Five Money-Saving Green Food Habits

You want to go green, but it always seems to cost more. Not so with these money-saving, sustainable food habits any family can embrace. Consider the following ideas, then think of ways to ease into making each a habit. At Christmas, stuff some fun reusable bags and stainless steel thermoses in each family member's stocking to jump start your commitment.

· Always use reusable bags when shopping. Keep them in your car trunk and a small collapsible bag in your pocketbook or brief case for smaller, spur-of-the moment purchases. Many stores credit your purchase a few cents for each bag you bring!

· Ditch bottled water for good. Carry a stainless steel thermos and fill it with filtered tap water. Petroleum-based plastic bottles use a finite resource that ends up polluting the environment in many ways without delivering extra value to consumers. Think of all the money you'll save by not buying bottled water.

· Cut down on food waste by not overbuying, practicing "use it or freeze it", and by committing to having "Clean out the Refrigerator Night" once a week. Almost 40 percent of the food produced in the US is wasted, and much of that is by consumers. Eat more of what you buy to maximize your food budget.

· Compost your food waste -coffee grinds, tea bags, fruit and vegetable peels, wilted and spoiled fruits vegetables and herbs. Food that goes into landfills produces methane gas, a known greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and climate change. In the spring, sprinkle the compost in your garden instead of buying fertilizer.

· When buying organic, purchase a share in a local farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program instead of buying produce in the grocery store. You'll save money for committing to a seasonal purchase and the vegetables will be fresher and more nutritious. Eating locally in season means trying new foods, so expect your farmer to provide you with delicious recipes to support your commitment. Summer shares become available in January and you'll find each farm's program listed in our CSA Guide.

Visit http://fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com/ for additional ways to eat green.

Analiese Paik is the founder and editor of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, an award-winning website providing local and sustainable food resources and news for Fairfield County and beyond. Visit the website for winter farmers' market locations and schedules, guides to organic and farm-to-table restaurants, farm events, seasonal recipes and more. http://fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com/. Twitter: @GreenFoodGal, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairfieldGreenFoodGuide