[emmabishopp]

This is a very helpful blog stream. I have just started the nutrition consultant course and the first thing my family back in the UK said to me was "well it's ok if you've got plenty of money then you can eat well but otherwise it's pretty difficult" and I really wasn't entirely prepared for how to answer that. It truly made me think that if I do become a professional nutritional consultant this will be an issue I need to be prepared to answer with helpful, realistic answers and suggestions that can be put into practice with ease because organic, fresh foods are more expensive generally if you purchase them in the regular grocery stores.  The easier we make it for people to change their eating habits the more they are likely to do so. It also made me realize that I will need to be sensitive about how to approach this issue too particularly as I hope to support cancer patients who are likely to have a lot of medical expenses. I plan on making a note about some of the suggestions on here.  I'm not sure exactly what is available in the UK now where my family are but if I do see clients eventually they are likely to be in California and these suggestions will be extremely useful. I also need to start using many of them for my own family. I know we spend way too much on food and I'm ashamed to say we often waste it too.  This program is going to be life changing I can see.

[christinecrespo]

Hi, I am Christine Crespo and I am very excited to be here. I am a new student so I am trying to navigate through this site. I hope to read and participate in these exciting topics I see. Thank you for sharing and making me think deeper on these critical issues.

[daniellesisneros]

Amanda, thank you for sharing your budget with us, it's very interesting. I shop at a lot of the same places you do (except I'm in the bay area), always looking around for the best bargain. I love that you cook your pet's food and include them in your budget, I used to do that too (I fed my cat a raw food diet). I am excited to get back in the routine of cooking at home--I'll be budgeting for a family of four as well because I'm moving back home. I'm convinced I'll be able to reduce the grocery bill by introducing new recipes to the household (much healthier ones, too!). I am usually pretty good about letting nothing go to waste. I, too, stress an importance on organic animal products. I'm looking forward to reading more of your blog about how to feed a family a healthy diet on a budget! Thank you again for your post!

[krystaljordan]

Thank you Amanda! I love this topic & the thread has me in amazement! Everyone seems so much more organized than I am when it comes to grocery shopping. I do make a weekly grocery list and shop when I can (usually during the week while most people are at work). I will definitely buy things on sale if it's something I like but don't research much. I just buy what I am in the mood for. I am single with no kids so it's just me. I don't limit my budget too much when it comes to food & it also helps that I am vegetarian with vegan tendencies(I enjoy cheese and butter here and there) and I enjoy cooking and creating new recipes.  I think it would be a good idea for me to try & keep track of what I am spending just to figure out how much I could be saving.  Also, it does help tremendously that I live in the midwest and the farmers market is within walking distance.  If I had to guess, I would say I spend about $100 per week on food & that is just for me but includes snacks, coffee and occasionally red wine & an occasional meal on the go.  You all have inspired me to keep track of my food budget. It only makes sense.

[sharicasolo]

Wow! Amanda, this is so impressive. I often hear from people how expensive it is to eat healthy. I find it to be true, but I do what I can. I would rather spend more money on quality food then less money on garbage foods. I would make you cringe as a single person with 3 animals I don't even know what I spend weekly. I need you give me a food budget! I probably spend about $100-$150 a week on food for just myself and that doesn't include, pets or bulk items. I don't like driving all over the place so I am a one stop shop kind of girl. I don't buy foods because they are on sale. I plan my menu then buy foods, maybe I should try your way. I am not a very good shopper. I find the meats at wholefoods to be quite expensive and in general I just don't like shopping there. I think because it is always so busy and I am not familiar with the store. I usually end up at the grocery store about 3 or 4 times in a week. I always need something, usually fruits, veggies or meats. I rarely go out to eat. I am in CT so I don't know if food here is more expensive than where you are. I certainly enjoy the farmers markets when I can get to them. I do feel as though I get more for my money there and I am happy supporting a local farm.  You said you make most things from scratch. Do you do any canning or preserve foods in the off season? Thank you again for sharing.

[JessieWinsted]

What a fantastic topic!
As a single mom of two young boys, working full time in the Bay Area, affordability of healthy food is something I think about daily!  We regularly hit the Saturday farmers markets for produce and order the ingredients we don't find at the market through a farm delivery service weekly. I started utilizing this shopping method when I realized that the lack of time was an obstacle for me when shopping for good food on a budget. It isn't often I have time to stroll through the grocery store with kids in tow! The kids love the Saturday market with music, flowers, samples and other kids, which makes shopping even easier and more fun. The other benefit is that kids meet the folks who grow the almond trees, keep the bees and pick the fruit.
However- we still spend a "fortune" on good food. For myself, two boys and a carnivorous boyfriend, I spend around $200 per week on food, not including an occasional night out or splurge on wine or other treats.

[micheleheusinger]

I find this topic enlightening and fascinating.  Food budgeting seems to be the only area that my husband and I cannot agree.   
I plan my meals out weekly.  I make a grocery list according to how the store is laid out.  I make enough that we usually can get two meals out of whatever I make (ex: chili, chicken soup).  I also make enough for lunches.  Yet, no matter how organized I am, I simply cannot get my grocery bill under $250.00.  It's even higher when I have to be cleaning supplies and paper products.  This number does not include my Amazon Prime or Thrive Market orders.. Nor does it include  my husband's weekly shopping trip or my monthly trip to Whole Foods. 
I have been trying to only by S.O.U.L foods.  We do not have any Farmer's Markets open this time of year.  I had never thought about it until starting school at Bauman College.  I'm from the Buffalo, New York (Western New York Region) area.  We don't have many places to get seasonal foods this time of year and we don't have a winter growing season.  It's too cold. 
We do have a garden and I did can all of out tomatoes this year.  That only gave me six jars of tomatoes and they are gone already.  We froze our peppers, those are gone as well. 
I'm looking to freeze and can more next year and that should help.  It's difficult to buy local, which would be less expensive, when there is no place to buy.  Therefore, I am left with the commercial grocery stores, which I know charge more than I could get it locally. 
I only buy organic fruits and vegetables and meats and pasture raised eggs.  Actually, i believe I buy just about everything organic, grass fed, pasture raised and non GMO.  It drives me husband nuts but I refuse to eat or have my  daughters eat the commercial processed foods. 
Maybe I need to learn how to budget better.  Unfortunately, at our grocery stores, the organic grass fed meats are never on sale.  I have only seen the organic produce on sale once in a great while.  it seems that it is easier to eat within a budget and healthier in other areas.  At least that is what I've noticed.   
I know I need to do something though, my budget, or lack there of, is not good at all. 

[mollybrownlee]

Amanda, this is so impressive! Thanks for sharing. I spend $300-400/week on all organic food for just my husband and I. I will have to use some of your tips. Thanks!

[erinlong]

One of the ways that my family has been able to shop better and eliminate waste is through a meal planning app called Real Plans, though I know that there are free versions of other apps available.
https://realplans.com/

What I like about it is that I can schedule the app to split the week up, based off the date that my local markets announce their new sales (sales begin at most of the stores in my area on Wednesday, so that's when my week begins). Once I know what's on sale, I can select recipes or import my own recipes that utilize those ingredients. It creates a shopping list, based off the quantities in each recipe, which prevents accidental over purchasing. If one recipe in the week calls for, say, 1/2 a head of cabbage, I can either double the recipe or select another recipe for later in the week that also uses cabbage, so I don't have food languishing in my fridge. Leftovers are then eaten for breakfast or lunch!