Organic on a Budget: Entry One

So, yesterday was my first 'organic shop'.
I nearly cried from the pain.
It was excruciating, but I did it. I bought enough groceries for the week and came in more or less on budget. (I was $10 over - it was the veggies that threw my counting off.) I haven't made it to the farmers market yet, but my local Save On Foods had a 15% off day, and they have a decent organic selection. I'm crossing my fingers that the farmers market will have more reasonable prices. Anyways, here are some of my thoughts so far:

1. Meat and Dairy product prices are stupid. Use as little of them as possible. aka, I may have to adopt veganism until there is more money for food...

2. Make stuff from scratch. Buying a $6 loaf of bread just doesn't make sense when you can make your own for way less.

3. Find a farmer!! I'm extraordinarily blessed to have parents who work a farm. I can get organic, fresh ground flour from them for $0.60/lb, and I occasionally get beef off them too.

4. I really should start canning. I think my next project will be cleaning out my pantry and cupboards and see if it's at all possible to find extra space.

5. Finding Raw milk is is like trying to find a needle in a haystack without a metal detector. The closest I've come so far is I have a friend in Bonnyville that milks a cow, but I'm not about to drive a 6 hour round trip every week for it - I'd spend way too much on gas. This part will require some intense detective work.

6. I still suck at head math, and have to carry a calculator everywhere with me.

7. Meal plans with ingredients lists are the most incredible thing in the world. Hard to put together, but once written down, can be infinitely reused!  This was the one I put together:

As you'll notice, we do meals a little differently. We don't have the regular breakfast, lunch and supper. It's just what works for us. I also didn't buy every item on the shopping list (which is by no means exhaustive). I still had stuff in my pantry that needed to be worked through. And if you were paying really close attention - you'll notice that the Sunday slot is blank. God tells us to take one day a week to rest, and so Sunday is the day we go through all our leftovers at our house. No cooking or cleaning, just enjoying family and worship! The dirty laundry will still be there on Monday.

So far, so good. I wonder how long I'll last?