I've become a vigilant label reader-although that hasn't always been the case. I started scrutinizing labels out of necessity (we have a child with a severe nut allergy), and eventually, it became a habit.
At first, the limitations of a food allergy seemed disappointing. I grieved the loss of favorite treats, such as peanut butter cookies, and immediately recognized the added responsibility - and maybe even the burden - of being "allergy diligent."On the other hand, learning to read labels carefully has had a bright side, too; we've become more conscientious consumers.
As we started paying careful attention to the ingredients in our food and personal care products, we noticed how many of them included things we didn't want (or couldn't pronounce). Little by little, we've begun looking for ways to make our own food and other products at home, both as a way to avoid unnecessary or unwanted ingredients, and to help us save money.
I admit that the initial prospect of making certain foods and products at home loomed large. Some things sounded too complicated or too time-consuming, and I wasn't sure I was up to the challenge. As it turns out, making many of the foods and personal care products that we might have otherwise bought at the store has been a rewarding adventure.
Thanks to information widely available through the Internet - and a little experimentation - I have found and used recipes for everything from homemade hand soap and deodorant to bagels and cream cheese. It's true that making things from scratch takes extra planning and effort, but not so much that I feel like a slave to the process.
I think the key is to focus on one or two things that you'd like to try preparing yourself.
Then, master the skills and techniques you need to make them. If preparing food from scratch is a gradual, low-stress process, you'll be more inclined to keep doing it.
On the other hand, if you suddenly decide to overhaul your eating and buying habits all at once, you might feel overwhelmed and quit.
Start small, say, by considering what you normally eat for breakfast. In our house, for example, granola bars are always in high demand, but they're pricey breakfast fare. A box of all-natural granola bars sells for about $4, which averages out to nearly 70 cents each. Plus, even the healthiest versions I can find have more sugar in them than we want, and almost all of them have some sort of nut products in them.
So, using a recipe I found online, I now make 12 granola bars with a minimum amount of effort and only six ingredients: rolled oats, whole wheat flour, butter, honey, baking soda and chocolate chips.
We buy these ingredients in bulk, and we make our own granola bars for less than half of what the commercial versions cost.
Not only do we get more healthful food for our money, but many recipes, such as the one we use for granola bars, can be easily adapted to suit your personal tastes and needs. You could substitute rice flour for the whole wheat flour, throw in additional spices such as cocoa or cinnamon, or leave out the chocolate chips and add dried fruit.
We're glad to be making nourishing foods in our own home, while saving ourselves money in the long run. It's undoubtedly an adventure worth taking. If you'd like to take this adventure with me, you can find some of my favorite, simple recipes-such as the granola bars and cheesy garlic breadsticks that rival any restaurant variety-at www.theinspiredbudget.com.
Carey Denman is a writer and editor with the American Center for Credit Education, a nonprofit publisher of financial education materials. Contact her at 348-4550 or cdenman@acce-online.com.
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