Hi reader,
A few years back when my family and I did the Whole30, we stopped buying cow's milk for our coffee and gave almond milk a try. (We had already ditched conventional creamers and sweeteners years ago.)
My husband was a fan right off the bat. Me… eh, not so much. I thought almond milk was too watery and I didn't like the taste of it either.
Instead, I tried coconut milk and fell in love! It had the perfect amount of sweetness with the perfect amount of "cream" that I liked in my coffee.
The only downside to both almond milk and coconut milk is the cost.
The best price I could find for both of them is $2.97 for a half-gallon at Walmart (that's 5¢ per ounce for Silk or Almond Breeze. Some other brands were cheaper at other stores, but they also had additives that aren't good for you, including carrageenan.)
Since you can't have any dairy on the Whole30, we found ourselves reaching for almond milk and coconut milk fairly often for recipes.
Combine that with daily cups of coffee and we ended up going
through a carton of each kind of milk, every week… that added up to $24 spent on non-dairy milk every month!
Now I know you can make your own non-dairy milk… I even have recipes on the blog for homemade almond milk and homemade coconut milk and homemade peanut milk and homemade rice milk… but when you're on the Whole30, you feel like you live in the kitchen as it is.
You spend A LOT of time cooking or cleaning or prepping… every day. Buying non-dairy milk was one of the small conveniences I allowed myself in order to make it through that challenge with my sanity in check – ESPECIALLY when we had to cut out nightshades too!
We felt good when the Whole30 was over and kept some of the same dietary habits, including drinking non-dairy milk. Almond milk for him; coconut milk for me.
Fast forward a couple of months and I realized that almond milk was available in 3/4 gallon jugs for $3.79 (at Walmart), which was cheaper than the half-gallon cartons!
I know the savings isn't huge (about $1.33 per month), but every penny counts and it was adding up quickly!
At the same time, I wanted to give almond milk another try…
- I knew it was cheaper than the coconut milk.
- We already had almond milk on hand (so it would be one less thing to buy and keep up with having in the fridge).
- I knew that if I could stop drinking coconut milk, I'd save us roughly $12 every month.
And wouldn't you know it, I kind of liked it! My taste buds had evolved and I no longer needed the sweet that comes with coconut milk… so I quit drinking it!
By cutting out coconut milk, we cut our non-dairy milk expenses from $24/month to less than $8/month.
And that's just ONE change!
It's changes like this that allowed us to keep our grocery spending low to pay off our debt, to pay cash for a house, and to remain debt-free to this day.
Tell me reader - is there any small change you could make this month that might save you a few dollars? I'd love to hear what it is. Hit 'reply' and share it with me! Blessings!
| | | | How can I help you in your journey? • Nutrition Coaching •
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I can help you lose weight, get strong, and become your healthiest self while eating the foods you love. I offer 1:1 coaching, group coaching, and one-time macro counts.
> Nutrition Coaching | | | | • Grocery Budget Mastermind •
$5 membership making healthy food affordable in just FIVE MINUTES per week. Each week saves you $5, making the membership more than free.
> Grocery Budget Mastermind • 30 Minute Dinners •
Over 250 done-for-you meal plans for as low as 35¢/week, customizable to your family size, dietary preferences and busy schedules.
> 30 Minute Dinners | | | | • Grocery Budget Bootcamp •
The only course teaching you exactly how to eat real food on a budget. Learn a proven grocery budgeting system that outsmarts the grocery stores and lets you save money, time, and energy. Graduates from 24+ countries have saved over $20 million - and counting!
> Grocery Budget Bootcamp • Meal Planning Bootcamp •
Simple course teaching EVERYTHING you need to master meal planning, without the stuff that doesn't really matter (i.e. Pinterest boards) so you can easily decide what's for dinner and be done with it in just 15 minutes.
> Meal Planning Bootcamp | | | | | If you enjoy a recipe, be sure to give it a 5-star rating! (You can also tell us why you love it so much in the comments ♥) | | | | | | | | | | | | If you've ever wondered how to make kefir, it's the easiest fermented food you could try! Here's the full tutorial on how to make kefir with grains, why you want to drink it, and even how to make kefir dairy-free! Read More Here | | | | | | | | | | | | This moist and delicious strawberry poke cake made with fresh mashed berries and creamy homemade whipped cream is sure to be a hit at your next family gathering! Budget-friendly with simple ingredients, you'll want to make it all berry season long. Read More Here | | | | | | | | | | | | These quick and easy carrot and sweet potato fritters are so addicting! Whole30 and Paleo-compliant, these veggie-filled potato pancakes cook up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Don't forget the yummy dipping sauce! Read More Here | | | | | | | | | | | | This easy spring vegetable pasta salad is perfect for picnics or as a side for your warm-weather favorites. Spring veggies like peas and asparagus combine with bacon, pasta, chicken stock, and sour cream for a creamy pasta salad that's delicious warm or cold.
Read More Here | | | | | | | | | | | | Packed with protein and vegetables, this slow cooker quinoa chicken cacciatore recipe is sure to be one of your new favorites because it's so easy! Chicken, quinoa, peppers, onions, and a simple sauce combine for a classic Italian flavor. Read More Here | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment