I am already talking about sacrifices, and it is only the third day! I was always confident we could do the first 100 Days of Real Food pledge, but to be honest I am doubting this budget pledge often.
- Exhibit A: The amount of raspberries you can have in your cereal when you are on a $125/week budget.
- Exhibit B: The beverage you have to (at times) force your children to drink when you run out of milk and can’t afford to buy more yet.
- Exhibit C: The one super cheap fruit that I will always be able to afford on this budget, but that I am already getting tired of eating.
I guess I really shouldn’t be complaining about my one raspberry. I wanted to buy a whole $4.99 container of organic raspberries at the store, but it was one of the many things I had to put back when I saw how much my bill was adding up to be. Then I was outside checking on my garden when I realized there were 5 ripe raspberries on our raspberry bush! It was very exciting until I remembered it would only be fair for me to share them with my family. That darn family. So anyway, only one lonely raspberry for me even though I love all things berry when it comes to my granola cereal in the morning!
So in addition to raspberries, some of the other things I had to put back when I was checking out at Earth Fare the other day were mushrooms, an avocado, some almonds, cream cheese, and about half a bag of grapes. Yes, I only bought half of the grapes. I also had a few things on my list I didn’t even attempt to buy once I started adding things up in my head. This included espresso, jelly (I figured we must have some left in the fridge somewhere), celery, parmesan cheese, and fontina cheese. I needed the fontina cheese for our lasagna the other night, but just had to do without!
One more negative comment then I promise I will be nice! Since everyone obviously knows the pros of “budgeting” I thought I would share some of the cons I have observed so far…
- You can’t stock up or buy things on an impulse (just in case you might need them) without going over budget, which means you have to go to the store more often.
- You may end up with a lot less variety in your diet since you have to stick to the cheap stuff (like the lovely banana pictured above).
- You might be forced to become a vegetarian.
Okay, now that I got that off my chest I do have something nice to say. Even though I couldn’t buy an avocado (which all of us love) or fresh mushrooms like
I wanted for our fajitas tonight they did end up being delicious. I got lucky again like I did with the raspberries and “found” some dried mushrooms in my pantry that have been in there a long, long time. After a little warm water and TLC they were reconstituted and made a great addition to our fajita mix (pictured). I have a feeling that the more I use up these little “finds” in my pantry the harder this budget thing is going to get.
So as promised, this is what my $67 got me at Earthfare the other day…almost all of it was organic by the way…
- Raw Cashews $7.90
- Pumpkin Seeds $3.35
- Coffee Beans $8.99
- Unsalted Butter $4.29
- Cheddar Cheese $4.89
- Monterey Jack Cheese $3.39
- Ricotta Cheese $5.99
- Cheese Sticks $4.39
- Applesauce Squeeze $3.29
- Unsweetened Coconut $2.79
- Whole-Wheat Pretzels $4.39
- Bananas! $1.74
- Baby Carrots $2.00
- Ginger Root $0.21
- Green Grapes $1.45
- Leeks $3.83
- Yellow Onions $3.46
The total (with tax) was $67.68. And on a positive note, the milk man comes tomorrow…yay!
I love coming back to re-read these posts and get ideas for when our family’s budget is slim! I only just now realized you bought your grapes for $1.45 (so I’m presuming if you bought the whole pack they would be about $3?) Wow! Up here a dinky bag of grapes is about $12…Canadian (so what is that, maybe $10 US?). Food in general is crazy expensive here. I wonder if there are any frugal bloggers in BC…
My problem is knowing how to use the real foods. I have zero recipes and ones I do find online seem to be very complicated and time consuming. I know I could do better with eating clean if I knew how to cook the foods. I know you have a cookbook, but that’s not in my budget, as of right now. Any suggestions on where to find clean, cheap, and easy recipes?
Hi there. Just use our recipe index: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/recipe-search/.
Why all the cheese? Cheesesticks are processed and probably have a lot of non-cheese components. Seems like you could do better.
I would suggest adding a little to your budget so you can stock up when things go on sale. Frozen fruits, cheese and beans do go on sale. I shop at Winco (they have regular and organic foods) and buy many of my staples from the bulk bins. I love to cook and am very happy when my freezer is full of leftovers. I hope to start making freezer meals in the near future.
I really enjoy reading about your adventures trying to eat healthy, and recognise the struggle it is having to put away things you want but can’t really afford. You have a lot of good advice.
One thing, though, why can’t you stock up on things just because you are on a weekly budget? I mean, it is only a matter of budgeting properly. I have a budget of around 120 dollars/week much like you had in your experiment. The difference is that my actual weekly budget turns out to be around 60 dollars/week since shortly after payday (which rolls around once a month) I stock up on essentials that I know we will use throughout the month to get a good price on them and to cut down on the shopping trips. Things like organic, grass fed beef would be out of my price range if I stuck to a weekly budget like you are doing since it is horribly expensive to buy what you need, when you need it. But by buying in bulk once a month directly from the farmer raising the animals I get a much better price. Same thing with things like dried beans, whole wheat flour, eggs, onions etc. By buying things that I know we will use up in bulk I can afford more and better food.
Setting a weekly budget is really, really, really important (as you pointed out) when you are trying to make ends meet, or save money for something. it is really a must knowing exactly how much you can spend without going over budget each week. However, if you get paid monthly I think it is best to draw up a monthly food budget first. Do your bulk purchases for the month, then divide what is left between the weeks. That way, you save both money and time. :)
This Friday I was out of lunch meat for my husband’s sandwich. I had a bit after making the kids’ lunches, so I took what I had and added extra veggie, lettuces, avocado and tomatoes to give the sand which some weight and thickness. Gave him boiled eggs and fruits including bananas, nuts and oh his sardine snack. …. Gotta go.
Dear Lisa: Am enjoying your website, finding it when searching for a perfect sauce for crockpot pork. I do a lot of research myself, as mother of 6 grown children with families- who have such busy working lives and little time to spend doing medical research. I am mainly concerned about meat quality and pesticides, especially a list of produce that lists those that absorb all of pesticide and can not be washed off! I believe that Grapes fall into that category so I avoid them like the plague unless I know for a fact that they are not in the least tainted. Neurological conditions are rising because of these toxic chemicals- and not just food items but personal as well as other everyday products. On a more positive note, you and your family are off to a great start. If we all speak up and support those that are making efforts to provide healthy products. As you grow older, you can see the changes in elderly health as well. Good luck to you on your journey! God Bless you and take care, Marilyn L. Flaherty
What about making your own ricotta cheese? It’s just milk, salt, and lemon juice. You can also make your own butter, peanut butter, yogurt, bread, and even some cheeses. So maybe paying for an extra milk shipment and putting some time in will cut out expenses later.
I love your website and just starting to go through it and I realized how different we eat ! The reason is that we are from Europe so we eat very different foods and that means I can’t have a budget of a $ 125 / week ! We like more gourmet foods unfortunately . I am sure though i can still find useful info on here so thanks for doing this and helping other families to eat real food !!! Your family is super cute ! :)
My husband and I started eating healthier a few years ago and really ramped up the whole foods a few months ago. I have found that while some of the foods I’m buying are more expensive, my food bill hasn’t gone up because we are eating less; especially, me. My portion sizes have gone down dramatically and I assume that is from getting proper nutrients that are much more filling.
Love this! I am getting so inspired…this year I plan on keeping a budget and limit eating out..your website is awesome….so glad I found you!!!!
Thank you for your honesty! I see way too many websites that say ‘Sure, you can eat completely organic, wholesome foods on a tight budget!’. Usually it comes across as really phony and unrealistic. Personally, I buy some things organic and some non-organic. I’m not on an extremely tight budget, but it’s still difficult to justify $5 for a tiny little package of blueberries in the winter (which my kids love…). I guess it’s all about making choices. I’d rather have them eat 8 expensive blueberries than 30 cheap potato chips as an after-school snack.
First of all, I’m so excited to find everything on a budget! 2nd, there’s no way I will make lasagna with all of those expensive cheeses (I have been on a budget for far too long). I will make other foods that are healthy and I’ll get more bang for my buck (an idea for people who have a more limited budget than the $125). I am also blessed to have a few other resources (dairy goats are pretty affordable if you have some pasture for them and I’ll be able to get my own natural, raw milk and make some of my own cheeses). Can’t wait for sumner because I didn’t even think to freeze milk before the ladies dried up. Thank you for doing this!
Some good drinks: slice and soak cucumbers in water. So good! Or berries or lemon, etc.
This is a great start! I had family over tonight and entertained 5 adults for under $15. It’s so important to stock up on spices and staple items, like flour, butter, olive oil and sugar when you have spare flexilibiy in the budget.
My local grocery store had pork chops, bone in on sale for 1.28/lb, kale and collards for $.88 a bunch, egg noodles for $.69 a bag. I even had room in my budget to make an apple crisp for dessert and bought a bottle of Chardonnay for my mother in law and I to share before Dancing With the Stars. Love the challenge of gourmet on a budget…all of this as possible, however, because I have a well stocked pantry of spices. Eggs, sugar, yeast for dough, etc etc…..
PS: Food For Less, 99 Cent Store and Walmart usually have a wall of plastic wrapped spices for under $1 to stock up, in a pinch! Also, my guests raved and raved about the menu tonight, and I had PLENTY for everyone to take “doggie bags” home, which they DID!! A success
XoXo
I’m curious about where you live? Not because I want to stalk you but because of the prices you pay for food. I live in California and don’t pay nearly that much for our groceries. Also, if you still drink coffee, Costco carries a wonderful organic bean that costs $12 for 2.5 lbs.
I also shop Trader Joe’s for everything because they only carry one of every type of item, the price is cheaper and their dairy is rbgh free so I don’t buy organic but even then their organic is cheaper then a “natural” food store. I also love their produce and find many organics there.
You probably know all of this but it might help others to find out some alternative places to shop rather than spend your whole paycheck at places like Whole Foods.
Hi Laura. We live near Charlotte, NC. Thanks so much for your input. Lisa typically use a combination of grocery stores including Trader Joe’s, Earth Fare, and Whole Foods. We also have a local farmer’s market that makes farm fresh seasonal produce and eggs available year round. In addition to those, we can find some good deals on organics as well as flax, quinoa, hemp seeds, etc. at Costco. :) ~Amy
What a totally awesome website this is. I have been eating like this for about a year now and I can attest that eating natural/organic is totally affordable. The way I did it was to stop buying things I could make at home. I eliminiated all the chemical cleaners in my house. I didn’t realize how much money I was spending in the cleaning isle…now I just skip it. I make everything from all purpose cleaner to laundry detergent to soap to my own beauty products (lotion, shampoo, etc). I buy nothing out of a box or that is prepared in anyway….I buy only single ingredients. The meat from the farmer down the street is expensive but we just eat less. We grew a garden and preserved our food. At first it was time consuming. I used to come home and pull some food out of the freezer to cook for dinner and now I have to plan ahead a little better, but over time, its just become a way of life for us. My last trip to the grocery store cost me $235 but it was my big monthly shopping trip….Ill go back during the month for a few necessities (milk, butter or other ingredient) but I will definately spend less than $300!!
Paula,
I am really interested in making our own household products as well. We do make our own laundry detergent and bath soap gel, but was there any specific website or blog that you followed to get started or is this just something that took a lot of time and research when you began?
I haven’t actually tried the recipes but there are some on this site:
http://asonomagarden.wordpress.com/
Thank you so much for blogging and posting. We are all trying to make the best decisions and they come at a pretty penny! Love your ideas and honest feedback. Keep it real!
Have you shopped at Aldi’s yet? I looked up Matthews NC and there does seem to be a store there. You have to shop carefully and you’re not going to have the luxury of organic (and right now there are lots of people in the country who are just wishing for the luxury of food) but you will see outstanding prices on produce, excellent quality and very fresh.
They also have very good butter, cottage cheese, the standard hard cheeses, good prices on chicken (if you watch) etc. Aldi’s is owned by the group that owns Trader Joe’s and I am absolutely surprised at the quality of the goods. Some things I would be wary of such as the beef, but I won’t buy beef at Walmart either.And I just don’t buy fish anymore anywhere, especially no tilapia or shrimp…but if you haven’t been to Aldi’s prepare to be shocked at how much you can save.
Found this refreshing…It is soo hard to stay to a weekly budget and still buy organic, healthy foods. Sometimes I skimp for a few weeks, but eventually you run out of those hidden, forgotten about foods in your pantry and you really FEEL the sacrifice. Good to be reminded that even with less food my needs are still taken care of–just not my wants!
Thanks for sharing. Budgeting is so hard. And eating healthy on a budget is extremely hard!