When money is tight, the grocery budget suffers. We have to look for a way to cut corners without sacrificing our family's health. I have heard many people say that being healthy is expensive. It's not! You just have to know how to make it work.
Having cut the grocery budget many times I have developed a list of rules that keep my family healthy.
(As a matter of fact, I'm in trouble with the pediatrician because she doesn't see my youngest often enough. I explained that she hasn't been sick! But I do need to schedule her next wellness visit for good measure)
1. Don't buy canned meals. I don't care how busy you are. The fat and sodium content are not worth the convenience. The same ingredients, meat, vegetables, pasta, etc. can be placed in a crockpot in 15 minutes in the morning to save you time. If you don't have a crockpot, they are only 10.00 at walmart. You can cook nearly anything in them. If you have older children, they can help you put the ingredients in or even change the settings to low when they arrive home from school.
2. Always have a list. Then, when you are at the store, if the item you are considering isn't on the list (and it wasn't an ommission) DON'T BUY IT.
3. Order online when you can. It really helps with the rule above. I buy online from Reasor's as much as I can.
4. Include snacks in your plan. If you don't, you will buy them anyway and blow your budget. Pretzels are very inexpensive, but they don't have much in the way of nutritional content. Homemade snack mix is my family's favorite. I make several batches on the weekends. The store brand of cereal is a fine alternative. You can also vary the recipe to control the cost by skipping the peanuts, for example. Popcorn from the air popper or even the oil popper is better than microwave and less expensive.
5. Homemade drop oatmeal cookies are better than packaged sweets and very affordable to make. Sure, they do take a little time, but who doesn't have that time in the evenings or the weekends. Kids are a great help and they LOVE to make cookies.
6. Don't buy as much meat. You have to make sure the carbohydrate and protein in the meals are balanced, but typically Americans eat too much meat anyway. Fish can be a good alternative. My kids love salmon burgers that I make from canned salmon. (My mom used to call these salmon patties, but I serve them with pickles and tomato on thin buns).
7. Give up soda. That's a big one, I know. But if you have to have sweetened drinks, then koolaid lemonade and tea are better alternatives. If you don't buy soda, everyone will adjust. We drink a lot more water these days. Some of us like it cold and some of us have developed a taste for it tepid.
8. Finally, be careful about the dairy products you're buying. You want to buy milk that comes from cows that have not been injected with rBGH. You can find local sources that are inexpensive without buying the expensive Horizon products. Here is Oklahoma, Braums is a good source for milk that is free from the hormone.
As always, if you have questions or ideas, let me know.
Denise
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