When I was a college student I was broke. I worked a LOT and I still had very little spending money. The food that I passed off as meals was almost always very unhealthy because it was also very cheap. I ate MANY Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers. *Gag* At the time they were $.99. I kept a constant stash of Ramen noodles. What 19-year-old doesn’t? I thought nothing of my nutritional choices at the time (hence the Freshman 15).

Here I am some years later, married with a kiddo and I find my thinking to be completely different. I still want to spend as little as I can on food but I also want the food I purchase to be nutritious, not just empty fillers. I’m not interested only in spending as little as possible, I am more concerned with what I am purchasing.

It’s tough because I generally find that junk foods and prepared foods are cheap, and healthy foods or ingredients are expensive. So how do you stick to a frugal budget and feed your family food that is nutritious? Friends, you have got to be creative. There’s no magic solution. You just have to think outside the box mix

• Ask Questions. Is there another way to buy this item? In bulk? Different packaging? Would it be cheaper to make this item myself? A lot of stores are beginning to make their own off-brand organic options.
• Be Brave. Don’t be intimidated because no one you know churns their own butter or bakes their own bread. Don’t write off raising chickens. If there’s something that you really care about, like organic produce, but you’re unable to afford then growing it yourself may be something worthwhile for you to learn. You have the Internet – you can learn almost anything Heck, you can even try vegetarian.
• Begin Somewhere. You aren’t going to become a frugal, farming, organic-purchasing person overnight but if you want to begin making healthier and more frugal choices for your family- then just start. You can’t make progress if you don’t begin.
• Try Again. You know how it goes – if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. My first attempt at homemade granola tasted lovely but was slightly overcooked. No big deal. My first granola bars tasted yummy but were a tiny bit dry. Again, fixable. Don’t give up the first time you realize something isn’t as easy as you’d hoped. Learn and try again.

Here are a few things I’ve done to make the food my family eats cheap and healthy

• Always stop to ask if I can make something myself rather than buying it ready-made (and full of additives), like: Condensed Cream Of Chicken Soup, Taco Seasoning, Pizza Crust, Pie Crust, Bread – this has really helped my food budget.
• Cut out the filler foods and focus my spending on the nutritious stuff. Things like soda, pre-packaged snacks, juice boxes and chips rarely make it into my shopping cart. I’d rather spend a little more money on things that are good for us than waste it on items that are more harmful than healthful.
• Purchase my staples on sale always and keep my house stocked with them. I always have flour (I actually have 3 different kinds at the moment). I always have all my spices, seasonings, active dry yeast, old fashioned oats, honey, meat in the freezer, veggies in the freezer and other things that our family regularly uses. If I purchased these things as needed instead of only when they are on sale I wouldn’t be able to afford all of them. But because I keep my home stocked with these items I’m able to make things from scratch much more easily.
• Think of new ways to make things. When making things from scratch while trying to be frugal the main deterrent for me is an expensive ingredient. If I come across a recipe that calls for something pricey or that I wouldn’t ordinarily purchase my immediate instinct is to pass it over. You don’t always have to though. Many odd or expensive ingredients can be substituted with more common items. For instance, I have several recipes that call for buttermilk. I do not need buttermilk for anything other than these recipes so the remaining amount would be wasted if I purchased a carton. Instead, there’s a kitchen hack for creating your own buttermilk with milk and vinegar – things I ordinarily purchase. Another example – some recipes call for wine, which can usually be substituted with juice.
• Grow veggies or “pick-your-own” locally. I have a small vegetable garden that supplements my produce-purchasing. I’ve also gotten great deals picking local fruit in season. I picked strawberries, blueberries and apples for a fraction of the price I would have paid at the store. I picked enough to preserve/freeze.

This is something I’m still learning and working on and I’m loving all the new things I’m figuring out. I feel that the time invested is worth it to me. Can you add any tips to my lists?

Why I do what I do ~ David, Chloe and I were very sick last weekend. We have all gotten the worst case of the cold that we’ve had in a long time. Even though Chloe is sick, just like we are, do you know what she’s doing? She’s taken it upon herself to take care of us. Her little hand stroking my cheek is the best medicine I have ever had.

photo credit: jwalsh

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