How to Save on Natural Foods

Last Updated on December 6, 2023 by Cathy

Granted eating a diet of natural foods isn’t cheap but don’t let that stop you. Researchers are confirming gut bacteria as a probable cause of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In other words, too many bad bacteria from environmental toxins such as processed foods. Eating natural organic foods takes planning, use these tips on how to save on natural foods.

It’s sad that healthy natural foods have to cost more than processed foods. When you eat non-organic produce you eat poisoned or conventional meats you eat antibiotics and growth hormones. Pesticides cause neurological problems which are bad for those of us with MS. Processed foods can cause obesity, allergies, hormonal problems, acne, heart disease, and cancer. Why would anyone continue to eat processed foods?

I’ve been avoiding processed foods for over thirteen years. It’s gotten a lot more popular today, unfortunately, prices haven’t dropped. But over the many years, I’ve discovered little tricks to save on natural food that I would like to share with you.

Produce

Produce is an easy solution when it comes to saving money. Grow it yourself! Seeds are very cheap and you don’t have to have a huge yard to have a garden. It’s just as easy to grow vegetables in a container, just don’t forget to water them more often. Container gardening is perfect for those who have a hard time bending down or getting back up.

Growing your own herbs costs pennies compared to buying them. They are very easy to grow and don’t take up much room, you can even grow them in your kitchen window year-round.

Farmer markets are a great place to go to. The produce is local, in season, mostly organic, and cheaper than a grocery store. It’s also fun getting out to meet your local farmer, get some fresh air, and get some exercise.

If you have no other options and need to shop at the grocery store there are still some tricks you can do to save money. Produce that’s in season always costs less, even at the grocery store. If possible stock up, chop it up, and freeze it for later.

Buying frozen berries is a lot cheaper than buying fresh ones, it’s even cheaper than at the farmer’s market. Frozen berries are perfect for smoothies or snacking on for a nice little treat.

Meats

Healthy meats are usually the most expensive items on your list. Now that you’re trying to heal you should be eating more vegetables and less meat which will help you save money. Plus, with a little planning, you can cut down the cost of buying meats.

If you have a large freezer, buying meats in bulk will definitely save you lots of money. If you don’t have a freezer there’s no reason to run out and buy one (unless you want to).

Watch for sales from different stores each week and stock up. Learn which days your store clears out older cuts of meats. My grocery store likes to mark the prices down of older meats on Thursdays. Probably for the weekend rush. So I’m there on Thursday mornings when there’s a bigger selection of clearance items.

Pantry Items

A little secret grocery stores don’t like to tell customers is when products do go sell. That is until the day their insert is in the paper. Did you know many stores rotate their sales on pantry items every 5-6 weeks?

Pay attention to when an item goes on sale and buy enough to last until their next sale. If the item sold out, ask for a rain check. Make sure they know you want five or six of those items.

Grocery Stores

Shopping at different stores can save you money. As you learn the prices at one store check out a couple of other stores. See if any of their prices may be lower, even if it’s on a couple of items.

Join their loyalty programs. Yes, they keep track of what you buy but they also send you coupons or rewards on items you’ll use.

I have one store that I shop at the most, I not only get coupons and rewards but I also get discounts on gasoline. I shop at three other stores occasionally, either because it’s cheaper or I can’t get it from the first store.

Coupons

There aren’t as many coupons for natural or organic food but they are out there if you know where to look.

• Check the websites of your favorite brands. Most of them include special deals and coupons like Simply Organic.
• Coupon sites like All Natural Savings or Mambo Sprouts.
• In-store coupons. When you sign up for their loyalty card they’ll mail coupons to your home. You can even load them onto your card from their app.
• Newspaper inserts, are also online and occasionally have organic and natural brand coupons including Coupons.com and Redplum.com.
• Simple Truth is an organic brand that sells products from meats, produce, spices, oils, and many other items.
• Whole Foods also has an app with coupons.
• Online Shopping such as Amazon and Walmart

Online Shopping

Shopping for groceries online is getting more convenient. You can easily order produce and meats online. Many local grocery stores now deliver directly to your home depending on your location and they will still accept coupons. Some grocery stores offer curbside pickup. You order your items online, someone will do your shopping and you go pick them up. Some stores charge a small fee. But, how many times have you gone to the store and walked out spending twice what you planned on – me too?

Here are some options for online shopping depending on your area. There may be a possible membership fee required:

• Amazon Fresh
• Amazon Grocery
• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
• Costco
• Farm Fresh To You
• Fresh Direct
• Full Circle
• Imperfect Foods
• Kroger
• Misfits Markit
• Safeway
• Thrive Market
• Vitacost
• Walmart
  

Budget

Impulse spending is the biggest budget breaker. Don’t go to the store when you are hungry and don’t buy something you’d never buy just because you have a coupon. Make a grocery list and stick to it, that will be the biggest savings.

Now you’re on your way to saving money on natural foods!

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