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What Should I Buy Organic?

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by Melissa on April 15, 2010

IMG_6586A few weeks back I started the discussion of buying organic and staying frugal, while letting you all know that this is a new goal of mine. It is true that many organic items, especially produce are EXPENSIVE. So, to help offset the cost, I have taken a look at what I should buy organic and what doesn’t necessarily need to be.

Remember part of a frugal lifestyle is making choices about your resources and your needs. After careful research, these are the items that I feel should be bought organic:

Produce

According to the EWG, there are 12 fruits and vegetable that you should always buy organic due to the amount of pesticides in them. The “Dirty Dozen” includes:

Peaches
Apples
Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (Imported)
Carrot
Pear

Here’s a fact to sink your teeth into: “EWG research has found that people who eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables consume an average of 10 pesticides a day.” I don’t know about you, but that is just plan gross to me, so I’m only buying these “Dirty Dozen” organic or growing them myself.

The good news is that EWG also found 15 fruits and vegetables that are the lowest in pesticides, so if you can’t afford to buy organic, these are the ones that don’t matter as much. You can check out this list, along with some more helpful info Here.

Dairy & Meat:
Check out my post at Organic New Life for more information on why I think these should be bought organic.

Of course there are other items that I could add to this list, and over time, I will probably add those to the list. But for now, as I make small changes to better our lifestyle and future health, I know that every little bit helps to make a difference.

Now it is your turn, what items MUST you buy organic?

-Melissa

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Tagged as: Organic

  • Ness

    Most of the organic fruit and veggies at my supermarket just doesn’t look good. They either look rotten or have blemishes.

  • KC

    I always buy organic milk, beef (if not grass-fed), eggs, peanut butter, jelly, bread, frozen peas/green beans, apples, spinach. When we are doing better money-wise I’m going to switch to organic chicken, I can get a pretty good deal on this stuff at Costco. Don’t know if I’ll ever make the switch to organic cheese, tried that once and it was very expensive, maybe if Costco carries it at a reasonable price someday :-)

  • http://gooddealgal.blogspot.com Rachael

    Great post, Melissa! We definitely buy the dirty dozen organic or grow ourselves and buy organic dairy as well. I have purchased some organic meats, but we eat mainly vegetarian meals so it isn’t a huge cost for us. Organic carrots, celery, lettuce and apples are usually pretty easy to come by and very affordable. Basically, anything that we eat the “skin” or whole form we try to choose organic. I think strawberries are supposed to be the worst since they also have bromide in them…too bad because those are so cheap! (The birds keep eating ours.)

    By the way, have you been to the Kozy Cactus restaurant (organic) near PV Mall? I haven’t been yet but I bought several gift cert. on restaurant.com.
    .-= Rachael´s last blog ..Sephora: 15% off your ENTIRE purchase =-.

  • http://savingcentswithsense.net Melissa

    Love that tip, Rachel! We will have to check them out (especially since they are on Restaurants.com!)

  • http://savingcentswithsense.net Melissa

    KC, I haven’t tried organic cheese yet, but we did get organic peanut butter and I have to say it is some of the best I’ve ever had. Oh, and organic sour cream is great, too! :)

  • http://savingcentswithsense.net Melissa

    Ness, the good news is that many different stores carry organic, so if your store doesn’t have a quality product, then you can find it somewhere else.

    Also, you are right, organic fruit/veggies look different. They usually aren’t as shiny (may look dull) because they have not been altered with chemicals. Most (if not all) non-organic fruit is sprayed with wax before it goes to the store so it looks “pretty”.

  • http://domesticfail.blogspot.com Amanda

    Fresh & Easy hasn’t moved to Tucson, yet, has it? For anyone who has one near, they can have really good deals on organic products. Bountiful Baskets co-op is another way to get decent prices on organic produce.

    I tend to stick with organic apple sauce, and whatever the co-op decides to give me.
    .-= Amanda´s last blog ..Jam FTW! =-.

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