Tightening the Budget

Living in an apartment with my husband, four children, and fat, orange tabby cat was never a possibility that crossed my mind, but that is exactly what we are doing right now.  It is far from ideal, and we are planning to move in December.  The hard part: we have to tighten our budget even further.

Now, I find myself sorting through vegan cookbooks and canning cookbooks, looking for ways to save us more in the next few months by planning ahead now.  So far, I have realized the following:

• Buy long-grain, brown rice in bulk at the organic market
• Buy all our beans in the bulk section at Whole Foods or the organic market
• Look for great farmer's markets and buy fruits and veggies in bulk to can
• Make homemade vegetable stock
• Take one day per week to bake and store beans and rice, together or seperately
• Bake bread from scratch (in an oven or a bread machine)

I know there have to be more things to help tighten an already tight budget when eating organic and all-natural foods, so I am on a quest.  We have a small enough budget shortfall to overcome by mid-November, and I plan to do everything I can to see that we make it.