My Grocery List

The art of buying organic is somewhat tricky, especially here in Hawaii.  Even harder for those who live in the neighbor islands.  I'm still trying to find more ways to save on our grocery bill such as buying according to sales, cutting coupons, etc.  But then life happens and you can't always be so money savvy.

 So, this is my approach to buying organic.About once a week, I go to the grocery store and buy fresh produce, fish and meats.  But at least every two weeks, I do a mass grocery shopping.  I write down all the items I need to get for our house, and then categorize them according to where it sells the cheapest, and where I can find them in the store so that I don't run all over the place.  Here's an example:

Down To Earth (all organic/natural):

• Apples
• Potatoes (baking/russet/yukon gold/red, whichever is on sale)
• Papaya
• Bananas
• Cherry/Grape Tomatoes
•  Nuts, nut butter
• Rice Breads (if they are on sale)
• Canned Goods (on sale)
• Rice Pasta, Quinoa and other packaged gluten-free grains on sale

Costco Waipio, Oa'hu, Hawaii:

• Mushrooms
• Organic Spinach
• Bacon (yeah, can't afford the nitrate/nitrite-free/organic bacon just yet)
• Chicken Thighs (non-organic...dark meat is cheaper than white meat)
• Beef Chuck Steak (non-organic)
• Organic Eggs ($5 per 18pk)
• Organic Milk (before we took out dairy from our diet...$10 per 3 half gallons)
• Organic Chicken Sausage
• Organic Ground Beef Patties (only found in Costco Waipio...haven't found this elsewhere)

Foodland O'ahu, Hawaii (I go here when I need only a few items as well):

• Wild Fish (organic)
• Free range/grass-fed/non-GMO/antibiotic-free Big Island Ground Beef
• Other organic foods

Farmer's Markets:
My favorite one is the one every Saturday morning at Kapiolani Community College right next to Diamond Head.  Lots of fresh produce and food vendors!  It gets packed, so go early and park outside the campus.

This is no joke.  This is my usual grocery list!  I don't go to Whole Foods as often as I should for our meats, but will soon.  I am really happy that Foodland has a lot of organic foods now, especially local organic foods for a decent price, and its conveniently located just down the road from my house in Ewa Beach :) (not all Foodlands carry as much organic food such as Foodland Dillingham LOL).  Down to Earth always has the food we need, except for the meats of course.  And Costco always saves us money on the higher priced foods we eat.

Another tip for buying organic is that you don't have to go completely organic when shopping on a budget.  You really must buy your eggs organic because they are filled with Omega-3 fatty acids which are good for you, versus conventionally-raised eggs, which are filled with Omega-6 fatty acids that can elevate your cholesterol.  Read this article from Prevention Magazine: Organic Versus Conventional Eggs.

You should also read The "Dirty Dozen" article which gives you a list of which type of produce has the highest pesticide residue, and which do not.  Talk about bargain shopping! :)

Hope you enjoyed this post!  I gotta go shopping again this weekend LOL.