This week I will be running some excerpts from my new book, Real Food on a Real Budget: How to Eat Healthy for Less. They will be short selections from a few different chapters, just to give you an idea of some of the contents.

Using  Cash

Taken from Chapter 1: Working With a Budget

Once  you  have  determined  what  your  monthly  budget  ought   to  be,  or  how  much  you  have  to  work  with,  here  is  my  biggest piece  of  advice  in  sticking  to  that   budget:  USE  CASH!

I  know  the  reasons  that  people   prefer  not  to  use  cash.  They  don’t   want  to  carry  that  much  around  in   their  purse.  They  prefer  to  put  in   on  a  credit  card  that  earns  points   and  then  pay  it  off.  They  make  all   of  their  expenses  on  debit  and  then   just  keep  track  of  it.  It’s  more  work   to  set  it  up,  take  out  the  cash  at  the beginning  of  the  month,  and  stick  to  the  system.  It’s  embarrassing  to  pull  out  an  envelope  full  of  cash  when  you’re  in  a   busy  line-­up  at  the  grocery  store.  It’s  _______  (insert  your  own   reason  here).

Regardless  of  your  reason  for  not  wanting  to  use  cash,  here  are   the  reasons  that  I  find  it  the  best  way  to  stay  on  track  with  my   own  grocery  budget:

It  is  visible  and  very  tangible. I  can  see  exactly  how  much  I   have  left,  and  I  feel  it  when  I  pull  those  bills  out  to  make  a   purchase  and  notice  how  much  smaller  the  remaining  stack  is.   It  keeps  me  very  conscious  of  what  I  spend.

It  prevents  me  from  making  impulse  purchases  that  I  really   don’t  have  the  money  for. Trust  me-­  it  is  much  more  embarrassing  to  not  have  enough  cash  for  the  food  you’ve  put  in   your  cart  than  it  is  to  simply  count  out  the  correct  amount  in   front  of  curious  onlookers!  When  I  know  exactly  how  much  I   have  to  spend,  I  make  sure  that  I  am  keeping  track  of  what   goes  into  my  cart  before  I  get  to  the  checkout  line.

Even  if  I  forget  that  I’ve  spent  more  than  I  thought,  the  cash  is   no  longer  there  and  I  cannot  accidentally  bust  my  budget. This   is  something  that  would  often  happen  to  me  when  we  used  a   debit  card  for  all  our  purchases.  The  smaller,  quick-­run-­to-­the-­store  kind  of  expenses  would  slip  my  mind  when  I  was   calculating  how  much  money  I  had  left  to  spend,  until  it   actually  came  time  to  add  it  all  up  at  the  end  of  the  month  and   I  would  realize  that,  once  again,  I  had  gone  over  budget.  With  cash,  if  it’s  spent,  it’s  spent.

It  forces  me  to  really  evaluate  each  purchase  as  I  go  to  make  it. Sure,  that  packaged  spaghetti  sauce  would  be  nice  and  easy,   but  for  the  same  amount  I  could  purchase  tomatoes  and   tomato  paste  and  some  veggies,  and  make  a  much  larger   amount  of  sauce  that  would  be  more  nutritious.    And  do  we   really  need  those  store-­bought  muffins  or  could  I  easily  whip   up  a  batch  of  my  own  (but  minus  the  rancid  oils,  white  flour  and  sugar,  preservatives,  etc.)  and  have  a  fun  morning  with   my  5  year  old?  Those  out-­of-­season  peaches  for  $3.50  a  lb  in   May  might  look  awfully  tempting,  but  I  could  buy  a  whole  lot   more  seasonal  rhubarb  and  strawberries  for  the  same  amount   of  money.

It  helps  me  to  set  aside  money  for  larger  purchases,  such  as  a   side  of  grass-­fed  beef  or  buying  organic  grains  in  bulk  or   purchasing  berries  in  the  summer.  By  going  through  my  cash   at  the  beginning  of  the  month  and  separating  it  for  savings,  for   my  raw  milk  share,  for  my  co-­op  order,  and  then  only  spending  what’s  remaining  on  other  groceries  and  produce,  I  can   ensure  that  I’m  actually  using  my  budget  the  way  that  I  plan  to   rather  than  running  on  auto-­pilot  and  finding  that  I’m  coming   up  short  at  the  end  of  each  month.

Do you use cash for your grocery budget? Why or why not?

Post taken from my newest book, Real Food on a Real Budget. Find out more about how you can save money and still eat real, whole, nourishing foods!

Image by francoiskarm

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

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3. Real Food Makeover: The Woody Family

I am so excited to introduce my newest book to you!

Real Food on a Real Budget has been a bit like having two babies in one year... first, we welcomed Johanna into our family this August. Within a week of her birth, while being told "sit down, rest, stop getting up!" by my loving hubby and midwife, I launched into writing this book.

Just about 9 months later, after much brainstorming, countless hours spent writing (and deleting and then writing again), many late nights and much anticipation, my labor of love is finally finished...

Why I Wrote This Book

As I was brainstorming in those early days, I was trying to think of what would be the most relevant topic I could write on, but it had to be a topic that I knew intimately. In both the USA and Canada, families everywhere have been experiencing the effects of recession and financial struggle. For many families, budget constraints and figuring out how they can save money are of the utmost priority.

I understand this well. 5 years ago, we were living on a minimum wage salary with a new baby. In recent years where we have lived very frugally in order to save up to start our own family business, as our young family continued to grow. This year we are in the process of starting that business, which takes a whole lot of patience and willingness to go without, as you pour every bit of profit back into building up the business.

We have always had a tight grocery budget. We spend 30% less on food than the average family.

And yet, day in and day out, I blog about whole foods, better nutrition, Nourishing Traditions, and tell you that you should be buying higher quality meat, and raw milk, and organics, and so on. How can we afford to eat like this when we're always pinching pennies and watching the budget so closely?

Real Food on a Real Budget is a primer for real families, just like yours, to show you how it is possible to eat real food without spending a fortune.

I am not only passionate about teaching better nutrition and what you should be eating. I wanted to create something that you help enable you to learn how you can actually afford to do this. I believe strongly that healthy living should be accessible and affordable for everyone!

Want to Learn More About the Book?

For a much more detailed explanation of the book, including a brief preview that you can download to take a little peak inside, please visit the promo page:

Learn more about Real Food on a Real Budget

A Few Thank You's

No one ever writes a book alone. If they do, I don't know how they do it!

I am so grateful to the Lord for allowing me to write this book. I am continually amazed and humbled that He has given me the opportunity to run this blog, to know the incredible women who visit here, and to work at something that I love so much, getting to share my beliefs and passions and hopefully encourage women and families. This is all from Him and for Him.

Without my husband, this book would not exist. Literally. You know the phrase, "behind every great man there is an even greater woman"? The opposite is true in our family! He makes sure I get time to write. He encourages me to keep going. He tells me (lovingly) when what I wrote stinks and needs to be re-written, and then beams at me with pride in his eyes when I come back to him with something better. He worked tirelessly to edit and format and prepare this book so that it would be as perfect as possible when you rest your eyes upon it. Thank you, my love!

To my kids, for being gracious when mommy had to work. I love you all like crazy. Abbie, that date with mommy is coming this week, you just wait!

To my incredible designer, Karla Porter of Fruition Designs. I gave her a few vague ideas for this book cover, but I was fairly directionless. The cover you see is the very first draft of what she sent to me. Perfect from the start! I love it, Karla! Thank you!

To my dear friend Jessica, who loves to correct my grammar and tell me I used "it's" the wrong way. :) Thank you for the amazing grasp of the English language that you brought to my book, and for letting me repay in friendship.

To all those who read and reviewed the initial copy- too many to mention, but all of you real foodies and bloggers know who you are. Your feedback was so valuable for me.

Lastly, to my readers, who gave me grace when the book took 4 months longer than I thought it would and just kept gently asking, "Are you still writing that book?" Last night, my husband and I were praying for you all, that this book would impact you and your families, helping you to better steward both your health and your finances, to bring glory to God. I appreciate you all so much!

An Introductory Special

Because I want to see as many people as possible get this book, I'm running a launch week special on it!

The book will regularly sell for $24.95 (digital copy) or $29.95 plus shipping (paperback copy). As a 280-page book, bursting at the seams with tips and ideas to revolutionize your grocery budget and how you feed your family, it's well worth it.

By implementing just a few of the suggestions from the book, you could easily save the cost of the book in one month, or even one shopping trip. If you really put it's suggestions into practice, you should expect to save literally $100s and possibly much more over the course of a year, or start purchasing all the "expensive" real foods you want to serve your family, without a jump in your budget.

For this week, though, I'm offering it at a 25% discount...

Buy a digital copy   $24.97 $18.97

Buy a paperback copy   $29.97 plus $3.99 shipping $25.97 with free shipping (by using coupon code: FREESHIP to save the shipping at checkout)

**Note that this code is provided by Lulu.com, not by Keeper of the Home. If you have any troubles with the code, please email and let me know!**

I hope you love it and that it transforms what you eat and how much you spend!

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

You might also enjoy:

1. Upcoming: Four Families are Going to Get a Real Food Makeover!
2. Real Food Makeover- The “W” Family, Part 2
3. Real Food Makeover: The “W” Family
4. Real Food Makeover: The Anderson Family

Image by Bohman

My wonderful hubby, Ryan, is as busy as he can be, working on our new business, Resound School of Music. Nonetheless, he agreed to write this short review post of our favorite budgeting software, You Need a Budget, which keeps us in line each and every month.

Since he's the the one that runs a mean budget around here, I'm going to let him tell you all about it...

*******

Some of you may remember my past review of YNAB (short for “You Need A Budget”), a personal budgeting software created for the those of us who are not Chartered Accounts.

The folks at YNAB have just release a new version, YNAB 3, and have kindly sent us a copy for review. Although YNAB does have some great features, I’m not going to give you a feature by feature breakdown. You can find that here, if you’re interested.

Instead, I’m going to tell you why I like YNAB so much. Although it is a software, it is first a system for sound financial management and faithful resource stewardship. It is based on four rules for personal management, and cannot be operated outside of these rules. These rules are:

Rule #1 – Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck (A process for living off of last month’s income)

Rule #2 – Give Every Dollar a Job (In other words, have a plan for where all of your money goes – even if it’s just into savings)

Rule #3 – Save for a Rainy Day (Basically saving in advance for large expenditures so that they don’t throw you off when they happen).

Rule #4 – Roll with the Punches (Don’t let your failures and mistakes dictate your future. Get up and keep going.)

In a sense, when you use YNAB you immerse yourself in an environment where good financial management principles are continuously being reinforced. It takes some of the fantastic principles that Dave Ramsey and others talk about, and gives the user the tools to put them into practice.

Even though this blog has very little to do with Financial Management (Stephanie's note: but lots about frugality, which is so related!), we’ve promoted YNAB since the beginning because it’s the software we used to implement what we learned from Dave Ramsey, get out of debt and save enough money to start our own business in 2 years.

The folks at YNAB have made a special offer to readers of this blog for 10% off a purchase of YNAB software, which you can take advantage of by clicking on this link.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we are a YNAB affiliate and we do receive a commission for any sales that come through this site. That said, we only affiliate ourselves with products that we love. If you’d like to buy YNAB, and like this blog enough to support it, please purchase it through the links in this post. Otherwise, you can visit YNAB directly at www.ynab.com.

Do you have a favorite budget management tool? How do you keep your finances in line?

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

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1. Financial Resources for your New Year’s Goals

I ran across this last week at Beauty That Moves (hat tip to Small Notebook), which is part of an excellent discussion of the grocery costs for buying healthful, whole foods:

I wonder how much other families spend on groceries each week. Is that
too bold of a thing to ask? I've been wanting to pose this question for
several days now, yet admittedly, I don't really know why I need the
information. But then I thought, maybe it's not just for me, maybe we
all need the information - from one another. Maybe it would help us to
feel a little less alone as we hand over however much it is to
the cashier in our respective hometown markets each week. I was taught
growing up that our grocery budget is the one area in  our household
finances we have the most control over, and I do believe that still.
But I also am still so amazed at how much so little costs each week,
regardless of not buying packaged foods and doing all of our cooking
from scratch.

I highly recommend that you read the rest of the post fully, as well as look through the lengthy comments below. The discussion is well worth it.

For those of us who are committed to purchasing nutritious and higher-quality foods, it can sometimes be daunting as we face the balance between a commitment to our health, and the financial constraints that most families find themselves in.

I love the question "expense or investment", because I think it's a very valid one that most homemakers have to continue to ask themselves as they make choices about what they will and will not purchase, and how many dollars they will spend. 

Personally, we've chosen to try to take as balanced of an approach as we can at this stage of life. We agreed early on that good food is an investment in our health, and that you either pay now (in higher food prices) or you pay later (in poor health, medical bills and reduced quality of life). However, we're still a young family, working to save money and spend what we have cautiously. We have a specific and not-so-roomy grocery budget, considering the quality and cost of the foods that we value buying. It's a very tough balancing act, month to month, and it only increases as our family grows.

For me, it's a worthwhile tension when I look at the bigger picture, but I definitely feel the stretch of it each and every month, and have had to make many sacrifices- a bit less meat, no convenience foods at all (even healthy ones), almost only homemade treats, raw milk that we ration out over the course of the week, few bought beverages (but lots of water!), everything from scratch...

How do you view your grocery budget? Is it an expense or investment? Do you relate to the grocery budgets and the concerns of the women who commented on the other post?

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

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2. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store, Part 4
3. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store, Part 5
4. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store, Part 3

Image by alamosbasement

Monica 

Monica, I purchase my beef and chicken (all of my meat and poultry, actually) through a small, local deli shop. It's located out in the country, about a 20 minute drive from my house. The reason I love it is because they carry animal products that are grass-fed, free of antiobiotics and hormones, as well as some specialty deli products with little or no preservatives (sausage, sandwich meat, ec.). What's equally fantastic is that because they are not certified organic, and they keep their family run business small and modest, the prices are affordable!

I think that finding local shops and/or farmers like this is ideal, and most likely the way that you will get the best deal as well. To find places like this, you really need to start digging around and researching. Ask in local health food or supplement stores, or at farmers markets. Ask other health-minded moms and dads. Ask a naturopath, nutritionist or even a midwife. Also, here's a post I wrote with a lot of online resources that will help you in your search.

As for knowing what's ultimately a good deal or not will depend on just doing a lot of research. Until I began to really pay attention to where I could get good quality meat and poultry and what the typical prices were, it was hard for me to know whether I was getting the best deal or not.

Expect to pay more than at the supermarket (just keep telling yourself how it's worth it!), but know that there are lots of places out there where you don't have to pay an arm and a leg! It helps to buy in bulk, such as buying a 1/4 or a 1/2 of a cow, or buying many whole chickens all at once. I try to save up money throughout the year to make this possible, and another good option is to find another family or two who would like to purchase with you and then split it up, to help keep costs low.

Image by John Beagle

   Here are my questions:

1) How far would you travel
to save money on clothing or even food items? (All of the resale shops
or food outlet stores are a good 30-40 minute drive from where we live).

2)When
do you shop for the upcoming season? (I am afraid that I am already
behind in shopping for this Spring/Summer.  Garage sale season won't
start for another 2 months or so, if I wait until then to buy for this
year my kids will be wearing long sleeve shirts and fleece pants in 80
degree weather! Should I be buying for NEXT year now?

3)How do you find your swap meets,garage sales etc?

Thanks so much!!

Blessings!
Beth

Great questions, Beth!

1) Personally, I don't drive longer than about 20 minutes (each way) to any food store or market. My only exception to this would be if it was somewhere that I only went a few times each year, bought in bulk and stocked up significantly. Then I would consider driving further (and have done so in the past).

For clothes, I might consider going further, if I only went occasionally (again, a few times a year), and then I would make sure that I had saved up or discussed a budgeted amount with my husband and that I had a detailed list of exactly what we did and didn't need, and could stock up on excellent deals (like clothes for next winter, etc.). I just think that if I have to drive further (or more often) than this that it starts to become poor stewardship of my time and gas, and just isn't worth it. Obviously, everyone's situation is a little bit different, and you need to weigh all of these factors as you make your decision.

If you have times when you will be in these areas anyways (to visit friends, do something special with the family, etc.) then take full advantage and plan to stop and shop as well! Killing two birds with one stone is always the best way to do it!

2) Yes, buy for next year now! I try to always be one year ahead, although it's not always possible. At the very least, 1-2 seasons ahead. So in the winter, I will buy for the upcoming spring/summer (if I haven't already), as well as for the next winter (and hey, even the one after that if it's a great deal!). This summer I've been focusing on just filling in the last gaps for fall/winter, and also picking up anything that's a year or more in advance if the price is right. This weekend I grabbed some size 7 jeans and shirts for my daughter at a garage sale. She's only in a size 5 right now, but I paid 5 cents for the jeans, and 25 cents for each shirt, so I figured it was worth it. :)

3) My source for swap meets is local recreation centers and churches. They regularly host swap meets, as often as every month or some of them just once or twice a year. It helps to really ask around to other moms, and even to google "kids swap meet" for the area or city where you live. Try calling some local rec centers or community centers and see if they know of any that are happening!

For garage sales, I don't do it regularly enough to say that I have a real plan for it. We just occasionally pick a Saturday morning and decide to head out and look for signs in nicer neighborhoods. We'll also just stop at a sale if we happen to drive by one that looks worthwhile, even if we weren't planning to go shopping. If you really want to be purposeful about doing it, most local newspapers will have a section with either a map or just a list of the garage sales in the area and you can make a plan that way. Also, Craigslist has become a good source for garage sale info (look for "garage sale" under the "for sale" section of your local area Craigslist site), as tons of people will post up their sales the week or even the day before it happens!

For those who missed it, here is my series on Clothing Kids Without Breaking the Bank:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

How would the rest of you answer these questions? Where do you get your meat and poultry? And what do you think about travelling, buying ahead and finding places where you can score the best deals?

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

No related posts.

I think this is the last of the questions from How My Grocery Budget Works (find the first set of Q&A here)... Hopefully I've answered all of your questions!

Janelle wondered... I do have
one question though...what do you say about the warnings about drinking
raw milk while pregnant? Aren't there a lot of risks to that? I've been
staying away from it since I'm pregnant...just to be safe.

Yes,
there are warnings about drinking raw milk while pregnant, but with all
of the research I've done into drinking raw milk in general, they don't
concern me. In fact, I've added more raw milk to my diet since being
pregnant, because I believe it to be such a great source of nutrients,
especially protein and calcium, among many others.

Here is
a post that I wrote a while back on raw milk and it's safety, with a
few links at the end. And for a much more detailed look at raw milk's merits and safety, check out this post from The Nourishing Gourmet. Another great place to go is www.realmilk.com.

Julie asked- I have
purchased sucanat in the past and baked with it, but we go through too
much sugar right now in our baking and tea drinking. But, there aren't coupons out for this stuff and it seems we would need to replace it fairly often. Any suggestions?

A couple of suggestions:

• Buy it in bulk. I know that Azure Standard carries these healthier
  sugars, Sucanat in 50 lb bulk, and Rapadura in 33 lb bulk. I've done
  the price breakdown before, and it definitely makes them much cheaper.
• Try doing baking that includes more fruits, such as bananas or
  apple sauce. This helps to cut down on the need for as much sugar and
  can be a healthier choice.
• Try cutting down sugar in recipes by small increments, and see how
  low you can get it, without compromising taste. Adding things like
  cinnamon, vanilla or some dried fruit (raisins are always good) can
  help to make something taste sweet, while using less sweetener.
• Substitute honey sometimes, if you can get unpasteurized honey for
  a good deal. It is much sweeter than sugar, and so you can usually cut
  down the amount required by half. Here is an old post of mine on how to use honey in your baking. 

Nola asked: I would
love to hear about what raw honey is, vs. not raw, sometime...I've been
trying to find the answer and can't figure it out.

Basically, it's the difference between honey that has been pasteurized, and raised above 120 F. Even in the regular store, packaging should label whether the honey is unpasteurized or not. Raw honey contains many nutrients, as well as enzymes which are killed at high temperatures, so it's always best to choose unpasteurized. My understanding is that the labeling laws are not really clear, so some honeys labeled "unpasteurized" could be somewhat heated, and many of them are also strained and/or filtered, which can remove some of their natural nutrients, though usually not too many. Best buys for honey are usually from smaller companies and a slightly thicker and less clear liquid (the really clear, thin honeys have been processed).

Image by Indigo Goat

Nola also asked: My
question is that in the last part you say you have $50 left and list
some things including toilet paper, ziplocs etc. do you also buy all
your other household supplies out of that? Like I am talking for me
that would be things like the natural cleaning supplies, vinegar and
baking soda for cleaning, kleenex, the odd thing like that?

I suppose I forgot to mention some of those things. Toilet paper comes out of the $50, as do ziplocs. All of our cleaning supplies and even beauty supplies come out of our grocery budget as well. Most of what we use is very simple, especially for cleaning. I buy a lot of baking soda and white vinegar for those purposes. When I do buy beauty products, they often come from Azure, in the co-op part of my budget (toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, diaper cream). Other cleaning supplies, like liquid laundry soap, Bio-Kleen Bac-Out, my all-purpose concentrated cleaner and dish washing soaps, are also part of my co-op orders. And I don't buy Kleenex- I'm the mean Mom who says to just go get some toilet paper cause it's cheaper. :)

How much on average do you pay for beef, whole chickens, etc., and do you eat them for every meal? How much do you eat?  (From milehimama)

First of all, we don't eat meat for every meal. We rarely eat it with breakfast, and with lunch usually only in the context of dinner leftovers, and occasionally some sandwich meat (once or twice a month?). In our dinners, we eat meat about 4-5 times a week. Even then, it isn't usually a meat-based meal (a roast with veggies, chicken breasts with rice, etc.). Instead, it's usually meat added into a meal, or cheaper cuts combined in more complex dishes- so lots of casseroles, soups and stews, meatloaf (with veggies to bulk it up), salads or Mexican dishes where I stretch 1-2 chicken breasts or 1/2-1 lb of beef to stretch and feed us all (maybe even leftovers). So while meats are a very regular part of our diet, I wouldn't say that they compose a really large percentage of our diet.

To make up for this, I use a lot of eggs, cheese, beans, legumes, whole grains, and some nuts and seeds to round out the protein that we eat. I also try to use as much soup broth (made from actual bones) as I can, because this helps our bodies to utilize the protein that we do eat much more effectively.

With this last purchase of grass-fed beef, I bought 100 lbs at $2.09 per lb. This is a pretty good deal, and part of the reason I got it for so cheap is because I opted for the front of the cow, rather than side or hind, which has more utilitarian cuts (ground, stew, chuck roast, etc.). This doesn't bother me, as it's more affordable and suits my style of cooking anyways.

For whole chickens, these days I am paying about $7-12, depending on the size. These are free-range, but not certified organic. You can see in this post how I try to absolutely maximize them and turn one into several meals (which still works with our family size). 

Did I get to all of the questions? Anything else you'd like to know about how I do my grocery budgeting? Ask away!

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

You might also enjoy:

1. how my grocery budget works in canada
2. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store (Inner Aisles)
3. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store, Part 4

There were so many great questions asked in the comments in my recent post How My Grocery Budget Works, that I felt the need to address them in a separate post. Here goes...

What is your dill pickle recipe?

I'll post both this recipe, and our favorite Bread and Butter pickles recipes up within the next week! Both are cold-pack, refrigerator pickles and so easy to make. :)

(This pic is of Abbie last summer, with a bunch of our delicious pickling cucumbers from the garden)

Kelly had several questions:

First, do
you ever eat out (at restaurants, either with your husband or as a
family?) Fast food?

Yes, we do eat out sometimes. Fast food is a rarity and more of an emergency purchase, when we're unexpectedly away from home for a long time and simply need something to tide us over and nothing else is available. We try as hard as we can to avoid it, and will sometimes just pop into a grocery store if we can, to get some healthier munchies instead, or plan ahead to bring snacks from home that travel well. But we do go out to nicer restaurants sometimes, for dates with my husband and once in a while with our kids or with family members for celebrations. This comes out of the Recreation portion of the budget, rather than our food budget.

When you eat at others homes, are you particular
about which items prepared you will eat (for example, if something is
pre-packaged or doesn't fit within your daily eating system) or do you
eat everything (except things you have sensitivities to, obviously)?

When we are being graciously hosted by others, we will generally eat what is set before us, unless it is something that we are truly not able to eat (like a sensitivity). Our toddler can't have wheat, for example, so we avoid that even when in another's home. If asked, we will specify a few things that we can't or prefer not to eat (non-kosher meats, wheat, a lot of sugar, etc.) but usually we just accept what we are given. For more of my thoughts on this, see this post on Eating Healthy in Social Situations.

Also, do you add extra to other categories when your produce expenses go down due to your garden producing?

I think I didn't explain this very well in my post. When my produce expenses go down, my fruit/berry expenses go up. This is how I am able to purchase such a large amount of fresh fruit for freezing and canning every summer. Otherwise, it would totally bust my budget!

From Emily- One thing I would love to hear more about is how you freeze/can/preserve your fruits, veggies, tomatoes.

This question was repeated several times. Here are a few links to previous posts on this topic:
Pumpkin Canning
Canning Resources (this post links to the 4 books that I have used for the bulk of my preserving- not just canning, but also freezing and dehydrating as well)
Why I've been so busy

I will have to share more on this as I do it this summer. These posts give you just a little idea of what I do with the summer bounty. Truth is, I've only been canning and preserving these foods for a few years, and have only recently begun to feel really comfortable with the process. If you're interested, I promise I'll make it more of a blogging priority as I go along this year. :)

Erin asked: We are on a bi-weekly pay
schedule. How do you suggest I budget for bigger ticket items that I do
not purchase on a regular basis (such as 50 lbs. of wheat berries at
$40.45)? On weeks where I have to buy one of these items, I end up
having to skimp on the usual purchases and we eat a lot of beans and
rice for two weeks. :) Any suggestions?

I totally understand where you're coming from, because I used to have to do that with my budget as well. What changed is that we've put ourselves on the You Need a Budget system, and part of that is that we live on last month's income. We are able to budget for the current month on a monthly basis rather than bi-weekly (which is how we are paid also). This let's me look at my month with the full $400 at a time, instead of only $200 for half of the month. It makes it easier to make large purchases, and then simply split up the remaining money that I have. If at all possible, I would talk to your husband about it and see if there's a way to start each month with your full amount, instead of only getting it every second week. This will give you more freedom to make big purchases without having to scrimp as much later on.

Another way to do it would be to start setting aside small amounts of your budget for the purpose of bigger purchases. This is how I buy my grass-fed beef, because my monthly budget could never sustain it. I put aside $20-40 each month as I am able, and gradually I have enough money to make the big purchase. Before we switched over to a monthly budget, this was the way that I would save up to make most of my larger purchases.

So, instead of wheat...what do you serve? :-) (asks my sweet friend Lylah)

We primarily use kamut, which is an ancient form of wheat. It functions similarly (though it has a lower gluten content), and generally doesn't cause sensitive or allergic reactions in most people. Before kamut, we used a lot of spelt, which is a very similar grain (also a form of wheat), but since grain prices have risen so much, I find kamut to be much more affordable.

Other grains that I make a lot of use of include: oats (steel-cut and rolled, primarily), rye (in my breads), barley (great for non-bread baking and also for pancakes and waffles), and sometimes millet or brown rice (mostly when baking for those who are gluten free).

Jena said- I was wondering how much that milk share would cost. Wouldn't it be easier to own the cow?

I tend to think so, though my husband begs to differ! LOL! Having a cow, or even a goat, is simply not possible for us in this season, with where we live. One day, maybe... :)

Fruit leather? I'm intrigued! How do you make fruit leather? (says Audrey)

Oh, it's soooo easy and cheap to make! Here are my simple directions!

More Q&A to come soon...

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

You might also enjoy:

1. how my grocery budget works in canada
2. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store, Part 6
3. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store (Inner Aisles)

*My most recent grocery shop last week*

Grocery budgets are tricky things. There are so many variables that come into play: family size, special dietary needs, family members appetites, where you live (which country, what part of the country, urban or rural)...

I've been wanting to share how my grocery budget breaks down for quite a while now, but feel that it's important to state up front that I know there are so many variables that affect what our budgets look like. This is simply my budget, that works where I live, with the resources I have available to me, and the needs of my family.

A few things to note about our family and what makes my budget distinctive: I live in Canada, the Vancouver area to be exact (a fairly large, urban area with surrounding farmland). I have a husband who is a somewhat lighter eater as far as men go, two young kids (2 and 4) who are excellent eaters, and I happen to be eating for two at the moment (I'm pregnant). We entertain or serve food to others in some manner at least once a week. We don't eat wheat products (we all have wheat sensitivities) which raises our costs for baked goods significantly because we only buy alternative grains. I would guess that I buy at least 70-80% of our food either organic or naturally raised, which costs more, of course. We eat a whole foods diet and very little that is packaged or processed. I cook almost entirely from scratch. We live in a rental house, but I have a decent sized garden out back.

Now that my caveats are through, I hope that this can give you a little glimpse into how a whole foods diet (done frugally) can look, and it will give you a better idea of what I buy and how/where I buy it.

Monthly Grocery Budget:

$400 CAN (based on today's conversion rates, this would be about $343 US)

How it breaks down:

If it sounds like a tight budget, it is! There are many months that I struggle to stay within this budget, and occasionally I go over, though I do my very best to avoid this using my cash system.

I have definitely been feeling the crunch lately, as my Azure co-op orders have gone up in price by almost 30% due to the exchange rate alone. That's not to mention the general rise in grocery prices, in both the US and in Canada. As well, I've recently upped our cow share by $13 a month, in order to have more milk for myself to drink (most of it was going to my kids before and we never had enough to really go around).

My budget changes in the spring and summertime, as my garden begins to put out fresh produce and I try to limit my produce shopping by focusing on what we have on hand. I also try to reduce the other areas of my budget in the summer (by stocking up pre-summer when possible), in order to make room for purchasing about 150 lbs of fruit to put away in the freezer and through canning. This includes picking blueberries and raspberries (mostly for the freezer, a bit for jam), canning and freezing peach slices, as well as foraging for wild blackberries to freeze and make jam, etc. The past two years we have also gleaned (ie. picked for free) apples from a wild orchard, which I used to make canned applesauce, fruit leather and dried apples.

I do my best to put away garden produce as well. Last year, this included a lot of frozen zucchini, frozen pumpkin puree, winter squash, dried herbs (mint, basil, oregano, dill, parsley and thyme), cucumbers (dill and sweet) and a whole lot of canned diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Though it sounds like a lot of work (and it is, I won't lie to you), all of that summer preserving really pays off. I haven't had to buy a single can of tomatoes this year, less herbs than usual, barely any squash, and not a speck of frozen fruit. We've still got zucchini and pumpkin, which I need to use up now. There's still a bit of jam, one can of peaches, and the applesauce only ran out recently. The pickles were long gone, sadly. We like pickles in this family! :)

That, my friends, is how my grocery budget works!

Do you have any more questions about the specifics of what I buy, or why I do it a particular way? Care to share a bit about how your own budget works?

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

You might also enjoy:

1. how my grocery budget works in canada
2. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store, Part 4
3. Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store, Part 3

The beginning of a new year seems to be the ideal time to work to get one's budget and finances in order. Along with the myriad other resolutions we women tend to make (I will lose 10 lbs, I will exercise more, I will have consistent quiet times, I will be a more joyful mom, etc.), determining to establish a balanced budget, get out of debt or increase savings is often high among the priorities!

I think that, in light of the current recession, there is no better time than now to revisit how you manage your money! For those who are in that place of desiring to make some financial changes, set some goals or just learn to be better stewards of your money, here are a few wonderful resources that I just need to mention.

Good Reads to Get You Started:

@ Simple Mom
Zero-Based Budgets for the Home: A Primer
How Do You Budget Wtih an Irregular Income?
Keep Your Spending Tidy With an Envelope System

@ Money Saving Mom
Budgeting 101- Part 1 and Part 2

@ Keeper of the Home
Setting up your cash system- Part 1 and Part 2 (answers to some Q&A about how our family uses a cash system)

The Best Class You'll Ever Take:

@ DaveRamsey.com
Financial Peace University

This course would be one of my top recommendations for anyone- single, young marrieds, families with children, those in debt or struggling to make ends meet- seriously, anyone! It will completely challenge many of the ways that you have thought about money or handled money. It will give you the tools to get your finances under control, no matter where you are at. It will enable you to start planning and working towards big financial goals (paying off debt, owning or paying off a home, creating significant savings and investments, preparing for unexpected circumstances, etc.).

We first read Dave Ramsey back in our first year of marriage. We were greatly in debt (close to $30,000 which was mostly my university student debt), and working hard to pay it off as quickly as possible. Through the management principles we learned, we payed off our debt in less than 3 years of marriage, despite having a baby and having me at home for two of those years! We are now working through the rest of the "baby steps" outlined in his books and course, including substantial emergency savings, long-term savings, education savings, and down payment savings. Can I just say how incredibly good it feels, to know that we run our budget and not the other way around?

To find a class near you, click here. If you live in my area (the Fraser Valley, BC, Canada), my church is putting one on starting in March, though registration is happening now (email me if you're interested- keeperofthehome (at) canada (dot) com). We are encouraging everyone we know to attend!

If you're not ready to attend a class, then check out Dave's book, The Total Money Makeover. You won't regret it!

Find a System You Love:

Here's my husband's review of the one that we've been using for over a year now, and love to recommend to anyone who will listen. :)

You Need A Budget.

Though there are many great systems out there, and it's important to find the one that works for you, we happen to think this is an excellent software for anyone desiring to do zero-based budgeting!

Care to share some of your New Year's financial goals? What resources have had the biggest impact on the way that you view and manage your finances? Any others out there using a zero-based budgeting or cash system?

These are all resources that work-for-us!

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

You might also enjoy:

1. My Nourishing New Year’s Resolutions

My husband is the best. Not only is he handsome, sweet and so very thoughtful, but he runs a mean budget.

Through his diligence and hard work, we keep a very detailed record of not only our spending, but also our savings. We give every dollar a job, and we stick to a well-defined budget.

Though I am always grateful that he is such a careful steward of what God has given us, last weekend reminded me why once again.

While driving down the I-5, returning from Seattle early on Sunday morning, he felt that the car was veering somewhat. It was a slightly windy day, so he wondered first if our little sport wagon was being pushed around by the wind. That didn't seem quite right though, and as the tug got stronger, he wondered if he was on a bad patch of asphalt (you know, those parts of the highway where the pavement feels like you're driving over a series of ridges, and your teeth start chattering as you try to save your latte from going to waste all over the front seat of the car).

Just as he had decided it was none of the above and was preparing to pull over and take a look at the car, his questions were answered. POP! He looked in the rearview mirror to see a piece of our tire waving goodbye as he struggled to keep control of the wheel and pull over safely (and therein is the first thing I am grateful for- he did pull over safely, praise God!). Sure enough, one of our tires had blown.

The thing about tires is that you can't replace just one. If your front left tire goes, you inevitably have to replace your front right tire as well, otherwise you will have uneven wear (don't ask me any more than that- I just know that it's true!).

So, after receiving help and getting a spare tire on, he made it across the Canadian border and immediately headed for the place where we bought our last set of tires (mere months ago). The damage? Nearly $300 (our car requires slightly more expensive tires than most). Gulp.

This is where my extreme gratitude kicks in. Through careful budgeting, planning and saving, we not only have emergency savings that we could have used, but we also had car maintenance funds set aside, ready to be used for a repair such as this. We didn't even feel weight of the extra expense at all. Can I just tell you how amazing that feels?

It is times like these that I am so grateful for where God has taken us with our finances, for the lessons he has taught us, for God's incredible provision for us, and for a husband who manages what we have so carefully.

If you are struggling with getting ahold of your finances, I would strongly recommend a few resources for you. We did not come into our marriage knowing how to do this (it is humbling to remember what a huge learning curve it has been for me), and have benefited greatly by the teaching and products that we have received and used along the way. First of all, I would suggest reading Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. Then, I would check out the budgeting system You Need A Budget. You can read more about how our budget and cash system functions here, here and here and I would be happy to answer any questions that you have about it!

Discuss and pray about it with your husband, and determine that you're going to do what it takes to get to a place of living within a budget, within your means, getting out of debt, and then learning how to stay there. It is worth the sacrifice and the hard work, believe me! Coming from being nearly $30,000 in debt when we married (my debt, not my husband's), to where we are now in 5 years has taught me that it is truly possible!

There you have it- today I am so thankful for financial calm and peace, a God who is merciful to provide for us, to teach us and to guide us, and for a husband who does his job so very well! Thanks to Laura for hosting Gratituesday!

Our Sponsors:

• Spoonk Rider: The Portable Accupressure Mat
• Plan to Eat: Drag & drop meal planner with automated shopping list maker.
• Fertility Flower: Helps women predict ovulation, increasing chances of conception. Outstanding charting tools.
• Experience God as Your Provider: Does Your Financial Future Feel Like a Crumbling Sand Castle?
• Learn to Cook With Sourdough: "Pay What You Can" Classes in Sourdough and Traditional Cooking
• Holy Ambition: If you're thinking, God can't use me, think again! YOU can make a difference.

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