Re:scd and budget?

[Guest guest]

I seriously think we spend a lot less on the actual food than we did

pre-scd for me and I was a coupon queen with pantrys full of illegals

that I got for free or cheap........but we would go out a lot......or

swing through the drive through or to the convenience store for

goodies and these add up. We did spend a lot initially to get set up

with kitchen gear though.......maybe getting this from garage sales

and the like would help as the right gear helps soooooo much. My pre-

scd life was eating fast food and out a lot though. SCD cookies and

bread cost more than regular cookies and bread, (but this is not

really on the intro) but if you stick to the meat and veggies and

some fruit and some nuts and cheese I think it can be just as

cheap............if not cheaper. I used to have bags and boxes of

processed foods stocked up ahead that we never would get

to..........so our ongoing expenses were more I think............the

processed foods seem cheaper but they can add up. I do splurge on

almond flour and organic produce now though.

I figured yogurt out to be cheaper than illegal store brands once you

factor out the price of the yogurt maker.......which we have now used

for three years.....and my non-scd kids prefer scd legal yogurt to

the store bought stuff. Look at those little containrs from the store

and price them and you will see what I mean.

The foods that my body tolerates best are simple and sometimes boring

but not expensive.........oils can be more but I cook a lot of stuff

without any oil by baking it. Frozen legal veggies (be sure they are

legal) are not too much.............Kroger has them $1 a bag often

around here........and whole foods has organic ones for $2 a bag.

(Exception............we pay alot per pound for the only turkey that

has worked for me. It can be hard to find meat that has not been

contamiated with illegals. We splurge and go directl to the meat man

because so much of the meat in the grocery store had illegals in it.)

We also have a Costco membership now. I found it helps a lot but I

drink glass bottled water for other medical reasons which swayed it

that way. SCD does not require glass bottled water.

Crockpot can be your friend for cheap and timesaving SCD meals. Water

a few spices......meat veggies low for 4-6 hours done. You can do

more if you have thetime/tastes to do so.

I love my SCD recipes but often I go simple and easy.........basic

food prep. And this is when I usually do best. Take a glass bottomed

baking dish.....put in a little water and put the legal chicken,

frozen brocolli or whatever in....melt cheese on top if you

want......350 for 30 min or until done.........1 min prep and about

$2 per person around here..........and sauces with tomato juice are

wayyyyyyyyy cheaper than store bought spaghetti sauce. you pay $1 for

a can that makes the equivalent of 10-20 cans of store bought sauce

(after a few veggies) .....and it tastes much much better! Say

goodbye to all those condiments in your fridge.........the homemade

equivalent is cheaper........and just think of how much you are

spending on ketchup, mayo, jams, jellies.......all this is cheaper

and tastier to make yourself. These are hidden expenses you already

have now but don't think about.....that will actually get better

while the meat and veggies may get a bit worse.

Now, mind you I have been SCD for three (almost four ) years now so I

have had time to adjust emotionally and mentally.....it can be a big

adjustment to not just run through the drivethrough.........but those

unseen savings add up. I think the part people do not talk enough

about on here is the mental journey that goes with SCD. It can be

tough......depending upon how tightly a person holds on to their

processed foods.......I held pretty tightly and had weird emotions

all attached to my food and what eating should be like.......like

that every day should be a party with food........I am sorry I am not

expressing it right today. But this is the hard part.....the mental

part.

I feel sooo much better now that I would never go back. It took

awhile to feel well enough to decide that illegals were not worth it.

Michele