The organic versus non-organic decision is still a cart-stopper in the grocery store. Which fruits are healthier when grown organically? Which vegetables? What about that box of crackers? Trying to pick the cream of the crop becomes a chore within a chore when you don’t know the ”why” and “what” factors. All you need is a quick, Organic Shopping 101 course to narrow the selection and get you to the check-out line in record time.

First, determine why you are shopping organic so your selection doesn’t feel so fruitless. If you need to justify (to yourself or your budget-conscious significant other) why you’re spending a little more on certain items, then consider these reasons:

Organic means farmers use no antibiotics and no growth hormones, grow produce within sanitary and spacious facilities and use the fewest conventional pesticides
No GMOs– organic foods are not genetically modified in any way
A smaller carbon footprint–organic farms use the most sustainable methods to promote biodiversity and a healthy eco-system
Cleaner water, soil and air–pesticides from conventional farming can intoxicate the water supply, wildlife and the atmosphere

If these reasons don’t inspire you to go organic for every single purchase, consider that it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing situation. Just keep in mind that certain conventional fruits and veggies are produced with a high number of pesticides– these, you should buy organic.

Fruit:

Apples
Any berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Cherries
Grapes (imported variety)

Veggies:

Leafy greens (spinach, kale, lettuce)
Bell peppers
Carrots
Celery

Meat, eggs and dairy: The organic options ensure animals are provided healthy living conditions, organic feed and adequate treatment for injuries or illness. When buying organic in the refrigerated aisles, select “all of the above.”

Crackers, cookies, cereals, coffee and anything else in a box or bag: This is an open-ended question, which means you can pick and choose which of these are better organic based on your preferences of taste, brand, price and/or variety. The same rules apply, though: organic cereals must contain all organic ingredients. If your mixed berry granola claims it’s organic, then it was made with organic berries. (Hint: buy only as much as you need. Packaged goods usually find a place in the pantry for many months, but organic versions have a shorter shelf-life due to their lack of artificial preservatives.)

Your final exam: Make your shopping list and match the items on it with the groceries above. If you study the organic foods and brands you prefer, then you won’t second-guess yourself!

This article has been provided by the folks at Vitacost.com who has been selling discount vitamins since 1994. They have grown into one of the biggest online marketplaces for healthy living essentials-with vitamins and supplements being just one of their many helpful categories! They sell everything from Coq10 to Raspberry Ketones. Vitacost.com’s customers mean the world to them, and it’s their goal to provide you with the best nutritional supplements, health foods and sports nutrition to help with your health and wellness. Vitacost.com is not affiliated with this blog, and isn’t responsible for content outside of this article.

If you are thinking about a wedding extravaganza with all manners of accessories maybe Happily Ever BorroWED is the site for you.  When the budget starts to get tight, consider this fantastic option of renting veils, tiaras, headpieces and jewelry for the special effects.  A bit of bling might be what makes your wedding dress pop however there are so few occasions to wear them afterward. Princess Kate being the possible exception, a tiara is not required for most social events.

Rent and return for a fun accessory for yourself or your bridesmaids!

Frugal Divas have questions about a variety of financial issues but often don’t know who to ask or have enough time or money to meet with an expert. In response, SunTrust is offering a select group of experts for a live webinar series to address questions from consumers. The “How Can We Help You Live Solid?” webinar series launches Thursday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. EST on the Live Solid Facebook page.

The first installment of the series features John Rhett, Chairman of SunTrust Investment Services. As tax season reaches its peak, most consumers have considered the state of their financial outlook. This is the perfect time to take a holistic look and determine how best to invest and save for the future. In the first Facebook webinar, Rhett will share tips about how to use your tax return to get started with investing for your future.  He will discuss how to invest in today’s market, easy steps to improve your investment plan, the benefits of reevaluating your portfolio and more.

In the coming weeks, as home-buying season and spring renovations kick into high gear, Live Solid will host two more live chats to connect online viewers with SunTrust and industry experts on home equity and mortgages. Interested viewers are invited to submit questions in advance of each webinar.

To learn more about the series and submit questions, visit the Live Solid Facebook page. For dates and times of upcoming webinars, follow Live Solid on Facebook or @LiveSolid on Twitter.

Sometimes you get what you pay for, sometimes you get a whole lot more!

The Frugal Diva knows that getting older sucks.  Sure people say age is just a number but did you notice that no one under fifty ever says that – unless they are trying to comfort a senior citizen.  The number that really counts is how many dollars you save by embracing the discounts offers and reduced fees.  Proudly declare you want that senior fare, ticket, or meal for yourself or your parents or grandparents.

Save on restaurants with the national  AARP Restaurant Discount Center and the age for joining AARP is 50.  Flash that card proudly at Budget Rent a Car, Walgreens, Golds Gym and other vendors on the AARP Benefits List.  They even give you a discount on some  technology.

The National Parks offers the Senior pass (one time fee of $10) –  a lifetime admission and discount pass for citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are age 62 or older. The Senior pass admits the pass owner and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle if a park has a per vehicle entrance fee. Where a per person entrance fee is charged, the Senior pass admits the pass owner, and three adults. Plus there is a 50% discount on camping and other activities.

And think about getting to that National Park with an Amtrak Senior Discount. Amtrak travelers 62 years of age and over are eligible to receive a 15% discount on the lowest available rail fare on most Amtrak trains.

Ross Dress For Less gives everyone over 55 a 10% discount on Tuesdays at all their stores. You’ll find more up to date discounts and coupons at Senior Discounts. It is a membership site however you may perform preliminary searches for the over 150,000 discounts on their web site, receive their weekly e-mail newsletter and utilize many other features on their web site for free.

Thumbs up to the Laemmle Chain for embracing seniors with reduced prices everyday and extra reductions for matinees on Wednesdays. Popcorn and a drink are $4 for seniors all the time. Another great reason to take your parents or grandparents to the movies. Some theaters are more generous than others so check out your local chains.

When ordering anything don’t be shy.  Ask if there is a senior discount. At museums, hotels, amusement parks, and many other venues, the answer will often be “yes.”

Check out the Gift Card Granny for more specific regional discounts.

Subway is running a promotion that will help you make friends at the office, car pool, or play group.  For the month of April, when you buy any 6-inch sub before 9AM, you can get a second sandwich of equal or lesser value for free.  So share with others or get yourself a breakfast sandwich and order a sub to eat later at lunch time.

One day fast food was all greasy fries and burgers then Subway came along with fresh baked bread including whole grain, an assortment of veggies, and accurate calorie counts. When the Frugal Diva is out and about, on vacation, or in the mall, she seeks out  Subway to make sure she has a fresh meal, stays on budget, and keeps to a sensible eating program. My favorite, the Veggie Delite, is one of the featured $5 footlongs for this month.

The Frugal Diva facebooks, twitters, links in, and now pins away however it is important to always be on the look out for new information, nuances and time saving tips regarding social media.  Enter Constant Contact with nation wide seminars in most metropolitan areas.

What makes these seminars so great?  First, they are usually free (a few are given with a local chamber of commerce where a small fee is charged). Second, they are run by professionals in the respective field who have the latest updates and business uses. Third, you have the opportunity to be invite friends, colleagues, and clients to an educational event. Fourth, there is the opportunity to network with other attendees.

Hats off to HUTdogs (they will explain the name) who held the free Constant Contact Seminar On Social Media at the Santa Monica Library. They kept a good pace going, covering all bases with a bonus session on Pinterest, and had a short Q and A afterwards.  Even if you know quite a bit about this topic, it’s so good to be reminded how to make the most of these tools. For the small business person, they represent free advertising space and the opportunity to interact with consumers.

A big thank you to HUTdogs for making this presentation so interesting and informative!

When do you pick up sports equipment?  The day you need it or over the course of time when prices are good.  Steep and Cheap offers one great deal every day. This not just for gearheads, yesterday they had cute walking shoes that would look just as good on the city streets as off the beaten path. You can grab a button for your desktop or sign up for the email to be alerted to the daily deals.  The tyranny of seasonal shopping has been broken.  Shop for biking attire in the winter, get your ski clothes in the summer, and create your own fashion statement with clothing that suits your style.

Frugal Diva Tip: Set up a free email address just for your deals. You can scan it quickly for anything important without having to clog up your personal and business correspondence.

After the deal day, items migrate to Clean Snipe.  When did the simple messenger bag become stylish and high priced?  Check out the original and see how chic you can be for less.

Being totally phobic about all things legal, the frugal diva was really happy when a friend recommended Legal Zoom.  Personal recommendations rank very high on my list of reasons to use a service – especially one on the Internet.  Being nervous about the process also generates a high need for great customer service. In my case more like hand holding, reassurance, and letting you ask many questions along the way.

I got all this and more. This company has the best customer service ever.  They inform you by mail and by phone each step of the way and you never have to wait more then a few minutes for a real, live person to walk you through the process.

And that person is soooo patient, soooo informed, and will make sure you understand everything before the conversation is over.  There is no rush, no attitude, and they are interested in your concerns.

You do pay for the service however you are saving time, aggravation, and gasoline. Instead of driving around, finding parking, making mistakes filling out forms, and dealing with clerks, you are taking care of your business.  Their prices are very reasonable given how much time you would spend getting the same service yourself or using the higher priced services of an attorney.   Legal Zoom proved that the law can be very orderly and efficient.

Where can you find accessories for the Motorola Droid and a quesadilla maker all on in the same place? Slickdeals.net is that site. What is great about slick deals is that they are vetted by users and Slick Deals researches the merchants. Use this site when you are looking for kitchen electronics, tech stuff, digital cameras, and coupon codes for companies like Dell and Logitech.

Here is their mission as stated on their site. “Founded in 1999, Slickdeals.net is a free, user-driven deal sharing site with a mission to provide consumers an avenue to collaborate and share information in order to make the best shopping decisions. Slickdeals achieves this by providing its users a forum for communication and various shopping tools. Slickdeals.net prides itself on being user and community focused, never allowing paid placement for frontpage deal listings.”

Divas need to be state of the art and this site will help you get here.

Easy ways to pamper your pets

No matter what kind of day you’ve had, a little love from your pet is an instant pick-me-up. Spent two hours ensnarled in traffic? A little nudge from a wet nose will fix that. Boss isn’t cutting you any slack? Your furry friends think you can do no wrong.  Your soon-to-be-spouse suddenly got cold feet? You’ve got two big brown eyes gazing up at you with unconditional love.

So how do you say thanks to the furry friends who’ve made your life complete? Here are five easy ways to pamper the dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, gerbils, reptiles and other adorable animals you adore.

1. Walk this way. Grab a leash, open the door and the world is yours: just you and your baby and the great outdoors. A walk with your furry friend is about more than just quality alone time with his or her favorite person. It’s also an opportunity for both of you to burn some calories! If your pet isn’t the outdoors type, you can still offer plenty of opportunities to exercise. Outfit his or her tank or cage with a complete workout suite: treadmills, wheels, posts to climb, exercise balls and more.

2. Spoil them silly. Throw a new toy in front of your pet and turn off the TV: seeing your furry friend chase around his new possession will provide better entertainment than anything on television. You might even want to grab a video camera so you can capture the fun!

3. Don’t cheap out on the chow. Pets are expensive—we all know that—but one thing you don’t want to skimp on is a high-quality, species- and animal-appropriate pet food.  Check with your veterinarian about what’s best for your furry (or slimy, or feathered) friend. Then find your pet a comfortable place to eat—preferably near where the whole family dines so he or she can be part of mealtimes. Worried that ugly plastic food bowl clashes with your china? Choose a pretty food bowl instead so your chum can chow down in style.

4. Spa day for Spot. Pamper your pet by giving him or her  the royal treatment: shampoo, coat care, a nice, fluffy brushing and a “pet-icure.” Your pet will enjoy the attention, and a well-groomed animal is a healthy animal!

5.Don’t forget about the vet! Even if your dog or cat is as healthy as a horse, don’t forget those well-visits with the veterinarian. Your pet’s health care professional will be able to address any concerns you might have and administer recommended vaccines. Plus, a thorough check-up will allow the doctor to detect any problems that might be developing before they get serious.

This article has been provided by the folks at Vitacost.com. Vitacost.com has been selling discount vitamins like Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin C since 1994.. Since then it’s grown into one of the biggest online marketplaces for healthy living essentials-with vitamins and supplements being just one of their many helpful categories! Get the best price on vitamins, nutritional supplements, whole foods and diet foods. Vitacost.com’s customers mean the world to them, and it’s their goal to provide you with the best nutritional supplements, natural foods and sports nutrition to help with your health and wellness. Vitacost.com is not affiliated with this blog, and isn’t responsible for content outside of this article.