I'm a fairly natural kind of girl. I make my own laundry soap, I use vinegar to clean almost everything. I use a lot of Burt's Bees products. I read lots of eco friendly blogs and watch lots of eco friendly shows. I'm pretty educated on the subject. Heck I even have a few all natural boards on Pinterest. I'm not doing that bad, right?
Wrong.
This week I had a realization that while I may know about the harmful effects of pesticides, GMOs, harsh chemicals, etc., I'm doing a pretty poor job of actually applying that knowledge to my life. Especially in my diet.
Case in point: I won't let any kind of chemical near my garden, but I don't regularly buy any organic produce. What??? I'm pretty sure this is called being a hypocrite.
The problem is I'm cheap. You see I use all the inexpensive natural products such as vinegar, baking soda, witch hazel, etc, but when it comes to actually spending more for something, my pocketbook tends to win.
This has me in a constant struggle of values (saving money vs. being healthy) and I usually go back and forth or try to compromise.
Well lately I've become fed up with it all and just decided to bite the bullet and spend more on real whole chemical free foods (when I can) because it's just so important! It was easier to ignore before I became a mother, but I just can't feed him food that is full of pesticides anymore with a clear conscience.
I'm attempting to do this and stay within a reasonable budget (which is undetermined at this point). Some things I'm doing to save money are:
1. Buy whole organic foods in bulk.
I made my first Azure Standard order today and I'm really excited!
2. Cook from scratch as much as possible.
3. Make the Dirty Dozen produce list a priority.
4. Utilize all of the cheaper natural products as much as possible such as vinegar, oats, baking soda etc.
5. Grow my own food.
I'm trying to take this one step at a time and not become overwhelmed or legalistic about it, which is so hard!
Any tips or advice for me as we delve deeper into a more organic lifestyle? Is there anything in your diet that you would like to change?
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From The Farm Blog Hop
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Great post, and it hits close to home for me as well. I'd love to eat all organic, but around here the prices are insane. My only suggestion would be looking locally for foods. A lot of sellers at farmers markets my not be certified organic, but they may still grow their foods without pesticides, etc. Most people also say it's more affordable than grocery store prices!
ReplyDeleteYes I love buying local. Now that everything is coming into season I'm trying to buy most of my produce locally. I also buy our eggs and honey locally. I will have to look into local meat as well. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWe've been going all-organic and actually use Azure Standard as well, but for a family of nine we're really feeling the financial strain and we're not sure how long we can keep it up.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how hard that must be! I hope you can keep it up!
DeleteI followed your blog here from a post you made on another blog...hope you don't mind me popping by. :) I too am in a quest to feed my family healthier and have less of a hard time shelling out the money for better quality organic food than my husband does. Maybe this will help you as it did me when I heard it...we can spend a little more now to be healthy by buying organic or we can pay the price later in medical bills and the like in the future when we most likely will become ill in someway from eating all the pesticides and GMO and processed foods! When I heard this something clicked with me and I no longer struggle with the cost as I used to. I just feel the higher prices are an investment into my family that will save us ( money and health) in the future! :) But I do think the steps you listed above are excellent starting points! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAs I get into buying organic more I think it will be easier. It's just hard to change everything all at once. Thanks for the encouragement!
DeleteHi Missy! I have been a silent follower that finally subscribed to your blog permanently today. I feel as though I am in the same boat as you. We just purchased our first home and it came with a beautiful raised garden. You would think it would be planted to the brim right now, but alas it sits untouched. It is a real goal to have a full functioning garden next year. You said in your post you enjoy reading and watching eco friendly blogs and shows. Would you mind sharing a few of your all time favorites?
ReplyDeleteWelcome Kay! Some of my fav blogs on frugal, natural living are: Hickory Holler Farm, Little House on the Prairie Living, Homestead Blessings and I love following the Homestead Barn Hop each week. All the natural living shows I watch are British and available for free on youtube. My favs are: River Cottage, The Edible Garden, Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm and Wartime Farm. I hope this helps! :)
DeleteHi there, I just wrote a blog post today about the pitfalls of buying organic food - might be worth a read before you embark on your organic journey! http://www.ecothriftyliving.com/2013/06/the-problem-with-organic-foods.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link. I will check it out!
DeleteOne thing that has helped me keep food bills down is being willing to substitute one type of food for a similar one, buying the one that's least expensive in an organic/natural/local version. For example, we use kale instead of spinach a lot of the time, and we make these burritos using whatever yellow/orange squishy vegetable is available.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on your journey! Over time you'll probably find it easier to resist buying cheap unhealthy foods because they'll make you feel gross--or, better yet, your child will make faces at them and ask for the familiar healthy stuff. Both things have happened to me!
---'Becca
i don't have much advice. but i recently switched shampoos to the trader joes brand and i love it. it doesn't irritate my scalp like normal ones do.
ReplyDelete