I realize that we spent a lot of money on groceries.  I can justify it by wasting almost nothing we buy.  We also buy our meat in bulk, buy produce on sale in season and freeze, dry and dehydrate our own spices and green powders for extra servings of nutrition on smoothies.  As well we preserve and can food naturally, and I don’t throw away our produce scraps which go into soup stocks.  I also love and support our local organic farmers and farmers’ markets.

My laundry room has a massive freezer which currently holds half a cow, a dozen chickens, two ducks, two turkeys, and a goose (and a partridge in a pear tree).  In there as well are all the frozen veggies I hoarded throughout the summer and fall months.  Next to that freezer are some rickety old shelves full of mason jars with pickles, beets, tomatoes, jam, BBQ sauce, tomato paste, and other goodies we canned last fall.  This cold, dark, concrete floored room (which is also a haven for spiders) is my warm and fuzzy place.

It makes me happy because:

• I know where it all came from
• I understand and agree with how the animals were raised
• I know there are no nasty ingredients hiding in my child’s food
• And best of all, it’s cheaper!

Okay, it’s not cheaper than buying conventionally farmed, antibiotic ridden meats from animals fed GMO feed, living heart-breaking lives; or frozen veggies from China full of preservatives; or processed foods filled with non-food fillers.

It is cheaper and smarter to invest in your family’s health through good quality foods.  Otherwise you and your family are not living life to the fullest because you lack energy, can’t focus, suffer from headaches, “tummy troubles” and may other ailments that cost you your time and enjoyment.  Every parent wants the very best for their kids.  Learning how to navigate the seas of nutrition is a valuable lesson your kids will take with them forever. That to me is value enough for the money spent on good food.

You are what you eat, so don’t be cheap, fast or fake!  
– I wish I made that up – it’s so smart!

Over the next few weeks I will share my tips how I feed my family the best nutrition we can afford, within our budget.

I can tell you that the moral of the story here is:

• buy in bulk,
• buy in season,
• hoard,
• freeze,
• get a vacuum baggings machine if you can afford it,
• get ziplock bags (in bulk) and mason jars
• dehydrate
• do it yourself!

Heck yes, it’s more work, but the nutritional benefits are absolutely worth it!  Stay tuned!