Baby and Food and Money

Today and yesterday were my grocery shopping days. For the second time in a row, I ran out of money before I bought everything on my list. This wasn't a problem before. Here are some of my thoughts:

I think the major one is trying to buy foods that are organic and/or free from nitrates. I think being pregnant makes me even more wary of food. I keep thinking "That food had harsh chemicals in/on it and it's going to poison my baby!" It was easier when I was just hurting myself, but when it's another tiny human inside of me....I have this overwhelming urge to buy the best of what I can. Then I get stressed because I want to stay in budget, but I want to buy everything on my list, and I want it to all be healthy.

I still buy flour, and I still make bread. It's better than what's made at the store, even if it is a not so great grain. I think the white flour was organic, so whatev's.

I bought aluminum-free baking soda, and nitrate-free bacon and sausage. I tried to get my healthy eggs, but the lady wasn't home. I do have regular Kroger-on-sale eggs.

I had a wonderful lunch at Whole Foods with Freya where we talked about pregnancy and birth plans. It was great! Then I decided to do some shopping. They actually do have better prices on some things like peanut butter, but I still spent more than I probably should have.

I can't wait for the farmer's market to start up again. It may be tiny, but the prices are way better. They  may not be all organic, but they are local and taste fresh.

We both like fresh veggies better than canned or frozen. However, I think I'm going to buy some frozen vegetables to help supplement our veggie intake.

Buying healthy and already-prepped food is definitely more expensive. I've been buying ready made salad and already chopped broccoli because I can fix it quickly. This is where frozen will most likely help also.

Websites I have read have talked about buying in bulk. In our little apartment, I barely have enough room for my weekly shopping trip. This is an idea I will save for another time.

I have seen other people's meal plans where they do the $100 a week plan. I check them out. Most of them I think "that would not fill us up" or "that's way too much cheese in one day" or "there's not enough protein." I feel like there is more that I could do to budget down again, but I haven't figured it out yet.


And what did my husband say to me when I started crying because I still needed to buy water and some other things? "It's ok, if we need to add a little more money to our grocery budget, we'll figure it out." Definitely a wonderful guy.