Photo By Bob Reck

Being Thrifty and Natural is not always hard. Using more natural products to help my family stay well can actually help costs. By doing some of the following, I avoid making too many trips to the doctor, and save on prescription and gas costs.

Here are the must haves in our home:

Probiotics
I’m sure you’ve heard of them before. Yogurt companies have recently latched onto this idea of immunity boosting with probiotics. Unfortunately, our bodies are so depleted of probiotics from being on antibiotics, that eating yogurt isn’t enough. If you have been on antibiotics even once in your life, your body is seriously depleted of the good bacteria that it needs. Supplementing with a good probiotic is the way to go.

Children get into a cycle of having ear infections and getting sick repeatedly because they don’t have the good bacteria that their bodies need to fight infection. This is why many of you are dealing with 4+ ear infections a year. Build up your child’s immunity with some good bacteria. There are plenty of choices in this area. I purchase our probiotics from Nature’s Sunshine. It’s a good quality company, and I know I am getting the best. But, you can find Bifidophilus and Acidophilus (the actual names of pro-biotics) at almost any store and online as well. Vitacost is a good place to get them as well.

Kyolic
I swear by this product. It is an aged garlic that works wonders. For a long time garlic has been known for its healing and immunity-boosting properties. I use to suffer from serious bladder infections, until someone told me about this product. If you have ever had a bladder infection, you know how terrible and painful they are.

One time I started to feel a bladder infection coming on, and I took this product a couple times the first day. To my amazement I did not get sick! I supplemented with this a few more times, and I have not had another bladder infection since. Whenever I think one of us might be coming down with something, we each get a little of this, and we stay healthy! I even give it to my 7 month old. I just put the liquid on a spoon and give it to her.

Two bottles of this in the store cost over $20, but at Vitacost you can get them for $13.89.

Garlic Oil
This is specifcally to put in the ears to prevent and even during an ear infection. It’s good during the summer when the kid’s are in the pool a lot, or in the winter when they are prone to sickness. If your child has a cold or even strep, the mucus can back up into their ears. This is how ear infections start. Use this if your child has the cold, flu or strep to prevent an ear infection.

Vitamins/supplements
This should go without saying, but unforunately many people are not taking vitamins and supplements every day. Our diets are seriously depleted of the nutrients we need to stay healthy. That’s why it is imperitive that we take good vitamins and supplements. We get ours from Nature’s Sunshine as well. There are lots of vitamins out there, but not all are good. You want to be sure that you have a good quality supplement to take. Many companies put awful things in their vitamins to hold them together, so be careful.

Airborne
This is a product most people are familiar with. If I feel something coming on, I will take one of these, and also give a little to my son. They have a kid’s one, but I just give him half of the adult size. Last week I thought I was coming down with a cold. I took one of these in the morning, and another one later in the day. I was fine, and did not get sick.

Teas
Who doesn’t like a warm cup of tea during the winter? There are lots of teas that are great for immunity boosting. You can make your own with dried herbs from a local shop, or just buy a box of tea bags form your local store. One of my favorite brands of teas is Traditional Medicinals. I use their Throat Coat to help with a cold. It is so nice on a sore throat, and has great herbs to help you get better.

They also have teas for children. I use the Nighty Night and Cold Care for my little guy. He gets it every so often during the cold months. You can find these teas at local grocery stores, or online. I got a whole bunched marked down at Kroger a few months ago. They don’t expire for another two years, and I paid less than $2 a box for them.

________________________________________________

Keep all of these things on hand, and continue to build up your family’s immunity with them. My son will be 3 in April, and has only been seriously sick one time. And this was because I was not supplementing like I should have.

I like Vitacost the best out of any place to get products. They are cheaper than any store that I have been in, and they have 4.99 flat rate shipping. If you can combine your order with a friend or family member’s order, you both can split the cost of shipping to save even more. I also shop through Ebates when I buy from Vitacost so that I save even more money.

I believe that if you will get these few things, and properly use them to help your family, you will be well and thrive! And as an added bonus, you will save money!

What are some things that you do to help your family stay well?