Everyday Systems

since you have been practicing noS, are you noticing decrease in food expenditure?
i certainly am... i havent done proper buget analysis but i think it is due to:

-buying less/none of the expensive "magical" foods and products
-processed, overpriced and overpackaged snacks
-sweets
-eating the same meal, or almost the same as my son and bf (when he is eating with us) so rarely cooking double menu... which leads to less waste...

this has occured through no effort on trying to actually save...
amazing!

Well I haven't exactly noticed a smaller shopping bill - I have two growing boys at home! - but things that I have always snacked on are noticeably staying in the cupboards for longer, and I agree about not needing to purchase special diet foods. To just sit down and all eat the same meals is wonderful.

What an awesome side-effect to have!!

Bluebell wrote:Well I haven't exactly noticed a smaller shopping bill - I have two growing boys at home!

I was thinking the same--two teens here, so the impact of my habits is negligible!

Merry wrote:What an awesome side-effect to have!!

Bluebell wrote:Well I haven't exactly noticed a smaller shopping bill - I have two growing boys at home!

I was thinking the same--two teens here, so the impact of my habits is negligible!

Ha ha Merry, my eldest is almost as tall as me and I seem to have a constant cry of 'Mum I'm hungry!' in my ear! I swear he grew 2 inches overnight last week! On a more serious note I am determined to bring them up with a sensible attitiude to eating and exercise.

PS congratulations on one year Merry!

I spend quite a bit of money on food

I like to buy things online I have never tasted. I have bought some stuff which has been utterly disgusting but its a bit of fun.

I also buy home grown meats (I live in the country). I pay $20 (Australian dollars) for a rabbit. I could get it cheaper at the butcher but I'd rather get it locally grown.

I can see how I could save money with No S though.

Bluebell wrote:PS congratulations on one year Merry!

Thanks .

I wish I had done No-S when my kids were young, and taught them better habits!

Merry wrote:

Bluebell wrote:PS congratulations on one year Merry!

Thanks .

I wish I had done No-S when my kids were young, and taught them better habits!

Yes, I am acutely aware of raising my boys with a healthy attitude towards food. I had to have a difficult discussion with my mum the other day. She put me on a diet when I was 12 (with the best of intentions I guess) and has always been on and off diets her whole life. She talks a lot about what she should and shouldn't eat, whether she has been 'good' or 'bad' etc. She has also referred to my boys (who she loves dearly) as 'broad' - eldest, and 'naturally slim' - youngest, in front of them.
She is a wonderful support in my life and I love her so much but I am desparate that my boys don't receive the same messages as I did. I had to ask her to not talk about food and body image like this in front of the children. My eldest is 12 so the same age as when I first dieted and I think its brought it all into focus for me.
She did take on board what I was saying but she got upset and so did I, it was hard.
A bit off topic but somewhat relevant to what we keep in our cupboards as parents!

I wish I could get my husband on board with this. The food bill has gone down a bit because I'm not buying snacks, and he's not buying as much as he did without my encouragement, but I can see how dramatically it would fall if he stopped altogether!

Same with the kids' snacks - they eat far too many sweets. I'm going to start a New Year's resolution to only let them snack on fruit. My 4 year old didn't eat her lunch in a restaurant the other day, and we got home and she immediately said she was starving and wanted snacks - I was so cross I said no, she had to wait, and lo and behold, she wolfed her dinner!