Who says you can't eat healthy on a budget!?

I've done a video on this subject on the vlog and I'll link that here:

And btw....I say you CAN eat healthy on a budget!!!!! It just depends on what you're buying and putting in that cart....

Last night as I pushed my cart through the isles, knowing we have a whole house to restock eventually....Living with family members who are young and don't have the same things in their cabinets that I would (which hey! is not a bad thing, I've had fun experimenting ^__^). So there are a few things that I needed that would increase the bill. I had to buy olive oil, aminos (a questionable paleo item...but I'm going with it...I do way too much asian cooking not to having something soy sauce like), and I went ahead and bought a pre-mixed bag of bread mix. I am just not a big fan of the breads that I have found so far. They're not soft and often taste very bad. I've tried this brand's gluten free brownies and let me tell ya...They're pretty amazing!!!!

So bread pans and bread mix... I think it will be helpful if I could have an easy mix, and bake. It may even be slightly more cost effective. A frozen loaf of Rudi's bread found in the natural isle freezer section at Kroger is $5.87 and the bread mix by itself is $4.49. The ingredients that need thrown in it are things we usually keep around such as eggs, oil, water. They have several ways to use this as a pie crust, pizza crust. Really....I'm a huge fan of Pamela's.

I also got the two ingredients I didn't have on hand to make homemade organic ketchup!!!! My crazy obsession with organic ketchup is legendary. I usually go for Simple Truth Organic Ketchup. It's SO GOOD! But, I am always looking to make things more paleo, more from scratch with as little ingredients as possible. I'm looking forward to when we get back home and start a garden and I can grow my own tomatoes!

But, all in all (and I guess getting back to my point...), YOU CAN EAT HEALTHY ON A BUDGET! Krogers is great for coupons even on meat and produce! Look for ways to use cheaper ingredients to make the things you need. Eat closer to "in season" when certain veggies and fruits are in abundance and not having to be trucked in. Check out your local farmer's market. If you're like us and using SNAP or food stamps, use coupons and buy responsibly so that your balance lasts longer and you get those benefits such as not having to pay the tax. Every dollar helps. Just because you don't make a ton of money, have five people to feed, and times are uncertain, don't let it throw your budget in the garbage!

Paleo helps so much on our budget because we don't have to buy dairy, wheat bread, or I even realized also, sugar! With coupons, I saved 10% or $14.46! Even though it was only 4 days worth of food, I was really happy with what I accomplished and I know it'll go down the next time because I have some of my essentials in the pantry.

So check it out! And if you have a success and want to share it with me and the rest of the readers, leave a comment below! <3

Sending you lots of love and peace to you and your journey...

Ami M. Lee, The Crazy Paleo Hippie Gal