I have been amazed at the number of articles written lately about feeding a family of 4 for only $300.  We even have a book in our bookstore, Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half  With America’s Cheapest Family.   The book is chock full of great ideas for eating well for less money.  (Visit us at www.godseternalmasterpiece.com for more information about that book.)  Everyone is feeling the financial crunch and is anxious to save money. 

A few days ago I sat down and did some figuring with our own family budget.  To my surprise, I realized that we feed our family of 10 for an average of $400 (and many times less) per month.  For those of you who know me, I’m big on eating whole grains and making sure each family member gets a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day.  We also eat organic as much as possible.  Many people find it impossible to eat healthy on that budget, but it is very possible.  Does it take quite a bit of work?  Yes - but it is possible.  We haven’t gotten to where I’d like to be, health-wise, but I feel like we’ve made quite a few strides toward the right direction.  Some critics may think we’re starving ourselves after reading this, but that’s not the case.  (You’d know that’s not the fact if you saw us!)  Do we work at eating proper servings?  Yes.  We don’t believe our teens need to eat 4 times the required amount just because they are teens.  They learn to eat proper servings and are much happier because they don’t have to worry about being overweight, fight excessive acne, feel extra sluggish, and other conditions that are food-related. 

As a disclaimer, I fully realize that many people cannot do what we all do to save money.  Therefore, please understand that I do not judge those who must spend more on groceries.  However, I do heartily urge folks to re-consider what they truly can and cannot do.  I also understand that we live in the midwest, which is cheaper than big cities or the coasts when it comes to food costs.  Everyone’s situation truly is different.

Here’s some things we don’t do, which help us to save. 

1.  We don’t buy pop, kool-aid, or any other drinks which add on calories, sugar, and other junk.  Water is the preferred beverage for everyone in our home, even when we’re in restaurants or at social gatherings

2.  We rarely buy pre-packaged or processed foods.  It’s much healthier and much cheaper to cook from scratch.  I have found it cheaper to make my own pizzas, tortillas, lasagna, soups, etc. than buying the cheap stuff loaded with additives from the store.  It’s easier and much more filling to eat oatmeal with fruit for breakfast than it is to eat cold boxed cereal.  Our kids also like to eat homemade muffins with fruit smoothies, so that’s another alternative to the cereal route. 

3.  We rarely use the required amount of meat or cheese called for in recipes.  Most foods taste great with just half the amount called for.  We also don’t use the expensive cuts of meat or cheeses.  Steaks, pork chops, and other big cuts of meat rarely come in our home.  Even though we enjoy those things, they are not necessary to have.

4.  We don’t make or eat a lot of desserts or unhealthy snacks.  My family will attest that I love anything with sugar and chocolate, so I have to work hard at not allowing those on the counter too often.  Usually we keep those for occasions when we have guests or are celebrating.  It really is much more filling when our kids have a homemade granola bar, grapes, yogurt, or a handful of trail mix for a snack.

Here’s what we do to save money on groceries.

1.  We buy in bulk.  I buy my grains completely in bulk.  Once a year I purchase 200 pounds of wheat through my local food coop.  My brown rice, oatmeal, and other grains also come through the coop.  I mill our own flour and we make our own breads, bagels, rolls, pizza crusts, and other grain-based foods.  The only thing I don’t make is the pasta - mainly due to the time involved.  I buy that in bulk from Sam’s Club, the coop, or when a super deal shows up on whole grain pasta at the local grocery store. 

Whenever I see a great deal on a certain product, I use the money I’ve saved and budgeted for groceries, to buy a large amount.  For example, today butter was on sale for $1.44 at our local grocery store.  Normally it’s $2.99.  As you are probably imagining, I bought 10 pounds of it so that I can get through the winter baking without purchasing it again.  And yes - we do make good use of our freezers and extra refrigerator.  Yes, I know, those appliances do use electricity, which translates into money, but the cost is still much, much cheaper.  I buy a majority of our food items in bulk when it comes out to be much cheaper.  The challenge for me is making sure that I don’t buy more than we can use in a reasonable amount of time.  Sometimes it is easy to get too much.  When that happens, we give the extra away to those in need.

2.  We have a large garden.  God has been good in allowing us to have a garden.  I’ve discovered that many people can do container gardening or square foot gardening if they truly want to have fresh produce.  We have been blessed with a large plot of land, so we enjoy spreading ours out, although I sometimes question if that’s wise since it takes more time to weed gardens when they are spread out.  I plant as many dark and antioxidant-rich foods as possible.  This year we were finally able to enjoy the blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and blackberries in abundance which we had planted 3 years ago.  The kids love to each choose a section of the garden as “theirs”.  They get to choose the seeds, but are then required to tend it as well.  This year we were blessed with bok choy, pak choi, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, onion, squash, pumpkin, grapes, tomatoes, multi-colored peppers, beans, herbs, cabbage, bitter melon, and much more.  While we froze much of it, some of it was canned into various soups, sauces, jams, syrups, and juices for the winter.  We also made our own homemade applesauce, pie fillings, pears, peaches, etc. by buying fruit in bulk from locals who had plenty of produce they were willing to part with at lower prices.  Sometimes God blessed us by just giving us cases of produce free from friends and neighbors.

3.  We make foods from cheaper cuts of meat or use beans for main dishes.  When roasting a chicken, I’ve quickly discovered that you can feed a 1/2 large chicken at one meal with rice (or potatoes) and veggies.  The other 1/2 is cut up and used in the next day’s casserole.  Many times, it stretches into two days of casseroles.  One pound of ground beef can easily be stretched when making casseroles.  If I’m making meatloaf, I can add quite a bit of oatmeal or mashed beans in to a 1/2 pound of ground beef.  The kids have yet to realize that it’s not pure meat.  Even our guests have commented that it’s one of the best meatloaves (or meatballs) they’ve ever had.   Many times, we have beans every other day.  Beans are cheap, full of fiber, and high in protein.  It’s now common to have beans and rice tortillas or black bean soups instead of using meat in them.

4.  We eat simply.  A majority of our recipes use only a handful of ingredients.  We’ve discovered that vegies are great simply steamed or sauteed with some herbs, spices, or soy sauce.  Expensive ingredients or additional ingredients such as your fancier cheeses, nuts, and pre-packaged ingredients are simply cut out of the recipe.  Some meat, raw veggies, and mustard in a whole wheat tortilla makes a great and filling lunch.  Throw tomato juice, beans, rice, and veggies in a pot and you’ve got almost-instant soup!  Baby carrots, apple slices, or grapes work great instead of a side dish or potato chips.  Salads are an instant meal in themselves.  I could go on and on about we eat quickly and easily.  However, I’ll save you the agony!     

4.  I look for the bargains and use coupons whenever possible.  Many people just laugh at me, but I love finding a good bargain.  It’s like a treasure hunt just waiting to happen!  Whenever, I go grocery shopping, I don’t whiz in and whiz out of there.  Usually I’m there for a good hour or more.  (That’s why I only do it once every two weeks!)  I have discovered that most stores have clearance items somewhere on those shelves.  Many times they are in the early part of the week or late at night.  (Guess when I like to do my shopping?!!)  I love to compare prices in the ads, hunt for the bargain deals in the stores, and then add coupons on top of the bargains.  Double coupons are even more fun.  Target is one of my favorite stores because they give lots of store coupons.  I use those with manufacturer coupons when they have certain items on sale.  Quite often, I pay just pennies for products that should’ve cost dollars otherwise.  My goal is to save at least 50% on each item I buy.  Many times, it’s more like 75%.  When I do find good deals, I stock up.  I’ve also discovered great deals at farmer’s markets.  Many times folks will sell you larger amounts at cheaper prices if you just ask.  Bakery outlets are another great place to buy foods cheaper.  (However, make sure you know your figures before going in there since not everything is cheaper.)  When I have a social event suddenly come up and I don’t have enough buns in my freezer, I’ve found it pretty easy to buy several dozen buns for less than $2.  I also have found our store, Aldis, to be very economical when I need something in a hurry.  As you’ve probably guessed, I’m not afraid to use day-old food or slightly damaged produce, since no food out there is just one day old or perfect anyway  (unless it comes from your garden!).  I’m pretty big on making sure it isn’t rotting or nutritionally compromised, however,  There is a limit to what is acceptable to eat.   

Well, I must end this for now, but we’ll try to write more on this subject another time in the future.  I’d love to hear what you do to save money on your groceries.  Send me your ideas and I’ll try to post them as a way of helping others on their economic journey!  May the Lord richly bless you as you use His resources wisely!

Becky, God’s Eternal Masterpiece

www.godseternalmasterpiece.com