Busy Mom's Tip #1: How to Feed Quality Food to Your Family on a Budget
posted on
August 1, 2025
Food is medicine. And as a mom (or dad), you want to be able to give your kids the absolute best you can so they have a healthy foundation to thrive on…
But how?
How do you feed your kids good quality, local, pasture-raised food when you’re on a budget?
How do you find the time to do everything you need to do PLUS prepare healthy foods from scratch?
How do you find the time to learn how to cook and prepare foods you’ve never had to before?
Liz Straight has some helpful, down-to-earth tips she has implemented into her life as a homeschool mom of eight kids. She knows firsthand the difficulties of finding time and budgeting to be able to feed her family nourishing food without running herself into the ground.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing Liz’s tips with you to help you on this journey of healthy eating. The great thing about these tips is that they apply to everyone - whether you’re a dad, a mom, or a single person working full time. They’re practical.
This week, Liz shares her first tip…
Tip # 1: Budget around cost effective cuts and foods.
- Meal plan around your meat. Look for the cuts or products that you can afford and build meal plans and budget around that (more on meal planning in another tip!). When choosing the most budget-friendly cuts, don’t go for convenience as you will end up paying for the labor of processing to make that cut convenient. Whole chickens versus parts is a great example of that.
- Look for larger cuts of meat, such as roasts or whole chickens. They actually don’t take a lot of time to prepare and are much easier on your wallet.
- Don’t throw away scraps! Save all your bones for stock. It is ok to make a mix-and-match "mutt" stock in your crockpot with any kinds of bones. It is amazing how having stock on hand can make a meal. You can easily make a "refrigerator soup" with leftover bits of meat and veggies and herbs if you have broth around all the time. Great if someone gets sick or you didn't have a chance to thaw new meat for dinner. Make some easy muffins to go with it and that's dinner! Fats are also great to keep - that fat from the bacon you fried this morning is great for cooking eggs, tossing with popcorn, etc. Fats also help to make meals more filling, helping stretch food further.
- And always check for what’s on sale or buy bulk packs of eggs or meat! An extra freezer is really handy for this so that when something does go on sale or you purchase that bulk pack of meat, you have extra room to stock up. You can check out Whiffletree’s sale and bulk items HERE.
- And if you have the extra space for a big chest freezer, buying a whole/half/quarter cow or pig is a great way to buy in bulk while getting the maximum savings you can.
- When it comes to veggies and fruits, buy fruit that is cheaper and longer lasting the majority of the time, such as apples, oranges, carrots, etc. There is less waste and kids enjoy some of the sweet things but are less likely to gobble it all down the minute it comes home. Then more expensive and shorter lasting things like berries, melons, or grapes are super special as a treat to them. And again, don’t go for convenience. Pre-cut veggies are more expensive and often don’t last as long so it’s harder to buy in bulk. (Something like a food processor can help you budget your time more effectively when you use whole veggies - whiz away!)
- Looking into a raw milk share can help save a little money on proteins - it’s a set price so it makes it easy to budget and the milk FILLS you. It makes a great snack or addition to a meal that’s not quite as filling. Plus raw milk is full of so many health benefits.
All this doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a ribeye or filet steak once in a while, but if money is tight keep those types of cuts to a minimum. Focus on buying other foods that are filling but still nutrient dense and tasty.
And that’s the first tip! Next week, we’ll take a look at what meal planning for a family of ten looks like for Liz!
