Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Join our Real Moms Cooking Community!

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This is for all the moms (and aunts, friends, sisters, and grandmas) behind and in front and in the middle of all the daily grind beauty of every day. Introducing the Real Moms Cooking Community!

Cooking for the family…
While trying to keep up with the family?

What actually is most important?

When it comes to food, so many of us are seeking to:

  • Feed our families well
  • Save money on groceries
  • Stop eating out so much
  • Figure out menu planning
  • Spend less time in the kitchen

AND, we want to keep God first. This is vital.

Ummm, balance??

It almost seems impossible to do them all at the same time, right? There’s so much to learn and you and I can’t possibly know or do everything.

Is it possible that this is the missing link? —>

We need each other.

If the 2020 quarantine has taught me anything, it’s that community is so very necessary. So we created an opportunity to find the support, resources, and togetherness that we all need as we ask questions about what is most important as we strive to feed our families.

We want to do it well, and we want to figure out how to balance it all. I don’t have all the answers. Neither do you. But I do know what has worked for me through my 23 years of raising a family so far. And you know what has worked for you during your time raising a family. So I decided:

Why not form a Real Moms Cooking Community where we can work together and share all the recipes, tips, and ideas we’ve learned!

Our Real Moms Cooking Community Package includes:

  • A special 2 week series of emails highlighting topics like grocery budgets, family-friendly recipes, saving time in the kitchen, how to eat out less, and how to make vegetables actually taste good. :)
  • Exclusive access to our brand new Real Moms Cooking Community Facebook Group – so we can all share ideas, tips, and recipes!
  • This incredible packet of fun and practical resources —>

Yep, throughout this series, among all the wonderful tips, links, and information we’ll also send you these fantastic bonus resources:

  • 30-Minute Meals eCookbook – Filled with our favorite real food, family fun recipes that can be on your table within just 30 minutes or less!
  • Simple Kitchen eBook – Loaded with fantastically simple ideas, recipes, and tips to help make your real food kitchen life so easy! Make your own ranch dressing mix, make bacon bits, make and freeze muffin batter – so many wonderful ideas!
  • Real Tips eBook – Here’s where you’ll learn how you really can eat out less, but still have SO MUCH FUN. This eBook will help you save lots of money. Oh, and you’ll learn tips about helping your family eat more fruits and veggies too!
  • Budget-Friendly eGuidebook – Want to save money while living a real food lifestyle? This guidebook is just what you need. You can do this!
  • Printable Recipe Cards – All the recipes in the eBooks can be printed as super cute recipe cards! The fun never ends!

Who is this for?

This community is for everyone. Some of us are stay-at-home moms, some of us work outside the home, some of us work from home, some of us are empty nesters, some of us are new moms, some of us are veteran moms. Some of us carry more than one of those labels, and some of us have both adult children and babies (Laura raises her hand). :)

What do we all have in common? We want to do the best that we can to care for our families!

Certainly, all women are welcome, moms or not. Shucks, men can even join! But this community and its contents are geared toward guiding women who are regularly cooking for a family. It’s a big job and we can work together to do it well!

Real Moms Cooking Community Goals:

  • Add new quick and simple recipes to your regular rotation that your family will love
  • Find ways to save time in the kitchen
  • Discover great tips for saving money on groceries
  • Learn simple ways to eat out less
  • Add more fruits and veggies into your meals
  • Gain tips for making menu planning easier
  • Support one another!

Ok, ready to join us?

Purchase your package below and let’s get started! We’ll hang out via email and Facebook. We’ll share the best of the best tips and ideas, recipes, and encouragement! You’ll love every email and all the bonuses that are included!

Let’s join this community and learn and share together!

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7 Ways I Save Money on Groceries With a Houseful of Teenage Boys

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

I wrote this a few months ago to share as a guest post at MoneySavingMom.com. As I prepare to feed my teens and their friends throughout the summer, I thought it would be fun add a little to it and post it here for you! After all, who couldn’t use more ideas about ways to save money on groceries?

7 Ways I Save Money on Groceries With a Houseful of Teenage Boys

I just watched my 18-year old son eat an entire pound of strawberries for an afternoon snack. Tonight for dinner my family will plow through three pounds of boneless chicken,  three or four pounds of potatoes, a pound of frozen green beans, several handfuls of mixed greens, and a big bowl full of grapes. They’ll be hungry again before bed, no doubt.

This is my life. Four sons, all teenagers. My table is full and so is my heart. My grocery budget? Well, it’s not so small either.

When our four boys were little, people told me that I’d have to stock up on lots of potatoes, rice, and pasta as they got older so I could afford to feed them. I’ll admit these tricks help the grocery budget somewhat, but I’ll also tell you that I much prefer to fill my family with nourishment instead of empty calories.

That leaves me in a bit of a pickle then, doesn’t it? (Pickles? Oh yes. We go through a lot of those too.)

So how can we afford to feed four teenage boys (and frequently their friends!) without breaking the budget or compromising on nourishment? Well, it’s a continuous learning process, for sure, and I’ve been working at it for the past seven years. I’m excited to share some of my best grocery saving tips! But first let me say this:

Our grocery budget isn’t small. It can’t be – not if I want my kids to feel satisfied after a meal and to be filled with nutrients too. Did I mention all my sons are athletes and three out of four so far are over 6 feet tall? If you’re brave, you can click here to get an idea of how much we spend on groceries for our family every month. You’ll see that I’m certainly not one of the moms who spends”$50 a week to feed my family!” because of the huge appetites at our house and our preference for highly nourishing food. I love reading those mom’s tricks, though, because I always learn new ideas for ways to save.

So here we go!

How I save money on groceries with a house full of teenage boys:

1. We drink water.

I can’t imagine how much money this saves us (yes I can) and it’s a win-win! It’s healthier and saves money too! Our boys aren’t huge milk drinkers, so I buy one gallon of milk every week from local farmers, which I use for cooking and baking. If the boys want something special to drink, they buy it themselves as a treat. As you can see, the fact that we deprive our kids of fun drinks like juice and soda has left them terribly sulky and despondent.

family-sillysm

2. We eat soup.

Homemade broth is extremely nourishing, and I’ve found that it really helps stretch the meat in a meal. If I cook a chicken for one meal, then use the bones to make broth for soup, we’re getting a two-for-one! Here are our 12 Favorite Soup Recipes that help stretch our grocery budget.

3. We love meat, but still have meatless meals.

We love our cows and chickens (boy do we!) and I’m of the opinion that my active family needs the wholesome protein and nutrients that meat provides. But I’ve learned that we don’t need meat for every single meal. Beans and eggs and nuts and cheese help round out our menus and fill us with protein, and I’ve created many super simple recipes that are painlessly meatless.

4. We eat a lot of frozen veggies, fresh greens, and carrots.

It’s extremely important to me that I serve several veggies throughout the day. I keep frozen peas and green beans on hand at all times – veggies that are inexpensive and happen to be our favorites. Fresh greens are a staple and one of the most nourishing options to fill our plates. I pay $6 for a big one-pound container, which lasts our family one week. I’d say that’s a pretty great price for awesome nourishment, wouldn’t you? Fresh carrots are inexpensive year-round so we eat them often! I make homemade dips and dressings, which makes it easier to get the veggies down.

mixed greens

5. I buy in bulk.

If you saw my storage room, you’d realize this was an understatement. I buy huge quantities of pretty much everything from meat to grains, which means I can buy when I find a sale, then use up our supply while I wait for another sale. I’ve saved thousands through the years shopping this way – and I love that I’ve also saved time and energy since I don’t have to run to the store for single ingredients very often. I just shop my food storage room!

—> Grab a list here of Simple Ingredients I try to keep on hand at all time. It’s a free download you can enjoy at your house too! <—

6. We eat at home.

While this post is about saving money on groceries, it is important to mention that eating at home saves us a great deal of money compared to eating out. Restaurant bills – even fast food bills – are quite large for our family. So we save eating out for special times when we are on the road (though we almost always pack food for travel too!). I wrote here about other ways our family saves money so we can afford a higher grocery bill. I bet you’ll find you save in many of these ways too!

—> Here are 111 of our favorite recipes, all of which use only 5 or fewer ingredients! <—

7. We eat Simple Meals.

Nothing fancy here. After all, my boys just want to eat. They don’t care if it looks good on Pinterest. I avoid recipes that take lots of steps to make and I use only simple ingredients, which we mix and match to put together hundreds of meals!

—> If you enjoy simple eating and want to save time in the kitchen while still putting great real food on the table, I recommend you check out our Simple Meals plan and join the fun! <—

A table full of teenagers? Bring it on! I’ll continue to find ways to be creative and save money as I load my shopping carts and fill my fridge and freezer. Ok fine. My two fridges and three freezers. What can I say? I feed a houseful of teenagers. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P.S. It’s worth a mention that affording to feed these guys is only half the battle. Finding time to cook all the food is no small feat! Solution:

I taught all my kids how to cook.

I can’t say enough good about this.

My boys have spent hours of time with me in the kitchen through the years. Now that they are older, they are all very capable and can make entire meals if needed. Generally, we all work together to put food on the table. This is great for bonding but logistically speaking, their efforts and ability mean I’m not overworked in an effort to keep them all fed!

Learn more about how I taught my kids to cook here. And for just a few more days, take advantage of this great Kids in the Kitchen package offer!

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The Day I Proved That Healthy Food DOES NOT Cost More

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Today I thought it would be fun to explore whether or not healthy food actually costs more than…how should I say it? Unhealthy food? Would you believe me if I told you that I discovered that most healthy food does not cost more? Some healthy foods actually cost significantly less! Who knew?

I don’t even like to call it healthy and unhealthy food, simply because not every person’s dietary needs are the same. Sometimes what’s healthy for me might not be healthy for you.

So as we talk through this subject, let’s switch the word “healthy” with the word “nourishing.” I always encourage people to focus on eating food that offers nourishment. Don’t just eat edible stuff that fills a hole. Work to eat real food that offers nutrients and provides the body with goodness to thrive.

Want to read more on this subject? Read this —>

What is the Perfect Diet for Everyone?

Now back to our initial discussion about the cost of nourishing food vs. the cost of empty calories.

I’ve been crunching some numbers this week because after all my years of working to make a nourishing diet affordable for my family, I still hear so many people talk about how they can’t afford to eat good food. I always cringe at this declaration because I no longer believe it to be true.

Does Healthy Food ACTUALLY Cost More?

In an effort to get to the bottom of this debate, today I decided to compare the prices of basic, real foods to the price of a big box of Goldfish Crackers from Walmart.

Obviously this comparison doesn’t factor in coupon use or off brand options. But spoiler alert: Would you believe me if I told you that an ounce of Goldfish Crackers costs only a little bit less than an ounce of Grass-Fed Organic Hamburger Meat?? This blew me away! Is it possible that we’ve been wrong all these years about the high cost of real food?

Check this out! You’ll be amazed at my findings!

Goldfish Crackers = 30 ounce box for $6.46 = $0.22/ounce

Keep this price point in mind as we look at the costs of other basic, real, nourishing foods most of us love. We’ll start by comparing average costs of favorite fresh fruits and veggies.

Cost of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Here’s the breakdown of produce price points I usually shoot for. NOTE: These are the prices I pay. Prices will vary from city to city.

  • Grapes = $2.50/pound or less = $0.16/ounce
  • Apples = $1.50/pound or less = $0.09/ounce
  • Strawberries = $2.30/pound or less = $0.14/ounce
  • Bananas = $0.59/pound or less = $0.04/ounce
  • Carrots = $0.99/pound = $0.06/ounce
  • Cuties = $1.50/pound or less = $0.09/ounce
  • Peaches/Nectarines/Plums = $1.50/pound or less = $0.09/ounce

These are all much lower in cost compared to Goldfish Crackers. How fun is this?!

Cost of Fresh Meat, Milk, Eggs, and Cheese

This was a little bit more difficult to measure as we don’t calculate eggs or milk in pounds. Still, it was interesting to note some price breakdowns of these nourishing foods. Notice how many of these prices are significantly less per ounce compared to Goldfish Crackers! NOTE: These are the prices I pay. Prices will vary from city to city.

  • Free Range Eggs = $2.50/dozen or less = $0.21/egg
  • Cheese = $4.00/pound = $0.25/ounce
  • Raw, Grass Fed Milk = $5.00/gallon = $0.04/ounce
  • Grass Fed Beef = $5.50/pound = $0.34/ounce
  • Naturally Grown Boneless Chicken Thighs = $3.00/pound or less when I see mark-downs = $0.19/ounce
  • Naturally Grown Chicken Legs or Whole Chicken = $2.50/pound or less when I see mark-downs = $0.16/ounce

Wow! Bring on the nourishing, real foods!

Cost of Whole Grains

I typically purchase my grains in bulk through Azure Standard. (Curious how many cups of flour in a pound of wheat? I did the math for you here.)

  • Freshly Ground Organic Wheat Flour = $1.00 per pound = $0.33/cup = $0.06/ounce
  • Organic Brown Rice = $1.10/pound = $0.07/ounce
  • Organic Rolled Oats = $0.87/pound = $0.05/ounce
  • Organic Whole Wheat Pasta = $2.55/pound = $0.16/ounce

Healthy Food Does Not Cost More

With the exception of fresh cheese and grass fed meat, which is only a few cents more per ounce than Goldfish Crackers, we see a lower price on all real, whole foods compared to this empty calorie snack. I am so encouraged by this!

This isn’t to say that we should never eat a goldfish cracker. Some moments in our life call for fun convenience foods! But we should never feel discouraged or defeated about the cost of purchasing wonderful, nourishing food for our family!

I can do it! You can do it!

Are you surprised about these price comparisons? What are some of your favorite inexpensive real foods?

Free Simple Ingredients Printable List

We’ve created a wonderful, practical, basic real food ingredients list for you to download and use as a guide. Now that you know that real food is so affordable, this list will be even more helpful than ever! This resource is free and it’s for everyone. Get yours here!

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30 Real Food Money Saving Tips

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I couldn’t have done it without you. I asked what YOUR best real food money saving tips might be, and oh did you come through!

It was so fun to put all of our heads together and put together this great (FREE!) resource full of Real Food Money Saving Tips! There truly are many great ways to save money on real food groceries!

groceries august17

I love it when high quality meat is marked down!

Sure, I know some great ways I’ve learned to save money on real food through the years. But so many of you have different experiences and ideas from what I’ve learned. Putting so many of your tips together into this little booklet means we all get just that much smarter! (Just when we thought we knew everything about buying apples…)

Real Food Money Saving TipsYum

Ready to get started? You’ll find all 30 tips detailed in this absolutely FREE resource. Here are some of my favorites:

  1. Crystal: I only have a family of 3, but because of prices of grass fed beef and organic chicken, I only use half a pound when I make spaghetti or a casserole and I use 1 chicken breast when I make a noodle dish or casserole that calls for chicken. I’m always using less meat than called for as a way to stretch it. That way I can afford higher quality meat. It works for us!
  2. Nicole: Last year I switched around how I menu planned instead of finding recipes then going shopping for those ingredients I now hit the produce & meat area buying what’s on sale (and good quality!) then I come home and find recipes that contain those items. Now I don’t feel obligated to buy the higher non sale item because of the time I already have invested in menu planning.
  3. Melody: We have meatless Mondays, tuna recipes for Tuesdays, and I “shop” my pantry and fridge/freezer first, then the on-line ads, and make my menu plan from that. I make out my grocery list for just the items I will need to make the items on my menu. We also use less meat than a recipe calls for and add beans to stretch out the meat in meals like tacos or casseroles.
  4. Susan: My best money saving advice is the skip fancy recipes that require you to buy ingredients you don’t have on hand or use often. I often leave out or substitute a fancy ingredient for a more economical or practical ingredient. I can’t be a 5 star cook on my budget and some days I wish I had fresh herbs or a fancy vinegar, but running out to buy them for 1 recipe isn’t the best use of my funds. I have been sticking to simple real food recipes with basic cost effective ingredients. I make menus based on my own pantry and sale items. Also, I use leftovers for casseroles or soups (freezing them if I am not using them right away). Leftover or stale bread is used to make croutons.
  5. Christy: Twice a year we clean out the pantry and freezer. We buy only milk, eggs and bread until we are down to almost nothing in the pantry. The meals get interesting, but it is great for the budget and can be as healthy as what you originally put in there.
  6. Mary Beth E: Right now–and tomorrow– I am waiting for UPS and/or FedEx to drop off packages of grocery staple items I buy in bulk. Because I cook whole foods at home, this will cover all our bread, rolls, tortillas, rice, pies, cakes, spices, seasonings, and much more, even toilet paper. I will place another order about mid-year. When I see almost any recipe, I have on hand the basics. When I go to the grocery store–every other week–I mainly buy fresh or frozen produce, eggs, and dairy. Buying in bulk and thinking of your budget in terms of a year rather than a week, really saves a lot of money.
  7. Birdie: Garden and can, however you are able. A small plot in your yard, partner with others on a shared plots, help a neighbor with a plot, encourage your apartment/duplex owner to allow some of you to garden in the yard (check bylaws), talk to the college in your area to see if they would be interested in allowing community gardens. Even create a raised bed so you can sit and garden from a chair or wheel chair if you are not as mobile. Container garden on a balcony or deck (remember to water often).If you can’t garden, buy meat, fruits and vegetables in super sales, can, freeze, and dehydrate. Approach a few farmers and see if you can have shares in their live stock. Participate in butcher time and you may receive a great deal on meat. If you can get your hands on garden herbs and spices from others, dry and add lots of flavor to your cooking.

  8. Nedrda: One way I save money on quality meat is to partner with my sister and mom to buy a grass-fed/pasture raised cow or hog. We can buy those meats at $4.00 a pound and then split the meat between the three of us. We also do this for the bulk coconut oil through Tropical Traditions and other items through Azure Standard and Amazon. By doing this, I do not have to come up with total amount myself to buy the beef/pork/oil and I can enjoy the quality for a great price. It also helps with storage issues to split the order!
  9. Crissi: For most of our grains, frozen fruits, some fresh fruits, and odds and ends we use Azure Standard. We’ve purchased foods from them for well over a year now, I’d highly recommend them. They have excellent customer service.
  10. Cassondra: One thing I do when I run out of something like a spice or condiment or anything else is look online to see if I can make it from scratch with items here at home. For example, I make our taco seasoning but was out of chili powder…so I went online and found a recipe for chili powder, had all the ingredients for it and it turned out great. So now I have one more from scratch recipe on hand.

Want to read all 30 Real Food Money Saving Tips?

We’ve compiled them all into this simple-to-read FREE eBook!

30 Real Food Money Saving Tips

This great little book is full of tips I compiled when I asked you, “What are your best tips for saving money on real food?” Since we’ve been talking about Simple Meals on a Simple Budget this month, I thought it would be fun to remind you about this great free download. I truly loved compiling these tips and learned great new ideas to try as I work to save money while feeding my family well!

How to get 30 Real Food Money Saving Tips

Enter your email address here, confirm that you would like to receive this information, and the freebie will land in your inbox! Easy as that!

Bonus Freebie:

When you sign up to get the free 30 Real Food Money Saving Tips eBooklet, you’ll also get this free Heavenly Homemaker’s Top 10 Money Saving Recipes eBooklet! Don’t you love getting free books to help you learn more about saving money? It’s like we’re getting free grocery money! :)

Top 10 Money Saving Recipes

Want a sneak peek inside the 10 Money Saving Recipes eBook?? Here’s one of our favorites!

Dark Chocolate Almond Granola

(This recipe cuts the cost from $2.00/serving with store-bought granola to only $0.50/serving. Yep. The store-bought version really is that expensive!)

Dark Chocolate Almond Granola
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • ¾ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • ¾ cup honey
  • ¾ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil and honey together.
  2. Stir oats, shredded coconut, and slivered almonds together in a large bowl.
  3. Drizzle on the honey/coconut oil mixture and stir well.
  4. Pour mixture onto a large, parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or two 9x13 inch dishes).
  5. Bake at 300° for 35-45 minutes, stirring after the first 20 minutes.
  6. Allow mixture to cool.
  7. Stir in dark chocolate chunks.
  8. Store granola in an air-tight container.
  9. Makes 10-12 servings.

Dark Chocolate Almond Granola - A Great Make-Ahead Meal

Saving money is fun when there’s chocolate involved.

I can’t wait for you to enjoy all of the money saving tips and recipes!

Sign up here and watch for these great free eBooks to hit your inbox!

P.S. Signing up for these great freebies will connect you to our free Savings Club so we can occasionally let you know of other wonderful food and homemaking deals we learn about!

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It’s Not Too Late! Join our 30-Day Real Food Money Saving Challenge!

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It’s time for the 30-Day Real Food Money Saving Challenge! It’s FREE. It’s fun. It’ll save you money. It’ll encourage you to eat right. (And by eat right, I mean spread butter on your bread and pour sweet cream on your peaches. This is the good kind of eatin’!)

We’ve got a whole slew of participants, but we still need more! For everyone who is interested in eating real food and saving money too, this is for you!

Take the 30 Day Challenge

Throughout the month of September, I’ll send out quick and easy real food money saving tips to everyone who signs up to take part in the fun. Should you choose to accept each challenge, you’ll be on your way to filling your table with simple real foods while keeping extra money in your wallet.

This 30-Day Challenge is FREE!

Yep. There’s no cost to join. The tips are fun and practical no matter where you live and what your grocery store options are!

This isn’t about couponing. This is simply about making the most of your grocery dollars while putting great, real food on the table.

Ready to join?!

All you have to do is:

Sign up to take the 30-Day Real~Food~Money~Saving Challenge here.


Throughout the month of September, I’ll send out quick and easy real food money saving tips. Should you choose to accept each challenge, you’ll be on your way to filling your table with simple real foods while keeping extra money in your wallet.

Let the 30-Day Real Food Money Saving Challenge begin!

Join here. 

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Real Food Groceries I Buy at Aldi

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I am often asked what groceries I buy and where I buy them. Obviously we do not all have the same grocery store options because we all live on different parts of the globe! (And how fun is it that we all connect here in one community!)

aldi1161

I decided to write a small series of posts to share what groceries I purchase from each of my favorite stores – either online, co-op, or from an brick and mortar grocery store where I actually have to wear clothes and shoes to do my shopping. Not that I shop online without clothes on. I think that might have come out wrong. Well, anyway…

First stop: Aldi

Real Food Groceries I Buy at Aldi

We live just over an hour away from the nearest Aldi. We live ten minutes from Aldi now!! It doesn’t make sense for me to drive there often, even though I love many of the groceries they offer! I make it there only once every three months now, and as you can imagine, I stock up on my favorites while I’m there!

groceries feb 172

I’ve definitely found that not all of the food Aldi offers is of the highest quality. But they do carry many real food items that I trust, so I skip their processed junk food aisles and grab their good food options for great prices!

Real Food Groceries I Buy At Aldi

  • Simply Nature Organic Salsa – We go through loads of salsa at our house!
  • Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies (knock off) – So I can always and forever make this Real Food “Velveeta” and Rotel Dip. :)
  • Simply Nature Pasta Sauce
  • Butter (I usually find it for less money at Costco)
  • Half and Half 
  • Salad Kits – so that we can have easy meals like this.
  • Full Fat Yogurt – I’ve been very happy to find Whole Milk Yogurt options at Aldi. We like to eat it with granola for breakfast, so I usually buy a few containers each time I’m there.
  • Whole Milk – Now that we don’t live close to the farm that used to supply our milk, I pick up several gallons at Aldi each time I go. I miss farm milk!
  • Granola – We like several of the granola options Aldi offers and have found that it tastes great on top of the Whole Milk Yogurt we buy there.
  • Meat Markdowns – I always, always check to see what meat is on sale when I go to Aldi. Sometimes I’ve been blessed with meat that needs to sell quickly and has therefore been marked down 50% off. Amazing!
  • Grass Fed Hamburger Meat – The price of their beef just went up, so it is now cheaper at Sam’s. But Aldi often runs sales (especially in the summer) so I always look to see if their grass fed beef is on sale. If so, I stock up!
  • Fruit/Veggie Pouches – These are in the baby food aisle, and for a long time, this is all Auggie could eat. He’s progressed so much and can chew and swallow food now, praise God! But I still get these for him so he can eat one/day for ease. I also like to keep these on hand for our grandbabies when they come over!
  • Ground Sausage – Aldi has the best price/pound on ground sausage so I like to keep this in my freezer for egg casseroles and pizza.
  • Sausage Patties – These are our favorite and most economical for making Breakfast Sandwiches.
  • 100% Fruit Cups – Aldi carries 4-packs of peach, pear, mandarins, and mixed fruit cups that include only 100% juice. These make good snacks for our kids so I try to keep them on hand.
  • Chocolate Cake Mixes – They cost $1.09 and I use them to make Spinach Cake. This is our kids’ favorite way to eat greens.
  • Sliced Cheese – I also get sliced cheese at Costco and Sam’s in bulk. But the cost breakdown is about the same at any of the three stores, and it’s nice to pick them up at Aldi while I’m there because I can get 12-packs in different varieties (Colby jack, pepper jack, cheddar, etc).
  • Produce on Sale – I’ve found that Sam’s and Costco produce is typically much better quality than Aldi. However, if Aldi is offering a big discount on in-season produce, I can usually pick around and find some good packs of it and take advantage of the sale prices!
  • Knock-off Fritos – Chip prices have gotten super expensive. The cost of name brand Fritos are kind of hard for me to swallow. But the off brand fritos at Aldi are reasonable and taste good! We get these to go with chili and other soups. Plus our girls sometimes use them to eat an avocado cup.

Real Food Groceries I Buy at Aldi…sometimes

  • Cheese Cubes – These are nice to have on hand for snacks and packed school lunches.
  • Crackers – The off brand of “Ritz” crackers at Aldi is my go-to because they are cheaper than any crackers at Costco or Sam’s.
  • Brown Sugar – I keep brown sugar on hand at home for baking (since it’s cheaper than sucanat and as far as our bodies are concerned, sugar is sugar!). Aldi almost always has the lowest price.

Real Food Groceries I Buy at Aldi

Do you shop at Aldi? What groceries do you frequently buy there?

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The Day I Got Mad at Groceries, Part 2 (Is Balance Possible?)

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Read Part 1 – The Day I Got Mad at Groceries and Food in General here.

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groceries 411

After processing with you some of my frustrations with being able to achieve balance when striving to…

  • Save money on groceries
  • Fill us with nourishment
  • Satisfy my teenage sons’ huge appetites
  • Not spend hours in the kitchen
  • Keep up with life during a busy season

…I headed to the grocery store.

I had my list ready to go. I also had our full calendar in mind, knowing all too well what the next two weeks held for my family. Which was bigger – my grocery list or my to-do list? Oh, now that’s a tough one.

So I prayed for a balanced approach to my shopping. God is not above me asking for help in selecting food for my family. God cares about every detail. He knows my desire to be a good steward and also my need to not over-burden myself in the kitchen. He knows what’s on my calendar. He knows how much my boys eat. He knows we need a new vehicle. He knows.

groceries june 17

At the store, I filled my cart with a wonderful variety of fresh produce from strawberries to peaches to zucchini to peppers to apples to asparagus to watermelon to avocados. I got all the produce at wonderful prices thanks to price-matching.

Then I compromised and bought a few loaves of bread, even though I know how to make it myself. I bought pre-made frozen hashbrowns, even though I know how to make them myself. (By the way, the only ingredient in the Mr. Dells brand frozen hashbrowns is potatoes. The lack of fillers made me add three bags to my cart!) I bought several packages of nitrite-free, uncured beef hotdogs for fast and fun lunches on the grill. I bought bottled BBQ Sauce, even though I know how to make it myself.

Truth: Everything I bought was still real food. (Yes, I realize I’m pushing it when talking about hotdogs. Work with me here. They’re trying. Really they are.)

I got good deals. I was careful about everything that went into my cart. But doggonit, when I want to make Grilled Chicken this week, I’m gonna open up a bottle of pre-made BBQ Sauce, dump it on, and go about my day.

I think we all have to:

  • make decisions about what works for our family and what doesn’t.
  • realize that just because something had been working for our family, sometimes a change is in order.
  • ask God for clarity, peace, and help in all areas in our lives.

My conclusions about groceries…today

Actually, I have no conclusions. I conclude that what I conclude today may be different from what I conclude next week. Right? Often if it’s best if we just think about today. I trust God to make it all clear to each of us when it comes to saving money, eating well, and saving time.

Today’s conclusions are:

  • I will continue to follow Simple Meals plans because without them, I’m lost and frustrated at dinner time. The recipes and every aspect of these plans are so easy I barely have to work and I rarely have to think. This is how I’ll continue to do dinner.
  • With that, when a recipe calls for BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce, salsa, or beans – it’s coming out of a jar, bottle, or can because it is still real food, the price is still reasonable, and I don’t have time to make every single ingredient from scratch right now.
  • Lunches and Breakfasts might need to be some of the same choices over and over for a while. This will cut down on my need to think so hard, and make it easier for the boys to help themselves.
  • As long as I always have plenty of fresh or frozen fruits and veggies to fill the table, I can relax about the occasional hotdogs or pizza.

Balancing Nourishment, Time, and Cost When Grocery Shopping

What have you found helps you most when trying to find balance in saving money, eating well, and saving time in the kitchen?

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Top 10 Money Saving Recipes

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The Day I Got Mad at Groceries and Food in General

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A few weeks ago I talked about how our family is having to tighten our budgeting belt right now as we build up our savings again after needing to replace our van right after investing in a new business venture for Matt (radon mitigation).

groceries feb178

Naturally, I challenged myself to see how I could cut back on our enormous grocery budget, even though a few weeks before that I’d shared that there was no way I could cut back because…

We eat a lot of food.

I felt all kinds of blah about this, because cutting back didn’t seem possible and also I am trying very hard during this season in life not to…

Go crazy.

This time of life filled with a houseful of teenagers with all their friends and comings and goings and activities and growing experiences is very much like (except very different from) my years of raising a houseful of babies. Those were lean and busy years too, also a time in which I was trying to avoid going crazy (while the Blue’s Clues theme song played on repeat in my subconscious). All of life cost less then, seeing as we didn’t have a slew of teenage boys included on our car insurance policy and their shoes and appetites were much smaller.

But the busyness. And the needs. They were/are so great! (“Great” shall be used twofold in this context as the needs are great and the needs are also great. How great that they need me! How great are their needs! This is all so great.)

Through the busy seasons…

These are the years we might need to compromise a little on making all food from scratch and settle for the occasional pre-made tortillas and take-and-bake pizzas. I felt it in the baby-raising-years, had a bit of a reprieve as my kids got old enough to buckle and wipe themselves, but am back to feeling the pinch of time, money, and energy as I am in a season of “hold on for dear life” with my teenage and adult kids.

Add to that the fact that one by one my boys insist on graduating high school and moving out of my nest and I feel the need to use every minute with them for a greater purpose. As I watch these years with kids at home vanish before my eyes, I refuse to use any of this precious time with my back turned to them while I spend time on a task like making Mozzarella Cheese.

All this was going through my head one day recently as I made a grocery list.

“Save as much money as possible!” thought I.
“Nourish us well; this is so very important!” came my next thought.
“Take time to enjoy the family; save your energy; save yourself; buy the pizza!” – and with that I got angry.

Is it even possible to do all of this at the same time? To save money, to eat good food, and to not spend hours in the kitchen while making it all happen?

The Day I Got Mad at Groceries

Yes, I know about the thing called “balance.” I’ve written about it, danced with it, poked and prodded at it, and as of today, I came to the conclusion that while balance is a great word and a great goal for which to strive, today I’m going to have to settle for…

Fine. Good enough. Okay, I guess.

The key word here is “today.” I believe in the long run everything actually will balance out because I truly am intentional about saving money, filling us with nourishment, and not spending all my time in the kitchen. Balance wins out in the long run. But that will no longer be my focus. Right now my focus has to be…

Today.

I can’t look beyond today. Today I might feed us all salads and veggies and grass fed meat and beautiful bowls of fresh berries. I might even do it while saving a bundle of money through price-matching and gardening and being resourceful and cooking from scratch. If that is what today looks like, then yay for today!! But tomorrow? Tomorrow…

I might buy pizza.

And sure, I’ll serve it with a salad and slices of pineapple, but I won’t have saved money and I will have filled us with some empty carbs.

This has to be okay, because okay is the best I can do.

The best I can do is actually something to be celebrated. The best I can do truly is the best. Whether it’s a frugal meal that only cost $1.00/plate or a super nourishing meal filled with fresh greens and veggies, or a corndog on a stick that came out of a box.

The best I can do is what offers my family the best of me.

And with that, I’m no longer angry with food and will head to the grocery store.

To be continued…

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Also for Savings Club Members…

30 Real Food Money Saving Tips

This eBooklet is full of 30 Real Food Money Saving Tips. This resource is super practical and easy to read through. I bet you’ll find some ideas you hadn’t thought of before, some that you can work toward now, and some that might benefit you in a different season.

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Six More Ways I’m Going to Try to Save on My Grocery Budget

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I’m always trying to save on my grocery budget. Aren’t we all?

Matt and I have exactly one more year until we have two kids in college. At that point, assuming all of our kids choose to go to college after high school, we will have two in college until 2024. Thinking of the financial hit we will take because of this…

I pass out cold.

The good news is that having more than one kid in college offers additional grants for students. The other good news is that our kids have been working hard for years and saving money to help pay their own way through college. More good news is that my kids have worked hard to receive and maintain good scholarships to make their college bill lower.

I start to pick myself up off the floor…

But the bad news is that even a “lower priced” college costs around $25,000/year. I can pretty quickly do the math on that, because four kids times four years equals $400,000. And with that…

I fall down dead.

groceries2271

Praise God for scholarships and hard working kids that make that total much lower, but still. Matt and I have made plans to help each son with a specific dollar amount each year. To state the obvious, when we have two in college at one time, we will be forking out twice that dollar amount every year.

Someone please throw a glass of cold water on my face.

One would think my grocery bill would go down as the kids fly the coop, but so far, that hasn’t been the case. As our personal savings account has dwindled recently because of a business investment for my husband (allow me to introduce to you our town’s newest Radon Mitigation Specialist), and then our family van died suddenly, I have felt challenged to reconsider what I wrote a few weeks ago about my huge grocery budget.

In that post I said:

  • There are no other ways I can cut our grocery bill.
  • My teenagers eat an enormous amount of food.
  • I give up.

Or something like that.

It is true that my teens eat huge portions. This isn’t because they are excessive. It is because they are hungry. (A mom of one tiny baby recently suggested I simply cut them off and don’t let them eat as much. That is only a good idea on opposite day.)

But I am challenging myself to think even more frugally about groceries as we move toward our near future with buying a new vehicle and sending boy #2 to college in a year. (I shan’t skimp on Kleenex. The tears have already started about next year’s graduation. I can’t help it.)

Ways I already save on real food

  1. I make a lot of our food from scratch.
  2. I keep our meals simple, not elaborate.
  3. I preserve food from our garden if there happens to be any excess.
  4. We only eat out when traveling, and then often we pack our food to take with us.
  5. I avoid expensive produce that is not “in season.”
  6. I buy our meat in bulk and our eggs and milk from local farmers, all for reasonable prices.
  7. I watch for mark-downs on any of our favorites at the grocery store.
  8. I stock up on anything we use often whenever it is on sale.
  9. I stock up at Aldi on staples whenever I make a trip to the city.
  10. I stopped buying everything organic even though it makes me cringe a little bit.

6 More Ways I'm Going to Try to Save on My Real Food Grocery Budget

Ways I think I can save on our grocery budget

  1. Go to the store about every week and a half instead of every week. (Sounds like a good experiment, huh?)
  2. Don’t buy pre-packaged snacks for the boys to eat at games, even if they are “healthier” and even if they are a good deal.
  3. Serve more eggs and meatless meals. (I might have a revolt. To be continued…)
  4. Stop buying cereal. (I rarely buy this anyway, but what if I stopped altogether?)
  5. Eat some of the “random stuff” hanging out in the back of the pantry and freezer whether it’s exciting or not.
  6. Cut back on cheese, or let cheese replace meat sometimes. (Like in this recipe.)

30 Real Food Money Saving Tips

I plan to peruse this book again to trigger more ideas (get yours here – it’s free!). Knowing my family situation (four teenage sons, big eaters, focus on eating nourishing foods instead of fillers), do you have any more suggestions to share?

I’ll share an update in a few weeks once I see how some of these experiments go!

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One of the Hardest Grocery Budget Questions I’m Ever Asked

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A few months ago I shared about my family’s current grocery budget. Some of you felt a mighty relief that you weren’t the only one spending so much each month to feed your family . But others of you fell over with shock. (Sorry ’bout that.)

Before I get too far in to today’s post, allow me to catch you up on some grocery budget posts that will help you understand where I’m coming from here:

Long story short, we are a family of 6. We have four sons ages 19, 17, 15, and 12. Our oldest lives in the college dorm, but comes over from time to time (sometimes with friends). We almost never eat out, we don’t have cable, and we drive old vehicles. Our health care/insurance costs are amazingly low (praise the Lord!). But…we spend a boat load of money every month on groceries. Eeeeek!

groceries Lincoln

Almost every month, we fork out somewhere between $800-$1,100 dollars for food to feed our family. Yep, sounds a little scary to some of you. We used to get away with much less back when all four of our boys could share one apple for a snack and be fine until they ate their tiny little dinner.

Now it’s just not possible. Our four boys are teenagers now. They are tall. They are extremely active. We care about wholesome nutrition. Our grocery bill reflects all of this.

groceries725

One of the most difficult questions I’m asked by people is this one:

If you had to cut back on your grocery budget, what would you cut?

I open my mouth in an effort to answer, and nothing comes out. Of all our groceries, what would I not buy? What do I buy that’s a splurge that I could give up? How could I cut back?

Honestly, I’m not sure I have a good answer. I buy food. My family eats it. We waste almost nothing.

Okay, here’s one. Sometimes I splurge and buy juice. This is fun, but not a necessity. We could give that up, which would save, what? I buy La Croix sparkling water, and this is a total splurge. It’s a fun drink that I could give up. Again, this offers a savings of just a few dollars every month.

Could I (tearfully) give up on buying a grass fed cow every year? Maybe. But even with that, would I really be saving money? Buying our meat in bulk like this really cuts the cost down.

And speaking of cows, I really can’t skimp on the meat at our house, as far as quantity. I feed my boys plenty of rice, potatoes, and pasta to help fill them. But they never feel satisfied without substantial protein.

groceries 411

How about produce? The thought of cutting back on fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables makes me feel sick inside. Our bodies need nourishment from these, and I would hate to cut back. Fruits and veggies are a big part of our meals, and I believe the variety of nutrients they provide helps to keep my boys feeling satisfied, especially when compared to cheap crackers or whatever else I’d offer to fill in the gaps.

Also? I’ve already stopped buying “only organic.” I gave that up several years ago when I realized the cost was keeping us from eating enough fruits and vegetables. I buy organic when the price is reasonable, but otherwise, I trust that God is bigger and we just wash and eat the nourishing conventional produce. (I save a lot of money price-matching our produce, so I’m so thankful our Wal-mart still offers this!)

We already skip the milk. We buy one gallon each week (to use for cooking) from a local farmer, so it is organic and grass fed. But one gallon. For $5.00. It’s more expensive than store-bought, but the $20 I spend on milk each month doesn’t make or break my budget.

So I guess that brings me back to:

My family eats a lot of food.

That, and we feed extra people quite frequently.

Our grocery budget allows for including extras around our table regularly, and for that, I’m extremely thankful. I wouldn’t want to ever give that up, and God continues to provide so I don’t have to.

But truly, if I had to cut back on my grocery budget, I think my kids would be hungry.

Either that or I think they might get sick more frequently. There’s no way to know that for sure, I guess, but after so many years of filling them with nourishing foods, including a lot of fruits and vegetables, I really think their bodies are thriving on the nutrients. To cut back and substitute them with “filler foods” could potentially hurt them and make our doctor bills increase. Worth it? Absolutely not.

This is where I land for my family right now. If our income decreased and we would need to cut budget in order to make it, food would be one of the last things I would/could adjust. And I know, without a doubt, that God would provide for my family’s needs. He is God and we never need to doubt him.

If I had to cut back on my grocery budget

What are your thoughts on this topic? If you had to cut back on grocery spending, what would you/could you cut out?

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What are your best ways of saving money on real food?

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