Simpler Living column: Raising kids on the lean and green

While I haven't been blogging lately, I have been writing my "Simpler Living" column for Bankrate Canada.

Here's the latest installment on raising kids on the lean and green.

"One of the reasons we moved to our farm last summer was to lead a greener, simpler life. We wanted to provide that kind of life for our children, but as most parents know, life with kids is anything but simple. It's also not cheap.

According to the Canadian Council on Social Development, it costs approximately $167,000 to raise a child to age 18. The biggest expenses, after child care and shelter, are food, clothing and recreation.

We're trying to reduce our grocery bills by keeping a vegetable garden, starting a fruit orchard and tending to a motley crew of egg-laying chickens and ducks. When fall comes, we'll preserve as much of the harvest as we can and fill our pantry and freezer with our own sun-kissed goodness. We stock up when items go on sale, buy in season, bake when we can and choose home cooking over convenience meals.

So if these actions help address the major expenses, what about clothing and recreation?"

To read more, please click here.