Welcome back to PSA Thursday, a weekly-ish segment in which we talk about how to handle money, work, and life in the year that is 2020.
Today, we’re tackling one of the biggest line-items on your budget: food.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019, Americans spent just over $8,000 on food.
If you’re on a tight budget, slashing your grocery bill is one of the easiest ways to spend less. But what if you don’t want to compromise on healthy eating?
Today’s guest, Rosemary Fotheringham, is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) who’s also on the path to financial independence. She and her husband slashed their monthly grocery bill from $1,200 down to $300 – without eating pasta every night.
In this episode, Rosemary explains their framework for healthy eating and shares her best tips for eating well on a tight budget.
Here’s a preview of the topics discussed:
- How to incorporate food preparation into your life, taking into account your limited resources
- Why you should focus on high-quality fats and proteins, and examples of what qualifies for each
- Healthier alternatives to common carbs like pasta, potatoes, rice, and wraps
- A meal template that anyone can use to quickly throw food together
- The science behind satiation, and the differences between fats and carbs
- What to do if your family isn’t on board with healthier eating
- How to set boundaries with others in the house: “I’m happy to…”
- Why Whole30 and the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diets are a good place to start, especially if there are food allergies involved
- How buying in bulk can save you a ton of money
- What equipment and ingredients to focus on if you have limited space
Resources Mentioned:
- Flourish Fundamentals – Rosemary’s Site
- Cook Once, Eat All Week, by Cassy Joy Garcia
- EatWild.com
- Whole30 Cookbooks on Amazon
- AIP Cookbooks on Amazon
- Sacred Cow, by Diana Rodgers
Mekomeko
Hello. I just listened to the episode. The lady discussing saving on foods had interesting approach to minimizing kitchen stuff which i found interesting particularly the spice blends.
She seemed to think eating high meat low carb diet was the most suitable way to eat for humans – a bit perplexing. I ve a friend who was told to eat like this lady recommended ie extremly low carb to treat a medical issiue and it is not cheap – at least not in UK. She was constantly hungry, was told to increase fats which still did not address the issiue under regular care of qualified dietitian in NHS. Finally she got to a stage where she could eat a bit more carbs after about 8 months. She can now run and lift weights again. This low carb business put her out of achieving weight lifting and running goals , she was so tired during the time. I belive some ppl will feel very good on such low carb diet but not all by any means. I eat lowish carb -nowhere near as drastic as my pal- and find it ok…until i want to lift weights or exercise that is. My friend is very resourceful and buys in bulk from a good source etc. yet her food bill gives me palpitations. While both omnivore and plant based can be healthy it is in my experience at least mucho cheaper to do the latter..unless i binge on avocado 😜
Marina
So disappointed with the misinformation about vegetarian protein sources in this episode. Y’all, if you’re thinking about going veg or eating less meat, please do some more research and don’t listen to this guest! Eating more plant-based protein is a great way to save money, too.
Eileen
I was a little puzzled by this episode as well as it seemed nearly all a specific *way* to eat (almost exclusively about eating animals) and little about cutting costs. Her opening comments were about taking a $1200 food budget to $600, then $300, but there were not any specifics about how they did that.
It sounded more like a discussion about eating cheaply to start but changing it to be more nutritious. I appreciated Paula mentioning how that often increases costs. I’m not a vegan or vegetarian (though I am moving that direction) and found the repeated discussion about animal proteins were way more part of this pod vs cost savings.
Sarah Deacon
I am a long time listener and fan but am absolutely disappointed and upset that you interviewed someone so uninformed about vegan diets. Eating plant based is better for our bodies, the animals and the planet and can be done economically as well. My family is frugal and vegan and very healthy. Please make sure your listeners know how unbalanced and uninformed this advice was; please do some research about how to be healthy and wealthy by eating plants!
Michelle
I eat exactly the way this guest is talking about, I spend a ton of time with food prep and am very conscious and there’s no possible way I would be able to slash my budget that much. She didn’t mention how she does that. Where is she getting her food from?