As some of you know, I had severe anemia last pregnancy, so severe, in fact, that I ended up being hospitalized for a week to run tests and monitor me because the doctors and specialists were sure I must have some kind of disease or disorder other than pregnancy for my body to be in such bad shape and unwilling to respond in any way to the many different varieties of supplements, iron pills, and other such remedies they gave me for weeks in order to get my hemoglobin and platelet levels to bounce back up to a somewhat decent range.
The final verdict, after more poking and prodding and testing than I'd ever desire to endure again, was that I was healthy as a lark in all respects except for my hemoglobin and platelet counts and those were directly related to nurturing a life inside of me. And so I was induced early last time around and within a few days of the baby being born, my health had almost returned to normal levels. Which was a huge praise!
With this pregnancy, we've taken a number of precautionary measures to, if possible, avoid the difficulties I had the last time around. I've been eating a high-iron diet and taking double the normal iron supplements, in addition to a number of things.
And now that I'm 20 weeks along and starting to feel some anemia coming on, we're upping our grocery budget in order to allow me to buy extra meat each week. I'm not usually a meat eater–especially a red meat eater–but since it seems to be one thing my body does find helpful in warding off anemia, I'm eating it and lots of it. And it's very worth the extra $20 per week we've decided to spend if it means that I'm able to stay more healthy this time around.
So all that said, yes, we're temporarily raising the grocery budget to $60 per week as opposed to our usual $40 per week. The plan is to do this for the next 18-20 weeks or so while I get through the rest of my pregnancy. And then we'll re-evaluate and see what would be best for our family.
I wanted to openly and candidly share about this because I think it is important that all of us don't become so stuck upon a certain budgeted dollar amount for groceries that we overlook the needs of our families. $40 usually works pretty well for us, but I'm flexible if we need to raise it for a season–or even permanently–to better accommodate needs in our family or our current life situation.
For you, maybe $80 is what works best. Or $100. Or $150. I hope that our lower grocery budget can serve as an inspiration to many of you, but I don't ever want anyone to feel as if a certain dollar amount is the "gold standard" of grocery budgets. Because what works for one family, will likely not work for many other families. Do what works for your family and challenge yourself to do the best you can do with the time, energy, and resources you have. That's truly what frugal living is all about!
Now, with all of that said, here was our shopping trip from yesterday:
(isn't my daughter cute? She asked if she could please be in the picture!)
We hit Kroger (Dillons) and Walgreens and spent $42. I still need to hit Aldi for cheese, eggs, butter, frozen veggies, and a few other things so I'll likely spend most of the remaining $18 of our budget there.
At Dillons, I did the cereal promotion (buy 4 boxes of cereal bars or cereal, get $4 off instantly) three different times. They were $0.50-$1/box after coupons and the sale–which is a great price for our family since these are special treats for us!
I also got 8 packages of frozen meat that was reduced and Horizon milk and yogurt that was reduced and I had a coupon for. In addition, I got a free bag of Steamfresh meals for two (they had sent me a coupon as part of a promotion), toilet paper, whole wheat flour, and spinach, apples, and bananas all reduced.
All totaled, I spent $42 at Dillons and was very happy with all I was able to snag for that!
At Walgreens, I did a very sweet transaction: 2 Sure deodorants (free after coupons), aspirin (free with a coupon Walgreens sent me), a Schick Quattro razor (free after coupons), and two bottles of Arm and Hammer detergent (on 4-day special for $1.99 and I used one $1/1 coupon).
My total before coupons was $26 and after coupons was $3.98. But here's where it gets really good: Walgreens had sent me a $5 off check because we'd just moved to the area. So they were able to run the $5 off check to cover my $3.98 and I paid nothing out of pocket. Plus, I got a $5 Register Rewards back for spending $25 at Walgreens during their 4-day sale. Yay!
How'd you do this week? Post about the deals and bargains you were able to snag this week or other ways you saved money on your blog (with pictures, if possible!) and then come back here and leave your link below. **To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.**
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Great post, Crystal. Sounds like you’re tuned in to which nutrients your body is asking to be given. Most of my life, I’ve been vegetarian. After two rounds, hospitalization and numerous alternative remedies (and this was AFTER the baby years), I found red meat to be of great assistance for a temporary period of time while my strength returned. I was able to wean back to other iron-rich foods with excellent results. We are blessed to have choices. I believe you have made a wise decision and trust you’ll be guided on how best to proceed.
You’ve done many readers a thoughtful service in this candid and post. Whether it’s numbers on the weight scale, age, or financial amounts, we all can get too hung up on numbers and lose focus. To have the ability to nourish ourselves with economical means is a wonderful accomplishment. Thanks for making this easier (and more fun) to achieve.
Jean
how come none of the stores in my area have sales like this?!?!
Crystal, I was just wondering if you have extreme thirst and ice cravings? I had this in my last pregnancy, I was miserable with it, actually, and had trouble with anemia. I could never figure out if the thirst was related to my blood sugar or anemia, but I know it made my last trimester a miserable time.
Me again! Your daughter is a sweetie. I’m so glad you included her in the post. Golly, is she is growing up!
The Saturday haul looks deliciously impressive. What I love about your grocery photos is that you choose real food over lots of processed fare.
Good work
Jean
Somebody just told me today that molasses is apparently high in iron. So if you can stomach a spoonful of that (or maybe top some biscuits with it), I’ve been told it works.
I also found that Shredded Wheat cereal is high in iron.
After reading your Walgreens deal, I think my cashier lied to me! Last week I was able to get the $5 Register Rewards when my total BEFORE coupons was over $25. This time, I had two separate orders set up that would each have been $25 BEFORE coupons, but she told me it had to be $25 AFTER coupons and that last week it must have been a fluke. I believed her, combined my orders, paid $27 out of pocket and got my $5 RR for next time. I bought mostly items that I will get mail-in rebate money for, so this trip will only really cost me a dollar or two out of pocket, but if I really could have gotten two of the $5 rewards, I’d like to make sure I do the deal properly next week if I come up with enough stuff to make it worthwhile. (I read somewhere else that the rumor is they will have the deal thru the end of the year.)
Anyhow, thanks for this posting and especially for including your daughter in the picture. She’s a cutie pie!!
I just wanted to let you know that I had the same pregnancy induced problems as well during my last pregnancy. They even have a very long medical name for it. My baby is 5 months old and I am still working on bringing my levels back up. One of my doctors put me on B-12 injections which is really helping. It might be worth checking out.
Much like you I stumped the Drs. who tried everything under the sun to get my iron levels up. Then a dear Godly women told me to try cooking in cast iron. Not only did it work, but I was able to stop taking all the iron supplements other than the one in my prenat vitamin. Worth a try! Buy a pan or borrow one and start just one meal a day. I have lots of receipts, I could share. And once you get the hang of the pans it is easy. Last pregnancy I had no problems with iron and I have been animic for 16 years.
I know you’ve gotten quite a few iron tips, but I thought I’d share a few more since I know from past posts that you like to lean more towards whole foods!
As you probably already know, you don’t need meat for protein-just the 22 amino acids. Meat does leave more waste for your body to process which is taxing on the kidneys; something to think about if you’re feeling run down. Also, iron absorption is blocked by about 60% if eaten around/with dairy foods. So if you want the full affect of the meat, don’t eat cheese on a hamburger, etc. I’ve always wondered if this was a God’s reason for Jewish dietary laws restricting dairy and meat eaten around the same times. Something to think about!
Someone else mentioned leafy greens too-they’re chock full of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Sea greens are even better if you can handle them without being nausious. Some sea greens have more calcium than milk, more iron than eggs, and B-12!
If you’re up for trying it this is a great protein drink~ Mix 1/2 cup vanilla rice milk, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup orange juice, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp toasted wheat germ, 2 tsp molasses, 1 tsp vanilla, one pinch of cinnamon. ~Joy~
Another Walgreens deal:
Seventh Generation Natural Spray Cleaners on clearance for $2.29
plus use a $1.00 off printable coupon from http://www.seventhgeneration.com
pay $1.29 and this is a good deal considering the regular price is over $4.00.
You got a lot of great stuff this week. Your daughter is too cute. Wishing you a healthy pregnancy!
Hi Crystal,
While I did not experience pregnancy-related anemia and can’t provide advice on experience, I wondered if you’ve seen a nutritionist or dietician to help you? When I was pregnant I had gestational diabetes and severe hemorrhoids along with nasty leg cramps, and I consulted with an LD/RD who was able to help me choose foods that I could eat and help me with those issues. For example, even though I have a Masters of Public Health, I didn’t know all the breakdowns of nutrition of some foods.
Like how pears have more fiber than prunes! Or how bananas could help the leg cramps and blood sugar issues. Being able to treat naturally and get the nutrition you need is better for health and the pocketbook!
Best wishes on a healthy pregnancy!
Jessica
Thank you for your transparency. We all know you are diligent to ensure you adhere to your budget. Sometimes, life happens. The decision to up your budget to meet your needs shows balance shows wisdom. We’ll all keep you in our prayers.
We have a walgreens opening not a 2 minute walk from here! I can not wait, though there is one 5 minutes away by car.
Glad you’re doing what it takes to keep your baby healthy! Thanks for the excellent reminder about the dollar amount of one’s grocery budget. I was feeling guilty because we recently raised our budget from $75 to $100/week, but that extra $25 made the difference between struggling every week or actually feeling like I can actually DO it!
Is HELLP syndrome a factor at all in your pregnancy anemia issues? I assume it’s been ruled out since you had so many tests and lots of doctor’s input; but it’s something that’s often missed so I figured it was worth bringing up!
Finally–and again, you’ve probably already tried everything!–blackstrap molasses IS a good source of iron, as mentioned above, but iron is much more effective when taken with vitamin C. Its effect is negated when taken with dairy. I have friends with postpartum anemia issues who will drink a spoonful of blackstrap molasses mixed into a glass of orange juice (they were mixing it into milk until they discovered how ineffective that is!) every day.
There is a great new Publix advantage buy savings flyer out. Everyone needs to check out the great deals. I am new to blogging- but love letting people know where the best deals are.
You have a wonderful website and Happy Holidays!!
Crystal I accidently messed up and linked to the wrong site. I expect you to remove entry #116. Sorry about that.
Hi Crystal, a friend of mine is pregnant and anemic and her doc told her to load up on cream of wheat, she said it has more iron than beef! Don’t know if its true but its worth a look, its probably a lot cheaper too!
I hope everything goes smoothly this time. I love your blog, you are such an inspiration.
Crystal- Your budget is still under mine!! I hope that the red meat will help you start to feel better. It’s only for a season. I’m so glad you are taking care of yourself. You are a busy lady!!
Glad to hear you’re taking prophylactic action against the anemia. I hope it all goes well.
Great post, Crystal! It is important to do thing according to what is best for our family at the time!
Your body must need a certain type of iron….or you may not absorb it properly which causes the anemia. I have an iron issue with having signs of anemia with a very high iron count and cannot take iron in any pill, but I do okay with iron from cast iron (cook your tomatoes and stuff in it). they used to recommend if you were anemic (in old pregnancy books) to add a iron horseshoe to your chili. Anyhow, i hope this time the meat and iron work for you and you have a healthy pregnancy.
I’m sure you already know this, but I’ll mention it because I just learned it in my nutrition class and others may not know it: make sure you are not consuming milk or any other dairy products or tea or coffee with your iron sources. The calcium and phosphorus in milk and the tannins in tea or coffee strongly inhibit iron absorption.
Good luck with the pregnancy!
As a healthcare professional, I wanted to let you know that low hemoglobin plus low platelet count in pregnancy is NOT simple anemia. You could take all the iron in the world and it would not help. You most likely have a type of auto-immune disease that is causing your body to prodcue antibodies to the fetus- that it recognizes as a foreign body. You should be tested for these antibodies or a clotting disorder. Most likely you are producing tiny blood clots in your placenta. This is putting the fetus at risk. You should be on baby aspirin or heparin injections or both. Best regards, JMD
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Money Saving Mom here: That’s interesting that you would say that as that’s exactly what the doctors said last time around. However, the oddest thing was that after running batteries of test (and I do mean “batteries of tests”–I think they tested me for everyone under the sun and then some!), all the tests turned up that I didn’t have an auto-immune disorder or clotting disorder. And the doctors were beyond stumped and it still remains a mystery.
I am really curious to see how this time goes. I’m getting lots of extra blood tests done just to really monitor things this time and am hopeful that maybe I’ll fare better but that remains to be seen.
I hope you are feeling well, and wish you a happy, healthy pregnancy. People should set budgets that work for their circumstances, and kudos to you for all the helpful advice you’ve posted in this forum. Cheers!
Your daughter is absolutely adorable!
I really enjoy this blog a lot. I’ve considered myself frugal for years, but only started “really” couponing last spring. It’s taken a bit for my family to understand why I seem to be stockpiling so much, but now that they’ve seen the total amount I’m spending plummet they are starting to get it. I’m married and have two teenage boys and I make sure to discuss my shopping strategies at dinner so the kids can learn. Got a big kick out of my older son telling me how his friends went into 7-11 and got a 24 oz soda for a buck and some change, then he went in to the same store and got a 2-liter bottle for about 10 cents more. At least I know he’s been paying attention. Hopefully, it will help him out later in life.
Thank you for your continued updates. This post in particular I appreciate… At times I’ve asked myself when meal planning – what would MSM do? And to an extent – was disappointed that I don’t have budgets like yours. I appreciate you, and love how empowered you are.
Really great site. It is a full time job, isn’t it? When all of my kids were still at home, I would go to several stores each week looking for the best bargains. I bet nobody has told you to “enjoy it”. You will miss these crazy days when you are an empty nester. So “enjoy it”. Take care of yourself and get as much rest as possible. Many Blessings to you and your family.
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