Organic food on food budget

[dulaney0330]

I am getting married and I will have a food budget.

Ideally, I would buy all organic food but it would be too expensive. My question is what are the best, most necessary organic foods if you are on a food budget?

Thanks!

[Indiana]

Fruit and vegetables where you eat the skin are the most important - tomatoes, peppers, apples, peaches and nectarines, etc. Bananas, sweet potato or oranges or nuts and seeds, where you peel the skins, are not so bad. Meat, eggs and dairy, you can possibly look to aim for free-range instead of wholly organic, and keep it to a minimum.

Is there any possibility you would be able to grow some of your own for your wedding? If you are planning six months in advance or more, then you may be able to grow sufficient quantities of herbs (which can be very expensive for size) or leafy greens yourself (rocket is particularly easy to grow if you are having a summer wedding). You might imagine needing huge quantities, but it's only for one meal, so it's probably less than you think.

[Inthon]

Are you planning an organic wedding or does your marriage have nothing to do with this?

Organic veggies are relatively cheap, the only expensive organic food is usually free-range organic meat.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by Indiana

Fruit and vegetables where you eat the skin are the most important - tomatoes, peppers, apples, peaches and nectarines, etc. Bananas, sweet potato or oranges or nuts and seeds, where you peel the skins, are not so bad. Meat, eggs and dairy, you can possibly look to aim for free-range instead of wholly organic, and keep it to a minimum.

Is there any possibility you would be able to grow some of your own for your wedding? If you are planning six months in advance or more, then you may be able to grow sufficient quantities of herbs (which can be very expensive for size) or leafy greens yourself (rocket is particularly easy to grow if you are having a summer wedding). You might imagine needing huge quantities, but it's only for one meal, so it's probably less than you think.

I am getting married in 2 weeks and I will be living in a 3rd level apartment.

Thanks for the list! I would like to have apples, tomatoes and sauce, cereal, bread, and soup all organic. Preferably, I would like milk, eggs, and cheese but I have found these items to be extremely expensive compared to non organic.

Thanks again.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by Inthon

Organic veggies are relatively cheap, the only expensive organic food is usually free-range organic meat.

I included my wedding simply because it was an event in my life that needs planning with the food budget!

Very true. I will have to remember that. The organic milk is very expensive.

[Michelle]

First, when buying organic it pays to shop around. Try to buy fresh foods directly from a local farm. You can often save a lot. There are so many benefits in getting to know local farmers, beekeepers, etc.

Seconds, prioritize your budget. Buy the organic foods which pack the greatest punch for their money. This may depend upon where you live. You can find lists of fruits and veggies where buying organic is of greatest importance. Organic fruits and vegetables were shown to have 40% more antioxidants than conventionally grown, for milk it was even a 60% increase.

Personally, I spend a lump of my food budget the beginning of each month stocking up on staples. I buy 15 liters of organic rice milk (it is naturally sweet so you don't need sugar in your coffee), a big jar of organic peanut or walnut butter (no sugar or salt added), nuts, fruit jam made without sugar, whole spelt flour, and organic cleaning supplies (like phosphate free dishwasher tabs). Then I use the rest of the budget to buy fresh foods during the month. You'll have to experiment a bit to see how to get the best value for your money where you are.

[Lisa McGregor]

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful day.
Congratulations.

L