Cost of a Large Family

We are expensive! I think back several years ago at how much our food bill was and I am astonished. Granted, we usually didn't eat the most healthy things but we couldn't afford the best anyway. People often tell me that they can't imagine how much it cost to have a large family. They come to the conclusion that Dh must have a great job. Well, he does, but that's not how we afford them. We are able to afford our family because God enables us to do it. I struggle SO much with food cost. I want so badly to eat "cheap", to be able to walk into Aldis and only spend $100 for the week. But, my health starts to decline rapidly in one week. Depression starts creeping in. The kids go crazy! The best I can do is to find cheap(er) healthy food.
In bulk:

• oats
• wheat
• buckwheat
• salt
• beans
• rice

At Sams:

• Lettuce(organic)-very cheap compare to all stores. I will update with price.
• Spinach(organice)-Same as above
• Nuts-raw almonds, pecans, walnuts. Almonds are not really raw but close enough
• All Fruit
• Most other veggies(Carrots, Celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc..)
• Avocados(much cheaper than most places and if you get them unripe, they ripen very nicely on your counter
• Frozen veggies(broccoli, corn, mix)
• Frozen fruit
• Milk
• Sour Cream(we use this for most dressings. We don't buy salad dressing anymore. We mix spices with this to make ours)
• raisins(we go through 2 large boxes that contains 2 large bags of raisins-every WEEK!)
• Organic decaf coffee that is cheaper than the regular decaf coffee at publix
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Trash Bags
• Shampoo
• Toothbrushes
  

Some things we have to get at Publix

• Collards
• Kale
• Corn
• Cabbage
• coconut oil
• pickles without yellow number 5
• Almond Milk
• Zucchini
• Wheat Noodles( I don't have time to make this right now ;))
  

We never buy boxed cereal. We flake our own oats from oat groats and combine it with buckwheaties(dehydrated sprouted buckwheat) and raisins with milk. I grind our grain and make our bread. I don't buy raw bars/breads. I make my own dehydrated buckwheat bread.

I think this post is more for me than anyone else. I do the best I can with trying to save money but sometimes(most times) I still feel like I am doing a lousy job. Do you ever feel that way? Just writing it down helps me to realize that I AM doing all that I can to keep my family healthy without breaking the bank. So on those days when I think "we could live on rice and beans for a little while" I can look back and remember that it's not ALL about the money.