Hey guys!
Back from our errands today :) Whew. We went to this farm shop, but it was closed so that was a bit disappointing! I’ll have to go another day. We went into town and got some great goodies:
The loot: bottom, left to right
- Organic Kale (my first time trying!!)
- Avacado
- Lemon, Choco, Key Lime Larabars
- Organic Red Lentils
- Butternut Squash
- Hummus
- Raincoast Trading Skinless Boneless Salmon
- Organic Baby Carrots
- Organic Grape tomatoes
- canned pumpkin
- Eden Organic Quinoa
- Organic Romaine
- Almond Breeze Milk
- Health Valley Spelt Cereal
- Tofurkey
- Organic Broccoli
- 2 cukes
- Organic Bananas
- Organic baby spinach
- organic gala apples
Plus Eric got some of his ‘eats’ (not shown). We got our order for about $100 bucks, which is usually the norm for both of us on Sundays. We usually spend another $10-15 mid-week on food we run out of. We don’t buy any lunches or dinners out so we allow ourselves to splurge when it comes to grocery shopping. Many of our coworkers spend about $10-20 per lunch, 5 days a week! I can’t imagine doing that. They also buy coffee 1-2 times day which we never do.
I am always asked the question about how to afford buying organic, and I think a big part of it is just choosing consciously what you want to spend your money on.
Would you rather buy your lunch and order pizza once a week or invest in quality food to last through the week? The choice is personal, but one that can be made consciously if you stop and look where your money is going.
Of course we do go out for dinner now and then, don’t get me wrong- for special occasions, like birthdays and whatnot. But it’s not the norm. It used to be when we were in university (time and space was limited), but not now that we have a fully equipped kitchen. I enjoy preparing food almost (almost!) as much as eating it, so that helps too.
Buying organic whole foods, has also made us cut corners a bit in other areas of our lives. For me, it was shopping. I used to spend my money quite frivolously on clothing, but not anymore!
Do you make a conscious effort to buy organic, or other specialty foods (vegan, gluten free, etc)? Why or why not?
Have you had to find ways to cut back and save in other areas of your life? Did you learn any money saving tips in the process?
Last year when Eric and I got engaged, we put ourselves on a huge budget overhaul. We started tracking every single penny that we spent and we wrote it down on the fridge. Each week we would tally up how much we spent, and try to cut back a bit more each week. This goal included absolutely everything from food to entertainment to clothing. If we were around $80-90 by the end of the week we considered it a success. We started renting movies instead of going out to one, and often opting out of buying a new clothing item or gadget just because we wanted to.
The thing that really gets us now is our gas bill! Commuting to and from work is a huge expense for us now. We probably spend about $80-100 in gas alone per week! Ouch!
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Stay tuned tonight for a super Goddess-filled healthy post:
- My first attempt at a Goddess drink
- My experience with weight gain in university and my advice to fellow students
- Quotes
- Pictures
- Fun!
By the way- check out this awesome review by Diana of my Flax & Oat Breakfast Power Muffins! mmmmm looks great Diana!
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Most success springs from an obstacle or failure. I became a cartoonist largely because I failed in my goal of becoming a successful executive.
~Scott Adams
I love that brand of hummus, it’s so creamy! And they have so many great flavours too.
Ever since you mentioned the Raincoast salmon in your kitchen tour videos I’ve wanted to buy it but it’s SO much more expensive than the other typical grocery store brands, I just don’t know if I can justify it! I think I might have to give it a try once as a “treat” though. I’m so curious!
LARABARS!!!!!!! :-D
Since I’m allergic to wheat/gluten and soy (and am a vegan), I HAVE to make an effort to buy products that fit those guidelines.
looks like a successful trip!
Am I the only one that doesnt like Lara Bars?
Kelly Turner
www.everygymsnightmare.com
My husband and I spend a lot on groceries eat week (we eat a lot of meat, and we only buy organic/grass-fed) but I think it is worth the splurge. We like to eat, we like to cook, and it feels good to be eating good meals. Especially at our age (I’m 23) – we eat so much better than our peers.
I don’t necessarily make an effort to buy organic produce (if it’s on sale I’ll choose it over the not-organic stuff) but I do make an effort to buy environmentally friendly cleaning products and use makeup/body cleansers/facial products that are not tested on animals. I figure mascara and toilet bowl cleaner has been around for a long time – there is no justifiable reason to test on animals for such products at this point.
I’m sooo glad you liked the review! I had fun testing and reviewing the recipe!
I don’t always make an effort to buy Organic. Like Jen said above me – if it is on sale I will choose it over the non organic but as a rule I don’t. Probably mostly because of the price and also I find the selection isn’t huge. I should probably make more of an effort.
GREAT buys! and thanks for the link to the muffins! I need to try them out, Im thinking of adding blueberries to them! :)
hey there! i’m new around here and came across your blog and could not agree with you more about the whole eating out thing!! I am a junior in college and make nearly ALL of my meals myself in my apartment, or take a lunch with me to campus rather than paying ridiculous prices for very mediocre food. I’d also love to hear your advice for college students! i’m adding you to the blogroll :-) have a great night!
I see you bought Almond Breeze. I just got a carton, but have never had it before. What’s your opinion on it? Thanks.
i do the dirty dozen usually, but I do conventionally grown produce when it’s on sale, as I’m not in the financial situation to do otherwise! organic doesn’t necessarily mean “healthy”, so I definitely look at more than just that label before buying anything…
I totally agree with your philosophy. We don’t cut back on what we spend at the grocery store, and try not to eat out unless necessary. But gas is a killer. When gas was close to $4/gal we spent over $1000 one month on gas alone! Argh. We drive way too much! But hopefully that’s all changing soon!
After watching ur pantry and fridge videos, I started getting organic pantry items, like cereals, larabar(I loooove it!!!), eziekel bread, etc..
and honestly, I already feel the positive change in my body. I feel much lighter and healthier.i dono if its only a psychologic thing :) but am happy that i made this switch and dragged my husband in it as well. I even started reading the labels more consciously.
Concerning the produce, i dont think we can make the change now since we cook very complicated indian, pakistani and moroccan meals and that requires a loootta produce. so we’ll see in the future how to cut back in some corners to start buying organic produce.
I hope u’ll be able to work out soon :)
At this point I can’t afford to buy everything organic, but I try to focus on organic produce, and we do splurge on other health foods like Larabars, etc. We vigilantly keep track of our grocery budget and that really helps so I don’t buy unnecessary stuff at the store (magazines, etc). I’d rather invest the money in my health!
Your grocery shopping looks great…I think there is a lot of money to be saved when meat isn’t purchased. We’re working on that in our house!
Can’t wait to try those muffins this week!