**This post has been entered in Works for Me Wednesdays at We Are THAT Family!** 

This series is because we are ALL on a budget (though some of us stricter than others) and we all want to feed our families the best food we possibly can.  That means we have to get creative.  It means we have to make sacrifices.  It means we have to plan, shop, and prepare food as carefully as we can. 

I know that when I read many of my favorite blogs, I have wondered how they possibly buy and prepare such high quality food for so little money.  Every single time one of them posts on this topic (and I’ll be including several of those throughout this series), I read and re-read the post, trying to figure it out.  I always want to know more about cooking real food on a limited budget!  And so, I thought, it’s time for a series dedicated to exactly this.  How do we make it work?  Step-by-step, in tiny bits.

Here’s what you have to look forward to during this month-long series:

Welcome to Real Food on a Budget! 

June 1: Introduction to “ Real Food on a Budget” (Today!)

June 2: Purdy Family Profile (how THEY eat on a budget)

June 3: Creating a Meal Plan: Favorite Meals and In-Stock Items

June 4: Creating a Meal Plan: Seasonal Meals

June 5: Strawberry Picking

June 7: Creating a Meal Plan: Breakfasts and lunches

June 8: Creating a Meal Plan: Dinners

June 9: Review of ” Real Food on a Budget” ebook (via Stephanie at Keeper of the Home!)

June 10: Creating a Meal Plan: Snacks

June 11: Creating a Grocery List

June 12: Cooking with Bekah

June 14: “Good Enough” Substitutes

June 15: “Good Earth” Product review and giveaway

June 16: Bokros Family Profile

June 17: Side-by-Side comparison: SAD vs. Real Food

June 18: Most nutrient-dense foods for your money

June 19: Father’s Day Post

June 21: Finding local resources

June 22: Farmer’s markets

June 23: Thompson Family Profile

June 24: Making the most of a CSA

June 25: Readers’ Best Money-Saving Ideas (send them in!)

June 26: Family Farm Trip Pictures

So as you can see, there’s a LOT going on this month!  Be sure to come back everyday — subscribe, if you haven’t! — so you don’t miss a post!

What are your best money-saving ideas when buying quality food?

Enjoy your day with your families!

Tomorrow will start our NEW series: ” Real Food on a Budget.”  Lots of great information there, so be sure to stop by for that!

Have you heard about Jenny at Nourished Kitchen’s Ecourse?  She is teaching beginners to cook Real Food!  Sign up to learn the basics in an easy, user-friendly way! LAST DAY TO REGISTER!

Have you heard about Jenny at Nourished Kitchen’s Ecourse?  She is teaching beginners to cook Real Food!  Sign up to learn the basics in an easy, user-friendly way!

We’ve talked about basics of cloth diapers, researching cloth diapers, pocket diapers, and even sewing your own.  Now it’s time to build up your stash.  Where do you start?

First, do you know what type of diapers you want?  Choose what style you will use: flat, prefold, fitted, pocket, all-in-one.  Many people buy more than one type, but typically a stash is made predominantly of one type.  Pocket diapers are the most popular, but all-in-one diapers are also popular.  AIO or fitted diapers are more popular for newborns, while pocket diapers are more popular for babies who are 10 lbs. to potty training.  You may want to keep this in mind, because even if you choose “one-size” diapers, they will probably not fit until around 10 lbs. (no matter what the diaper company says).

I recommend, if you are buying diapers, to buy either fitteds or prefolds and covers for the newborn stage.  Prefolds are a lot cheaper and a lot more versatile; they can be used as burp cloths, all-purpose clean-up cloths, and stuffers for bigger diapers.  We have newborn prefolds and infant prefolds (which supposedly fit 5 – 10 lbs. and 7 – 15 lbs. respectively) and still use both.  Stuffed in a medium diaper, an infant prefold still lasts Bekah (almost 30 lbs.) overnight.  It’s been the most versatile, useful purchase we made.

Second, what style of diapers do you want?  One-size or sized diapers (small, med, large)?  Do you want hook-and-loop or snaps?  Keep in mind that if you select sized diapers, you will need to buy x-small/newborn, small, and medium for sure (although a few babies skip small entirely).  Bigger babies will also need large diapers (though many never do).  If you choose one-size, you will need a solution for the first few weeks when the baby is too small for the smallest setting; also these will be rather bulky in the early days.

My recommendation is to buy prefolds and covers for the newborn days, then buy medium sized diapers that will fit from 12 or 15 lbs. to potty training.  (The “small” diapers that I sew fit from about 10 – 30 lbs., because Daniel fit in them at 10 lbs. and Bekah can still wear them now, in a pinch.)  Or, if you don’t mind the “bulky” aspect, buy one-size diapers for after the newborn period.  I also recommend snaps for all diapers.

Third, what brand of diapers do you want?  You will be somewhat limited by the other options you’ve chosen.  Not all brands have snaps, for example, or one-size diapers.  Search around and consider trying out a few different brands to see what works best for you.  It may not be possible to simply buy your entire stash when you’re still expecting your baby (I wanted to, but…just couldn’t visualize how the diapers would fit my baby).  Try popular and less popular brands.  You may get a great deal on a less popular brand but it could still work perfectly for you.

Here are some guidelines:

*Buy 24 – 36 newborn diapers or prefolds, as newborns usually go through a LOT of diapers (plus you’ll be too tired to wash very often).

*Buy 18 – 24 (or more, if you like) small/medium/one-size diapers.

*Have enough inserts to have one per diaper (most come with inserts, but not all)

*4 – 6 doublers

*6 – 12 liners (in case you need to use diaper rash cream)

*24 cloth wipes (you can use regular wipes, but I wouldn’t, it’s annoying to separate the wipes from the diapers, etc.)

*Wipe solution or water in a spray bottle

*2 large wetbags (waterproof, zippered or drawstring bag for holding dirty diapers until wash)

*1 – 2 travel wetbags (for the diaper bag)

Some will say you need a diaper pail; I’ve never used one.  Others will say you need a diaper sprayer; I hate them.  Be aware that they’re out there in case you feel the need to get them.

Also, cloth diapers have great re-sale value.  You can buy them used for $10 - $12 each (instead of $18 new).  But you can also SELL them for those prices.  So if you’re not planning to have another baby, or at least not right away, it may work out better for you to sell the smaller sizes as you’re finished with them and use that money to offset the cost of bigger sizes.  If you buy used, you may come out diapering practically for free!

Check out DiaperSwappers for used diapers.

What’s in your cloth diaper stash?  What do you recommend for new parents?

Have you heard about Jenny at Nourished Kitchen’s Ecourse?  She is teaching beginners to cook Real Food!  Sign up to learn the basics in an easy, user-friendly way!

The Journey to Real Food series is written by Lisa of Life of a SAHM.  If you missed her introduction, you can read it here.  Now, for her latest update!

How are we doing? Well….this is harder than I thought! I had gotten so used to snacking on unhealthy food that it is all my body wants. I have never craved chips so bad in my life! We are almost out of all the processed food that was in my pantry. Canned veggies are almost gone. No more mac-n- cheese from a box (my toddler is NOT happy about that one!) and the leftover Halloween candy has been tossed.

We are buying only local grass fed beef. I found our local grocery store (1.5 miles from home) stocks it, but it is cheaper at Whole Foods (about 15 miles) so we drive down there to get it. I can not believe how much better it tastes. We also buy a roast at least once a week. I am trying to find new recipes for the ground beef though. I am getting tired of hamburgers!

I got some eggs from a local farmer a few weeks ago. I am going to get honey this week and some cheese. Raw milk is next on my list to try too. I am not sure if our budget can afford it all the time though. We go thru two gallons of milk a week at my house and at $6 -$7 a gallon that would be a big dent in our budget!

Speaking of budget, we have not noticed much of a difference. I used to spend around $150-$200 every two weeks on groceries. We are now going to the grocery store every week, and I spent $60 the first week, and $120 the second. So that fits into what we were used to spending.

I have changed our shopping habits. I used to just go thru the store, picking up whatever I thought looked good. I actually stop to read labels now. I am surprised at how many ingredients I do not recognize that are in our foods! Reading the peanut butter jar at home scared me! I found the fresh ground peanuts at Whole Foods, and we now use that. It is amazing what fresh peanut butter taste like! I have made it a point if I don’t recognize an ingredient, than I will not buy the product. I try to stay out of the middle of the store, since that is where most of the processed foods are. We spend most of our money in the meat and produce departments.

We took our first ever trip to the local farmers market here in town. I made the mistake of grocery shopping the day before so we didn’t need anything but I have a list for this week of items I need! I contacted a farmer to see about buying some items from him and touring his farm but I have not heard back yet. I would like to buy part of a cow to save money. Most of the local farms do vegetable sharing and I missed the sign up for that for this year. I will not miss it next year!

We are trying vegetables I have never thought to try. I cooked an artichoke last night. That was something new for us! I love snow peas and fresh green beans. We switched to whole wheat pasta. I honestly can’t taste a difference in whole wheat and the white flour pasta and neither can my picky toddler.

I need help in a few areas. What potato is the best? White, red, some other kind? I need some recipes for ground beef. How about bread? Whole wheat is what I have been buying, but is that the best choice? I NEED a recipe for something chocolate! Preferably cake… Which flour is the best? How do you ladies manage to cook all the time while keeping the house and children in order too? I think my head is going to explode!
My husband just told me last night that he has never felt better in his life, so I must keep going.

Thanks for all your support. I appreciated the comments on the last post!

Thanks for all the entries in Real Food ecourse giveaway!  I’m excited that we had a good handful even with such a short deadline.  It was awesome to read everyone’s essays and I really, really wish I could give the ecourse to each of you!  Unfortunately, I can’t.  Those of you who entered and didn’t win, though, please check your email for a coupon code to save some money on the course!  I hope you will ALL take it because I know you could all use it and you would all love it!

The winner of the Real Food Ecourse at Nourished Kitchen is:

Amy Garrett!

Here is her winning essay:

Allergies, allergies, oh they abound.
All over our house, each one can be found.
Gluten, soy, dairy, but luckily, not eggs.
Sure make this mommy run off her legs.
Please oh foodies, give us a chance.
A chance to love food, with out filling their pants.

And food while we’re at it, gross as can be!
The stuff they try to sell us, is disgusting!
The way meat is raised, and vegetables grown,
Is enough to make this mommy cry on the ground.
So Please, oh you foodies, teach us your ways.
Teach me that real food is not just hay.

Because Soaking and Fermenting, is all well and good.
But those things don’t come naturally over in our hood.
You see hot dogs and nuggies are the favorite foods,
Of a toddler who runs a muck, she’s hardly two!
And her brother you see, needs it more than she.
“Special Needs” is the term they have deemed him to be.

So Please oh you Foodies, give me a break.
Teach this mommy to cook the right way.
The way that will nourish us down to our souls.

I am a SAHM to 2 lovely allergic children, an almost two year old
little girl, and a 7 month old little miracle boy. My Husband and I
also suffer from multiple food sensitivities.  After a busy schedule
of playing with friends, doctor and therapy appointments, and
crafting, the idea of going the next step towards all real food is
more than I can handle.  While I am making steps towards eating local
and less processed, I know I will never get there without a guiding
hand.  So Please, Oh you foodies, teach this mommy to cook!