Busy Mom's Tip #3: What Is Really Important?

• The average person spends over $1,000 per year on subscription services. Think Netflix, Amazon, Instacart.

• Each year, Americans spend over $1 trillion on travel, which averages to about $3,000 per person per year.

• Every year, the USA wastes 38.5 million tons of food annually (that’s one of the most conservative statistics out there).

• Since the 1950s, the mineral and phytonutrient content of our food has decreased by 20-50%.

• Most Americans consume 50% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.

• The US spent $4.9 trillion in 2023 on healthcare, which averages $14,570 per person. Of that $4.9 trillion, 90% goes toward treating chronic and mental conditions.

• Compared to the $4.9 trillion spent on healthcare, USA citizens spend just $1.7 T on food, which averages to $5,054 per person.

• Currently, about 6 out of 10 adults struggle with chronic disease, and 23% of American teens are diabetic.

Perhaps these disturbing statistics reveal something about the priorities of most modern Americans. Could it be the societal norm of expecting and budgeting around cheap food compromises our own health and that of our loved ones?

At Whiffletree, we believe food is medicine. What we eat is who we are, which I think the above statistics point out. And I get it - I am a single gal living on a single person income in a very expensive place to live. It’s not always easy to make ends meet, especially if you have little mouths to feed.

This week, Liz Straight shares some tips and ideas that might help you as you figure out how to make your budget include nourishing food. These are ways she and Jesse have implemented these practices into their lives in order to afford high quality food, which allows them to give their kids the very best they can and provide them with a healthy foundation for living life.

No, it’s not always easy. But is it worth it?

They say yes.

Tip #3: How to budget around what is most important to you

“When deciding what you will spend food money on, start out by deciding what you care most about getting top quality without compromise. For our family, it is meat, eggs, raw milk, fats, and oils that we don’t compromise quality on. We put those items into our budget first.

Then we decide what items we are okay with compromising quality in order to make our food budget work. An example for us would be some fruits and veggies. We’ll sometimes try to compromise and pick local apples that are low spray rather than buying organic apples that are shipped from across the country. I’ll also go off the ‘dirty dozen’ guidelines (a guideline you can find online for fruits and veggies in the grocery store that are heavily sprayed vs ones that aren’t) for when I am purchasing produce from a grocery store. Or things like a condiment that has corn syrup I won’t get, but in a pinch I will buy one that has healthier fats or cane sugar in it.

For money, there will always be a limit to what you can spend.  But if you look at your actual budget, there may be more available for quality food than you think.  Are there any entertainment subscriptions you can cut?  Do you eat out regularly and could you start to make one more meal per week at home?  Things like that.

Sometimes, sacrifice and practicality are necessary. Some examples for us are:

• I don’t often buy premade items. For instance I will get whole dates, nuts, or chocolate chips, but I won’t purchase Larabars. Either we eat the whole food items as they are or I make them into a bar myself. 
• Try to save on clothing wherever possible, making use of secondhand, consignment, and discount shopping.
• Travel budgets and entertainment services aren’t big parts of our budget.
• Even our home has gone through slow renovation rather than being done all at once so our budget could be spread across things that mattered.
• Etc.

If your time allows, doing things to grow your own food is also helpful. Maybe you can garden or grow herbs on your patio, or raise a few backyard chickens. There is an unexpected satisfaction in eating food you have raised yourself, and is also great for kids to be able to learn alongside you.

Eating quality food as a priority isn’t always easy. Modern life isn’t set up to make healthy eating the path of least resistance, but with practice and energy and time up front, it becomes a routine method of life that doesn’t dominate you. 

While like every family we’ll have the flu once in a while or colds come through, we thankfully don’t deal with chronic health issues. The kids also know the basics of cooking and gardening and caring for animals which may help them someday in their own adult lives. And the blessing of being able to give our kids a good foundation so they have strength and health to navigate life with is a privilege.”