Biodiversity On A Budget

...my goals when it comes to eating is to buy as much or all organic food as humanly possible. Aside from all of the health concern reasons, I feel that buying in smaller quantities will help in reducing portion sizes over time as well as limit or possibly eliminate waste. Buying one's own groceries causes one to reconsider what it means overall to throw what should have been perfectly good food into the trash unnecessarily. More important for many though is shopping organic on a budget.

When Whole Foods was essentially the only game in town, people with limited spending couldn't really shop there. They could certainly buy a few things here and there, but doing the entirety of grocery shopping there was not really possible. Now, almost every store carries at least a negligible amount of items labeled organic. Most bigger grocers have their own private label organics that tend to run a bit cheaper and go on sale more often.

As one who does his shopping on a budget of sorts, I don't often pay full retail for everything. If an item is not on sale or its something I can live without for another week, I move on. Even then, I usually end up making a second stop at a different store because of a good deal. In my estimation, Target is the best store to not only have a large selection of organics, but also the prices are fair, on sale and sometimes on clearance. Still, I find myself making a second stop to save money. Now, there is a known affordable grocer carrying organics - Aldi.

Aldi is now stocking not only organic produce, but they have their own line of items with the certification. Since I was young, Aldi was mostly known as discount food. Not necessarily a bad thing, but they sort of carry the stigma that their products are second-rate. Seeing as though they are rolling out their own organic cereals, soy/almond milk, vegetables, etc., I am highly curious to see if they measure up.

By looking online, their prices on private label organics are absolutely more affordable. And from what I can see, their product carry the USDA Organic label. I am becoming increasingly intrigued so I checked Google to see if I can find some consumer blogs or articles that reviews Aldi's organic items. More often than not, people seem to be pretty high on these items. Bloggers and reviewers seem mostly enthused with the quality and taste, comparing them to better known items while carrying a lower price.

I am all for switching to all organic and minimally processed foods, but I am always looking for value. I know quite a few others seeking to do exactly the same. In this age where healthcare costs are dizzying, quality food is one's best defense. I plan to investigate Aldi in the near future. I will post my findings then.