This is lucky number 13 in our weekly series about food budgeting. Thanks for all of your feedback the past few weeks. I’ve gotten some great ideas for posts from ya’ll. And in response to a question from Gabrielle two weeks ago, I wanted to talk about food co-ops today.

Many of us are worried about genetically modified foods and try to eat organic as much as possible. However, one of the biggest downsides to organic living is the cost. Take this simple price comparison at Trader Joe’s: organic bananas are 59⊄ each, while non-organic bananas are 19⊄ each. On other items the price difference isn’t so stark: a bag of non-organic baby carrots is $2.29, while organic baby carrots are $2.49. But when you’re pinching your pennies, those small price differences can add up.

One reason that organic foods cost more is that the farming methods are more labor intensive. However, many proponents of the organic food movement would say that the cost of food must be weighed against the larger environmental and societal health costs associated with genetically modified foods. Additionally, there’s a smaller market share for organic foods, so farmers have to charge a higher price in order to make a profit.

Food co-ops are one mechanism for building the marketability of organic foods. They are owned by their members, and membership is not restricted. Most food co-ops allow you to volunteer at the store to earn a discount on food. And they are an excellent resource for anyone who wants to maintain an organic lifestyle. However, do the social and environmental benefits outweigh the cost factor?

When I was living in Tempe, AZ, I was fortunate to have the Gentle Strength Food Co-op just a few blocks from my house. At the time, I didn’t own a car and I was limited by how far I was willing to walk or bike to shop for food. The Co-op was the perfect solution. I would walk there on my way home from school, pick up a few items, and continue home. I was very fortunate to receive a discount because I was putting in “sweat equity” by working in their community garden 10 hours a week. I mainly raked and pulled weeds. But it was awesome. Unfortunately, the Gentle Strength Co-Cop was put out of business a few years ago because of the gentrification of the downtown Tempe area, and the neighborhood lost a tremendous resource. A Whole Foods was supposed to take its place, but now that real estate development has ground to a halt, the construction of that Whole Foods has been postponed indefinitely, and there’s no longer a neighborhood grocery store in the area.

Many co-ops are suffering a similar fate, since Whole Foods has national buying power and often strong arms suppliers into accepting a much lower price because of the size of their orders. Small co-ops just can’t compete. And as a result, you will pay a much higher price at the check out line. One thing that Whole Foods doesn’t provide, though, is the sense of community that comes from shopping at a co-op. And can you really put a monetary value on community?

Yesterday I went to the Food Conspiracy Co-op here in Tucson to do a little price shopping for this article. Some of the produce was comparably priced to Sunflower Markets and Trader Joe’s. Organic heirloom tomatoes were on sale for $2.29 a pound. I got organic broccoli for $1.19 a pound. (I paid the same for non-organic broccoli at Trader Joe’s this week.) Canned beans were $1.19 a can, which is about 10⊄ more than I pay at Sunflower. But that’s 40⊄ more than I would pay at Trader Joe’s. The one item that really shocked me was the almonds, which were $12.29 a pound. This was truly outrageous, because California has had a bumper crop of almonds this year and the price was down to $3 a pound at Sunflower just a few weeks ago. This week they’re back up to $5 a pound, but the price difference is still staggering. Don’t get me wrong – I do appreciate that the Co-op provides a large selection of bulk goods like lentils, granola, and dried beans. I re-use my plastic bags several times and I think buying in bulk has environmental benefits in addition to the price difference. But you really have to be a savvy shopper if you want to get the best deals, whether you’re buying organic foods or not.

I can only speak for my own experience. So I want to open up the discussion to our readers. Have you had any experience with food co-ops? And what is your opinion of the organic food movement? Do we have to look at more than just the price? Or is it really about the bottom line in these troubling economic times?