When I first started eating a healthier diet I whined and complained about how expensive it was. In fact, my main excuse for not buying organic grass-fed beef was the cost. I knew that it was so much healthier that it was practically a different food altogether, but the fact that I would be paying $4.25  a lb for ground beef was a major sticking point for me. Here’s how we did it (and something I didn’t even consider at the time). By eliminating a TON of other things that we used to purchase!

Things that we no longer buy:

1. Boxed dinners, helpers, roni’s etc
2. Pasta (make it myself)
3. Pasta Sauce (make it myself)
4. Pizza Sauce (so simple to make)
5. Tortillas (make them myself corn and flour)
6. Bread (bake it myself)
7. Muffins (make them myself)
8. Crackers (make them myself)
9. Breakfast cereal (make it myself, recipe coming)
10. Coffee (We quit caffeine and we feel great!)
11. Purified water (bought a Berkey and love it!)
12. Paper towels or napkins (we use cloth napkins)
13. Pre-made frozen food (pot pies, pizza, burritos etc)
14. Ice cream (make it myself, recipe coming)
15. Potato chips (stopped eating them, but I have made them myself once)
16. Lunches out (we pack our lunches every day)
17. Trail mix (I soak and dry the nuts first, then make the mix)
18. Nut butters (very easy to make at home, tutorial coming)
19. Jams or chutney (make and can)
20. Yogurt (make it myself from raw milk)
21. Sour cream, cream cheese, butter, buttermilk (make them from raw milk)
22. Dry mixes like pancake, brownie, cake etc (make it from scratch)
23. Cigarettes (yay!)
24. Condiments (make most from scratch)
25. Salad dressing (very easy to make)
26. Soda pop (we drink homemade Kombucha or Ginger Beer)
27. Canned spaghetti or pizza sauce (make and can)
28. Salsa (make and can)
29. Seasoning Salt and other blends (easy to make)
30. Worcestershire Sauce (yes you can do this yourself)
31. Cocktail Sauce (very good homemade)
32. Canned vegetables or fruit (make and can)
33. Vanilla Extract (very easy to make)
34. Shaving cream (coconut oil is an excellent shaving cream!)
35. Shampoo (I use soap nuts liquid)
36. Conditioner (don’t need it since I started using soap nuts liquid)
37. Bodywash (make it myself)
38. Perfume (either don’t use it, or use essential oils)
39. Windex (so easy to make)
40. All-purpose cleaners (make it yourself)
41. Dishwasher Detergent (easy to make)
42. Scouring Powder (very simple to make)
43. Orange Cleaner (make it myself)
44. Facewash (make it myself)
45. Hand & body lotion (make it myself)
46. Wrinkle cream (make it myself)
47. Manicures or pedicures (I keep my nails short and plain)
48. Pro hair cuts/color/style (I have very long hair and cut it myself)
49. Toothpaste (make it myself)
50. Mouthwash (make it myself)
51. Hairspray (make my own for a penny)
52. New clothing (we buy 95% used from a few different thrift stores)
53. Food at restaurants (we eat out maybe once a month)
54. Movies at the theater (we watch Netflix movies on the computer or read)
55. Cable TV (we actually don’t own a television)

Things that we buy in bulk

1. Herbs & spices (once a year from Mt. Rose Herbs, see link in blogroll)
2. Makeup $35-40 a year (once a year from Everyday Minerals)
3. Plain un-scented soap (once a year from a local soap/candle store)
4. Organic vinegar (Sam’s Club 1-2 times a year)
5. Rice (once a year)
6. Baking soda (1-2 times a year from Sam’s Club)
7. Washing soda (1-2 times a year from Sam’s Club)
8. Borax (1-2 times a year from Sam’s Club)
9. Toilet paper (2-3 times a year from Sam’s Club)
10. Coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut cream and dry coconut (once a year from Mt. Rose Herbs see blogroll)
11. Beans (once a year)
12. Organic, sprouted flour (often from a local health food store)
13. Nuts & dry fruit
14. Raw honey (twice a year from a local beekeeper)
15. Maple Syrup (once a year from a farm in Northern MI)
16. Half of a cow. 100% grass-fed and finished. 320 lbs of meat (from a farmer that we know and trust)
17. Rob is raising heritage breed hogs for us this year and he is growing 30 chickens and 5 turkeys for the freezer. He also has a laying flock of 25 hens that keep us well stocked in fresh eggs. In the future we plan to raise our own beef cow and I would love to have a dairy cow! Mmmmm cheese…..We would also love to buy bulk wheat and oats and grind them ourselves. Someday soon we will have a large vegetable garden. Always more projects on the way!

My point here is not to sound like I am perfect (because I am SO not), but to let everyone know that for me the cost of properly grown, properly prepared, nutrient-dense, real, whole food is worth it! We have sacrificed a lot of convenience and time and effort to make this happen and guess what? We saved $6,000 in insurance premiums last year because we are never sick. I had 2 teeth cavities remineralize themselves. No more expensive dental visits for me! We don’t spend any money on prescription drugs, over the counter drugs or co-pays for doctor visits. By starting with just one thing at a time we have saved ourselves thousands of dollars. We are now spending that money on the highest quality meat, cheese, milk and vegetables that we can find, from local farmers that we know and trust. By really making our health a priority we have been able to slowly make these changes, and have a lot of fun along the way. (It also helps that we both hate to shop! It takes an act of God to get us into the store 🙂

P.S If you’re wondering how we have time for all of this, see #55