Is it Worth It?

One of the main excuses people use for avoiding eating a real foods diet is the cost. I agree that it can cost more, especially in time it takes to find good food and prepare good food. We have a family of seven and our budget is $665 plus about another $120 on raw milk and eggs. Does that number shock you? Does it seem high or low? Maybe average? I'm the first to admit that I could probably lower our budget. I could demand that my husband give up drinking pop, eating potato chips, and gag me Chips Ahoy Cookies. However, that would cause him to totally go off the deep end. He would do his own grocery shopping and spend twice the amount I do!!

Is eating real foods worth the extra cost?
I have five children ages 11-19 months. We home school but attend many outside classes and attend church weekly. My immune system is compromised due to my previous battle with breast cancer and in October my white count was 2.2 We have only been to the doctor's once this cold/flu season. My oldest daughter had an ear infection. The other children have caught colds but they've only lasted about 3 days. I have not been sick at all.
Last year we battled colds/flu the entire season from September-April. No joke, some one in my home was sick every day!!
The main changes we've made? Drinking raw milk, eating 100% grass fed beef, eating pasture raised chickens and their eggs. I've always made most of our food from scratch. The other difference in our diet is that last year I was riding the coupon train. I was chasing down every deal and our average food budget was $300, however the food wasn't real food. It came in boxes and bags. It was food but it wasn't nourishing. It didn't build up our immune system.

I know that many families would love to eat a more nourishing diet but feel trapped by their budget. It might seem totally out of reach. Take baby steps. Make one change every month or longer. Maybe this month you give up buying snacks and you make your own cookies or cakes. Take the savings from that and buy some bulk organic oats. Next month maybe you don't buy snacks and cereal. Use your oats to make baked oatmeal and granola and save the money from not buying breakfast foods to buy a gallon of raw milk.

Maybe you already make all your meals from scratch and you don't buy anything in a package. Maybe your budget is stretched and you've cut everything you can. If you truly make all your meals and snacks from scratch don't beat yourself up about not eating organic. You're already ahead of the family who buys all the prepackaged/freezer meals!! Maybe your focus could be trying not to by any GMO food items.

Real foods are worth there cost. I read a great quote that said something along the lines of " if you think real foods are expensive have you priced cancer lately?" To that I say a hearty amen!


This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom