My Whole Foods Adventure!

(source)

First off, I would just like to say that I am not a professional at this kind of stuff & I'm sure not a "couponing queen." However, I do like to know where my money is going & have learned over the years that sometimes paying just a little more is more beneficial then going for all the sales. This is tough to say because I LOVE bargains! 

After watching the video below & also being convicted about my own health the past few years I have developed a passion for what children are eating. I desire for my son to create healthy habits in the beginning stages of life so that it is easier to make healthy choices in his adult years. Research has shown that the hormones in our food have contributed to all sorts of food allergies, diseases and some cancers. Let's just say when I heard this my stomach turned into knots. We could be preventing this people!!!!!

Be sure to watch this video when you have time!

What did I decide to do? I decided to take a trip to one of my favorite stores & really compare quality & prices for my family. We live on a very tight budget, therefore, there has to be lots of planning in our grocery budget.  I wanted to know... is this really doable for our family?

I am not oppose to Wal-Mart whatsoever.... my husband has a part-time job there so I especially am not "anti Wal-Mart" but we have made some decisions as a family to only buy certain things organic... as long as my trip yesterday was a success ;)

Yesterday going to Whole Foods I drove 30 minutes to Tulsa & 30 minutes back for a total of approx $5 in gas. 

Yesterday I bought the normal weeks worth of groceries for our little family & I spent $94. 

Last week while shopping for our groceries at Wal-Mart I spent a total of $100 total in 2 trips. 

What's my point? That it didn't cost THAT much more to make a healthier approach for our family & honestly it was somewhat fun to take Jace. We got us a Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie, a water, & enjoyed getting our food :) I am sure there will still be many trips to Wal-Mart for things we need last minute, but I want to make an effort to start using Whole Foods more in our grocery list. 

I have come to the conclusion that it is all about perspective. 

Here are my trips summed up!

*Note: My grocery list did not change much if not at all.

Week 1: Wal-Mart trip one: $83

Wal-Mart trip two: $25

Total: $108

Week 2: Whole Foods trip: $94

Gas: approx. $5

*I did leave out milk & bananas to our list this week. 

Swan Bros Dairy: 1 gallon of milk $4

(we made a trip to our local dairy & it was actually fun too!)

Bananas: $4

Total: $107

All in all I didn't see much of a difference in our budget... Looking back I even saved $1 & if you include our cookie maybe I spent an extra $2, ha! ;) I think from now on we will make a monthly trip to Whole Foods to get certain things we can't find elsewhere. My main concern is the hormones in our meat & produce. These things I can buy & freeze for the month & make only one trip to Tulsa.

-If you don't live close to a Whole Foods or a place similar I recommend looking into your local farmers. Research your area and look for all natural products. Like I said... I am not a professional (yet) but as a mom I desire to do my job the best I know how & part of that is providing healthy options for my family!

"We can't do everything but we all can do something!" 

What can you do to help your family make healthier choices?