Grocery store savings - Part 4: How to choose between organic vs. conventional produce

Part 1 - Prepare and organize
Part 2 - Where to find coupons
Part 3 - How to get the most out of your coupons

As a family, we try our hardest to support locally grown, organic foods. This can be a bit of a strain on the budget but we believe that it's worth the extra cost to keep harmful pesticides out of our bodies.

My quest for a better way of living started when I was pregnant with my daughter, J. It was a scary thought to know that all those cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes were going to be 'nourishing' her yet-to-be-formed self. I slowly started switching out our old stand-bys for newer, more healthy foods. Here's where I began.

Foodnews.org has a great cheat sheet for what are affectionately known as "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Clean Dozen". This handy guide lists the top 12 foods to purchase organic and the top 12 'safe' foods to buy conventional. I printed a copy and taped it to the back of my main coupon organizer. It's a great reference to have at the store so you can focus on the healthiest foods for your family. This will give you the tools to pack the more organics, fresh produce into your budget because you can also pick and choose based on what foods are in season as well as overall costs.

Print your own guide and shop the produce section with confidence.

"The Dirty Dozen"

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes (imported)
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes