Let Me Pop That Lie Bubble
I want to burst one of the biggest myths about switching to Organic NON-GMO Local REAL foods! I hear this all the time and I even believed it myself for the longest. “It’s just too expensive!” This is the biggest lie! One of the first steps to truly bringing this lie into the light and uncovering the truth about your food bill- you have to actually track your food expenses. I can’t tell you what’s cheaper for you- because I don’t pay your bills or buy all your food. I can tell you that if you are anything like I was- you are busy and the odds are more often than you’d like to admit, you spend money on food at fast food joints, convenience stores and ready-made meals. Those 3 points of purchase are the biggest culprit for high food costs and outrageous expenses every month. STOP eating OUT!
When we first began to switch to only organic foods we started to panic a little bit because of food costs. But reality stood that we had nothing to compare it to except the sticker prices on the shelves. If I pick up a gallon of milk and sticker price shows $3.89 and the organic milk shows $7.49 the financially responsible choice seems clear. It appears as though the organic milk is nearly twice the price. That may be true, but that doesn’t mean that your grocery bill is going to be twice the price at the end of the month. This is why you need to start with one thing! Whether you can handle just one meal time or just carbs, or switching your veggies. Make it transitional and really be intentional about your choices and your strategy. I can and would love to help you individually if you would like support and ideas- do not hesitate to reach out! I have been there!
So after my first trip home from the grocery store I wanted to cry because it was SO hard to find organic or at least NON-GMO from my usual grocery store. I tried to just jump right, didn’t do any research and tried to do everything cold-turkey. Plus, if I recall correctly I spent almost 3 times the amount I budgeted for that pay period! We had to change our strategy. We had to create a strategy! I tracked all our purchases from the month prior- including eating out, coffee trips, and household consumables like toilet paper and personal care products.
What I realized was our natural spending habits in this category were outrageous! Our first budget attempt was a totally unrealistic expectation. The first thing we had to commit to was reducing spending and specifically budgeting for eating out. Then we started small. Breakfast first. Toast with breakfast? Switch to only organic. Eggs every day? Bring home organic next trip. Oh, you have kids? Need to have those quick eats. Milk and cereal- organic only. Need variety? Organic oatmeal. You get the idea. Once we got breakfast squared up. I felt sad that breakfast didn’t get veggies. Quick fix, instead of fried potatoes- we added fried zucchini! Takes only a few minutes and super tasty. Over just a couple months you will begin to see your cupboards and crisper fuller and healthier than ever.
Not Convinced Yet?
Still not sure how you can keep costs down? I will stick with the breakfast theme and we will use those double yellow arches for comparison. I hope that most of you by now are fully aware that McDonald’s is likely the worst of the worst but if you aren’t convinced maybe this will encourage you.
This is the “Hubby Classic Breakfast”-
3 Eggs (over easy) = .87
2 pieces of toast = .40
1 cup of fried zucchini (about 1 ZUC) = (about) 1.30 (this is higher than normal but is true at Trader Joe’s)
I also use about ½ TBS of butter or olive oil for the zuc’s = .15
½ TBS of Coconut oil for the eggs = .05
2 TBS of Butter for the toast and sometimes jelly. = .55
Total cost per meal = $2.02
Time to make meal= about 8 mins or less
VERSUS
McDonalds Breakfast = average price about $4- if you don’t add a fancy sugary beverage…
Then, you have to account for the sugar high you will get from the sweetened meat, sweetened bread, and synthetic ingredients which will not be absorbed by your body. This will activate the addiction process and spike not only your insulin- which makes your stomach think it’s going to get nutrition and when it doesn’t your body will store all its fat because it didn’t receive what it needed. Also your endorphins spike. When your body finally realizes that it isn’t going to get any real food, you will crash. This is when your down comes. You begin to feel extremely tired and almost as though you have no energy. Better go grab another coffee or energy drink. Or down the one you still have in your hand. Time for another crash, wow you think! It isn’t close to lunch time yet and you feel starved! Now the Hangry sets in. This vicious cycle is killing you. It is time to stop. My point is that switching to organic REAL food is NOT more expensive. Especially if you factor in future doctor’s bills and the value of your health.
So, track your expenses and take a brutal look at how much you are ACTUALLY spending on food. Then decide what that budget should look like! Let’s use an example of $600 for the month. For one person, 3 meals a day for 30 days means you have 90 meals. That means that if you budget $600 a month, you need to stay under $6.67 per meal. That’s quite a bit, and might even condone for you to eat out some. Chances are you feed more than 1 person in your household, and if you don’t you likely have a smaller food budget than that. At the end of the first month of tracking, and trying to stick to your expected budget, I guarantee that if you can stay within that budget you can easily switch to REAL organic & local food over 1-2 more months and stay well under or at least within your ideal range.
Next Steps
Do some research! Spend 20-30 minutes on the computer and check out what services are available in your area. Try those grocery stores you’ve been afraid of because you believed the “too expensive” jargon. Yes, some of them are outrageously priced so you gotta check them out! I have taken a day with a coffee in hand and just window shopped those scary grocery stores. Use your smart phone! Take pictures of items you would normally purchase and compare to organic options. There are so many tips and tricks to navigating going fully organic and non-toxic. I have been there and in many areas still in that transition! I would love to help you with your journey. Be sure to connect and send an email if you are interested in having support with this!
One of the most important aspects to Do It Yourself- Real Food, you need to value your life. Be okay with investing in your health. Your money goes where your treasure is hidden. The more you consciously and intentionally choose to invest and nurture your body and health you will find that the rocky transition smooths right out. This is not a diet plan or counting points. I am not knocking any plans or programs, I believe there are a lot of great options out there that can really help people step in the right direction and make lasting changes with intense dedication. This is about taking control of your future, health, wallets, and nutrition.
DIY Real Food is a lifestyle. We vote with our dollars and the more we can support local farmers and companies that hold healthful & non-toxic options the better off the future will be for us and generations to come. We are being bombarded with toxic ingredients and chemicals all around us. Our food and water is being poisoned. So much of it is unnoticed by the majority and it is time to awaken and fight back. You are valuable and worth fighting for. Will you join the fight?
Bride Of Royalty 
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