Location: ~Maine...but temporarily living in texas, going to midwifery school
Posts: 1,379
Reducing Debt?
So dh and I are ready to get serious about our decreasing our debt. When we talk about our budget and look where we spend our money the largest part goes to food and supplements.
We buy organic when possible and consume some meat (maybe 1 meal a week of grain feed or at least organic) otherwise we eat very basic lacto-ovo meals...soups, burritos, pasta... I try to buy ethically as well, fair trade, local, in season so our grocery bill is high about $800-$1000 a month for our family plus my parents eat dinner with us most nights. I buy lots of expensive supplements as well, probiotics, enzymes, vitamins... I really do not want to change the way we eat but I know I could save $500 a month at least if we kicked the organic habit.
Do you think it is worth it, would you do it?
__________________
heather
soulmate to simon, mama to liam, maeve and wee lad, finnian.
"now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. it is to grow in open air, and to eat and sleep with the earth." - walt whitman
For me, as much as I believe it would probably be better to take good supplements and eat organically, it's just not an option for us. So I guess that helps make the decision that much easier!
If you have the luxury of being able to eat that way, then you need to decide how much of a priority it is for you. Debt never goes away unless you pay it down. It grows.
Even just saving $100 a month on food/vitamins and putting it onto a bill would make a difference. Could you try it in increments? Like figuring out which one thing you could save on and seeing how it goes? Any small change is progress!
Kerri
__________________
Mama to Cole (9), Naomi (8), Adam (7), and Noah (4)
All adopted - All breastfed
Wife to David for 12 years!
Breastfeeding Counsellor and Doula
Accepted into midwifery school for February 2009!
We are moving to New Zealand on January 29th
Yikes, there is TONS to do before then. Gulp.
I don't know if this is expected advice, or not. But, if you are that into supplements, and so on, have you considered being a seller? I know there are all sorts of mlm versions, and there's GNC. If you are all that about it- to the tune of debt....
Or being the principal at a farmer's market? Maybe?
If I were to cut one of the two, I'd cut the supplements. I'm just very leery of such things in general; I've seen little if any scientific evidence that they're effective. Really, if you get a wide array of veggies/fruits/legumes and they're organic, then you're getting good-quality nutrients, so what's the need for the vitamins? Since you eat lacto-ovo meals to begin with, kefir and live-culture yoghurt are good sources of protective bacteria & such and, to me at least, would negate or at least seriously lessen the need for the enzymes/probiotics.
I have also read--and I am not certain how true it is--that organics are most important in fresh produce/meats and less important for staples like grains. So if you wanted to cut back with the organic (and I don't think it would be a good idea if you were to cut the other stuff), that's what I'd cut back on.
At the very least, do spend some time looking into cheaper sources of the things you buy. Organic foods are becoming more common in neighborhood grocery stores, for instance, so if you go to a specialty store (read: health food store a la Whole Foods) for them, you could probably save money by going to a 'normal' store instead. And, of course, check farmers' markets if you haven't already, or if you're really brave go up to some farmers in the area and see about cutting a deal. If you've got the freezer space, you can buy even fresh veggies in bulk & then freeze them.
Linear Mode
