Ready for this week.

blackburn23

Fresh produce definitely ups the grocery bill, but it will be worth it to be healthier. Geared up for this week with fresh veggies, fruits, cottage cheese and yogurt (great ideas!).

HeatherKatan

When I started at first to buy the healthier options I noticed my grocery budget go up a little bit to. However if you start to really watch your portions on how much you eat then you will also notice that you get fuller and don't eat as much of the good as the bad stuff because the bad is full of empty calories that don't fill you up. You can buy a set of measuring cups and spoons for $.88 at Wal-Mart and a small and accurate food scale for under $20. For example 3 cups of popcorn is much less calories, fat, and much more filling then a few small pieces of candy. There are also a large variety from sweet to savory for a few more calories each way. I like the kettle corn variety when I get a sweet tooth. Also it is not a largely expensive snack to buy. An apple and natural peanut butter (a go to snack of mine) is much more filling and satisfying then say a candy bar and a lot less guilty feelings. But all the fiber and nutrients in the fruit fill you up along with the protein in the peanut butter to make the snack last a bit longer. I buy a variety of apples (they are in season right now to!) to keep me from getting bored with just a single apple flavor. So yes there will be an increase in your bill but if you are eating the proper amounts of things you will notice that it is not taking as much to get full as the bad so it balances itself out if you stick to it. The other big part of the budget increase is to balance out your eating out as well, or your take out. My husband and I used to eat out about once to twice a week instead of cooking at home, we regularly work 12 to 16 hour shifts and sometimes it is almost more practical to grab subway on the way home then cook. We have cut our eating out to 1 time per pay period (Every 2 weeks) which has helped a lot with our overall health and it makes it more of a treat so it seems more special. We have also cut down on fast food and try to eat at a more sit down restaurant where healthier options are available. Also we have both noticed that since we began to eat healthier we have not craved the bad stuff as much as when we were constantly eating it because all the high fat and high grease make us feel sick. Overall in the past 2 months now since starting on this healthier lifestyle I have noticed it balance out a bit for the budget. I still spend more at the grocery store but the good things are lasting longer and the cut down on eating out has helped as well to even things out. I hope that helps you in any way to stay motivated to keep going forward!!! I apologize for not responding for a few days I was having some personal family issues and had a lapse in my computer time to be online or with my phone.

blackburn23

I appreciate your input. I cooked more this past weekend than I have in a while and I am packing my lunch for work. This has helped me plan my calorie intake and save me money. I also told my family that we needed to stop eating out so much. My hubby cooked supper last night! I hope things worked out well with your family.

HeatherKatan

Thank you so far it is helping us both in a small way. It is fun to get int he kitchen and cook together and it has been good for us in more then just a health level. It is also helping us both pay more attention to what we are eating for both lunch and dinner and we have decided that our next step is that we are going to plan out meals a week at a time and see how that starts to help us.

blackburn23

Weekly meal planning is a great idea! I can plan weekend meals better than I can weekly ones. My hubby's work schedule is off the wall sometimes. Our 17 year old daughter is constantly on the go with school projects or PT job. It is just hard to plan meals around all that sometimes, but we are trying to do better. So, if you do start planning meals, please feel free to share, esp. if they are quick and easy.