What could be better than fresh, wholesome, organic fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products? Everyone loves organic food. It is free of chemicals, toxins and pollutants and tastes great. The only thing keeping you from going in for organic produce might be the cost. Undoubtedly, organic foods cost a few dollars more than its non-organic counterparts. Here are a few tips to help you buy organic food without going broke.

• Check out your options. Supermarkets are not the only place from where you can buy organic produce. They are also available at local health food stores, co-ops, farmers markets and even online. Just type in your state and the term “organic” into any search engine and see what information the internet has to offer. Several websites like Organic Kitchen offer plentiful information on organic produce and sources in your locality. You can even buy products online at a reasonable price and have them sent to you.

• Join a co-op in your locality. Co-ops usually offer a wide variety of organic products. By buying a membership in a co-op, you can avail of is products, lending libraries, discounts and coupons. You can even get additional discounts on your purchases by volunteering to do some work in the co-op.

• Buy produce from farmers markets. You can get fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms. If you are not sure that the product is organic, you can ask the farmers. If you like, you can go in for products which have not been taken to conventional supermarkets because of defects in color and shape. They come at a lower price and are just as tasty.

• Join community supported agricultural programs (CSA). The money you invest will contribute towards the expenses of the local farms and in exchange, you get boxes of farm fresh fruits and vegetables. It would be a good idea to split the costs and the produce with friends. There are several buying clubs where members pool in to buy organic food in bulk and then split the stash. That way you will be able to get good discounts since buying in bulk is cheaper than buying small quantities.

• Buy and store foods when they are in season. Fruits and vegetables are much cheaper when they are in season than when they are off season. Buy organic produce at the peak of the in season so that you get good bargains. If you buy from farmers markets, do not hesitate to haggle for lower prices. Buy in bulk and store the foods in the freezer so that you can use them when they are off season. Organic foods will last for up to 6 months if frozen. Frozen corn, peas, peaches etc taste just as good as fresh ones. It is a good idea to learn preservation techniques like canning, pickling or drying fruits and vegetables. That way, you will be able to use the fresh produce when they are in season and use the preserves when fresh produce is off season.

• Check out discounts at your local supermarkets and health stores. You can clip coupons from newspapers, store fliers and even get them online. Sites like Stonyfield Farm, Mambosprouts and Organic Valley offer discount coupons on organic produce. Check out if these coupons can be used at your local super markets before you download them.

• Cut down on junk food and use the money that you save to buy organic foods.

• The best way to eat healthy, cheap organic food is of course to grow them yourself. It doesn’t take an experienced farmer to start a kitchen garden. You can grow your own carrots, beans, pumpkins and so on.

So much for organic food, what about name brand foods? How can you get them at a lower price? The answer is coupons, coupons and more coupons! Your Sunday newspaper is bound to have coupons offering discounts on name brand foods so, make good use of them. While clipping coupons, you ought to avoid those that offer discounts on junk food. Grab offers like “buy one, get one free”. They are good bargains. While shopping, choose stores that offer good coupon policies. Some stores have double or even triple coupon sales where you can double or triple the value of your coupon. If you are lucky enough, you may even be able to get your favorite brand of food for free. You can also call up manufactures and ask for coupons. Many will be glad to send you their coupons. You can use them in tandem with store coupons to get a great bargain. The internet has also become a big source of coupons. Here are a few sites that offer printable coupons.

SmartSource.com
RetailMeNot.com
Coolsavings.com
Ppgazette.com
Coupons.com
Couponmom.com
Couponcabin.com

Sites such as thecouponclippers.com, grocerycoupons.com, and centsoff.com clip the coupons from newspaper inserts and mail them to you for a price. Before you choose to get a coupon from such sites, make sure that the discount you get outweighs the cost of service. Some stores do not accept internet coupons so before you print your coupons make sure that your store accepts internet coupons.

Some time spent on clipping coupons can save you a bundle while shopping for your favorite brand of food.

Related Link: Is using coupons really worth it?