Real Food on a Budget (and a poll!)
In my Internet wanderings I was reading over at $5 Dinners (great blog!). She has a guest post by a family that committed themselves to 100 days of eating real food. (Click on the picture above). This family made a pact to go 100 days without using processed foods. That alone is an interesting read. What REALLY caught my attention, however, is that they've started another 100 day challenge in which they continue to eat "Real Food" but do so by keeping their food bills on a budget.
Real food without breaking the bank. Definitely worth a look.
Here is her intro paragraph:
". . . [I]n May of this year our family (which includes two children ages 3 and 5) set out on a journey to go 100 days without eating a single ounce of processed food or refined ingredients. We put together some rules that we followed (including no sugar or white flour!) and blogged about our real food pledge on www.100daysofrealfood.com. We loved the response from readers, but one thing we couldn't help but notice was the amount of feedback we got on how much all this real, organic, and local food costs. This is why starting on October 4 we began “100 Days of Real Food on a Budget”. Our family of 4 has $125 a week to spend on food (which is less than we would get if we were on food stamps) while at the same time following our original real food guidelines as much as possible. We are of course blogging about this journey as well and invite you to join us!"By her guidelines, our family of three should spend no more than $93.75 per week. Right now we spend about $130 per week, including eating out. That figure is definitely not without the processed foods and sugar!
I'm putting up a poll on the sidebar. Come on over and let me know what YOU spend on food (groceries AND eating out) per person per week, and what percentage of your food purchases would you consider "Real Food."
11 comments:
I'm not sure why sugar isn't a real food though? surely, it's made from sugar cane or sugar beets and therefore 'real'
I guess with sugar it's more about what it DOESN'T contain.
For example, molasses, maple syrup, and honey are all sweeteners, but they also have nutrients in them as well. Things that actually benefit the body.
I'm guessin' here, though!
I have four kids and I normally spend arund $130.00 a week on groceries, and we eat out maybe once for around $35.00. I don't know if things are more expensive due to being different regions or what.
LoriB--That's a good point about food costs in different regions.
I doubt that my figure for our family of three is due to that, though. It's due to the eating out that I still keep doing!
I have no idea what I spend on groceries/food.
I'm not into the "real food" kick. Truly, though, "real food" is mostly how I was raised and how I've lived. I seldom buy processed cheeses, meat products, mixes, etc. I just don't cook or eat that way. (But, I can't break my husband's habit of buying all kinds of goodies. After about 25 years of trying, I quit nagging.) I use sugar, though. There is nothing wrong with sugar when used in moderation.
Often times, canned or frozen foods are really fresher and better for you than "fresh" things that have been in storage for weeks or months. (Check with your local county extension office.)
Gardening where we live is very iffy. This past summer I paid more for my plants than what was harvested.
Oh, our (supposedly) sunny 46 degree day sure looks funny. There is white stuff on the ground and falling from the sky. Oh, it is foggy, too.
i've been having a bit of a look at ingredients and i have to say, sugar is one of the only things that only contains what it says on the label... being cane sugar. But hey, if that's what they're going for - more power to them. I'm actually more interested in knowing that the numbers mean, because some of them represent natural additives and some of the are chemical - and i think knowing the difference would be helpful
Packrat--Agreed regarding frozen being better than fresh in the store! All one has to do is taste an orange or an apple just off the tree for proof.
We're going to try to do a garden next year. (Hyperventilating as I'm typing.) We'll see.
We had a snowfall last week, but it all melted away. It's supposed to be in the 50s for the next few days. All that will end soon enough, though!
MODERATION is really key. Unfortunately I have a problem with that. My husband doesn't. It's actually a bit disgusting.
Weenie--YES about the additives. It's actually sad but funny to read the ingredients lists on items that seem innocent. I picked up a carton of orange juice the other day and it was scary. It took a bit to find one that listed JUST oranges and ascorbic acid.
My relatives grew sugar cane on their farm in Florida. We'd get to chew on the stalks. Along with the "sweet" you also got some fiber. Just a "fun fact" to share LOL!
Like Packrat said--and I agree--moderation is key.
I think that Americans are really bad about the processed foods, though. I don't know about other countries, but when people talk about the "SAD" diet and one of the letters stands for AMERICAN, that seems to be pretty telling.
It seems like you eat a beautifully balanced diet from all the wonderful recipes you've posted. You also look lovely and healthy. You are obviously doing something right!
After commenting on another blog, I thought I'd better confess here. The last several months we have been eating too many easy-fix and purchased meals. Because of all the uproar and changes, cooking and cleaning are at the bottom of my list. Hopefully we can start working on a routine of some sorts.
Packrat--Confession is good for the soul LOL!
Considering what you've had to deal with for so very long, I think it's completely understandable that you've had to cut corners somewhere.
Do you feel like things are beginning to get somewhere near "normal" again? With winter, I bet you'll be in the mood to start cooking all those good-for-the-body foods!
Packrat--Confession is good for the soul LOL!
Considering what you've had to deal with for so very long, I think it's completely understandable that you've had to cut corners somewhere.
Do you feel like things are beginning to get somewhere near "normal" again? With winter, I bet you'll be in the mood to start cooking all those good-for-the-body foods!
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