How to Save Money on Groceries in Santa Barbara

Let's face it: life in Santa Barbara is fantastic, but a little expensive. To maintain your lifestyle, you need to be wise to all the little ways you can save money. One of the most costly day to day expenses you face is groceries, so let's start cutting this spending item out of your budget, shall we?

There are many health food grocers in Santa Barbara, CA, but we all know that health food isn't always the most affordable option. However, if you want the quality of Whole Foods with the lower price tag, then the organic farm from Santa Barbara is the way to go.

Since farmers markets aren't very common in Southern California, one of the best options for local food is to become a member of the Local Farmers' Market. This is an organic, non-profit market that is held on the first Saturday of the month at the main Santa Barbara Farmers Market. You can buy direct from local growers, or find producers and green houses all over the city. This market houses many seasonal organic crops that are market in the summer and fall months.

In order to get the most out of your food money, try to buy up to 60% of your produce at the local farmers market. That will allow you to shop for the produce you need, while still enjoying the great taste of organic, local produce.

While these farmers markets aren't always in the middle of town, they are often very close. Make sure you get out and make the most of the opportunity to shop at your local farmers market every time you visit the market. You'll get the freshest locally grown organic produce available, and supporting your local farmers market keeps right around a $7 billion dollar impact in the local economy. Now, that's money off the tax dollar.

Local farmers markets can also help you reduce your carbon footprint on the environment by buying "green" goods. The carbon footprint of a typical grocery store vegetable is estimated to be over 25000 pounds before you take it home. Typical produce such as carrots, on the other hand, is less than 1/4 of a typical grocery store vegetable. This means that the supermarket is doing the exact opposite kind of thing when it comes to dine-out expenses - which means they are literally paying a huge price premium for the use of produce.

While buying locally grown organic produce may seem like an expensive fad, many experts across the globe think it will be a trend that continues for a long time. In addition to just being healthier for you and your family, buying local has other benefits too.

Top of the list benefits of buying locally include:

• Saves time - Since you are buying directly from the farmers, you will find that the transportation involved is often much less than if you had to go through a middle man. So many people will buy locally for this reason.

• Saves money - You are not paying for the produce as you would in a traditional grocery store. This is a big money saver for many of us, especially on a budget.

• Green Lifestyle - Having your produce come from local farmsides or gardens should be something you consider as a way of being green. You will stand to save the environment and reduce your carbon footprint as a major benefit.

"Buy local" is not a new or innovative idea. Local foods have been getting cheaper in recent years, thanks to creative packaging and a focus on making foods more accessible to the public. However, the idea of buying locally is not new at all. Local foods have been around for centuries, and they have seen their fair share of destruction (so to speak). With the mass standardization of our lives, many of these once quaint and artisanal foods are now farmed, processed, and available off the shelf year-around. Unfortunately, this results in a severe loss of nutritional value, as well as a corresponding loss of quality for many of the foods.

On the other hand, buying locally allows you to support your local community, whether you are buying direct from the farmer or buying products that are locally grown. By purchasing locally, you are able to ensure that you are helping to support your local community, and thereby keeping your family healthy.

"Buy local" is not a new or unique idea. Local foods have been around for centuries, and they will continue to be around for many more. You can help support your local community and your local economy by buying local products. The benefits certainly are many.

How do you know that an item is locally grown? Simply going by mere Beginner's Guide to Locally grown Products will help you see that many areas are ripe with local products for you to buy.