One of the ways I break up my day is to frequently check in with my sisters at Diabetic Mommy. This morning I posted a question on the message board that has gotten me thinking lately.

I wanted to know how much everyone spends on groceries on a weekly basis. For our family of five, I spend an average of $200 a week on food, toiletries and other incidentals. Basically, anything I can pick up at WalMart. Our budget, though, needs some tweaking and there are few things left to adjust besides our grocery bill.

I've written about this before--the struggle between eating healthier fare and spending more money and not spending as much but eating foods that are more processed and generally not as good on a diabetic's body. (See the post I wrote about the rate of type 2 diabetes in low-income areas here.) This line is just so, so hard. Do I buy junky foods to fit into my budget or do I buy healthier foods so I don't have to use as much insulin, so my blood sugar acts better and so I can have a better handle on what my body is going through? Not to mention, establishing healthy eating habits for my children. Furthermore, my family likes variety. I could eat chicken breast most nights for dinner, but The Mr. gets ancy if there isn't variety. So I pick up pork and beef in addition to our staple of chicken. I fear that with my budget changes, the pork and chicken will be a thing of the past. I fear we'll be surviving on peanut butter and jelly and non-lean beef. (So you're saying to grab natural peanut butter and sugar-free jelly? Even the prices of those things are jacked up so much.)

So how do you do it? How do you find a balance? How do you feed your family on a budget and still eat healthy?