Why is it so expensive?!

[mummy leah]

Why is it so expensive?!

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In the last few months I've been trying to get healthier, more organic, more natural - whatever you want to call it. I've already taken out most of the chemicals from our home, but there is plenty more I want to do.

So far though, it seems like everything is costing so much more >(

I went to City Farm today, and whilst the fruit & vegies looked and tasted really good, they cost HEAPS more than what I usually pay. Plus, all the natural / organic products I find such as shampoo, lip balm, soap etc seem to cost so much.

I know I can grow fruit & vegies, but aside from having limited space, it takes a while for them to grow and I need stuff in the meantime.

I'm feeling disillusioned, and like I just want to go back to my 'cheapskate' ways that I used to (buying cheap & in bulk to save money!).

Sorry for the long post, but can anyone give me some inspiration to keep going?!

Thanks
Leah

[Purly]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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Many things are more expensive going organic, but when I was in Australia last year I found that the prices of the organic foods in the supermarkets was coming down compared to previously. Perhaps the more people are buying the cheaper they can get things for?

Does City Farm have a sale day at all? The organic grocer here once a month has a 20% off day, so we stock up on as many things as we can then.

We don't eat all organic, but I try to focus on things like dairy, eggs, meat (for the omnivores in the house), grains, coffee, spreads, and thin skinned fruits and vegies.

As far as personal products, my rationale is that the products I use are quite concentrated so one bottle or tube lasts a very long time. Also I am using so many less products than I did several years ago, saving money that way; no more hair colour, styling products, perfumes, limited cosmetics. The other thing I use much less of now is moisturiser and never any eczema treatments because my body wash is so gentle.

Over time you will find what works best for your family and your budget.

[tigersmum]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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Focus on the things that are most important to you first, don't try to replace everything at once. Shop around, supermarket, farmer's markets and health food stores, online, compare prices. Co-Op's are fantastic and you can buy in bulk. Find a neighbour or friend who will go halves with you in a organic box of fruit and veg. I used to do this, it was really cost effective and we both got organic fruit and veg delivered that we ate, enjoyed and finished (no wastage).
You can make all of your household cleaning products and personal ones as well. They take very few ingredients and once you have those you can make lots of batches = cheaper. Check around online there are hundreds of recipes.
Enjoy the switch, step by step you are making a difference, one less chemical used is still one less chemical used.

[lcorteen]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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Why is it so expensive?!

Because it is more labour intensive to grow organic, and the fertilisers and pesticides (organic approved) are also more expensive. In the long run, I believe conventional is actually more expensive (the cost of rejuvenating degraded land that has been farmed conventionally will be EXTREMELY high), but the costs will be shared by community, and it will take many years before the costs are passed on.

We don't buy exclusively organic, and we started very slowly.

We try to buy food that is locally grown - to me there is more damage done by buying packaged, organic produce from south america than something grown by local farmers who try really hard to limit conventional pesticides at the local farmers market.

Not eating meat or many processed foods saves us absolutely loads, and I use the savings to buy more organic than I would otherwise be able to afford. I make heaps of stuff myself (homemade hommus with organic chickpeas is still cheaper than processed conventional from the shops) and that helps

Home made is nearly always cheaper - there are posts here on homemade cleaners and ways to save money that might help.

Please consider maybe just pulling back a bit instead of 'giving up' althogether

[skn]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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Also, you might want to try and find out if there are any community gardens near you. I'm not sure what the cost involved is like, but I love the idea of them- you have your own little patch and grow what ever you want. And with the added bonus of gardening with people in your community and picking up tips from them...and maybe even swapping produce.

[hanabi]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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There is no reason for environmentally friendly cleaning products to cost more than conventional products - other than those that are concentrates or bulk quantities. It is also possible to make a lot of domestic cleaning products at home with basic ingredients like soap flakes, vinegar, borax, bicarb, metho and water - all very cheap products. Do a net search for recipes.

It sounds like there is a community in Perth who could form an organic food co-operative and buy wholesale. Maybe search this forum for other Perthites wanting to do the same thing you do. Last week I posted in the Green Room about how we save money by stockpiling wholesale produce. Who was that in Perth who was asking about online co-operative shopping?

Gardening is good for staples that can easily be grown at home like salad ingredients, herbs, pumpkins, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Garlic, ginger, eschallots don't take up much space. All the brassicas, especially the chinese greens can be planted densely and are good value per square metre of garden space. And yes, join your local food gardening group. A lot of bartering goes on and even if you don't have anything to trade at first, growers will often give stuff away rather than see it go to waste. Cucumbers come out of our ears every year and we don't grow them at all!

[lcorteen]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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was that in Perth who was asking about online co-operative shopping?

That was me!

Let me know if you're interested in a bulk organic drygoods co-op. Am thinking of putting a notice up at our local organic store (hopefully they won't mind!)

[Chrissy7]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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All great advice already! As already suggested, I think just focus at one area at a time and introduce the organic/natural product once you've run out of the old one (ie shampoo's or skin care etc) and one area of foods to start with.

Good luck!

Cheers
Chrissy

[lcorteen]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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There is a wonderful book called 'clean house clean planet' or something like that with recipes for every type of cleaner you can imagine and as Jodie said, they are so cheap to make. The only nasty in the recipes is borax, but you can leave that out.

I also find beauty and the bees really good for beauty products. The shampoo bars are lovely and last for ages and we just use a tablespoon of cider vinegar with a few drops of patchouli & lavender as a leave in conditioning rinse. Again, really cheap.

You might try Alive organics in Bayswater Alive Organics - Organic Raw, Living Foods Specialist - Home for bulk organics like oil, vinegar, tamari, rice syrup, and dry goods (and cleaners if you don't want to make your own). Take your own bottle & fill. Heaps cheaper and less packaging too. I buy organic oilive oil for $19.95/l from a bulk drum, which makes it cheaper than the conventional one I was using

[nikky]

Re: Why is it so expensive?!

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I know what you mean. I can't afford to buy organic fruit and veg or meat, the prices are over the top! You would think that having less chemicals would mean less work and cost less to make. I found a solution to the fruit and veg problem, I brought this fruit and veg cleaner, you'd be amazed at what comes off them, the water goes brown!

Some stuff is coming down though, like organic coffee seems to be around the same price as normal coffee. But most is quite a bit more expensive. I buy organic tomato paste and the difference is big, but we eat pasta alot so I like to buy that. I have just accepted that it's not possible to get away from all chemicals but reducing them will help. Also I wait for specials.