40 Count Bag of Chicken Nuggets $13.19 @ McD’s
Farmfresh Foods [Pet Food] 30-day supply $50.00
Totino’s Pepperoni 50 Count $6.00
Danish 6 Count $7.99
Pop Tart 4 Count $2.09
Toaster Streudels $5.44
Crepe’s Fresh 10 Count $10.99
Whole Cheesecake 9″-10″ $10.00-$15.00
English Muffins $3.97

With the cost of everything rising, we’re all looking for ways to make our dollars stretch. I know some of you might be rolling your eyes and thinking, “Here she goes again,” but hear me out.

How many of you work for a disorganized company? How many of you are constantly belittled, questioned, untrusted, pushed back on, or stuck in the endless dance of “20 steps forward, 15 steps back,” only to have things shift completely the next day? How many of you sit at your desk during lunch because your bosses think being salaried means you’re always available? How many log into your computers on weekends to “catch up” just to stay ahead?

How many of you compromise your moral compass every day just to make that dollar? How many worry about being fired, replaced, demoted, or—worse—given extra work without compensation, like sales projects? Every day, we work our tails off to earn a living, and yet someone always wants a piece of that dollar—often people we can’t push back on. Our dollars are diminishing daily, sometimes by the second.

Now that I’ve painted a grim picture, here’s my “cure.” The list I just outlined—the items I shared earlier—adds up to approximately $105.71, not including tax. Depending on where you live, tax can run as high as 10%, but in my county, it’s 7.75%, which brings it to $113.90. And that’s only for breakfast items and dog food—not produce, meats, pasta, or anything else. Even Costco doesn’t escape this reality when you break it down.

This daily “American life” toxicity—stress, pressure, and constant demands—spills over into our homes and our children’s lives. The people we’re trying to please, the bosses breathing down our necks, the endless demands—it all adds up. How can we not feel that stress?

My solution? Baking and making my own foods at home. Not only is it therapeutic, but it also teaches my kids math, fractions, chemistry, home economics, and stress relief. Rolling out dough transfers energy into the kneading process. The sensory action of pushing, folding, and rolling is like massaging the soul.

I’ve come to understand why life felt simpler when we made things from scratch. I love my kids—even when they do the silly, frustrating things teenagers do. I love them despite their broken promises or incomplete commitments. Through food and home cooking, I teach them to work hard so they can do better than I did and hopefully avoid some of the challenges we all face daily.

And this is why D3 & Co was born.