Food allergies

children costs blackham
Kim and Aaron Blackham with their four children.
  • Name: Kim and Aaron Blackham
  • City: Tampa, Fla.

Grocery shopping for a family of six is expensive enough, but when the family includes a child with food allergies the bill gets even steeper.

After learning that their 5-year-old son is allergic to gluten, dairy and food dyes, Kim Blackham's grocery bill has jumped by nearly $200 a month.

She now buys almond milk, dairy-free cheese and gluten-free bread, among other items — all of which costs at least double what she used to spend.

Related: The average cost of raising a child hits $245,000

"We have had to be super creative in a lot of things to make it work," she said about raising a family on a tight budget.

To cut costs, the family has been driving older cars, borrowing movies from the library for free and nixing purchases of the latest gadgets.

First published August 18, 2014: 8:35 AM ET

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