My family is making changes to eat more whole foods. We’ve also decided to purchase some of our foods organic. We also have a grocery budget to work with – and stick to. So, that meant determining where I’d get the biggest bang for my buck when purchasing organic foods. For me, that means buying meat without hormones or antibiotics (grass-fed), buying dairy products and eggs organically (no hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides), and buying produce on the EWA’s “dirty dozen” list organically. All canned, frozen foods and fresh produce not on the EWA’s “dirty dozen” list will be purchased conventionally. We will also be purchasing as little convenience foods as possible.
We all know buying organic usually means paying more. So, I’ve been shopping around trying to determine which stores have the best prices. I’ve been taking notes and keeping a price book. If you missed last week’s post I compared prices between three local (Chattanooga, TN) whole foods stores: Fresh Market, Earth Fare, and Green Life Grocery. You can see it HERE.
This week I visited three local conventional markets: Kroger, Publix, and Ingles. I have to admit that what I found surprised me. I thought I had a good idea of who had the lowest prices, but what I found was quite different than what I expected. You can see my comparisons below.
Organic Apples
P: $4.99 for a 3 lb. bag
Organic Baby Carrots
I: $1.98 K: $2.11 P: $1.29
Cheaper than EarthFare & Green Life
Organic Lettuce All Varieties (5 – 10 oz)
K: $3.99 P: $2.99
Earth Fare has the cheapest price at $3.99/BOGO
Organic Eggs
I: $3.77 K: $4.49 P: $3.79
Earth Fare has the cheapest price at $2.18
Organic 2% Milk Gallon
I: $5.43 K: $5.58 P: $5.79
Earth Fare has the cheapest price at $4.39
Organic Yogurt (single cups)
I: $0.88 K: $1 P: $0.80
Earth Fare has the cheapest price at $0.49
Organic Yogurt 32 oz.
I: $3.58 K: $3.99 P: $2.99
Cheaper than EarthFare & Green Life
Organic YoBaby Yogurt
I: $3.18 K: $3.79 $3.69
Organic Sour Cream
K: $3.49
Earth Fare has the cheapest price at $3.39
Organic Cheese (Organic Valley Brand)
I: $3.18 K: $4.99
Cheaper than EarthFare & Green Life
Organic Butter 1 lb.
I: $5.58 K: $4.29
Earth Fare has the cheapest price at $4.19
Organic Cream Cheese
I: $2.28 K: $2.99 P: $3.69
Cheaper than EarthFare & Green Life
Organic Apple Juice Gallon
I: $5.58 K: $5.98 P: $6.58
Cheaper than EarthFare & Green Life
Grass-fed Ground Chuck
I: $4.98 K: $3.99 P: $3.99
Cheaper than EarthFare & Green Life
Natural (Antibiotic and Hormone Free) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
I: $5.78 K: $5.99 P: $4.99
Green Life and Publix are tied for the cheapest price.
My Final Conclusions:
Overall, EarthFare still has the most products at the cheapest price. Ingles would be another great regular stop since they have nearly as many products at the lowest price. The only big exception to these “rules” are on meat. Kroger or Publix would be a great place to stop for grass-fed beef. Kroger’s grass-fed beef is actually organic and Publix’s is just “natural.” And, for chicken Greenlife and Publix’s prices are the same.
I have two more stores to check: Bi-Lo and Food Lion. I am pretty sure both stores have a limited selection of organic foods. So, I think my decisions are pretty much made. I’ll be shopping for Earth Fare once every two weeks for fresh produce and some dairy since they are further away. I will shop at Ingles for other things on the weeks in between and to pick up milk when we run out. I’ll still be shopping at Walmart for other non-organic/conventional foods when the pantry needs stocking. And, I’ll grab meat maybe once a month at Kroger. My mom works really close to Green Life so she’ll swing by and grab some chicken when we need it. I’ll be working out a schedule so that I can figure out how to make my grocery money stretch and how to make the most of my time and gas money. It may take a while to work it out – but stay tuned… I’ll be sharing as I learn.
