Affording Yourself 30 Extra Pounds of Grass-Fed Ground Beef, the Easy Way

I am the first to admit that our household doesn't eat all pastured animal products; in fact the vast majority of our meat is still conventionally produced. I could spend a lot of time writing up excuses about this, but I think that my time is put to better use by instead devising ways to carve out chunks of our budget that make room to eat pastured animal products more often. It may well be years before we're able to afford to buy nothing but pastured meat, but until that point I am comfortable with making slow gains in the proportion of pastured meat that we consume.

Which brings me to one of the most affordable budget building blocks of a budding primal / paleo eater: 100% grass fed ground beef. Yes, if you are exceptionally resourceful and already have a good scoop on a local pastured beef source, you can ask your butcher to grind the beef for you - or grind it yourself at home. However, I'm talking about something like the 1 lb. packs that you can pick up at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, usually for about $6 (though occasionally you can get it on sale for $4/lb. at Whole Foods!).

So...how do you budget yourself to a gradually increasing proportion of pastured meat?

The answer is: one $6 savings at a time.

Ask yourself, Where can I save $6? Sometimes, the answers can be stunningly simple.

• Bring a loyalty coupon for your car's oil change or car wash.
  
  
• See what changes you can make in your phone's voice and data plans. As a personal example,  I text so rarely (instead relying on Gmail chat and emails), that a texting plan isn't worth it for us; the odd texts I do get or send barely amount to a couple of bucks a month without a texting plan.
  
  
• Buy fewer treats. Even if the ice cream parlour you're hitting up for post-workout carbs serves ice cream only from 100% grass fed cows and sweetened minimally only with white rice glucose syrup (insert your own proclivity/requirement here...but by the way...if you do know of such a place...tell me where it is!) -- a $12 family trip for ice cream translates into a meal with 2 lb. worth of grass-fed ground beef! That's a massive pan of spaghetti squash with meat sauce, or 8 1/4 lb. burgers! So, consider cutting out the occasional ice cream run in favor of another nourishing, quality protein meal.
  
  



I saved $11.70 on these leggings for my toddler.
That buys about 2 lb. of grass fed ground beef!

• And...drumroll..save money on clothing! Now, don't get me wrong. I understand the value of a few investment pieces - especially for a grown adult. Don't skimp on a quality, well-fitting pair of minimalist shoes - or a dress for date night that makes you feel like a million bucks.
  
  Guess what, though? Your kids' clothes are a whole different story. If your kids are out and about playing in the sunshine with you (as they well should be!), they'll have a new outfit go from "new" to "used" status in about 0.045 seconds.
  
  Another reason to save on kids' clothes is the fact that you'll be getting one season's wear tops out of most articles of clothing.
  
  So, there are five completely painless ways to save a bundle on your kids' wardrobes:
  
  ::: Ruthlessly shop the clearance racks. Look for savings of at least 75%. The best way to do this is to wait for seasonal items to go on clearance as the season closes. Right now (the heat of summer), you can still find some leggings and jeans on the clearance racks; I bought my older daughter some jeans a last week at Target for $3.24, and today I found my younger daughter some leggings at Kohl's (above, 90% off $13.00 at $1.30). Knowing that fall weather is a good three months or more away, I bought a full size up for them. (You can always do a quick hem job on slightly long pants but lengthening too-short pants requires magical powers.)
  
  ::: Shop clearance online, and stack coupon codes. Same principles as above, seeking at least 75% off savings, only you monitor your favorite retailers' sales via email subscription to their deals and coupon sites like retailmenot.com. You should rarely, if ever, pay for shipping using this method and can often get the best selection from clearance (that is, your needed sizes in stock).
  
  If you first click to your favorite retailers' sites through ebates, you'll also earn cash back when you're shopping online - I was recently cut a $22 cash back check from ebates simply by clicking through the site to the sites I routinely buy from online...a $22 that I otherwise wouldn't have, which could buy about 3.5 lb. of grass fed ground beef!
  
  ::: Buy used. Thrift stores, yard sales, consignment sales, eBay! There are so many resources, and often the clothing looks new or even has the original retail tags still attached.
  
  ::: Enthusiastically solicit and accept hand-me-downs. Save the best items for special occasions, and let your kids run themselves ragged outside in the more well-loved items.
  
  ::: Request clothing as gifts. Grandmas and grandpas (and aunts and uncles! and friends!) love picking out outfits for kids. If you put a bug in their ear that you're looking for Christmas outfits, or other special occasion outfits, or some more durable (and therefore more pricey) basics (like jeans or new comfortable shoes), you're likely to save on some of the more expensive elements in your childrens' wardrobes.
  
  As a parting thought on this point, say that with the above methods combined you save $180 per child on wardrobing annually. That's 30 lb. of grass fed ground beef - or in our family's case, about 15 dinners, plus leftovers!
  
  

What savings have you built into your budget lately in order to upgrade the quality of the food your family is eating?

Disclosure: This post contains an ebates affiliate referral link. Thanks for supporting Primal Kitchen at no additional cost to you!

Ways to Get Your Kids Outside (and Keep'Em Busy Once They're Out!)

My eldest daughter turned 4 earlier this year, and with her birthday came a whole lot of fun outside-oriented birthday gifts! Boy have we been getting excited about using them. Which brings me to a follow-up to my recent post about us planning a Dirty-Kneed Grass-Stained Spring and Summer. Your kids don't need to already be super athletes to conquer a day outdoors - just interested in having fun. You only need a little bit of inspiration and some inexpensive tools to draw them outside.

Presenting:

10 Ways to Get You Kids Outside (and Keep'Em Busy Once They're Out!)

1. Turn off the TV (and the video games) during the day. Sounds simple, but it's true! If these aren't an option, the outdoors suddenly become a lot more interesting.
   
2. Explore nature up close. Get yourself a basic magnifying glass - or a bug-inspecting box. There are some bug boxes at Target in the dollar section right now! Encourage your kids to look for flowers, bugs, butterflies, and whatever else can fit in the box. Just remember to let the critters out at the end of the exploring. :-)
   
3. Create sidewalk art. Sidewalk chalk is such a cheap option for sparking imagination in the sunshine. You can get a very large box of varied colors for less than $5. There are also sidewalk paints available, too, these days in the art supplies aisle at Wal-Mart and Target. Challenge your kids - to draw a map of their neighborhood, or to see how large they can write their names, or to create new and fun creatures. For me, the quickest way to draw them in with chalk is to just start doodling yourself!
   
4. Blow bubbles. Ooooohhh, bubbles are the ticket. You can either get a few - one for each person, or a large bottle. These are a cheap option, too, because the large bottle of bubbles is around three and a half bucks at Target. Even better? If you have a crowd of kids hoping to pop bubbles, or you want to do lots of running and frolicking with your kids, get yourself a bubble machine. We got one for $12 at Target, which runs on AA batteries - best $12 I ever spent on a toy. With a jillion bubbles being blown every minute, have a contest with your kids to see who can pop the most - nice Tabata training if you can get it. :)
   
5. Bike. My oldest has already blown through three sizes of bikes - now she's already on a 16" wheeler with training wheels. (How do they grow so fast?!) Biking is another fun way to get some fresh air - and some exercise. Even if your kids are just racing each other up and down the street, they're getting some much needed outdoor time.
   
6. Wash the car. This is a great one for older kids who can be responsible with a soapy sponge - and amounts to free labor! One way make this a little more fun-sounding is by allowing them to blast their tunes of choice from the car's sound system. Don't forget to wear your "ruinable" clothes in case a water fight breaks out, which brings me to the next item:
   
7. Sprinklers. Is there anything more wholesome and fun than a good run through the sprinklers? For the most environmentally-friendly version of this, do the sprinkler run in a later, cooler part of the day (so that your water doesn't evaporate as quickly and gives the plants a long-lasting drink), and don't do this if your neighborhood or region is especially dry and trying to conserve water.
   
8. Tackle a playground. Though this is great any time of day, I've found that hitting a playground first thing after breakfast is a great way to kick things off. Not only are the playgrounds a lot less crowded, but my kids are at their most energetic right at this time and ready to burn up that energy in the cooler morning temps. If you're doing a morning run and it's a particularly dewy morning, it can be good to bring a couple of towels with you to wipe down wet slides and swings.
   
9. Toss a frisbee or ball. This can be intense (a la Ultimate Frisbee), or a casual back-and-forth. Great for involving a dog if you have one! If you have a cat you'd like to involve...uh...well...good luck. :)
   
10. Skate. Get out the roller skates or roller blades, and hit up a paved neighborhood trail. Be sure to be considerate to your fellow pedestrians!
    
    Bonus way!
    
11. Read outside. If you have kids willing to chill for a good book, then this is a good option for a wind down activity. Hit up your own book stash, or go get some new reads at the library. Claim yourself a spot at a local park, on your own porch, on a hammock -- wherever you're comfortable. Bring some bottles of water and whatever else you'll need to settle in - folding chairs, pillows, etc.

How do YOU keep your kids busy outside all day long?