The way I went about it was to keep an itemized track of what I bought each week, and how much we actually ate, and of course included prices for everything. We already ate organic store bought produce, but if you currently eat conventionally grown produce, then keep track of the conventional prices/amounts, and then compare them to what it would cost in-store for the organic equivalent.
I then took those numbers, and compared them to the CSA costs. I knew that getting local, really high quality produce delivered would cost more. But I was then able to decide just how much more I was willing to pay, and choose the best CSA for our family. Sometimes just seeing their numbers, you don't know if it's a good deal or not.
I will say that for now, prices around us have risen so much for CSA shares, that I have dropped ours and buy our organic produce from TJ's and Whole Foods, and save a bunch of money doing that. I think most people believe it would be the opposite, but not around here right now.
ETA: I really can't imagine only spending $15-$17 a week for organic produce, if you actually cook each day, and everyone eats fruits and veggies. 10 pounds for 3 people sounds like enough, so yeah, that sounds like a great deal!
I spend $25 a week. The cheapest CSA share here for one week is $35, and even then, it wasn't enough fruit for us. Hence why I went back to store shopping.
Last edited by daisymommy; 04-04-2012 at 10:28 AM.
Mama to "The Fantastic Four":
DS 02
DD 06
DS 09
DD 12