Eating healthy has saved us money.

Perhaps you're wondering how this could be. I, myself, always assumed that healthy eating meant that we would spend more money. However, I have found this not to be true.

First of all, when you're eating healthy you have to say 'no' more often to eating out. As a family of 6 we were probably spending $175-200 a week in eating out... It's ok. You can judge. But all those little runs to get a treat or a quick dinner added up fast. Now we're eating out maybe once a week and spending close to $30.

Eating healthy limits what you can buy at the store. No processed foods or sugary drinks. We were spending about $300 a week on groceries. Now I spend about $175 on average a week. I have my staples that I get every week, and if something is on sale, I'll add in something new. The nice thing about eating healthy is that it is pretty versatile. Veggies, rice, beans, and chicken can create some wonderful dishes.

Worried about your kids? I have some pretty awesome kids so I can't really relate if your kids are picky ;-) but here's what mine eat on a daily basis-

Breakfast for 4-

Scrambled eggs - $1.62
Oatmeal - $.66
Cashews - $.75
Apple - $.20

Lunch for 4 -

Wraps with either pb + raw honey or turkey - $1.80
Fruit - $.50
Veggies - $.50
Rice cake or chips - $.50

Dinner for 6 -

Rice - $.75
Beans - $.99
Meat - $4.00
Other things - $2.00 (salad, cheese, fruit, etc)

Jess and I usually have a cup of decaf in the morning and split a grapefruit. We also eat a few nuts and that holds us till lunch.

For lunch he and I usually have a salad with a little chicken and veggies added in.

For snacks (which my kids rarely ask for anymore) I'll bake cookies or pop some corn for them. They also love rice cakes.

What are we planning on doing with our saved $$? Pay off debt and take a trip to NY! Eating healthy means that we get to work towards things we actually want instead of watching them slip further away every month due to frivolous spending.

This new found freedom has inspired me to cut down our other bills as well. We no longer run our A/C at night and are saving almost $150 there. I find that since I've lost 15.5 pounds I'm not hot as balls at night and it's rather comfortable just sleeping with windows open. And we've canceled a lot of those small monthly fees you don't think twice about but you don't really need. Like our subscription to Rdio. Free Pandora and their commercials work just fine in leu of.

So that's how our financial journey has changed thus far since switching to eating healthy. Let me know how yours has changed!