Ways to Save---#1 Make it Yourself

This is probably not a new idea to most, but probably an idea most people do not take advantage of. In being a stay-at-home mom there is some creativity that is needed. When we buy things that are pre-packaged, it costs more money. Again, nothing new right? Convenience is never cheap. We blame it on time. We say that we are too busy and there is not enough time to make it ourselves. What we sometimes do not realize is that when we are buying items that are pre-packaged or items that are more expensive because we do not have time to do it ourselves, we are actually costing ourselves more money. How? We are spending more money because we are paying a higher price for the item and then having to work or save more money to account for the item we just purchased. Instead, make it yourself. There are several ways to do this.

When it comes to babies and all of the things they need, the bank account can soon be dented. First, baby food—make your own. There is a great website that shows you how to make your own baby food and store it--http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ . Not only does this website show you how to make it but they give you recipes and age-appropriate foods to give your child. When making my own baby food for my daughter I used simple recipes. You can buy any fruits or veggies, cook them, throw them in a blender & then store them. I used ice cube trays for this. When the food is done blending in the blender, spoon the food into the ice cube trays. Put foil over the trays and place them in the freezer. Once they are done, pop the cubes out & put them in Ziploc baggies. Date & label the baggies and place them in the freezer. By freezing the food in ice cube trays you then have a 1 oz serving of food in each cube. When you need food, take as many cubes you will need out of the baggie and place them in a container. Put the container in the fridge & you are set! What is nice about making your own baby food is that you control what you put in your baby’s food & you control how you cook it & store it. It saves so much money! For example, you can buy one sweet potato for under a dollar & make about 12 servings out of it. Compare that to 3 jars of 4 oz sweet potato baby food for anywhere from $1.25-$2.00. You can also buy frozen veggies & fruits to make your own baby food as well. You just need to cook it first. You can usually buy a bag of frozen veggies for around 80 cents to 1 dollar for a 12 oz to 16 oz bag---which would equate to 3 to 4 jars of 4 oz baby food for about $2-$4. Then you stick them in the microwave with a little water, throw them in the blender, spoon them into the ice cube trays & freeze them. Easy as can be!

Another baby food item you can make yourself is teething crackers & table foods. Wholesomebabyfood.com has a wealth of recipes and information on how to do this. Overall, making your own baby food is simple & saves money. You are in control of what you put in & how you store it.