Whether you prepare your baby’s food yourself or buy it in the store, it’s expensive! Now that the little boxer has become an eating machine, I am quickly finding out his food is making a dent in the family budget. In fact, Oliver’s food just got it’s own line item in the family budget!
First of all, I have no freaking clue how formula families do not have to take out a second bloody mortgage to supplement both formula and solids. I’m freaking out over solid foods alone! Up until this week Oliver was eating one 4-5 ounce serving of food a day. Whether I made his dinner from fresh veggies, or just gave him a pouch/jar of organic food, it really only cost us about $10-15 a week, TOPS! Now that the little beast is up to 8-12 ounces of food a day, it’s adding up. Fast!
I strive to make 2/3 of his meals at home. I also don’t make his food in bulk and freeze it. I cannot be bothered to get that massive assembly line going. Since I have the time, jobless Blogger and all, everyday I will steam his vegetable at lunch time, mix it with a frozen/fresh organic fruit like blueberries/mangoes/strawberries, add a little purified water and blend it. The frozen fruit cools off the steamed veggies in the mixing process so its ready as soon as I turn the blender off. This usually yields about 10 ounces of food, so I can use it for both lunch and dinner. (What? He doesn’t seem to care.) At dinnertime if he wants more food than I've prepared, I will open a jar/pouch of organic food. This process works for my family. I know it is not ideal for 99% of everyone else.
I am not even going to climb up on a bitch box about making homemade food. The quality and processes for jarred food today are great. In fact, some will argue major baby food factories are way more sterile than your home kitchen. It is all about whatever works for your family. I’ll be the first to say when I go back to a full time job, I am probably not going to make Oliver’s meal everyday, nor am I going to want to turn my kitchen into a baby food factory on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
I have also come to the realization that “baby food” is only something that lasts from 4 to 9 months, 5 months. That is not even worth any real dramas, other than cost of course. By 9 months I can start giving him the same dinner I eat.
Ok, I digress… Baby food is expensive…
Our pediatrician recommends “Organic” food if at all possible. So far that has been possible. However, I look at organic vs. non-organic food like I look at breast vs. formula. It’s what’s best for you and your family. I was raised on formula and non-organic baby food. I am a healthy person. I rarely get sick, I play nice with others and all in all I am pretty cool, all sans boobies and organic goods. So if you can afford it, and it makes your feel all good and fuzzy buy organic. If not, buy whatever and end up with a cool cat like me! Again, it’s what’s best for your family.
I have talked to moms, surfed the web, and checked ads and circulars and here are my recommendations for saving money on food. Regardless of the route you take.
1.Buy in bulk! If your store has a sale, buy as much as you can afford.
2.Check your local discount and baby specific stores online websites for weekly deals. For me, Babies R’ Us has had buy 20 pouches of Organics for $15 lately. That is a great deal!
3.One avocado mashed can yield 10 ounces. On a good day I can get one for $1. That’s 50 cents a meal. Yes please! The same goes for a small head of broccoli, sweet potato, bag of carrots. If you have the time, each one of those will make two meals. Just add a little water and if you have a hand held mixer, use that. Boom lunch and dinner for $1!
4.Search for Online Coupons at places like coupons.com
5.Save your damn pennies because you are gonna need them!
