Do you find you are spending a lot more $ on groceries on SBD than before? I do! And I'm the only one in my family doing SBD but of course I try to make our dinners SB approved and add some carbs for DH and the kids here and there... but wow. I'm amazed at how much more expensive it is to eat healthy! (not that we ate 'junk' before... but all that fresh produce really adds up quick)
Heather,
Yes, I'm finding the same thing. Produce is expensive, although not as expensive at this time of year as it will be in the winter. Also, the leaner cuts of meat are more expensive. I like the canadian bacon, but it's ridiculously expensive, so I've been skipping that. I'm a sale shopper usually and I save lots of money by loading up on the stuff we eat when it's on sale, but I'm not able to do that as much now. BUT, I do feel like we're eating higher quality food now and that's good for the whole family, plus, this is probably less expensive than one of those plans where you have to eat their prepared food, and it has to be lots healthier!
I found it to be very expensive at the beginning - when I had to restock my pantry with approved foods and give away the unapproved foods. Now, for the most part it has evened out. I have found a store that sells produce at amazing prices - they have inconsistent hours, but are worth the effort to get there, because lots of fresh foods can add up fast. I also use some frozen veggies as they cost less, are always available, and if you are cooking them there is not a big difference.
It is a bit expensive at first but Sams Club has helped some in my case. I can get 48 string cheese there for $7 something (way cheaper than the store), 3 lbs of spring mix salad for $4 something, and WW tortillas 20 for $4 something. Feta cheese is another I found there much cheaper and V-8 and produce are cheaper there also. I shop there about every 2 weeks and while it seems alot when you check out if you notice how much you have it is amazing!
I found it a lot more expensive at the beginning as well - the first month I doubled our regular grocery bill!!
Now, it's evened out quite a bit, although we still spend a few more dollars here and there. BUT, we don't eat out as much, so there's money saved! When produce isn't in season, don't be afraid to make use of frozen fruits and veggies - you can buy them quite cheap at Costco, and they don't have added sugar or salt like canned ones do. I also buy all of my meat at Costco and separate it into portions immediately when I get home, freezing them.
When I started, I was spending a LOT of money on things that I thought would be SB approved (especially once I reached Phase II) - buying NSA fudgesicles (double the price of regular ones), SF pudding, loads of Crystal Lite, etc. Now I've realized that I don't NEED all that stuff. I buy SOME when it's on sale, but otherwise do without most of the time.
I've been spending about the same as before I started SB. I always make a list before I go to the store now so I'm not picking up random things and that helps. Also I can make the Taco Bake and eat it everyday at work for lunch since I'm the only one in the house that likes it!
I definitely spend a lot more money on food. I think it's more expensive when you need to buy food for yourself and your children too. I mean let's face it you can try to get them to eat what you eat but chances are they won't do it. My kids eat salads but they are going to substitute it for their white rice and they won't eat brown rice either. They harass me for cereal in the morning and my oldest refuses to eat eggs. Buying the $3-4 box of kashi vs the $1.50-2 box of fruit loops gets pretty expensive.
Trader Joe's is a huge help to me since many of their products are cheaper than the grocery store (except produce which I get from the grocery store). Produce is often sale driven for me. Whatever fruit/veggies are on sale (especially asparagus - that stuff ain't cheap!) is what we'll be eating that week.
In the end though, I'm saving money since I don't eat out nearly as much. And I was eating out ALOT!
I haven't noticed that much of a difference, but I've always bought a lot of fresh produce, and my kids *do* eat what I'm eating. They always have, so they don't think it's any different. The junkiest thing I get for them are animal crackers every once in awhile, and if they're really good at the store they can get a bag of yogurt raisins, which get doled out sparingly. Poor kids. My son actually used to ask for peas for dessert!
browneyedgirl I'm in the same situation. My children (and husband) do eat some of what I eat, but I have to make/prepare extras for them. Not that they eat junk, but, especially my kids, have different nutritional needs than I do. Their little bodies need more carbohydrates than what I am eating, especially on phase one. So they get fruit or whole grain crackers for snacks, but meals are pretty much SBD. My husband loves SBD foods and will gobble them up... and then have a huge bowl of sugary cereal two hours later while I angrily chew on my cheese stick. :P
pacergal I will have to check into Sam's! Our membership expires in July and I was thinking it wasn't going to be worth it to renew (we usually bought diapers there but my older baby is in cloth diapers now and we plan to start them in a few months with the younger baby), but if I can save that much on cheese sticks alone, it may be worth it!
Good for you Heather! Cloth diapers are much more environmentally friendly and save a ton of money. I did this with all three of mine, but you don't often hear people doing it anymore.
I'm just getting into it, schmoodle. My sixteen month old has been in them for a few weeks. We still use disposables for nap and overnight because I haven't yet found a cloth that can contain his heavy-wetting for that long! I'm going to start them on my baby-baby (3 months) once she starts solids in a few more months; right now her poops are totally goopy and I just can't deal with that at this time!
An Expensive Diet?
