How I Transitioned to a Real Food Diet Without Going Insane
I USED TO BUY GROCERIES FOR FREE
I’ll spare you the lengthy details, but a couple years after our marriage, I discovered the world of coupons. I’m not talking about getting a dollar off something we normally bought. I’m talking about checking out with a whole cart full of groceries and having them owe me money at the end. I was good at it, and it was fun.
When I started couponing so heavily, we didn’t have a strict grocery budget. I would just buy whatever was free or close to free with coupons and fill in the gaps with meat and vegetables.
Our pantry was filled to the brim. My husband had to build extra shelves – twice. We had boxes and boxes of cereal, shelves loaded with canned vegetables and soups, boxed potatoes, baking mixes, condiments – you name it and I had it. And I had paid almost nothing for it.
IS “HEALTHY” FOOD REALLY HEALTHY?
I tried to be careful. I tried to buy only the “healthiest” stuff. We ate cereal for breakfast, but I tried to get the kinds with less sugar. We ate granola bars for snacks as opposed to cookies. When I got Hamburger Helper meals for free, I would get them only for the purpose of using the pasta, and I would throw away the packages of chemicalized sauces.
Occasionally the temptation to enjoy convenience crept in, and I would allow myself to bring home cookies, chips, and soda when I got them free. But we still tried to keep the “junk food” to a minimum and only use it as a special treat.
But the fact of the matter is that processed food is…well…processed. It doesn’t matter how many claims on the box say that it’s healthy or all-natural. If it comes in a box or a can, 90% of the time it contains ingredients that were not meant for human consumption. At best, it doesn’t contain any real nutrition. Even if harmful ingredients are not added to the food, the process by which it must be preserved and packaged to withstand a long shelf life at the store renders it nearly void of any nutrients.
Our trend of consuming free-with-coupons food continued for about 3 years. Cooking was easy because I always had a pantry full of food from which to choose. I could open a few boxes and cans, stir them together, and have a meal ready very quickly. But shopping was another story. I grew tired of having to resist the temptation to get the free cookies and chips. I grew tired of not really knowing what my food was made out of, but eating it anyway because it was helping our grocery budget.
WE ATE 40 BOXES OF POP-TARTS
One week I brought home 40 (!) boxes of Pop-tarts, not because we intended to eat them, but because they had paid me to buy them, and I was using the overage to get other things for which there are no coupons like milk, meat, and vegetables.
I should have immediately gotten rid of them, but I stuck them in the pantry to deal with them later. (You know all about my propensity to do that if you’ve been reading here for any length of time!)
Eventually we opened some of them up when we were hungry and needed something in a hurry.
A couple months later I went into the pantry to find that all 40 boxes of the Pop-tarts were GONE! In a couple months time, we had eaten 40 boxes of Pop-tarts. I was disgusted.
TIME FOR A BIG CHANGE
I knew it was time for a big change, and thus began our journey to healthy living. But after shopping this way for so long, I had some big adjustments to make.
First, we had to raise the grocery budget. I would no longer be getting my groceries free or next-to-free. Then I began to research into pastured meat and eggs, organic produce, and eventually even a gluten free diet, once I found out I was gluten sensitive.
Talk about sticker shock!
I knew I wanted to feed my family truly healthy food, but I was lost as to how we could afford to eat that way! After lots of trial and error, I began to figure out which stores to shop at (Take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Buying Healthy Food at Aldi) and other ways to save not only money but also TIME in the kitchen.
I wish I had access to the Grocery Budget Bootcamp back then. Tiffany takes all these things that feel so overwhelming about healthy food and distills them down into bite-sized pieces of information that help you shave hundreds of dollars off your grocery bill. Plus she teaches you how to save hours in the kitchen!
Below are some of the things I learned after tons of hard work and struggling to find the right balance.
(No fair. Grocery Budget Bootcamp hands all of this to you on a silver platter. I had to figure it all out by myself. Where was this course when I needed it??)
1. Prioritize my must-have's and determine where I'm willing to compromise on quality for the sake of the budget. This will look different for everyone, but for me it was buying organic produce that is on the “dirty dozen” list and non-organic for everything else. I also prioritize pastured meat and eggs.
2. Don't focus on what I can't eat but on all the good things I can have and learn to make them taste good. I still crave Oreos and Cheetos and Coke sometimes, but instead of trying to find a direct replacement for those things (translate: organic processed food), I look for something else good that is more healthy. (These homemade peanut butter cups are a great place to start.)
Part of the Grocery Budget Bootcamp roadmap
3. Meal planning is a must! When I had boxes and cans in the pantry all the time, I could throw something together in a snap, even if it was already 5:00. Dump a few cans in here and throw in some boxed goods there, and I'm done. Real food doesn't work that way! I have to know in the morning or even the night before what's on the menu. Beans need to be soaked and cooked for a long period of time, meat needs to be thawed, and many times ingredients need to be made completely from scratch, like salad dressing for example. There is no “winging it” unless I want to be frustrated beyond belief. Grocery Budget Bootcamp teaches you how to time your meal planning so things run smoothly and so that you even know exactly what you're doing with your leftovers.
4. Figure out what to buy in bulk and what to purchase week to week. Buying in bulk is not only a money-saver, but a sanity saver as well because there are just certain ingredients that I need every single day (can we say coconut oil?) I need to know that I always have those ingredients available instead of constantly remembering to buy more every week.
5. Keep a collection of tried and true recipes that work for your family.
One of the frustrating things about being a “real foodie” is that a lot of the food blogs out there are written by actual “foodies.” They love food and they love cooking.
But me? Well, I love food, but I don't love cooking. Or should I say I don't love spending 18,322 hours in the kitchen every day. Trying out new recipes isn't always going to be the best idea because I don't know how long they're going to take to make or how expensive the ingredients will be.
When I find a recipe that meets my criteria (tastes good, uses healthy ingredients, doesn't cost a million dollars and can be made on a mom-friendly timetable, I don't let it out of my sight!) Having a pool of recipes makes menu planning go much more quickly, and I already know the ingredients will help me stay within my budget.
Grocery Budget Bootcamp has so many more ideas for making keeping the cost of real food manageable as well as keeping your sanity intact in the kitchen.
Enrollment is not open at the moment because Tiffany teaches each course live. I highly recommend getting yourself on the waiting list so you'll know as soon as she opens enrollment. Most people taking the course are finding their grocery bill to drop by several hundred dollars each month!
I have total confidence that you can tackle this real food journey, all while keeping your sanity and your budget intact!
Giving Up on Perfect
Imperfect Homemaker.
My motivation for naming this blog that way was to be a safe place where women could be reminded that they are not alone in their imperfections.
Before I began blogging here, I would see all these blogs with gorgeous crafts and delicious recipes, profound parenting advice, or home organization tips that would blow my mind.
And I would come away discouraged.
I'm not a great cook.
I struggle to keep my house clean and organized. Even though I try very hard, it's still not that great.
When I do a craft, people think it was my kindergartner's art project.
And when I would see these bloggers and their beautiful lives I would feel hopeless, knowing that there was no possible way for me to enjoy those things in my home.
I'm having a good day if I get a shower before noon.
You would never know by looking at my house that my kids and I have a cleaning checklist we do every single day. If you walk in unannounced I can almost guarantee that there will be a mess somewhere.
Some days I have dinner well under control, and other days it's 5 pm and I'm about to cry because I've been dealing with sibling arguments all day and I'm just too emotionally exhausted to think about making dinner.
Some days I am sweet and gentle with my kids, and some days I totally lose my cool.
And I am 100% certain that I am not the only one.
I don't want other wives and mamas to feel alone.
I get that people post their complicated recipes, their DIY home decor, and their mind-blowing parenting tricks to inspire and encourage. I'm sure there are things I have posted myself that only show the pretty side of life. Not every post has to be messy in order to be real or to be helpful.
But I want this to be a place where you see the pretty stuff and the not so pretty. Where you can be assured that to be imperfect is to be human, not inferior.
Sometimes being honest here has come back to hurt me. When I would try to be honest about my struggles with keeping a clean house, inevitably someone would comment about how I just obviously wasn't working hard enough at it.
When I would share some crazy antic that my child did, someone would be sure to let me know that if I were just more present with my children, my toddlers would never get into any mischief.
Many times there have been people who don't struggle with the same things that I do who just don't get where I'm coming from. There have been women who are naturally organized that have told me if I would just do x, y, and z I would have no trouble keeping my house clean or my brain screwed on straight. They didn't seem to understand that I had tried over and over to do x, y, and z but that it didn't work for me because that is not how my brain works.
I have been told I'm making excuses and that I could do better if I just tried a little harder. No one knew how much I beat myself up every single day for not measuring up to the standards I had for myself. They didn't know that their well-intentioned comments only discouraged me further.
I know that if I felt that way, those of you who struggle in those ways probably feel that way too.
I have come a long way in the eight years since I started this blog. I feel a little more on top of things than I used to. I've learned a lot, not just about homemaking strategies that work for me, but I'm also learning (or at least am better at) not to make my choices based on what other people think of me. I have learned what works for me, and I'm not afraid to do it, even if others don't understand or agree.
Over the years I have had to realize that when I became discouraged from seeing how much better at homemaking other people were, my feelings of self-condemnation were not coming from a place of truth.
I realized that it was wrong for me to let what other people said to me (or what I perceived they were thinking about me – yeah, I did that one a lot too) get to me. That is the fear of man, and the Bible says that the fear of man brings a snare (Proverbs 29:25.) I was trapping myself into the mindset that I had to live up to a certain standard of expectations or else I was somehow unworthy.
I saw a quote somewhere that said,
There are no perfect people; some just hide it better than others.
I was looking around at everyone else with their perfectly clean houses, their perfectly behaved children, and their perfectly planned meals and thinking that I was a miserable failure compared to them.
And that's where the big problem comes in — that little word compare.
The Bible says that comparing ourselves among ourselves is not wise. (II Corinthians 10:12)
When I look at others I'm always going to feel like I'm not as good as someone else. There's always going to be somebody prettier, more talented, more organized, more Godly, etc., etc., etc.
But the point of life isn't to find the most perfect person and try to be like them.
Because the most perfect person might not have any problems that show outwardly – she might have a gorgeous house, serve gourmet meals, and have little angel children, but there is no doubt she has her own problems. Maybe she is not very wise or frugal with money, or maybe she yells at her kids or argues with her husband when no one is around, or maybe she struggles with overeating.
That very person who looks so perfect might be wishing she could be more like someone else (maybe it's even you she looks up to!!)
There are no perfect people.
We're all hopelessly flawed because we are sinful humans living in a sinful world. Our only hope is found in the grace of God; not in our abilities and achievements.
So it's time for all of us to stop setting other people up as our standard for living. It's time to stop feeling like a failure because we don't measure up to some preconceived notion of who someone else is.
When we realize we are all in this together – this journey to holiness and to improving ourselves in the areas where we are not as skilled – we will be able to release ourselves from the condemnation of not measuring up.
When we see others who struggle in one area where we are more talented, we will be willing to help without judgment.
Let's release ourselves from the myth that there are perfect people.
Let's strive to help one another toward holiness and be understanding when we fail.
Let's each be the unique person that God made us to be and live the life that He intended us to live.
Back-to-School Survival Kit for College Students
Thank you to everyone who helped with suggestions for the back-to-school survival kit for college students!
I decided to go with a “self-care” theme, and I'm excited to show you what I included!
I mentioned in my previous post that I had already picked up some Schick Quattro disposable razors since nice razors were one thing I never bought for myself when I was in college.
The other things I added in were:
Fuzzy socks
Note cards
Snack bars
Chocolate
Water Bottle
Cosmetic Bag filled with toiletries, essential oils, lip balm, lip gloss, nail polish, lotion
Prepaid gift card
I know this was a girly package, but for guys, you could do pretty much the same thing; just trade out the items for a manly version and trade the Schick Quattro disposable razors for one of the men's varieties.
I hope this self-care package will help brighten up a rough college day, and I hope you got some ideas of how you can create a nice back-to-school gift for a college student you know!
(Don't forget you or a student you know can still enter the Schick Summer Selfie sweepstakes and be entered to win $10,000 toward college tuition! Details here.)
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Schick®. The opinions and text are all mine.
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Saying Goodbye to Saggy Diapers
Do you ever look at your child from behind and think “Wow, that looks awful! It looks like her diaper hasn't been changed in a week!”
As a blogger, I have had the opportunity to try out many diapers (will blog for diapers!), but since day 1 of my first child, Pampers has been my favorite brand, and that has never changed.
I consider Pampers the “premium” brand, and what I give to new moms to spoil them at their baby shower.
I didn't think there was a whole lot of room for improvement, so when I heard that Pampers Cruisers were upgraded to have less sag, I was intrigued. I honestly didn't expect them to be much different.
But I was wrong! While the diaper doesn't feel stiffer or seem like it would be less comfortable to my little “Cruiser”, there is definitely a different feel and look to the diaper when it is wet. It stays firm and doesn't sag down making my daughter look like she hasn't had a diaper change in a week.
They have a really good offer on these at Target right now through September 5:
Buy 2 Pampers Giant Packs Get $10 Gift Card
I took advantage of this deal to stock us up for the next little while!
If you get the chance to try out the improved Pampers Cruisers, I know you will like them! Just say no to diaper sag! 🙂
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Can You Give Me Some Suggestions?
I'm working on gathering up supplies for a “back-to-school survival kit” for college students.
One of the things that I never bought for myself when I was in college was nice razors (I went with the 99 cent kind!)
So I headed over to Walmart and grabbed a pack of Schick Quattro disposable razors to put in there. (I'm still cheap, though, so I made sure to find a pack with a bonus razor included! 😉 )
I also found out that Schick is sponsoring a sweepstakes right now called the #SchickSelfieSweeps. If you know a college student (or you are one!) be sure to let them know they can win $10,000 toward their college tuition when they post a selfie on Instagram or Twitter with the #SchickSelfieSweeps hashtag. (Official rules here.)
In the meantime, this package of razors is lonely! Can you help me figure out what else to put in a “Back-to-School Survival Kit”? What would you like if you were the recipient or what would you include if you were giving one to a college student? Please leave me a comment with your ideas and watch for a follow-up post with the completed package!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Schick®. The opinions and text are all mine.
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10 Ways to Make Homeschool Exciting
“Are you ready for school to start back?” is a common question I ask kids at the end of the summer.
Most of the kids I know are homeschooled, but I get quite the variety of responses to that question.
Some are absolutely dreading it, but I've noticed that most of the time the ones who dread it have caught that attitude from their mother.
As homeschool moms, lets find ways to make homeschool exciting and fun instead of something that has to be endured!
I have moved all of my homeschooling posts to christianhomeschoolfamily.com. You can go here to read this post at the new site.