Spin-off: saving on organics

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Hello so once again with the new year I'm evaluating my spending!

I didn't know what to call it so I just titled it organics. Luckily organic vegetables are more ubiquitous now and you can find them in just about every store. I try to shop on sale.

Where I really struggle is meat. I used to buy organic free range chicken for a good price at Costco, but where they source their chicken is horrible (same farm for organic and non) and has had a couple contamination issues so I won't buy there anymore.

I do buy wild salmon from Costco at a great price.

Any advice on saving on more humanely raised chicken and grass fed beef, etc.? There is a farm about an hour away but it's still very expensive as their cows are not local and there's no abattoir/butcher on site because of the local laws.

 

[Marionnette]

Hello so once again with the new year I'm evaluating my spending!

I didn't know what to call it so I just titled it organics. Luckily organic vegetables are more ubiquitous now and you can find them in just about every store. I try to shop on sale.

Where I really struggle is meat. I used to buy organic free range chicken for a good price at Costco, but where they source their chicken is horrible (same farm for organic and non) and has had a couple contamination issues so I won't buy there anymore.

I do buy wild salmon from Costco at a great price.

Any advice on saving on more humanely raised chicken and grass fed beef, etc.? There is a farm about an hour away but it's still very expensive as their cows are not local and there's no abattoir/butcher on site because of the local laws.

I buy gift cards for Whole Foods when I find them at a good discount (5% or more) on Raise .com. It's not a huge savings but any little bit helps when you're trying to save money.

I also shop at the local farmer's market for some produce and meats. It helps to get to know the butcher because they are willing to set aside certain cuts of meat for me if I let them know what I'll be buying the next next.

 

[megsoro]

Grow it! I find even in my small apartment garden (two by 4 raised boxes) I can grow enough veggies for two. Look up square foot gardening and container gardening. We luck out and get a lot of venison, so we just usually have to purchase chicken and sometimes pork.

 

[msmama]

It's a big chunk of change at one time, but for beef or pork, have you looked into buying a whole (or half) of a cow or pig?

I know people who have gone in together and bought. It often involves driving a ways to actually pick up the meat, but you wouldn't have to go again for a long time. Some people I know actually got to go and pick the actual cow (which is a little too "farm to table" for me, but to each his own).

I also find an extra freezer helpful so I can stock up on chicken I like when the prices are something I'm happy with.

 

[aprilchem]

Hello so once again with the new year I'm evaluating my spending!

I didn't know what to call it so I just titled it organics. Luckily organic vegetables are more ubiquitous now and you can find them in just about every store. I try to shop on sale.

Where I really struggle is meat. I used to buy organic free range chicken for a good price at Costco, but where they source their chicken is horrible (same farm for organic and non) and has had a couple contamination issues so I won't buy there anymore.

I do buy wild salmon from Costco at a great price.

Any advice on saving on more humanely raised chicken and grass fed beef, etc.? There is a farm about an hour away but it's still very expensive as their cows are not local and there's no abattoir/butcher on site because of the local laws.

I buy a half cow and a half pig from a local farm every year. It lasts us the whole year. We don't do chicken much because the cost of free-range, humanely-treated chicken is just too high.

I know that, at least in my area, it was hard to find farms at first because they don't advertise well. Does you state have a Farm Bureau or a "shop local" website or something like that? That's how I located the farms we purchase from.

 

[Colleen27]

We're fortunate to have several local farms around and a couple of meat processors to choose from so the prices for buying direct aren't too terrible. It can be hard to find these places, though, because they're family operations that don't advertise or distribute through local groceries. Check out the bigger farmers' markets in your area or LocalHarvest.org, you might find some farms you aren't already aware of.

Something else to look into when the summer rolls around are your local 4H fairs - meat animals are auctioned off and you can get pretty decent prices on humanely raised meat that way, plus you're supporting a great program in the process.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I have looked into buying while, sides, quarters of cows and pigs with other folks. I live in a townhouse with a small refrigerator/top freezer. Which is normally fine as its just me.

I guess to save money I should look into buying a large freezer for the garage.

Anybody know if these use a lot of electricity or if the outside temperature makes a difference? I live in Florida so my garage gets well up near 100 in the summer.

Do you guys have a small generator or something? With florida thunderstorms, I'd hate to lose $1200 worth of cow lol. Luckily we don't usually lose power too long.

I need to research cost of the freezer and power, etc. since it's not something I have, I may be trading one cost for another.

 

[MOpGrad2013]

In Kentucky and we have the freezer in the garage. We went about 6 months without a freezer. (Big blow to the grocery budget) When we got the new one, the electric bill was not much different. Maybe pennies.

If you have the freeze pretty full and the power goes, you won't lose everything in the first few hours. By keeping it closed, it will stay cold. When your freezer is not full of food, add some water jugs (take a bit out for expansion).

When Hurricane Rita hit us in 2005 and then Gustav/Ike in 2008 (we lived in Louisiana then), our freezer food was still frozen 3 days later. Unfortunately, power didn't come back for 5 days so I did have to toss it. (That's when I needed a generator)

The other tip for storing food in the freezer I want to share is to keep it organized. Uprights are easier because of the shelves, but you have to determine what works for you. Currently in our chest I keep all my ground meats in a wire bin; the pork on one side and beef on the other. Chicken goes in a plastic dish tub that can be lifted out. Our leftover meals, veggies and fruits store in the fridge's freezer.

 

[Ranger111]

In Kentucky and we have the freezer in the garage. We went about 6 months without a freezer. (Big blow to the grocery budget) When we got the new one, the electric bill was not much different. Maybe pennies. <<<SNIP>>>>
The other tip for storing food in the freezer I want to share is to keep it organized. Uprights are easier because of the shelves, but you have to determine what works for you. Currently in our chest I keep all my ground meats in a wire bin; the pork on one side and beef on the other. Chicken goes in a plastic dish tub that can be lifted out. Our leftover meals, veggies and fruits store in the fridge's freezer.

MOpGrad has a great system, it is great because it is mostly the same one I use

But:

1) Most people are not going to be comfortable with buying a whole side of beet, pork, etc. Just the way it is.

2) You can save around 30 percent OR MORE if you find out when your market tends to put "leftovers" in the reduced bin.

Beef, Chicken, pork, all there. Most people are like you, of course, they can't justify spending so much on the organic, so there tends to be more of it leftover.

My local Safeway market carries a wonderful line of humane/organic/chanted over/blessed/otherwise taken care of chicken. But it is significantly higher than the "regular" stuff. But, every few Tuesdays, I make it a point to go there and buy the close-dated packs, which have been put in the reduced section for 30-50 percent off. No big deal. Take it home, pack it in some good freezer bags and freeze it. Organic/Humane for a decent price.

3) We have one of those "fancy stores" -- a Whole Foods wantabe. High prices and they have a butler lead you around and place things in your cart (well, not really but for the prices....) Each week they put "loss leader" types of meat on deep discount that takes them down to normal supermarket non-organic prices. (veggies too, but I grow my own). Check it out. I go in and stock up on $20-$30-$40 worth if that week's sale interests me. But that is all I buy.

 

[tvguy]

Hello so once again with the new year I'm evaluating my spending!

I didn't know what to call it so I just titled it organics. Luckily organic vegetables are more ubiquitous now and you can find them in just about every store. I try to shop on sale.

Where I really struggle is meat. I used to buy organic free range chicken for a good price at Costco, but where they source their chicken is horrible (same farm for organic and non) and has had a couple contamination issues so I won't buy there anymore.

I do buy wild salmon from Costco at a great price.

Any advice on saving on more humanely raised chicken and grass fed beef, etc.? There is a farm about an hour away but it's still very expensive as their cows are not local and there's no abattoir/butcher on site because of the local laws.

As you have already discovered, some companies are all organic, even their non-organic line which is cheaper. With a little detective work, you can find which companies do this.....and hopefully one without the contamination issues.

 

[hsmamato2]

Hello so once again with the new year I'm evaluating my spending!

I didn't know what to call it so I just titled it organics. Luckily organic vegetables are more ubiquitous now and you can find them in just about every store. I try to shop on sale.

Where I really struggle is meat. I used to buy organic free range chicken for a good price at Costco, but where they source their chicken is horrible (same farm for organic and non) and has had a couple contamination issues so I won't buy there anymore.

This is my struggle also.... what do you mean about Costco organic chicken? I've been buying that...... oh no....

 

[aclov]

This is my struggle also.... what do you mean about Costco organic chicken? I've been buying that...... oh no....

Me too buying it at Costco. Do tell!

 

[Saimaeve]

I don't have a Costco membership. Is it worth it? I just moved to an area with them (Never seen one before. But I had heard of them lol) I try to buy organic as often as possible.

I do like Trader Joes and Sprouts. It's slightly more affordable than Whole Foods.

I also troll my local Farmer's Market. I was able to find pasture raised organic meat there for a relatively lowish price.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

This is my struggle also.... what do you mean about Costco organic chicken? I've been buying that...... oh no....

Many of the Costco stores sell Foster Farms both organic and non organic chicken.

They had several voluntary recalls. I have several friends that work in selling equipment to processing plants. As such they have visited just about every facility that processes meat across the country. While having some drinks Costco came up and they all said unequivocally that Foster Farms had the dirtiest facilities they've ever seen.

Now I'm sure they're well within the USDA limits or they'd be out of business. I don't necessarily trust our government given the decisions they've made around our ever increasingly industrialized food.

I did some further reading/research and made the decision not to buy that chicken. I don't think most of it will hurt you (outside the small cases of listeria issues), but it's not where I want my food to come from.

 

[ellone]

Many of the Costco stores sell Foster Farms both organic and non organic chicken.

They had several voluntary recalls. I have several friends that work in selling equipment to processing plants. As such they have visited just about every facility that processes meat across the country. While having some drinks Costco came up and they all said unequivocally that Foster Farms had the dirtiest facilities they've ever seen.

Now I'm sure they're well within the USDA limits or they'd be out of business. I don't necessarily trust our government given the decisions they've made around our ever increasingly industrialized food.

I did some further reading/research and made the decision not to buy that chicken. I don't think most of it will hurt you (outside the small cases of listeria issues), but it's not where I want my food to come from.

They may not be withing USDA limits - they rarely make visits to factory farms.

Some organic milk & eggs aren't even organic by USDA standards - animals should have access to the outdoors and some of the big 'organic' farms do not do that. link

 

[aclov]

I don't have a Costco membership. Is it worth it? I just moved to an area with them (Never seen one before. But I had heard of them lol) I try to buy organic as often as possible. I do like Trader Joes and Sprouts. It's slightly more affordable than Whole Foods. I also troll my local Farmer's Market. I was able to find pasture raised organic meat there for a relatively lowish price.

I was at Costco yesterday and seems like the are adding more organic items which they highlight. I buy organic salad, bananas, eggs, milk

 

[aclov]

I was at Costco yesterday and seems like the are adding more organic items which they highlight. I buy organic salad, bananas, eggs, milk

I was buying Harry's organic oatmeal it's frozen. My DH and I loved it but they don't sell it anymore. If anyone knows where they have it please let me know!

 

[rdevine10]

I have found the most economical way to eat organic chicken is to wait till it goes on sale for 1.99 to 2.50 a pound for a whole chicken. If I get a 6 pound chicken (or two 3 pound chickens) I can get 3 meals out of it. (1 roasted chicken, 1 "leftover" chicken meal (think quesadillas, meat for chicken chilli, meat for chicken salad, we do a chicken & gravy leftover combo, chicken for salads, the possibilities are endless), and then I use the carcass and make bone broth and use 1 cup of left over chicken for.

I have gotten them at whole foods for 1.99 before but our costco sells coleman organic chicken and its 2.50 everyday.

A couple weeks ago our stop and shop had organic meat 25% off. I picked up some boneless chicken breasts, a grass fed organic london broil, some chicken drumsticks and they were out of the ground beef. I got a raincheck for 25% off the organic grassfed ground beef- picked it up last week and bought the max (10 pounds) and it was $5.24 a pound. I was happy about that- as its closer to $7 a pound here now.

Also- I "liked" my local whole foods facebook page to catch all of the one day sale notifications. Im much better at seeing it on facebook then in my email.

HTH

 

[SplashMo]

We bug dairy products at Costco. They are free of growth hormones (not strictly organic)... They are reasonable priced...

 

[mansionmama]

Our Aldi is beginning to have more and more organic choices. New to us today we noticed tortilla chips, steel cut oats, and canned vegetables. They recently added organic ground beef for $5.99- usually the best price around here (NC) is 7.99.