Let’s face it. My grocery bill just tripled. Like most of the hard-working Midwest, I aimed for what was on sale. I did my homework by visiting three different grocery chains armed with a notebook, pen, and calculator. I recorded key items, their prices, and compared my results. I found the two least expensive shopping centers in town and concluded that we had no choice but to shop at these affordable locations. Little did I know…?

Three years later, I gave birth to an adorable and completely lactose intolerant boy child. Even the pasteurized products produced unbearable pain. And of course, the two most affordable places in town did not carry the beverages and food items he could tolerate. So, in the interest of time and money, we switched.

Now armed with the knowledge of how much JUNK exists within those affordable boxed packages, I just want to shriek. So let’s talk turkey for a second. How much money was spent on unnecessary doctor visits because of the “cheap” affordable food we were consuming? How much money would my insurance company have saved if I had been motivated to bye healthier, less processed food items?

Here’s a specific example: Testing my son for celiac disease cost close to 1,000 dollars. After buying a 20-dollar book at the bookstore on the “elimination diet”, I was able to test my son for this disease myself. It took three weeks and a lot of focus, but it cost not even 1/10th of what my insurance company was charged! Somebody, please pay me 500 dollars and say, “Thank you!”

So, here I am, looking at the family budget and grimacing. I need to cut corners. I need to find economical solutions. I need to find the best prices in town. I NEED to find long-term solutions even if the results of these solutions are intangible to the naked eye.

Food for thought.