Going Organic and Need Help!

[Marie78]

I am going organic and there's no going back for me... I recently read "What's In That Stuff" and I can't think of eating peanut butter with the hydrogenized oil anymore. I can't pick up the non-organic produce without wondering what chemicals they are full of. I can't buy the clay cat litter anymore for fear my cats will ingest it or it will cause lung issues for them or for us in the long run or any future children we have. No more conventional cleaners only elbow grease, white vinegar, baking soda, or a microfiber cloth. No more hormone milk for me! No more antibacterial soaps for dishes and hands.

I have many mini dilemmas now:

1st what do I do with the old cleaning products? I don't want to use them anymore and we have a few bottles of spray cleaners, a few bottles of regular dishwasher soap, a few bottles of antibacterial dish soap, and several bottles of the fragrance free (but not the safest) laundry soap.

2nd there are lots of organic alternatives but I need some ideas of safer soaps, detergents, shampoos, moisturizers, etc... that people have tried and liked. I am okay with the organic food portion of going organic. It's the rest of my environment I am having trouble with.

3rd is the cost associated with this lifestyle switch: the financial cost and the cost to my sanity. I look at everything even stuff in the organic aisle as possibly harmful, espeically if I can't understand what the ingredients are . My fiance is having a hard time getting on board with living healthier because it costs more, I am feeling like my long-term health and the long term health of any children we bring into this world is more important than any financial costs.

I need advice from those of you who made the switch over to organic only or are in the process of it...it's so confusing.

[Kaos Kitty]

The financial cost was the hardest part in convincing Dh to make the switch to organic. Although over the years he has changed from being adamantly against organic milk (he said it was too expensive and tasted wierd) to being an organic milk only convert, (he discovered that whole organic milk tastes best in his tea). He has also become an organic oat and fudge bar addict, which has changed him from hating the organic store to offering to pick up groceries on a regular basis - (and slipping the oat/fudge bars into the cart, every time! lol!)

For the past few years we've been buying some organic and even went all organic for a couple of months, but I felt continuosly torn between organic and frugal. Our grocery budget went from $500 to $800/month. Right now we only buy organic milk 100% of the time, and organic butter,fruit/vegtables on an intermittant but regular basis. We buy organic bread half the time, and organic meat and cheese only a few times. The cost of organic meat is the most expensive change. When we get a freezer I am considering ordering in bulk direct from local organic meat producers. That might help.

I didn't like the idea of using chemical cleaners anymore either and wanted to chuck it all - but I compromised with Dh to use up the chemicals first. But now that they're gone I refuse to buy more. Baking soda, vinegar and a few essential oils like tea tree, peppermint and lemon make great cleaners. I agree completely with all your reasons for going organic. It may take time to get Dh on board, but don't give up!

[Shoshana]

I was nearly "forced" into going organic for fruits and vegetables because the non-organic ones cause my hands to break out in hives when I'm preparing them! How's that for a good excuse to spend more money to be healthier! I don't find it to be all that much more expensive because 1) I don't eat meat; 2) I make my own cleaners, and 3) I make fewer frivolous/junk/prepared food purchases at the organic grocery stores.

When I switched to non-chemical personal care items (e.g., shampoo) and cleaners, I gave all of my opened and unopened products to a friend who was thrilled to have them.

You have to be careful of the labeling on many items as there is little regulation. If you shop at a reputable organic store (Whole Foods for one) or quasi-organic (Trader Joe's) you can have more confidence in your purchases. I also find these stores to be less expensive for organic items than the ones that the regular grocery stores carry. One brand of shampoo and personal care items that is particularly good and trustworthy is Alba Organics. Kiss My Face is less expensive but also good. Burts Bees currently has mixed reviews as it was purchased by Clorox!

Once you switch to organic milk, it's hard to switch back. The organic non-fat milk is so much richer than the (watery) non-fat regular milk that I'd say it is more like non-organic 2% milk. My family even notices differences in eggs, although I don't. If you shop at a good store, then there is a definite improvement in fruits and vegetables -- but if you shop for organic at a regular grocery store you may find that the produce is past its prime.

I cannot help with the cat items (I have a dog) but your pet supply store should be a good source of recommendations. The regular pet food has so many additives and bad ingredients...

Good luck!

[AspiringToBeFrugal]

Like Kaos Kitty, we buy organic milk all the time now. I also try to buy organic produce when I can but haven't yet ventured into the organic meat. It's not readily available here and what IS available is extremely expensive.

I have been using up a lot of our cleaners and such and have been stocking up more on vinegar, baking soda, etc.

It just takes time and it may take a bit more out of other areas of your budget, but you'll feel a lot healthier for it!

[mommy4ever]

I'm slowly making the transition to organic. I've found somethings quite expensive. Milk being one of them. With 6 of us, we go through a gallon a day, I've been cutting the kids back some, looking for alternative calcium sources as well to keep it balanced.

I've found locally that 1/2 of a side of organic beef isn't all that much more than a regular, as it is leaner, as they aren't fed so many fillers, which means hanging weight is less than a regular. We get about as much meat.

We hope to get 1/2 side in Sept/Oct, but i need freezer room first..lol. Buying meat at the grocer is pricey, and I never remember what I have.

Organic chicken froma farmer is cheaper than a regular chicken in the grocers. Who knew..lol.

I've been working hard on my health, and I know part of why things are as they are, it is the food we ingest, this is important, so we're working on it. I can't wait until I can buy a piece of land, go off grid and become totally granola..lol.

I'm all for green, it's pricey, but smart shopping, great meal planning, and it doesn't have to break the bank.

[Marie78]

Shoshana thank you for listing a few organic names. I had heard of Kiss My Face and I was hoping it was fairly safe to use for HBA products. I had not heard of Alba Organics, but I will look into that brand thank you.

Thank you all for all your support, it seems like a huge switch for me. It's overwhelming, but I hope if I ease in slowly and make wise choices it will become a healthier way of life without breaking the bank .

[madhen]

Wouldn't something like "Yesterday's News" (made from recycled newspaper) work for kitty litter?

I live Seventh Generation products, but they ARE quite a bit more expensive than commercial cleaning products.

There are a number of cosmetics you can make with just a few ingredients. I have a couple of books that I picked up regarding making creams and soaps out of milk (as I have goats). A number of them don't use lye (although they also have a quick expiration date). Some of them sounded good enough to spread on toast!

If you have a place to put some pots, one way to take a chunk out of the cost of organic foods is to plant your own. Most citrus trees will grow in small containers, and quite a few veggies do just fine in hanging containers, so if you have a sunny spot, you can plop a few edibles in. My deck looks a bit like a jungle, especially since the kiwi vines took over!

[mom2matty]

We are pretty much all organic here now, took a year or so to slowly build up an organic pantry, cost was a huge factor for us so I had to slowly add in and now I'm able to shop organic all the time!
My youngest was diagnosed lactose intolerant, we think that was just the easy answer for the doctor, they couldn't really come up with any other solution to his tummy aches. He was able to eat cheese and ice cream and yogurt but milk bothered him. So I switched to organic milk and thankfully he hasn't had a tummy ache in over a year! I always buy organic produce, specifically following the "dirty dozen" guidelines http://www.greenthinkers.org/blog/20...rty_dozen.html and then I buy whatever other produce I can find organic. I am able to buy organic ground beef at Costco for just pennies more then regular ground beef. I splurge on chicken and turkey and get those at either my Trader Joe's or Henry's.
For cleaning products I have always used white vinegar and baking soda and I use Seventh Generation for laundry and they do make a HE version or HE safe version for the new washers.
I've tried several h&b things including the Kiss My Face and Alba and have been happy with both. I've also started looking for organic makeup and found a really good mascara by a company called 100% Pure, the mascara is made from fruit pigments.

[Quadcam]

just be sure and check the labels, alot of times Organic means higher price and thast all. For instance, the other day I was in the store looking for Grass fed, farm raised organic beef. I found some beef in one of those little roll type packs and it said "All natural Organic" and went on to say no hormones..ect ect...but when I read into it it said "fed a vegetarian diet of corn" Ha, what a joke..it's the same are the regular ground beef just more expensive.

almost if not all market beef is raised in a feed lot and fed nothing but 100% corn 24/7, dosed heavily with antibiotics because cows stomachs were never ment to digest corn however it's the fastest way to fatten them up. The result of the constant feed of corn is ulceration of the livers, with antibiotics 75% of them would die of ulcers...with the meds it's about $12%
So I wasnt buying the "corn fed" and "antibiotic free" label, the two dont go together.

so just be real careful about what you're buying anything "certified" organic is pretty reliable because there are really strict standards for organic certification. put it this way, i don't use any chemicals on my garden and none on my yard but theres no way I could get certified organic.

buy as much as you can locally grown.
you can make your owns soaps , moisturizers and laundry detergents
baking soda and vinegar are some of the best cleaners around.

[quiltingmommy]

Kiss my Face and Alba are fantastic! I actually started using Kiss My Face back in the 80's! I will switch between KMF and Alba based on price.

I use Blue Buffalo Cat food. It is an all natural/holistic food and they also have an organic version. It's roughly $15 for a 3 1/2# bag...sometimes less. You can go on their website and ask for coupons. They sent me a $5 coupon once and a $3 off another time.
I buy (when it fits in my frugal budget) organic as often as I can. But, during the summer, I either buy local veggies from farms I trust or grow my own. I would rather give my money to local farms that use non-chemical means but aren't organic, than money to a large corporation that is organic. (it can be quite costly for a farm to be labeled 'organic'.)
One thing: when I started making the switch, I did not do it overnight. Like another poster said: I had my dh use the chemicals to clean and I used baking soda/vinegar, etc. The same with toothpaste, we used up what we had and then switched over. Also, I would buy a few extra organic products a week so that it didn't hurt the budget as much.

[quiltingmommy]

Yes, Kraft is no longer putting HFCS in their salad dressing or artificial ingredients and some they are making with olive oil.

Oh, and I use Swheat Scoop kitty litter which is a wheat based litter.

[MoonMommy]

We are also slowly making the switch to organic or locally grown produce/meat. For years I have been actively buying food products that don't include artificial sweetners and MSG, so this is just another step for me.

If I were you, I would use up all the stuff I have now, food, cat stuff, and cleaning products, and then as you need to purchase more things, then buy the organic/natural stuff.

Oh, try looking into your local farmers markets. You might be able to hook up with lots of people who make jams/jellies, raise farm animals the free range and no hormone way, as well as lots of produce that is very close to organic even though it might not have that USDA stamp. Connecting with local farmers is also much better for you, the environment, and the local economy.

[madhen]

I get my eggs from my chickens, so while they aren't organic (as my chickens get commercial feed along with all the bugs and weeds they can eat), they are free range and cruelty free.

I would love to go all organic on dairy, but I am addicted to Half and Half and I have not yet found a brand that produces organic Half and Half without "ultra" pastuerizing it. (I know I spelled that wrong, but I'm too lazy to look it up.) For some reason, the "ultra" always makes the cream taste funny to me.

[nvmommyx6]

I am not sure about the milk or cream situation, I know I am studying goats for both milk and meat right now!

But as for the chickens eggs, the only thing my chickens get besides the bugs is this....I bought 4 40lb bags of bird seed a few years ago, I planted them! And they grew! That is what I feed them and of course any (barely) going bad food and scraps (except for meats) they lay awesome eggs for me and I dont pay a dime for food for them!

[earthymom]

http://www.grist.org/cgi-bin/search....n&archives=yes

Here's a good place to find green tips, product comparisons, and fun info.

Good luck with your organic adventure.