Eating Whole and Healthy on a Budget

This is a big step for me right here. I'm making my budget accountable as well as my waist line.

I had some comments last night that people would love to join me BUT they don't have the money to eat healthy.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that yeah... you do.  We do and right now our budget is very limited due to some price increases on other bills we cannot get rid of, house repairs and what not, my weekly grocery budget is $100 dollars, which realistically is more like $45 because I spend more at the beginning of the month for things like meat in bulk at Sams Club and bread for the month. I should also point out that that money is supposed to include any toiletries.  So if I can get good whole, healthy, foods on a budget... then you can too.

Things that make us accountable and tips for staying in a budget:

-We have to take money out of grocery to eat out, so we have people over.
-It takes one hour to make pizza. One hour. In the time you decide what you want on it, order it, and it gets to your house you can make your own pizza.
-We don't hardly use coupons. Most coupons are for things we don't use and if we do find some good ones, often you can print them offline.  I print mine off of Swagbucks because it adds up points, more on that later.
-Make as much as possible, even snack foods.
-No sodas, we buy some juice because we have toddler, but we drink a lot of tea which is cheap and healthy.
- Eat before going to the Mall or out shopping, or bring snacks with us like bananas.
-SWAGBUCKS, I'm on Subscribe and Save on Amazon for my shampoo, Maris coconut oil for its MANY uses, and dish washer detergent. This way, I don't have to worry about it and I don't have to figure out how to get it in our budget.  I average about $25 dollars a month in how many Amazon Gift cards I get on Swagbucks.
-We go to Farmers Markets when they are about to close. Why? Farmers are now trying to get rid of their produce because they don't want to take it home and will make you a deal to take it with you.
-I know when Kroger marks down their meat, which often includes their free range pork and chicken and beef. Get to know your butcher.
-I inventory my pantry, freezer, and fridge. Which once you have a master list... it's not that hard to do. That way I know what I have and makes meal planning so much easier.
-I always have a list. ALWAYS. And if something isn't on my list, I don't need it. There are list apps on phones if you don't have paper to write it down :)
-I make my own cleaners, they involve vinegar, water, and essential oils. If I need a scrubber, theres baking soda.
-We cloth diaper. I have a spread sheet if you'd like to see the cost comparison. But basically I've spent $200 dollars on diapers that she will be in until she potty trains and it increased our water bill by $10 dollars a month. The "ew" factor goes away after you realize that the diaper isn't the grossest thing about a baby.


We have one car. I go grocery shopping once a week, sometimes more depending on how fast we go through bananas or eggs.

This might be controversial among some, because I know I have strongish feelings about it sometimes too. I don't always buy organic produce because unless it's on sale, and I try and buy local as much as possible, I find it important, but not so important that I'm not going to buy produce I need because I cannot get it in organic or cannot afford it. I'd love to be able to have a garden, and we wanted one this year and it just didn't happen. It WILL next year if the Lord wills.

Just a few things about how our budget works and why we are so strict about it.  Trust me when I tell you that we have no lack of food. It's just prioritizing and knowing what your family will and wont eat.  Buying only what you need and only buying what you want as a treat.  And by treat, I mean rarely.

We're doing our best to pay off debt and get savings built and this is the only area where we have any kind of control over. And its up to us to me, as the Homemaker, to keep up with it. My husband has trusted me to do this and he's trusting me to get him healthy :) And I can do both on the limited budget I have.