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Frugal Natural Shopping
The biggest complaint that I hear about natural living is
that it's "so expensive!" This just isn't true! In fact, I spend less on
my groceries than most people who buy regular items at a regular grocery
store. My grocery bill is about $70 per week and with a little work, it
could be even less. Here are some ways that I make it work.
The first thing you need to do is realize that you don't need all of
those products that have been pushed at you by advertisers all of your
life. We get so used to many of them that we feel that they are our
security blankets and often, we are reluctant to try something new. Don't
be afraid to go for something different. A good example was the first time
I ever tried goat milk. I was an avid fan of milk and wanted to try
something healthier, so I thought I'd give goat milk a shot. I bought some
and poured myself a glass and took a sip. I made a scrunched up face and
swallowed. It was gross. Then I waited a moment and told myself to try it
again. I realized I wasn't giving it a chance. I was expecting it to taste
like cow milk, but it wasn't cow milk. I told myself to taste it for
itself, not as though it was something else, but something new. I took
another sip and then another and I've been addicted ever since. I can't
drink cow milk anymore. It's truly disgusting.
As an example, I will show you how you can substitute a lot of items on
your grocery list for other things. The list on the left is a "normal"
grocery list. The list on the right is items that have been substituted
for their usual fare.
| milk |
2.00 |
|
organic milk |
4.00 |
| 5 lb fruit |
5.00 |
|
5 lb organic fruit on sale |
5.00 |
| steak (1 lb) |
6.00 |
|
organic chicken (1/2 lb) eat less meat |
4.00 |
| potato chips |
2.00 |
|
organic carrots |
2.00 |
| lettuce |
1.00 |
|
organic lettuce |
2.00 |
| shampoo |
3.00 |
|
wash with baking soda |
|
| conditioner |
3.00 |
|
conditioner |
4.00 |
| tampons/maxi pads |
5.00 |
|
use a menstrual cup |
|
| cookies |
3.00 |
|
dried fruit |
2.00 |
| 3 gallons of juice |
5.00 |
|
1 gallon of juice (drink more water) |
2.00 |
| TV dinner |
3.00 |
|
organic bean burrito |
2.00 |
| breakfast cereal |
4.00 |
|
organic oatmeal |
2.00 |
| paper towels |
3.00 |
|
use cloth rags |
|
| household cleaners |
5.00 |
|
use vinegar |
2.00 |
| muffins |
5.00 |
|
bake your own |
2.00 |
| toothpaste |
2.00 |
|
use baking soda |
|
| soft drinks |
5.00 |
|
drink more water |
|
| canned vegetables |
3.00 |
|
fresh organic vegetables |
5.00 |
| snack junk food |
5.00 |
|
organic granola bars |
3.00 |
| order pizza |
10.00 |
|
organic vegetarian pizza |
5.00 |
| |
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| |
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80.00 |
|
|
46.00 |
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Tips and tricks on keeping your
costs low:
Buy fruit in season - Organic fruit can seem very expensive if
you just look at the expensive out-of-season fruits.
Buy On Sale - Wait until organic foods go on sale, then
stock up in large amounts. Perishables can be kept in the freezer
until needed. |
