you are worthy of spending money on better food

"Organic", "Free-Range", "Pastured", "Non-GMO", "Natural", "Grass-Fed", "Wild Caught", "Local", "Fresh"...  at first glance, these words tend to mean EXPENSIVE.  We go through the aisles of the grocery store and see the high dollar amounts on the products labeled these things.  Money is a definite influencer, but I urge you to sit down and do some math with me before you think that the money isn't worth it.  Or even worse, that YOU and your family are not worth it.

Yes, shopping solely at Whole Foods is an easy option because everything is laid out in front of you, but it will probably create a big dent in your credit card bill...  Please know that I am NOT encouraging you to go into debt to buy food.  I just want us all to be aware that the closer to nature we can eat, the less processed food we can buy, the more we cook for ourselves, the better off we are.

I promise you though, there IS A WAY to do this without breaking the bank.  Think of it as investing in your health NOW and decreasing paying for it at the doctor LATER...

This is where CSAs (short for Community Supported Agriculture) comes in.  When you participate in a CSA, you are essentially paying a farmer in advance for their product whether it be produce, meat, honey, eggs, etc.  By paying them in advance, you are giving them a BIG BENEFIT by offsetting some of their upfront costs from running a farm.  Think about it, by the time you get to their farm stand or their produce gets to Whole Foods, they already have had A LOT OF WORK TO DO.  Farmers don't get paid all year...

So...  let's move on to the math...  I participate in two different CSAs (one is for produce and one is for meat).

produce CSA breakdown

CSA SHOPPING TOTE:

I was able to sign up for 2019's growing season early (which got me a discount) and paid the cost up front (another discount).  That payment gives us 12 deliveries, one every other week.  Each delivery lasts us 2 weeks (just two of us at home) for a total of 24 weeks.  My purchase price (with discounts) was $285.  So:

$285 / 24 weeks = $11.88 per week for certified ORGANIC and FRESH as can be produce.  UM HELLO.  Major win.  Could you spend $12 at Whole Foods or even Walmart for all your weekly organic produce?  I think not.  

meat CSA breakdown

My meat CSA works a bit differently.  Instead of signing up for a "growing season" you pay for meat in 10 lb increments to get a "bulk price".   10 lbs of meat is $85.  On top of that, you get a free dozen of eggs from pasture raised chickens ($6 value at the Whole Foods near me).  If we subtract the $6 from $85, that leaves us with $79 towards the 10 lbs of meat.

$79 / 10 lbs = $7.90 per pound for free-range, pastured, grass fed/finished meat!  I know that price might seem high for ground meat, but that's not all you get...  I get filet mignon, bacon and whole chickens in my mix too!

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final notes

Again, I am not telling you that you need to go broke to get the best food you can.  What I am telling you to do is think outside retail grocery stores.  I want you to do your research and find a local farmer/CSA who needs your support.  CSAs are great opportunities to feed your family the best food you can get and to learn about so many new ingredients.  I had no idea what a kohlrabi was before our CSA, and now it's one of my favorite foods!   These CSAs have been huge time savers for me too.  Imagine stopping somewhere only every other week to get all your produce for the week?  Imagine going to the freezer and pulling out anything you'd like?  For the variety, the price and the value of their food, CSAs are always a win and you are ALWAYS deserving of that value.

-always lifting your life, Laura