How to Eat Organic on a Budget

I do my best to eat organic foods, especially produce, when I can. Besides the supposed health benefits, I believe that it's what's best for the planet as well.

Some friends and family are interested in doing the same, but say that it's expensive.

That's not true. You can easily make the switch to eating more organic foods and not break your budget or totally change your lifestyle.

Here are some easy ways:

Join your local CSA.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. To sum it up quickly, you pay to become a member and get a weekly "share" of fresh produce, meats and cheeses (depending on your CSA) from a local farm.

The benefit of this is that you have a better connection with your food and community. You can find how the farmer grows the food and treats his cattle. It also cuts down on the travel distance of the food as well. All good for you and the planet.

The upfront cost of the CSA might seem like a lot. If you average it out week by week, it's totally worth it. Plus ask if you can work out a payment plan. Most CSAs are flexible.

To find a CSA close to you, check out LocalHarvest.org.

Grow your own produce.

This might seem radical, but it's not as difficult as it sounds. I did it myself and am doing some urban gardening.

I have no experience in gardening and read about a half a book on it. I just decided to do it to help reduce my food bills. It's worked so far. About a month into planting, I've been able to get about 3-4 salads and most of my plants haven't begun to produce.

Space shouldn't dictate your decision to grow. I'm growing vegetables on the fire escape of my Manhattan apartment and in my Grandmother's backyard in Brooklyn. You can grow anywhere. It's just a matter of how much.

TreeHugger recently spotlighted some interesting container gardening options for small spaces as well.

What's the worst that can happen?

Join your local food co-op.

This is something that I've considered doing for a while, but haven't yet. I know of people that have and simply rave about it.

Again, these usually have deals with local farmers to keep thing local.

At a food co-op, you pay a small annual fee to become a member. As part of your membership, you get a discount on your purchases.

The amount of the discount usually depends on how many shifts you work at the co-op. If you don't work any, you get a smaller discount. The more you work, the larger the discount.

At my local co-op, if you work 2 hours a week, you get a 20% discount on your purchases. If you are a member and don't work any shifts, you get an 8% discount. There are other levels in between. Point being that you get a discount.

To find a food co-op close to you, check out the co-op directory.

There are definitely other ways to help you incorporate more organic foods into your daily life, but these are a good starting point. They also won't cause a drastic change in your current daily routine.