But as organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the President’s Cancer Panel encourage us to reduce our exposure to everything from pesticides to artificial growth hormones, the fact is that we should all be able to feed our families foods that are free of the additives that are increasingly being shown to cause harm. So here are a few tips on how to buy organic food without paying a high price:

  1. Go generic: Major grocery store chains like Safeway and Kroger, and big box food retailers like Costco and even Wal-Mart, now carry their own organic foods. And all foods labeled “USDA organic” are created equal, no matter where you find them. No need to upscale your grocery store when Wal-Mart gets it done.
  2. Buy frozen: Frozen foods (like strawberries and fish) are cheaper than those that are delivered fresh. So if the prices on fresh produce are eye-popping, cruise on over to the frozen food aisle for a discount.
  3. Eat with the season: Retrain your taste buds to think like your grandmother did. She didn’t eat strawberries in the middle of winter. Locally grown foods are usually cheaper than those flown in from another hemisphere, which means that if you eat with the season, you’ll be eating more affordably.
  4. Skip the box: Instead, embrace the bulk. Food that comes in boxes costs more because of the packaging costs associated with designing those pretty pictures! When you buy in bulk, you avoid having to pay for all of the packaging. So slide on over to that bulk food aisle in your local grocery store and look for noodles, cereals, rice, and beans.
  5. Buy local: You can save money by becoming a member of a local farm (just like you became a member at Safeway or Costco!). How do you find a local farm, you ask? Well, thankfully, the USDA now has a list of online sites to help you find the closest farm near you.
  6. Comparison shop: You wouldn’t buy a car without comparison shopping, so before you head out the door, compare the prices of organic foods at different retailers from the safety of your own computer with the Eat Well Guide.  
  7. Coupons, coupons, coupons: Organic bargains are everywhere, so check out About.com’s Frugal Living page for tons of links to organic bargains.
  8. Grow one thing: If you’re as busy as we are, there’s not a chance in creation that you’re going to be able to feed your family off of your home-grown harvest, but you will find that growing a tomato plant can be incredibly inspiring. And it’s not as intimidating as it seems. So pick one thing to grow—you can do it (we all grew lima beans in cups as kids, right?) And remember, just as our little ones learn to walk by taking baby steps, you can do the same thing here. Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. Take those baby steps. Before you know it, you’ll be off and running. More from Prevention: 8 Animal Ingredients In Your Beauty Products