2. Avoid food waste
This is really a major thing to work on considering that today, around 30-50% of food that is produced is wasted! In this way, the average UK household wastes 620€ per year (or 52€ per month). What’s more is that food that ends up in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is nearly 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Even Jesus talked about food waste (John 6, 12), so it must be really important 😉
Meal planning helps a lot to avoid food waste & save money. Regularly checking your fridge, freezer and shelves is also a good way to keep track of what you must use up soon.
Next, knowing and extending the shelf life of food will also save many groceries from a pitiful destiny.
Often, people discard food that is actually still good to eat! For example, chocolate will hardly ever go bad. Yet, in the UK 700 000 bars of chocolate are thrown in the bin EVERY DAY. The whitish film that can sometimes develop on chocolate in hot environments is not harmful at all – it’s just cocoa butter separating from the chocolate.
Rule of thumb: if it still smells, looks and tastes normal, then it’s ok to eat, regardless of the “best by” date.
In Germany, around 500 000 tons of bread are wasted every year (that’s 10% of the total production!). Yet bread can very easily be reused in many ways. Here are just two ideas of what to do with old bread: cheese soufflé and “poor knights“.
To extend the shelf life of perishable fruits and vegetables, you can make pickles, jams, chutneys… And there are so many creative ways to use leftovers from meals. The easiest thing to do is to freeze them! Really, nothing needs to be wasted. Find more inspiration here.
3. Buy in bulk
Buying in bulk is cheaper per unit – makes sense, doesn’t it? Also, it avoids some packaging! Maybe you can even spot a zero-waste store, where you can go completely without packaging. Or drive to your favourite farmer and bulk buy groceries for months ahead.
Some things to buy in bulk include unperishable groceries like flour, cereals, noodles, spices, salt, canned groceries…
4. Drink water 🙂
Tap water is cheap & healthy. Getting rid of soft-drinks, juices or bottled water will not only save you a lot of money, but also be good for our environment. Plastic is a huge environmental problem, and recycling is not the ultimate solution (both producing, transporting and recycling the bottles requires energy).
If tap water is not safe to drink in your area, you can install a water filter.
5. Reduce junk food
Again: good for your wallet, good for the environment and good your health. Junk food and processed foods are more expensive, come with plastic packaging and are major contributors to obesity and other illnesses.
Try to replace junk food with healthy snacks, such as nuts, fruits and vegetables. But do reduce snacks if you want to save money AND eat sustainably.
6. Smart breakfast
In order to have a good & healthy start into the day, breakfast is the most important meal you can eat. But it doesn’t have to be an expensive meal, even if it’s organic!
My favourite is oatmal or porridge. I always buy oats in bulk, either at an organic zero-waste store in town or by ordering them online. This makes a cheap, but healthy, protein- and mineral-rich and incredibly versatile basis for breakfast. Porridge can be varied very creatively through fresh or frozen fruits (depending on the season), spices like cinnamon and vanilla, nuts, dried fruits, cocoa.. anything you can think of!
7. Volunteer
If money is a problem for you, but not time, maybe you can volunteer at a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or other farm and get free food in return. That’s what I did in my first year at university. Along with a friend, we asked a local CSA-farmer if we could work instead of pay for our share of vegetables. We worked on the farm two to three days a month (which was also a welcome break from sitting & studying all day). Many farmers will appreciate help more than money, especially during the more intense times of harvest.
Of course, this is not possible for everyone. But if you have plenty of time, it’s a great way to get to know your farmer, excercise, save money AND eath sustainably all at once! Definitely recommend it 😉
8. Use advantages wisely
What I did in the following year was that I often ate at our student canteen (to have more time for my many activities outside university). These canteens are subsidised, which makes the food there very cheap and affordable. Of course, the food there is largely not organic, very sadly (though they have many vegetarian and vegan options!). But eating at the canteen helped me make room in my budget to buy organic food.
If you are in a position to take advantage of such a canteen – do it, and use the money you saved there to invest it in quality organic groceries you eat at home.
9. Save time
If, on the other hand, you do not struggle so much with money, but have little time to cook quality, organic meals, here’s another idea. Look for someone who is cooking for multiple households delivering meals. I have a friend who gets meals delivered by a neighbour in her own, reusable containers. Perfect for those who have a very tight schedule!
10. Food sharing
The concept of foodsharing has been quite revolutionary and money-saving for me. Basically, foodsharing is about bringing groceries that have reached their best-by date from supermarkets to a public place where anyone can take whatever they want, in order to avoid food waste.
Foodsharing is a German platform, whereas Flashfood and Olio are similar concepts in the English-speaking world. No food more sustainable and cheap than that which is saved from the landfill!
11. Eat less animal products and more fruits & veggies
By far the most expensive groceries you can buy are animal products: meat, dairy, eggs. Cutting down on these really makes a huge difference to your wallet! And again, it’s also good for the environment & your health.
The German Nutrition Society recommends a weekly intake of 300 to 600 grams of meat per person. At 600 g per week, this would equal a yearly intake of 31,8 kg (while the average German eats 70 kg per year – and Americans even 100 kg per year!).
As you cut down on animal products & processed foods, you will inevitably start to eat more fruits & vegetables. So, eat A LOT of fruits & vegetables. These are the healthiest foods, and often the cheapest ones, too.
12. Make time
Finally, if we’re honest, the reason why often spend more on groceries and eat unhealthy is that we don’t make the time for cooking real food. It’s convenient to eat out at fast-food stalls and buy processed, ready-to-eat meals. Which is totally alright to do sometimes, as long as it doesn’t become the norm.
Why not make the norm to buy real, fresh and unprocessed groceries and make time to cook real food? And source this fresh produce from a farmer’s market if you can! Farmer’s markets are sometimes even cheaper than supermarkets and are simply a joy to stroll through. Find enjoyment in the process, get your family involved in it, indulge in all the smells and colours.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to spend hours in the kitchen every day. What I like to do is to cook for several days in advance or take out meals from my freezer when I don’t have enough time (from whenever I cooked too much or needed to “get rid” of some groceries). On the weekends, I usually take more time to cook, often together with friends.
Because cooking with real, unprocessed groceries is also the cheapest way of cooking.
It doesn’t always work perfectly for me. Sometimes I rush, sometimes I’m stressed. But I love the idea of finding enjoyment in cooking and connecting with our farmers and our land through the process.
Finally, we do all need some slowing down in our lives, don’t we?
Try, try, try
I hope these 12 ways to save money AND eat sustainably were useful to you! Isn’t it interesting to notice that many things which are good for your wallet are at the same time good for the environment and your health?
Finally, remember that food is precious. It’a gift from nature and the result of hard labour. Value your food & farmers by paying a fair price for it. And value nature by choosing sustainably produced food.
Of course, everyone has their own unique situation. Some people struggle more, some struggle less financially. I hope these tips will help you make space for more organic in your budget. But if you cannot buy 100% organic all the time – don’t feel guilty! You don’t have to carry all the weight of the world on your shoulders. I certainly don’t buy organic all the time.
What’s important is that more and more people come to understand the connection between people and nature. Because ultimately, our well-being and the well-being of nature are inseparable. Let’s spread this news as much as we can – in our thoughts, words & actions!
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