The main reason this can seem to be so hard is that people often limit themselves to the grocery stores, where organic foods are priced significantly higher than other foods. But your local grocery store may not be the best choice.
Find a local farmer's market. Not all of the food there will be organically produced, but you can talk to the people there and find out. As an added environmental benefit, most of the food will be locally grown.
You can also try a food co-op. Joining a co-op means that you will get whatever is grown at the time, rather than choosing what you want, but the produce will be organically and locally grown. These are not available in all communities, but are well worth looking into.
Another solution if you have the room, is to grow some of your own. The wonderful thing about having your own garden is that you choose exactly what goes into it. It's also a great way to teach children about where food comes from. And of course it is a nice bit of exercise.
You may also be able to find a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in your area. You can learn more about these programs at http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml and search for ones in your area.
Finding good, organically produced meats is generally more difficult, especially if you don't want to pay too much extra. Some CSA programs do offer meat, but many will be strictly produce, and perhaps eggs.
One of the solutions is to cut back on meats. If you can eat vegetarian a couple times a week or even just once a week, you can save quite a bit on meat, which can make buying the better stuff less painful. Going all vegetarian isn't for everyone, but being partially vegetarian is a very realistic goal.
You can also join a buying club or try buying in bulk on your own. These can get you great discounts on the foods you need. You will want to pay close attention to what you are actually paying to ensure that you are getting the best possible prices.
In some areas, going organic and/or local is easier than it is in other areas. I live in California, where all kinds of organic produce is available. Other states it is much harder and much more expensive.
Choosing more environmentally friendly food options is better for you, your family and the environment. Sometimes it can even be sufficiently friendly to the budget that you start running out of excuses to not go organic.
Is it hard to cook good quality meals for our children when you are on a budget?
No, not really because it depends on how well you know the basics of cooking and nutrition. A lot of that's been lost as they didn't teach it in schools in our generation and there are people who think you have to buy things that are cheap on the price label without realising that it's not healthy or that it's actually more expensive than it lookss.
Does cheap meals mean burger and chips?
No it doesn't. You can buy a bag of chips for about a pound and that will only do one or two meals for a family of four, but you still have to have the burgers and there's a lot of fat in that food.
What are the alternatives?
You could still have a meal of hamburger and chips but adapt it. There could be a lean turkey mince homemade meat patty, put under the grill and serve with green beans and sweetcorn. For a family of four that'd be around £2.50. I'm not saying that chips aren't fine for the occasional treat. The green beans you could get fresh, tinned or frozen so it's available to anyone regardless of budget.
What about kids that are picky?
I do understand that some people say their kids won't eat some things. It takes a bit of fortitude and patience to get a child to eat healthily. One of the things that kept me going was saying that there are children in Africa who've never seen a chip in their life. If a child is hungry they're going to eat it.
What tips would you give parents?
Start small, start healthy versions of their favourite food. Chicken nuggets for example. We got chicken breasts and made our own. We did roasted potatoes instead of chips. Fish fingers we turned into tuna patties. It's a bit of tuna fish mixed with a bit of egg, put breadcrumbs over the top and cook.
What about mothers who are pressed for time?
The tuna patties are as simple as opening the tin and popping under the grill. I know a lot of mothers are pressed for time. Why not invest in a slow cooker. You can do roasts, soups, casseroles. You can even do puddings in it.
Should we shop in the supermarkets or smaller shops?
Look at what you're getting and what you have available in your area. If you have a good market by you it's cheaper to go to the market to get your vegetables. If you've got a good local butcher get to know him. If you have some garden space grow your own vegetables. It's important that children know where their food comes from. I know my children wouldn't touch tomatoes until we grew cherry tomatoes in our own garden.
What basics should we have in the cupboard to try and save money?
A good stock cupboard would include tuna, tinned fruit and vegetables with no salt added. I would recommend always having eggs on hand - another quick meal.
What other tips do you have?
A big portion of our budget goes on food. I write meal plans so I know what I am going to cook. I'd go to the supermarket and not even look at the offers. You really can feed a family on a very small budget.
Both Stephanie Foster & Peter Gallacher are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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Peter Gallacher has sinced written about articles on various topics from Babies, Fitness and Food And Drink. To find more great interviews just like this one, why not visit the My Baby Radio website, at