Eating Healthy on a Budget

What to do when you feel overwhelmed walking into a store deemed "expensive"...
Then you have coupons, store specials, coupon stacking... Lord moses! its a whole 'nuther job!
But what to do is actually more simple than you think, it just takes one day dedicated to change or a few days dedicated to change, depending your time frame.
 First write a list of everything in your fridge and pantry put in an excel spreadsheet and mark next to each one what it is:
Canned
Frozen
Produce
Dairy
Meat
Prepared
Cooking
Packaged
Condiments
Bulk(you will buying more in bulk- mainly nuts and breakfast type items even flours)

Now you have the start of a system.
Next cut out the coupons and get the store website that you want to go to with the most expensive items, which items can you not get any where else.
Like can you get Kashi at Wal-Mart or Kroger/Randall's/Ralph's... rather than the Health Food Market like Fresh Market or Whole Foods Market.
Put an asterik next to foods that are seasonal like cucumber, zuchinni, watermelon... that you can help your local farmers out, even the local honey guy- at your weekly Farmers Market

Newspaper coupons, Whole Foods has a store booklet called Whole Deal and they have up to $50 as times in that book you can save. In tomorrow's blog I will post the items I used and the recipes to go with it.

Now, after visiting a few stores: Wal-Mart & a chain market, then go to the Health Food Market, you will be able to knock off some things on the list and your coupons now, see what manufactured coupons are available to stack with the store coupons, same with Kroger; however, Target does this not Wal-Mart


On your printed list (from the Excel spreadsheet) you will write down the store in a column and the price of that item then move on to the next store until you have hit your stores... based on the prices and the overall prices.. averages you will be able to see which stores to hit with your Health Food Market & Farmer's Market... You can give back to your community and support your new healthy eating habits by following this method

To Your Health
Tracy

And try this: Go to bed early so you can get up early and be unrushed so your day is easier to accomplish and easier to handle.