Eating on a budget

I keep hearing people saying that they can't afford to eat healthy. They say they are super tight on money and of course eating Crap food is cheaper. But I don't think those people have ever really sat down and done the math. Think of fruit snacks, they are generally on the cheaper side and they are convenient. But what about rasins? They are sweet, cheap and super convenient to buy in little boxes and stick them in a diaper bag or purse. Chips, cost say $4.00 (give or take for a bag of Lays) grapes I just bought a bunch for the same price. Want salty? Get some kale, make some home made kale chips, easy, cheap, and GREAT (no seriously when I make them my kids can't get enough and I rarely get any at all cause they eat them all).

I think that some people are afraid to think outside the box. Search the web, find bloggers with fun recipes, try new veggies, new fruits, etc. When you shop, shop the isles last, produce first, meats and proteins second and isles should be last. The point of that is to buy your necessities first, your whole foods. Because when I go over my food budget it is usually the cereals, cookies, and other "junk" my kids throw in, that put me over. I am on a very tight budget, I have 6 of us to feed daily, I am lucky to get by on $600 a month for groceries. I changed the way I shopped as part of my new year resolution, and I buy much better food now, and don't spend a dime more. In fact I have found I save money. Now I do NOT buy organic. I can not afford that. But I do make sure to buy my meats from a good butcher, we don't eat as much meat, as before because I fill their plates and mine with more veggies, so they get more full on the veggies.

I guess I am just tired of hearing the money excuse. It is one I hear a lot when people ask me how I have lost 40 pounds ( Topic planned for a future blog), and I tell them I switched to a whole foods diet.