I like statistics.  They can be fascinating.  It’s always interesting to see how other people live and to see what, groups of people, think or feel.  I wish all statistics could be magically accurate.

I’m sure I must fall into all kinds of statistical categories.

- 1 of approximately 83 million Moms in America

- 1 of approximately 35 million Mom Bloggers in America

- 1 of approximately 1.5 million Home Schooling Moms in America

- 1 of approximately 83 million Moms in America who if they could choose to be any animal, would choose the octopus… we need more arms

(I made one of those up)

This year my hubby became a statistic too.

- 1 of approximately 2.5 million American’s to lose their job between January and September of 2009

Yep… my Einstein, bachelor of computer science, degree wielding, husband, is among the ranks of millions in this country now looking for a job.

This year I’ve had to revise, and watch our budget very closely.  I’ve been paying attention to how every dime is spent, and we’ve been doing ok, but all of a sudden in September I noticed I was really struggling to make my grocery budget.

When I sat down and analyzed it all, I found that I was taking extra trips to the grocery store in between my usual twice a month trips to Costco and Winco.  Each time I made those in-between trips I was spending money that I hadn’t budgeted for.

Finally this month I figured out what was happening.

It was all to blame on my one year old.

Yep. That’s right.  It’s all Llany’s fault.

That little growing sweetheart had started eating six jars of baby food a day, which of course I knew about, but hadn’t considered the extra cost.  Once I identified the culprit of my out-of-whack budget, I sat down and calculated how much I was actually spending on baby food.

Lany has been eating two, stage two, jars of baby food, per meal.  I stick with the Earth’s Best organic brand and those are usually between ¢.74 and ¢.99 each. With tax that’s about $6 per day x 30 days in a month… $180.00 to feed my one year old each month?!  What?!

Oh no no no no! This cannot continue. No! It most certainly can NOT!  Is this what I did with both my other kids??? Sheeeesh.  The things you miss, when not unemployed.

But then I thought…Seriously?  Am I seriously about to become one of those moms who makes her own baby food?

During my second pregnancy I saw a tiny little food processor on sale at the grocery store and bought it, thinking I might make some of my own baby food.  That happy little food processor has been in its happy little box, all this time, hidden waaaaaay back in my cupboard.  It’s not that the idea of making baby food had never crossed my mind. It was that now I was faced with really, actually, truly having to do it.

Yeah… I’ve been that mom.  The mom with good intentions and poor, poor delivery.

The mom who once in a while grabs a coupon, sticks it in her wallet, then completely forgets about it at the register.

The mom who thinks about hiding spinach in brownies to secretly shove vitamins and nutrients into her kids, but then makes the brownies late at night when the kids are in bed, skips the spinach, and eats the whole pan herself.

The mom who while pregnant sees books and talk shows where people make their own baby food and thinks, “My, how healthy. I’ll have to do that too.” But then the baby arrives and “instant” anything, dominates everything.

Yep that’s been me… but lately… I have been changin’ my ways.

I haven’t eaten a whole pan of brownies by myself in at least ten… okay six, months.

I’m going to start remembering to use coupons… I promise.

And yes… I have started making homemade baby food.

Thank you, thank you.  Oh you’re too kind.  No really I don’t deserve all the applause.  No really… Well ok. Go ahead then.  Yes…. Yes.  Thank you.  Thank you ever so much.

Later this month, I’ll share more about how I’ve been making my own baby food, how in the world I’ve found time to make my own baby food,  and how much money it has been saving me… if any.

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5 Responses to “When Life Hands You a Lemon, Make… Baby Food?”