Healthy Habits for Healthy Wallets

Two things have helped the Blackman family with the added expenses of organic and healthier foods:

1.) The Grocery List

2.) The Weekly Menu

It sounds simple, but it works for us! Each week as we run out (or come close to running out) of items, we write them on the grocery list on the side of the frig. Then once a week (usually Saturdays), I sit down with a cup of coffee and our cookbooks and find recipes for four or five meals and a snack or two for that week. (Diana Walsh--RVR Food Services Director--employed the weekly menu as a sanity-saver when she was a home-schooling mom of three, and I was inspired by her.)

I choose the recipes by asking:

- What ingredients are already in the house? Let's use those up! (This can be a BIG money saver.)

- Do I have a couple of slam-dunk recipes here that are familiar to cook and usually turn out well?

- Is there a night this week that I can experiment, try something new, or make someone's favorite that takes a little more time?

As I choose each recipe, I add to the grocery list any ingredient not currently in the house. Finally, I add items needed for school lunches or snacks, and make sure we have enough of our staples (eggs, almond milk, lentils, beans, rice, cheese, popcorn, coffee, etc.) Most weeks the grocery list is not very long, which always amazes me.

Here's what also amazes me--by limiting our grocery list to that week's recipes and the resupplying of staples, we:

- Keep our weekly food purchases, for the four of us, at about $125 or less. Last week it was under $50! (Note: we typically buy no meat, which also keeps costs down.)

- Have very little food waste--less overcrowding in the frig resulting in less food that goes bad before use.

- Have fewer episodes of "Oh no, what's for dinner??" as the list of that week's recipes is on hand, along with the ingredients to cook those meals.

While it's not always picture-perfect (I've not done weekly menus for these past two, Sharathon-pumped weeks!), these two things have helped keep our food budget AND stress levels under control, and have contributed to our overall health and well-being!