Holy grocery bill, batman

Rachey1082

We've always eaten healthy in our house. But, since going gluten free, our grocery bill has sky rocketed. I'm trying to put my finger on what exactly costs more.

In the meantime, if you're a Whole Foods shopper, or other organic foods/ real food shopper, how do you save money? Are there any couponing websites that are geared towards health foods? I feel like I'm missing something.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

I can't help you with coupons, but maybe you could try and aim for the "Priced for quick sale" items? 

ladybugpjb

Everything I've ever seen labeled "gluten free" is more expensive. That's probably why I don't purchase any of it. I did get some pancake mix once - smaller box, higher price tag.

I haven't actually researched going gluten-free or what types of foods that includes, but it always seems like the less healthy the food, the cheaper the price tag. I've just been trying to eat healthier (not gluten-free, just less processed stuff), and our grocery bill has been higher, too. Where we live, there are lots of grocery stores geared towards healthyier food, so I've been trying to compare prices on things like produce since fresh fruit and veggies can be really expensive.

Rachey1082

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha:

I can't help you with coupons, but maybe you could try and aim for the "Priced for quick sale" items?nbsp;

I thought about this today. There's a store kind of near us that has an entire produce section that's "scratch and dent" most of it is marked under a dollar. It's a huge store with an amazing produce section to begin with. I don't usually go there bc I'm a fast grocery shopper and the store is so large. I'm thinking I'm going to have to hit it up more often now.

Rachey1082

ladybugpjb:

Everything I've ever seen labeled "gluten free" is more expensive. That's probably why I don't purchase any of it. I did get some pancake mix once smaller box, higher price tag.I haven't actually researched going glutenfree or what types of foods that includes, but it always seems like the less healthy the food, the cheaper the price tag. I've just been trying to eat healthier not glutenfree, just less processed stuff, and our grocery bill has been higher, too. Where we live, there are lots of grocery stores geared towards healthyier food, so I've been trying to compare prices on things like produce since fresh fruit and veggies can be really expensive.

I try to not buy too much boxed food marked GF. I bake rice bread and freeze it. We're not bread eaters, we eat it maybe once a week. I think it's all the produce I'm buying, so maybe this summer the bill will go down because the produce will be in season.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

Crash Into Me:

I also buy a lot of frozen veggies and use those for the most part, especially right now when nothing is in season. Frozen veggies can be better than fresh, depending on how far the fresh has traveled. 

Very good point. 

Rachey1082

Crash Into Me:

One more thinghave you looked into joining a CSA?nbsp; I've heard great things about the ones around me...unfortunately, the waiting lists are crazy.

I've looked into it. I think once we move I'm going to sign up for one that only runs spring through fall but we would pick up on Saturdays at the most local farmers market. We get our beef from my mom and dads farm for free!! But, since we only eat beef once a week, that doesn't help us very much. We get a produce bin delivered every other week from this company: sorry no clicky, on mobile

Www.greenbeandelivery.com

They deliver to Ohio, Indiana, and Ky. But, their prices aren't that great. We also eat all of the fruit in like 2 days but take our time eating the veggies, especially lettuce, bc I'm the only one who eats salad.

I was making my own GF pancakes and breakfast wraps and freezing them but we flew threw them. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to make those kinds of items weekly to cut costs.

tandb2010

During farmer market time we always buy our produce from there. It's a ton cheaper. Or we do upick farms and such. Thats the only help I can give. Sorry.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

My mom freezes a TON of vegetables when they're in season - she mostly does sweet peppers because the price difference is so drastic (don't know about your area, but here they can go up to $5/lb during the winter and down to like $0.79/lb when they're in season). She will cut and seed them, then freeze them flat on a baking sheet, then transfer them to ziploc bags.

kjgilhoo

I don't know if this would work in the States, but can you get your pedi on board with writing down that GF is a necessity for L?  My nephew has Celiacs Disease and because SIL has a note from her doctor stating that he needs a GF diet, she can file all of her GF grocery receipts with her income tax.  It means having to check GF foods separately than regular foods, but it is a bit of a savings.

Do you have a bulk food store anywhere near you?  Bulk Barn in Canada carries a lot of GF foods and buying in bulk is usually a bit cheaper.

I know it's an expensive diet and can be really frustrating.  We basically just sucked up the cost when we were doing it, because at that time it really was helping SO.

Also, do you have any online drug stores that sell food?  One of ours does it goes on sale semi-frequently.  I used to stock up when that happened.

Good Luck!

JaysonandKristin

Our grocery bill runs anywhere from $600 to $1100 for the month.  That's a fact of life for us.  We eat too much produce to strictly rely on CSA, and we're averaging the cost of our hog and steer across the 12 months.  

For us, this is our "thing."  We are willing to spend the money on it because we believe we're doing the right thing.  

We'd sooner cut DirecTV and internet plans than to compromise what we believe to be the best thing for the health of our family.  

I know that doesn't really help answer your question, but offers a bit of a different perspective if you will.

Obviously, cutting anything that is an alternative to traditional foods (ie- GF pasta, GF bread) will help your grocery bill, but we also found that traditional rice, beans with a ham hock and some diced bell peppers and onion is a cheap great meal.  Albeit, it's not "fresh," packing the day with fresh fruits does a body good.  Also, it's only one meal per week.  

The crock pot is your friend.  Smaller cuts of meat and MUCH more produce -- mushrooms, kale, potatoes, carrots, celery, turnips, etc. 

Cutting down on the meat per serving is another thing we've found that helps.  So, if you guys are doing chicken breast, you and DH share a breast, and LOs share a breast, that means a 4-pack will last you two meals.  

Pregnant women need 70 g protein per day.  3.5oz of chicken breast is 30 g protein.  So, chances are that if you're eating GF and eating well, you're meeting your protein goals by the end of the day.

Rachey1082

JaysonandKristin:

Our grocery bill runs anywhere from 600 to 1100 for the month. nbsp;That's a fact of life for us. nbsp;We eat too much produce to strictly rely on CSA, and we're averaging the cost of our hog and steer across the 12 months. nbsp;For us, this is our "thing." nbsp;We are willing to spend the money on it because we believe we're doing the right thing. nbsp;We'd sooner cut DirecTV and internet plans than to compromise what we believe to be the best thing for the health of our family. nbsp;I know that doesn't really help answer your question, but offers a bit of a different perspective if you will.Obviously, cutting anything that is an alternative to traditional foods ie GF pasta, GF bread will help your grocery bill, but we also found that traditional rice, beans with a ham hock and some diced bell peppers and onion is a cheap great meal. nbsp;Albeit, it's not "fresh," packing the day with fresh fruits does a body good. nbsp;Also, it's only one meal per week. nbsp;The crock pot is your friend. nbsp;Smaller cuts of meat and MUCH more produce mushrooms, kale, potatoes, carrots, celery, turnips, etc.nbsp;Cutting down on the meat per serving is another thing we've found that helps. nbsp;So, if you guys are doing chicken breast, you and DH share a breast, and LOs share a breast, that means a 4pack will last you two meals. nbsp;Pregnant women need 70 g protein per day. nbsp;3.5oz of chicken breast is 30 g protein. nbsp;So, chances are that if you're eating GF and eating well, you're meeting your protein goals by the end of the day.

Thanks

I usually crock pot on Thursday's. We get all beef from my mom and dads farm for free. But, we actually only eat beef once a week so that doesn't save a ton. I was doing beans once a week but let that slide, I think I need to go back to that. I usually make lentils with carrots, celery, kale, tomatoes, and whatever veggies I have on hand. DH likes to have meat with dinner but doesn't eat ham. Sometimes I throw in polish turkey sausage... I haven't bought it in the last little while bc it's so processed.

JaysonandKristin

Rachey1082:

JaysonandKristin:

Our grocery bill runs anywhere from 600 to 1100 for the month. nbsp;That's a fact of life for us. nbsp;We eat too much produce to strictly rely on CSA, and we're averaging the cost of our hog and steer across the 12 months. nbsp;For us, this is our "thing." nbsp;We are willing to spend the money on it because we believe we're doing the right thing. nbsp;We'd sooner cut DirecTV and internet plans than to compromise what we believe to be the best thing for the health of our family. nbsp;I know that doesn't really help answer your question, but offers a bit of a different perspective if you will.Obviously, cutting anything that is an alternative to traditional foods ie GF pasta, GF bread will help your grocery bill, but we also found that traditional rice, beans with a ham hock and some diced bell peppers and onion is a cheap great meal. nbsp;Albeit, it's not "fresh," packing the day with fresh fruits does a body good. nbsp;Also, it's only one meal per week. nbsp;The crock pot is your friend. nbsp;Smaller cuts of meat and MUCH more produce mushrooms, kale, potatoes, carrots, celery, turnips, etc.nbsp;Cutting down on the meat per serving is another thing we've found that helps. nbsp;So, if you guys are doing chicken breast, you and DH share a breast, and LOs share a breast, that means a 4pack will last you two meals. nbsp;Pregnant women need 70 g protein per day. nbsp;3.5oz of chicken breast is 30 g protein. nbsp;So, chances are that if you're eating GF and eating well, you're meeting your protein goals by the end of the day.

Thanks I usually crock pot on Thursday's. We get all beef from my mom and dads farm for free. But, we actually only eat beef once a week so that doesn't save a ton. I was doing beans once a week but let that slide, I think I need to go back to that. I usually make lentils with carrots, celery, kale, tomatoes, and whatever veggies I have on hand. DH likes to have meat with dinner but doesn't eat ham. Sometimes I throw in polish turkey sausage... I haven't bought it in the last little while bc it's so processed.

You don't actually eat the hock...  It's just for flava flave...  Would he be OK with that? 

Rachey1082

JaysonandKristin:

Rachey1082:

JaysonandKristin:

Our grocery bill runs anywhere from 600 to 1100 for the month. nbsp;That's a fact of life for us. nbsp;We eat too much produce to strictly rely on CSA, and we're averaging the cost of our hog and steer across the 12 months. nbsp;For us, this is our "thing." nbsp;We are willing to spend the money on it because we believe we're doing the right thing. nbsp;We'd sooner cut DirecTV and internet plans than to compromise what we believe to be the best thing for the health of our family. nbsp;I know that doesn't really help answer your question, but offers a bit of a different perspective if you will.Obviously, cutting anything that is an alternative to traditional foods ie GF pasta, GF bread will help your grocery bill, but we also found that traditional rice, beans with a ham hock and some diced bell peppers and onion is a cheap great meal. nbsp;Albeit, it's not "fresh," packing the day with fresh fruits does a body good. nbsp;Also, it's only one meal per week. nbsp;The crock pot is your friend. nbsp;Smaller cuts of meat and MUCH more produce mushrooms, kale, potatoes, carrots, celery, turnips, etc.nbsp;Cutting down on the meat per serving is another thing we've found that helps. nbsp;So, if you guys are doing chicken breast, you and DH share a breast, and LOs share a breast, that means a 4pack will last you two meals. nbsp;Pregnant women need 70 g protein per day. nbsp;3.5oz of chicken breast is 30 g protein. nbsp;So, chances are that if you're eating GF and eating well, you're meeting your protein goals by the end of the day.

Thanks

I usually crock pot on Thursday's. We get all beef from my mom and dads farm for free. But, we actually only eat beef once a week so that doesn't save a ton. I was doing beans once a week but let that slide, I think I need to go back to that. I usually make lentils with carrots, celery, kale, tomatoes, and whatever veggies I have on hand. DH likes to have meat with dinner but doesn't eat ham. Sometimes I throw in polish turkey sausage... I haven't bought it in the last little while bc it's so processed.

You don't actually eat the hock...  It's just for flava flave...  Would he be OK with that? 

Not sure, he's super weird and Jewy about it. He eats bacon but ham really grosses him out. I grew up eating ham hock with beans and corn bread all the time. My mom is from the country and that is what they ate. I'm going to ask him when he calls me tonight. Now, I'm really curious to see if the hock bothers him as much as regular ham.