I agree with the Trader Joe’s and O Organics from Safeway. Another way to save, for your military readers, is to check the commissary (military grocery store). Ours has a very large selection when it comes to organic and natural products - much larger than I expected or even hoped for, since the commissaries often have a reputation of being “behind the times”. If you happen to know someone who has military shopping privileges and wants to go greener on their grocery shopping, tell them to be sure to check there first! I now buy Eggland’s Best, Horizon Organic, Organic Valley and many other products there that I’ve paid a premium for at Safeway in years past.

One last tip that may be of assistance to someone: if you use a lot of spaghetti sauce, weigh the costs of using simple organic tomato sauce (in cans) and adding your own spices or meats, versus buying big jars of organic Ragu and the like. In our case, it has come out to be less to stock up on canned tomato sauce and paste instead of buying the name-brand organic jarred “spaghetti sauce”. Might work for other families too!

Thanks for all you do, Maxine - we love your magazine. Please tell your staff they do a GREAT JOB too!

I too prefer shopping organic. I do wonder how organic brands like O Organics at Vons/Safeway really are… I plan to look into it. Just as Tyson chicken claims to be hormone free and there is a substance used in their feed that is controversial–seen as an antibiotic by some experts, not so by others (http://shawna-thoughts.blogspot.com/2007/11/tyson-foods-lies.html)

And I also have to compromise. Milk for my children is organic, we raise chickens and thus are eggs are free range and free of antibiotics and hormones (organic feed is way to expensive, although once in awhile it gets mixed in) produce is organic or home grown… meat is what kills me: very EXPENSIVE. I look for the most natural as an alternative. Laura’s Lean Beef is hormone and antibiotic free, Tyson’s chicken (although now in question) and whatever I can squeeze into the budget that is natural or organic.

Here is a good post that helps define the differences between organic and natural http://notquitecrunchyparent.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-can-i-eat-green-if-i-dont-know-what.html …hope you enjoy the reading.

Buying local and in bulk can be MUCH cheaper than buying packaged grocery store organics.

Thanks!
Alina Anderson