Showing posts with label budgeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budgeting. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2012
TV and Cable expenses
A little over two years ago, my family demanded cable. We'd had it off and on while we got situated to our new life in the city but when we moved to our current apartment we did subscribe to television. It was July and we had plenty of movies and non-tv activities to occupy us. Winter in the Palouse is very cold and dark. TV becomes a source of entertainment and in some cases the only source. We had bundled our cable and internet which proved to be an amazing deal. We could add Directv for just a little more.
That December we gave in and added Directv to our lives. It was more than affordable. We got a ton of channels and Showtime for free. We made sure to cancel the Showtime before the free trial ended. What we didn't expect is that the bill would grow and grow until we were paying nearly $100 for our cable. The worst part - we signed a two year contract and we were stuck.
Those two years were up this past December. Keeping up with that bill was hard and we eventually opted to rid ourselves of Directv. I will say we loved the service and we were spoiled by the DVR and the number of channels. We didn't watch enough tv to justify $100. (I will say trying to cancel was tough - no one was responsible for helping us cancel and now we can't get them to take the equipment that they say we won't return and will have to pay $250 for.)
We had already started working on an alternate plan. Before canceling we wrote down all the shows we DVR'd. It didn't take long for us to find out which ones we could watch on the internet for free and which ones we had to come up with an alternate plan.
Some we just have to give up or wait until they are released on DVD. At first that was hard but now that we've been doing this for a few weeks, we actually forget what shows we have missed. It's not that important and we are finding other things to watch (we are just showing signs of the weather changing). During this time, we've done all the free trial memberships - Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime.
We loved the Netflix. My son has discovered a ton of new anime series. My husband and I got to enjoy tv shows we either watched ages ago or always thought we wanted to watch but were up against other things. We've been working our way through Supernatural and have talked about doing Lost next.
We like Hulu anyway and found that the Hulu Plus membership did make some shows more accessible. Both of those are only $7.99 a month. We started a real membership to Netflix this week but are going to wait on the Hulu Plus until this fall when all the shows start premiering again. Now Hulu Plus does make some shows accessible earlier than waiting for them to be available for free. Fox holds their shows for non-paying viewers for 8 days. We have felt that waiting those 8 days was not all that big of a deal except a lot of the shows we like weren't on during March so the family felt they had waited enough. We're back to the waiting game now and I didn't take the time to look for shows that weren't available for free such as those on TNT and Discovery channel. However, both those channels release their shows on DVD so we can wait.
As for Amazon Prime - we didn't get it. We don't do that much shopping online and their tv/movie streaming for that price wasn't worth it. If you shop from them on a regular basis, the cost is the same as Netflix but it's a one lump sum for the year. There are other benefits to Amazon Prime that might suit you but as for just watching tv it wasn't worth it.
My husband did find a site - that I can't remember the name of - that offers some better access to some shows. He swears to me he did all the research to prove it was a legitimate site but I still have my doubts.
The last thing I want to share is how we are watching these shows. Currently we have a HDMI cable strung from our computer to our tv. This is a cheap solution but we hope to keep it temporary. There are some disadvantages to this system - the sound goes through the computer and not our tv and it limits what can be done on the computer while watching tv.
There is a cheap solution to this that we are saving towards - a streaming media player. These devices attach to the television and allow access to sites such as netflix and hulu. This won't be perfect because you can only access the programed sites (the salesclerk said they act like apps so you can add more). We figure we have the hooking the computer to the tv perfected so we can use that when we have other sites we want to watch. The other thing is you need wireless. We found a good router for about $25. We figure that the entire set-up will cost us about 1 months worth of cable - not too bad.
I'm including a link to a media streaming device. We're buying ours from the local Walmart and they only offer one type and one brand but we felt it met our needs. However, I can't remember what it is so this is one that is about the same price and a chance to see what I am talking about.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Saving Money and Frustrations
Living on a budget and trying to save your health and the environment can get to be frustrating. Last year we invested in a big bag of soap nuts. The price was reasonable when you considered all it was replacing. For $35 we had laundry soap, bath soap, shampoo, etc. The only problem was we didn't like it. My family hated the feel of the soap on their skin and hair. I hated that it went bad so I had to constantly make fresh batches and keep them in the refrigerator (which meant remembering to take it out and using really cold soap on our bodies). Eventually, it just became laundry soap. Our laundry grew dimmer and dimmer over the months until one day my husband announced he had had it. He does the laundry in our home and he just couldn't do it any more. I was so grateful because I could stand the fact that my clothes looked awful and the static was enough to kill us all. It just didn't work for us. The worst part is I still have half a bag of soap nuts that I have to figure out what to do with (supposedly they make great insect repellent so that's what we'll be using it for).
This is just one example of how hard it is to do the right thing. Last night was grocery night. There were sales we didn't want to miss so mid-week shopping was what we had to do. I can't control when the food stamps arrive or when pay day is - fortunately they are on the same day. That meant late evening shopping which is frustrating enough.
We started at our Co-op. The plan was to buy the hamburger there. The price has been $2.89 and if you buy three packs you get it for $2.59. The meat department was dark by the time we made it there (that in its self is a long terrible story but not all that important except to say I was already tired). The hamburger was $3.39. What!? My mother was there on Sunday and it was $2.89. After a time and me nearly leaving without hamburger. The lovely man that was helping us had finally found someone who knew something about the deal. We got 30 cents off a pound and bought the last four packs (two for us and two for my dad). We ended up paying $3.09 a pound. It's still a better deal but 50 cents in two days is a huge price jump.
I did find a huge container of plain yogurt for just over $5 which was great because I wanted to start adding yogurt back into my lunch. This will get me a months worth and then I can save some to make my own (I forgot to save some from my last batch).
On to store number 2. I had 2 things I wanted to get there - butter for $1.69 a pound and milk. Before we gave up milk we bought it there. The milk was from a local(ish) farm and was amazing, except I can't remember the name of the farm. There were three choices at the store - generic for $2.49, Dairygold for $2.99 and one organic brand for over $6. No local farm milk. I did peek at the milk at the co-op and there was nothing there for less than $6 a gallon. I can't do it. I remember the milk we bought wasn't that pricey, when did organic milk become over twice the price of the non-organic milk. No organic milk for us this month.
I head for the butter. It's a generic brand for $1.99 with a coupon for 30 cents off. Not bad, except I forgot this is Idaho and even if you use food stamps, they tax the coupons. I didn't even think about it. As we were checking out, my son was going on about how he wanted some change and I hadn't even brought in my purse so I had nothing. That's when the girl at the counter asked if we had 12 cents to pay the tax. I understand that 12 cents is not much but it's inconvenient. I think it's horrible and the state's way of preventing those who use food stamps from using coupons. It's nearly a scam - the food is not taxed because of the food stamps but the coupons are. It's the whole reason I refuse to use coupons. I know if I think about this rationally - I saved $1.80 and they only want me to pay 12 cents but I have to tell you - I never have change. Change is what my son always takes. He loves the change, always had and I don't have a problem giving him the pennies and what not I find. But I, also, rarely deal in cash so change is not something I always have.
By this time we had spent most of our food stamps (down to $18) and had 6 different foods to feed my family - hamburger, yogurt, milk, eggs, butter and flour (my wonderful husband had picked up the flour earlier in the day). For those who are keeping track - we started with $92.
I'm fully frustrated. I don't know how I'm going to feed my family. Our cupboards are getting barer and barer each month. I still have a ton of applesauce but that's not any good if I don't have more to go with it. We're working our way through the grains we have in the pantry and the beans but I still haven't got a plan in place for when they are gone. I still have the option of going to the store right now but it makes me think of what will happen if I don't have that option.
What if the world really does end? I worry about the economy and the environment. I've always been a nature lover but over the past few years I have been learning about what nature really provides for us. I get to thinking about the weeds - there's food and nutrition out there but there's also pesticides and herbicides and natural poisons. This winter has opened my eyes. I have to learn more, be vigilant in finding free or inexpensive sources of food, and find ways of preserving that food without coating it in sugar or salt.
I know I'm not alone in this. I'm finding a growing community of people who want the same thing - sustainable sources of healthy food. That I am grateful for.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Monday Morning
I thought I had a recipe in mind for today but I can't remember what it was to save my life. I'm having a braindead sort of day. Tomorrow is grocery day which means things are a little tight in the kitchen.
Yesterday I made graham crackers out of nothing but graham flour since I had no other wheat flour in the house. They are good. Have a sort of coconutty texture and flavor to them which was weird since I had only thought about adding coconut flour. I'm guessing that the graham flour lends a sort of coconut feeling. I left out the spices so they are rather plain and cracker like but we were going to make s'mores (until we discovered the buckets of candy my dad brought for Easter). I did make marshmallows, opting to use frangelico in place of the vanilla. It didn't really change the flavor but we'll see how they roast.
Let's see what else do I have to share. My dad made an amazing ham for Easter. I'll get his glaze and share. He always uses a recipe so it's easy to get them from him. I know the glaze had mustard and maple syrup. I used the drippings on my mashed potatoes - what an amazing meaty sweet sauce it made.
Speaking of ham, that's got some good prices right now. All the Easter sales carry on until tomorrow so we'll be shopping in the evening of a work night. I prefer shopping on the weekend so I have time but we want to hit the remaining sales. One store has butter for $1.69 a pound so we'll be stocking up. We're moving away from the Nucoa. We're reinvestigating my husband's dairy allergy since he hasn't gotten any healthier staying away from the dairy. We'll be on the lookout for a local milk that I know has been sold in the area before. I just can't remember the name so that's my mission for tomorrow. We'll be buying hamburger from the co-op. It's local beef and ground there at the store. If you buy 3 packages it's $2.59 a pound. Slightly higher than my $2 a pound limit but I have discovered that it's not working. We are so sick of chicken thighs. We're also worried about all the new discoveries they are making when it comes to meat products. The co-op also sells chickens for $1.99 a pound but at the moment it's whole chickens so we'll look into that next month.
Still working on researching foods and I think we're moving in the right direction. We're back to butter and getting rid of the plasticy Nucoa. We've been investigating coconut oil. At this moment, we haven't switched because the best price is mail-order and I'm just not ready for that yet. I make lotions and soaps so having large quantities of coconut oil is good (the stuff I have now I'm not sure is good for eating so when that is gone, we'll be buying new stuff that will be food-grade). I'll share more on that when we get around to the order.
Safeway has the whole white wheat flour on sale for $4.69 (new regular price $4.99) until tuesday. My son didn't think 30 cents was much of a sale but when we started explaining that last month we paid $5.09 but prior to that we paid $5.39, it feels like a much better sale. Still not $1.99 like white flour but we'll take what we can get.
We're skipping the bountiful basket this week because of the season. It's just hasn't been a great selection and we're so full of apples and pears that we want to wait to get into a new season of foods before buying again. We may get one next week or wait until towards the end of the month. We've gotten a little back-up with some of the produce so it gives us a chance to use everything up.
Yesterday I made graham crackers out of nothing but graham flour since I had no other wheat flour in the house. They are good. Have a sort of coconutty texture and flavor to them which was weird since I had only thought about adding coconut flour. I'm guessing that the graham flour lends a sort of coconut feeling. I left out the spices so they are rather plain and cracker like but we were going to make s'mores (until we discovered the buckets of candy my dad brought for Easter). I did make marshmallows, opting to use frangelico in place of the vanilla. It didn't really change the flavor but we'll see how they roast.
Let's see what else do I have to share. My dad made an amazing ham for Easter. I'll get his glaze and share. He always uses a recipe so it's easy to get them from him. I know the glaze had mustard and maple syrup. I used the drippings on my mashed potatoes - what an amazing meaty sweet sauce it made.
Speaking of ham, that's got some good prices right now. All the Easter sales carry on until tomorrow so we'll be shopping in the evening of a work night. I prefer shopping on the weekend so I have time but we want to hit the remaining sales. One store has butter for $1.69 a pound so we'll be stocking up. We're moving away from the Nucoa. We're reinvestigating my husband's dairy allergy since he hasn't gotten any healthier staying away from the dairy. We'll be on the lookout for a local milk that I know has been sold in the area before. I just can't remember the name so that's my mission for tomorrow. We'll be buying hamburger from the co-op. It's local beef and ground there at the store. If you buy 3 packages it's $2.59 a pound. Slightly higher than my $2 a pound limit but I have discovered that it's not working. We are so sick of chicken thighs. We're also worried about all the new discoveries they are making when it comes to meat products. The co-op also sells chickens for $1.99 a pound but at the moment it's whole chickens so we'll look into that next month.
Still working on researching foods and I think we're moving in the right direction. We're back to butter and getting rid of the plasticy Nucoa. We've been investigating coconut oil. At this moment, we haven't switched because the best price is mail-order and I'm just not ready for that yet. I make lotions and soaps so having large quantities of coconut oil is good (the stuff I have now I'm not sure is good for eating so when that is gone, we'll be buying new stuff that will be food-grade). I'll share more on that when we get around to the order.
Safeway has the whole white wheat flour on sale for $4.69 (new regular price $4.99) until tuesday. My son didn't think 30 cents was much of a sale but when we started explaining that last month we paid $5.09 but prior to that we paid $5.39, it feels like a much better sale. Still not $1.99 like white flour but we'll take what we can get.
We're skipping the bountiful basket this week because of the season. It's just hasn't been a great selection and we're so full of apples and pears that we want to wait to get into a new season of foods before buying again. We may get one next week or wait until towards the end of the month. We've gotten a little back-up with some of the produce so it gives us a chance to use everything up.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Confessions
I have the hope that this blog will keep me honest but also encourage me to be an example. The same idea is behind a food journal - being honest helps you understand why you are eating what you are eating.
I forgot to mention that one reason for sharing my menus was to keep me thinking about the image I want to present. I want to be a beacon of light in these dark times. Show how one can eat healthy on a very tight budget. Stand up for those who can't, speak out on the real issues when it comes to food.
Then last night the worst thing happened. My husband and I didn't have a dinner plan. Our son was going to out that evening having dinner with a group so it was just us - us and no plan. Not a problem, we'll come up with something but it didn't work out that way. The overstuffed refrigerator was just overwelming. Normally, it would feel like a blessing but last night, tired and hungry, it was just too much to think about. So I mentioned pizza and my husband jumped at the idea.
We snuck down to Little Caesar's and picked up a $5 pepperoni pizza. We topped it with fresh tomato at home but then panic struck. How was I going to explain this on the blog? Maybe I could just pretend to forget to post, could I dangle something better to make you not notice that I didn't post my menu. No - I had to be honest. The truth is - this happens and it happens a lot for some families. Not having a dinner plan leaves the family rushing out for something less than nutritious. Now we have about $10-20 in our food budget for these moments. We spend our $90 in food stamps and $30 (most months) on bountiful baskets so we're not actually spending the $150 food budget I mentioned so there is still some leeway for a pizza or two.
However, I felt guilty. I knew I had done something wrong. What does that say about our view of food. It was just my husband and I so one pizza was more than filling. We got our basic food groups - cheese, bread, tomatoes and pepperoni. It might not have been the healthiest choice but we didn't go hog wild. The money made us feel a little guilty but we had it.
For the two meals prior - we ate leftovers. Leftover scones for breakfast, then leftovers from sunday dinner for lunch. We had the same for breakfast today and I will have the same for lunch as well. So where did the guilt come from?
That's something I'll have to ponder and get back to you with an answer. Tomorrow I'll share my recipe for potato candy. I may have shared it before but I made some this week for my son's get-together yesterday and made some changes (not ones I had intended to make either). The result was a really tasty treat.
I forgot to mention that one reason for sharing my menus was to keep me thinking about the image I want to present. I want to be a beacon of light in these dark times. Show how one can eat healthy on a very tight budget. Stand up for those who can't, speak out on the real issues when it comes to food.
Then last night the worst thing happened. My husband and I didn't have a dinner plan. Our son was going to out that evening having dinner with a group so it was just us - us and no plan. Not a problem, we'll come up with something but it didn't work out that way. The overstuffed refrigerator was just overwelming. Normally, it would feel like a blessing but last night, tired and hungry, it was just too much to think about. So I mentioned pizza and my husband jumped at the idea.
We snuck down to Little Caesar's and picked up a $5 pepperoni pizza. We topped it with fresh tomato at home but then panic struck. How was I going to explain this on the blog? Maybe I could just pretend to forget to post, could I dangle something better to make you not notice that I didn't post my menu. No - I had to be honest. The truth is - this happens and it happens a lot for some families. Not having a dinner plan leaves the family rushing out for something less than nutritious. Now we have about $10-20 in our food budget for these moments. We spend our $90 in food stamps and $30 (most months) on bountiful baskets so we're not actually spending the $150 food budget I mentioned so there is still some leeway for a pizza or two.
However, I felt guilty. I knew I had done something wrong. What does that say about our view of food. It was just my husband and I so one pizza was more than filling. We got our basic food groups - cheese, bread, tomatoes and pepperoni. It might not have been the healthiest choice but we didn't go hog wild. The money made us feel a little guilty but we had it.
For the two meals prior - we ate leftovers. Leftover scones for breakfast, then leftovers from sunday dinner for lunch. We had the same for breakfast today and I will have the same for lunch as well. So where did the guilt come from?
That's something I'll have to ponder and get back to you with an answer. Tomorrow I'll share my recipe for potato candy. I may have shared it before but I made some this week for my son's get-together yesterday and made some changes (not ones I had intended to make either). The result was a really tasty treat.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Menus and Peppered Bacon and Pear Scones
I was talking with my mother on Friday and we got to talking about keeping a record of what we eat especially when it comes to how we use the foods we forage. I've been struggling a little with this blog because I haven't found a good way to share how we survive the month with our food budget. I have shared recipes and grocery budgets but that doesn't touch the day to day ways we stretch our food and the mistakes we make. Starting this week, I will be sharing our daily menus as well as recipes and tips. It may need some tweaking so please be patient while I figure out how best to share this information.
Sundays are a family dinner day and consists of a sort of potluck centered around a theme or main dish. Currently, we are down to just us and my dad. Sometimes we get more family and weird combinations as people just bring something to share.
This Sunday we wanted to do something Irish in honor of St Pat's day but no corned beef. My mother had given us a roast that she found in her freezer - she wasn't quite sure what it was or what condition it was in but we're forever scavengers so we gladly took it.
We got our Bountiful Baskets on Saturday. In the basket we had - romaine lettuce, tomatoes, spring onions, some kale looking leafy green (that no one was able to identify), potatoes, granny smith apples, 2 english cucumbers, carrots, oranges, melon, and 2 cabbages. I think that was everything.
We centered our meal around the roast and his basket (since it's really just him, he likes to use it when we eat with him). We cooked the roast in the crockpot for 6 hours. We had covered it onion soup I had made weeks before (we froze the excess). It was amazing. My dad made a salad of lettuce, shredded carrots, chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. Then he grated Cougar Gold Cheese over the top. Then he chopped up a cabbage and sauteed it with garlic and soy sauce. We microwaved some potatoes while I made a gravy out of the onion soup (1/2 stick butter, 1 cup flour and all the soup). We finished the meal with some cupcakes my father made (cake mix, frosting and grated coconut).
That was dinner. I had made breakfast late in the day so we only had the two meals.
Breakfast was Peppered Bacon and Pear Scones. We have some overly ripe pears that need to be cooked so you'll be seeing a lot of pear dishes this week. I had come across a recipe for Peppered Pear Scones and thought they would be wonderful with the peppery bacon I had purchased this month. These have no added sugar and just a touch of fat making them fairly healthy and super tasty.
Peppered Bacon and Pear Scones
2 cups chopped over-ripe pears (removing core and seeds but leaving skin)
2 cups whole wheat white flour
2 teas baking powder
1/4 teas baking soda
4 slices thick cut peppered bacon
2 eggs
1 TB Molasses
1/4 cup milk
Bake bacon in the oven (lay bacon on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet) at 350 until crisp. Meanwhile make batter. Add flour to a bowl with baking powder and baking soda. Beat in eggs and molasses. Mix in pears, taking care not to break them down too much. Using scissors, cut bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and drop into bowl. Add 1 tablespoon bacon grease, try to get the meat drippings and extra pepper in the process. Mix thoroughly. Drizzle in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter is wet. Pour onto a baking sheet and smooth out until an even 1/2-3/4 inch. The batter will be rather wet.
Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve warm with butter.
Sundays are a family dinner day and consists of a sort of potluck centered around a theme or main dish. Currently, we are down to just us and my dad. Sometimes we get more family and weird combinations as people just bring something to share.
This Sunday we wanted to do something Irish in honor of St Pat's day but no corned beef. My mother had given us a roast that she found in her freezer - she wasn't quite sure what it was or what condition it was in but we're forever scavengers so we gladly took it.
We got our Bountiful Baskets on Saturday. In the basket we had - romaine lettuce, tomatoes, spring onions, some kale looking leafy green (that no one was able to identify), potatoes, granny smith apples, 2 english cucumbers, carrots, oranges, melon, and 2 cabbages. I think that was everything.
We centered our meal around the roast and his basket (since it's really just him, he likes to use it when we eat with him). We cooked the roast in the crockpot for 6 hours. We had covered it onion soup I had made weeks before (we froze the excess). It was amazing. My dad made a salad of lettuce, shredded carrots, chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. Then he grated Cougar Gold Cheese over the top. Then he chopped up a cabbage and sauteed it with garlic and soy sauce. We microwaved some potatoes while I made a gravy out of the onion soup (1/2 stick butter, 1 cup flour and all the soup). We finished the meal with some cupcakes my father made (cake mix, frosting and grated coconut).
That was dinner. I had made breakfast late in the day so we only had the two meals.
Breakfast was Peppered Bacon and Pear Scones. We have some overly ripe pears that need to be cooked so you'll be seeing a lot of pear dishes this week. I had come across a recipe for Peppered Pear Scones and thought they would be wonderful with the peppery bacon I had purchased this month. These have no added sugar and just a touch of fat making them fairly healthy and super tasty.
Peppered Bacon and Pear Scones
2 cups chopped over-ripe pears (removing core and seeds but leaving skin)
2 cups whole wheat white flour
2 teas baking powder
1/4 teas baking soda
4 slices thick cut peppered bacon
2 eggs
1 TB Molasses
1/4 cup milk
Bake bacon in the oven (lay bacon on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet) at 350 until crisp. Meanwhile make batter. Add flour to a bowl with baking powder and baking soda. Beat in eggs and molasses. Mix in pears, taking care not to break them down too much. Using scissors, cut bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and drop into bowl. Add 1 tablespoon bacon grease, try to get the meat drippings and extra pepper in the process. Mix thoroughly. Drizzle in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter is wet. Pour onto a baking sheet and smooth out until an even 1/2-3/4 inch. The batter will be rather wet.
Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve warm with butter.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Grocery Shopping for March
Partway through February we knew we had to do something different so we started looking at healthier ways to eat while still maintaining our budget. It's a tough juggling act because healthier feels so much more expensive.
We started our shopping trip at the Co-op. I don't shop much at the co-op because it just feels too expensive but I had earned a free loaf of bread. My son's birthday was this past weekend and he wanted stroganoff for dinner. My husband thought a nice loaf of french bread would be nice. The co-op offers a punch card for bread and we had been saving our cards for years. While there we looked in their bulk bins. I bought organic popcorn on sale for $1.09, the normal price $1.29 (a pound). Walmart's price - $1.48 a pound and it's not organic.
We picked up some organic couscous which was still cheaper than buying it in the box anywhere else and some hulled barley. The hulled barley is something we haven't been able to find. Pearled barley is everywhere and cheap. The difference is as if pearled barley was white flour and hulled barley was whole wheat. Hulled barley is less processed and has more nutrients.
The last thing I found was whole white wheat flour for $5.09 for a 5 pound bag. That's still significantly more expensive than white flour but it was $.30 lower than the best price we had found (and it wasn't even on sale).
Then on to our favorite discount grocery store. The prices weren't as great as I had hoped. We started in the bulk bins and I have to say that really is where everyone should start. Ironically, we found popcorn there for $.80 a pound but I was still happy with my $1.09 for organic. Next time we'll buy the non-organic if we don't see a difference. We picked up legumes and brown rice. I even found instant potatoes which was perfect because we only needed 1 cup for a particular recipe. That saved me not only the discounted price of buying in bulk but I only had to buy about a cup. I was even able to get a small amount of green split peas so I could make some fun St Pat's cupcakes. I sometimes forget how wonderful bulk bins are.
The only meat we bought was chicken thighs at $1.18 a pound, bacon for $2.49 a pound and one steak for X's special dinner. We bought tofu and lots of beans and legumes. This will be a month of vegetarian dishes or limited meat dishes. We broke the package of chicken into freezer bags of 3 thighs (with one bag having 4). For just over $5 we will have 4 meals of chicken. The bacon was thick cut peppered bacon which was broken into packages of about 4 strips each giving us 7 meals.
Cabbage is on a good sale right now - we picked it up for $.48 a pound and bought 10 pounds. That is a minimum of 4 meals depending on how we prepare it. We could stretch it to 8 meals if necessary. We love bacon, onion and cabbage on rice.
We set aside some "money" to see if corned beef goes on sale this week. The best price we found was $1.99 a pound which just wasn't quite low enough for us to feel it was a deal. We love corned beef and the idea of buying a tiny little one just seems so sad. I might pick up a little one anyway and use it in a hash like dish so we can feel like we got some.
I was just thinking, Sunday we went over to my mom's who gave us some odds and ends meats to clean out her freezer. This helps her reduce waste and gives us some extra meat for the month. Included was a whole chicken and a roast. Both of those will feed us for more than one meal so it helps stretch the budget some.
Our son took his birthday money to the store and bought peanut butter because I had forgotten to pick some up and we try to do a once a month shopping to keep a tight hold on the budget.
Ordering a bountiful basket today so we'll have fresh fruits and veggies this weekend. We'll get another basket in 2 weeks, after payday.
We started our shopping trip at the Co-op. I don't shop much at the co-op because it just feels too expensive but I had earned a free loaf of bread. My son's birthday was this past weekend and he wanted stroganoff for dinner. My husband thought a nice loaf of french bread would be nice. The co-op offers a punch card for bread and we had been saving our cards for years. While there we looked in their bulk bins. I bought organic popcorn on sale for $1.09, the normal price $1.29 (a pound). Walmart's price - $1.48 a pound and it's not organic.
We picked up some organic couscous which was still cheaper than buying it in the box anywhere else and some hulled barley. The hulled barley is something we haven't been able to find. Pearled barley is everywhere and cheap. The difference is as if pearled barley was white flour and hulled barley was whole wheat. Hulled barley is less processed and has more nutrients.
The last thing I found was whole white wheat flour for $5.09 for a 5 pound bag. That's still significantly more expensive than white flour but it was $.30 lower than the best price we had found (and it wasn't even on sale).
Then on to our favorite discount grocery store. The prices weren't as great as I had hoped. We started in the bulk bins and I have to say that really is where everyone should start. Ironically, we found popcorn there for $.80 a pound but I was still happy with my $1.09 for organic. Next time we'll buy the non-organic if we don't see a difference. We picked up legumes and brown rice. I even found instant potatoes which was perfect because we only needed 1 cup for a particular recipe. That saved me not only the discounted price of buying in bulk but I only had to buy about a cup. I was even able to get a small amount of green split peas so I could make some fun St Pat's cupcakes. I sometimes forget how wonderful bulk bins are.
The only meat we bought was chicken thighs at $1.18 a pound, bacon for $2.49 a pound and one steak for X's special dinner. We bought tofu and lots of beans and legumes. This will be a month of vegetarian dishes or limited meat dishes. We broke the package of chicken into freezer bags of 3 thighs (with one bag having 4). For just over $5 we will have 4 meals of chicken. The bacon was thick cut peppered bacon which was broken into packages of about 4 strips each giving us 7 meals.
Cabbage is on a good sale right now - we picked it up for $.48 a pound and bought 10 pounds. That is a minimum of 4 meals depending on how we prepare it. We could stretch it to 8 meals if necessary. We love bacon, onion and cabbage on rice.
We set aside some "money" to see if corned beef goes on sale this week. The best price we found was $1.99 a pound which just wasn't quite low enough for us to feel it was a deal. We love corned beef and the idea of buying a tiny little one just seems so sad. I might pick up a little one anyway and use it in a hash like dish so we can feel like we got some.
I was just thinking, Sunday we went over to my mom's who gave us some odds and ends meats to clean out her freezer. This helps her reduce waste and gives us some extra meat for the month. Included was a whole chicken and a roast. Both of those will feed us for more than one meal so it helps stretch the budget some.
Our son took his birthday money to the store and bought peanut butter because I had forgotten to pick some up and we try to do a once a month shopping to keep a tight hold on the budget.
Ordering a bountiful basket today so we'll have fresh fruits and veggies this weekend. We'll get another basket in 2 weeks, after payday.
Friday, March 9, 2012
End of February Experiment
So we decided to change our diet to meet our budget instead of meeting our budget to fit our diet. The result was that we actually saved a good deal of money but that was really the only positive result.
We had a lot of the same dishes over and over. I can tell you I am glad to be on a pasta hiatus after this month and I love pasta. At the end of the month, the meals got tougher and tougher to prepare because we had planned for quick meals - spaghetti and sauce, creamed soups, lots of soups. We thought we had planned for a month but the food went faster.
Since we are used to once a month shopping it didn't really occur to us to go to the store to buy more food. We did stop in for milk and bread but even that seemed to go faster.
Aside from that, we all felt awful. Come towards the end of the month we were so cranky and exhausted. I can't say that it was 100% related to the diet but it was not a fun month to have to live through.
For March, we have decided to try to return to the diet we ate before moving to the city and going gluten free. We ate nothing made of white flour and sought out whole grain foods instead of just whole wheat foods.
It's a more expensive diet but whole grains keep us full longer. We, also, recently got rid of our cable. As strange as it sounds, we no longer feel the need to snack at night and we're going to bed earlier. March looks to be a warmer, sunnier month (in between the rain). It might mean actually having the chance to spend time outside. It might mean some early foraging. If the weather stays nice we should have mushrooms after all the rain.
The other thing we might start this month is organic milk. That will depend on the cost of the whole grains. We might have to alter our diet one item at a time.
On another note - March is National Nutrition Month. I should have mentioned that earlier to explain my reasoning behind all the website reviews. I have one more site I want to share with you but since it's geared towards kids I want to get my son playing on it before I write the review.
We had a lot of the same dishes over and over. I can tell you I am glad to be on a pasta hiatus after this month and I love pasta. At the end of the month, the meals got tougher and tougher to prepare because we had planned for quick meals - spaghetti and sauce, creamed soups, lots of soups. We thought we had planned for a month but the food went faster.
Since we are used to once a month shopping it didn't really occur to us to go to the store to buy more food. We did stop in for milk and bread but even that seemed to go faster.
Aside from that, we all felt awful. Come towards the end of the month we were so cranky and exhausted. I can't say that it was 100% related to the diet but it was not a fun month to have to live through.
For March, we have decided to try to return to the diet we ate before moving to the city and going gluten free. We ate nothing made of white flour and sought out whole grain foods instead of just whole wheat foods.
It's a more expensive diet but whole grains keep us full longer. We, also, recently got rid of our cable. As strange as it sounds, we no longer feel the need to snack at night and we're going to bed earlier. March looks to be a warmer, sunnier month (in between the rain). It might mean actually having the chance to spend time outside. It might mean some early foraging. If the weather stays nice we should have mushrooms after all the rain.
The other thing we might start this month is organic milk. That will depend on the cost of the whole grains. We might have to alter our diet one item at a time.
On another note - March is National Nutrition Month. I should have mentioned that earlier to explain my reasoning behind all the website reviews. I have one more site I want to share with you but since it's geared towards kids I want to get my son playing on it before I write the review.
Friday, March 2, 2012
My Letter To Michelle Obama
It was my plan to actually send this letter to her but there is no contact information that wouldn't send my letter into the growing junk pile. I just have to hope that this will help someone somewhere.
Dear Mrs. Obama,
I want to start by saying I appreciate your efforts to encourage healthy eating and exercise habits for Americans with the hopes to reduce the waistlines of our children. However, I find that your approach is no different than other programs in the past.
While I believe education is best for most situations, I don’t believe this is one. We know what good food is, we are bombarded with information about nutrition constantly. Much of this is contradictory but the fact remains the same – the education is out there. The problem is a majority of those with the problem don’t have the resources to change it.
My family is one. We have a weight problem that continues to be a problem. Do we understand the difference between good nutrition and bad? Yes. Do we always eat the best nutrition possible? No. Why? Because it’s not as accessible as the less nutritious foods and let me explain why.
I live in a small farming community in Eastern Washington. Just over a year ago, our community welcomed a Wal-Mart Supercenter, upping our grocery shopping opportunities to 3 stores. A neighboring community offers 4 stores, with one the same as one in our community. We have opportunities for a variety of foods, with one of those being a whole foods co-op. We are, also, a college town so a large percentage of our community has little money to spend on groceries.
We have 2 farmer’s markets during the summer but our growing season is quite short so while we can gorge on fresh fruits and vegetables during that time, we have over 6 months each year where the access to local fresh foods doesn’t exist. The past two years, we have had strange weather patterns which have limited some foods with last summer being the worst.
Now that you have an understanding of our limited shopping, let’s talk finance. I work for one of the universities in our area (we have two). I have a salary of just over $2000. I get paid twice a month. After taxes, medical and other things I bring home just under $750 each pay period. I am the sole provider for a family of three. My husband has been unemployed for over a year and continues to look for work with little success. (A side note – the universities are two of three large employers in the area and budget cuts have left many looking for work, leaving only one major employer who is hiring.) He does take on odd jobs as he can and bring homes another couple hundred a month when possible. We, also, get $226 in child support each month.
Our rent is $700. Our electric bill is $84, our local company averages the amount through the year so we can pay the same each month. Our cable, phone and internet are combined and cost us $150. We subscribed to cable when both my husband and I were working. The cost was barely $100 for all three bundled together. We signed a two year contract. The price continued to increase over time until it had increased by 50% and we were stuck. Recently we hit that two year mark and cancelled the cable but I can’t tell you at this time what we have saved. Just for basic living our expenses are $934, over half my income.
We have two car payments totaling just over $300, again we purchased them when both my husband and I were working. Our insurance is due for four months out of every six and that is $138. That brings our monthly expense to $1372.
Then there’s credit card expense. I would like to say that we didn’t have credit cards but when we had no other way to pay for things this seemed like a good plan. We were on a three year debt free plan when my husband lost his job. Sadly, our debt increases our monthly expenses nearly $400 (after paying off two credit cards when we received our tax refund). We have just now passed my income.
In the end, my husband has to find ways to make more income just so we can put gas in our cars. How does he do that? He cleans apartments for $20 (each time he cleans regardless of mess or time). He takes shifts with a recycling company digging through dumpsters for aluminum. They pay him on commission which can mean as much as $50 for three days work. He has looked into opportunities to make money from home such as selling on eBay or blogging but the money just doesn’t come in. We’re starting our own Etsy company with the hope of getting anything to help our situation.
We do get food stamps – all $92. I’m not complaining; I am grateful for every penny. That $92 is all we have most months for food and this is where the real problem happens.
I have to make $92 worth of food stretch for a month for a family of three – 2 adults and 1 teenage male. I don’t buy processed foods if I can help it. I try to cook from scratch. We eat limited meat. We’ve started to scrape together more extra funds to purchase two bountiful baskets a month. (Bountiful Baskets is a non-profit group that helps families purchase fresh produce for $15 a basket.)
Now comes the breakdown. My family prefers whole grain bread but the cost is up to $5 a loaf. We look for it to go on sale which brings the price to $2.50 to $3. White bread costs $1. So for every whole grain loaf of bread I buy on sale I can buy 2-3 loaves of white bread which actually have more slices per loaf.
I can make the bread from scratch. White flour is normally $2.50 for 5 pounds but often goes on sale for $1.99. The wheat flour is $5.35 for 5 pounds and never goes on sale.
I can buy hot dogs on sale for $.69 a pack and chicken drumsticks for $1.25 a pound. I even buy bacon at $2.25 a pound because I can make a pound last for 2-3 meals.
Lean hamburger costs $2.50 to $3.50 a pound. Boneless skinless chicken breasts sell in three pound bags for up to $10 a bag (we get them on sale at $5-6 per bag).
We like salad. I eat mine with salsa to add more vegetables. Iceberg based salads often go on sale for $.99, sometimes with $.50 off coupons. Romaine and spinach based salads go on sale for $2.50. I can’t tell you what they sell for full price because I can’t afford it at all.
We buy potatoes, carrots, celery and onions on a regular basis because they are vegetables we can afford. Washed out, tasteless tomatoes will cost us $3 a pound through the winter. Colorful peppers can sell for as much as $2 a pepper. We wanted to try Swiss Chard – nearly $3 a bunch (fortunately we found a grocer who had some they were going to throw away and sold it to us for $3 for 2 bunches).
I can make a meal out of pasta and canned sauce for about $2-3. We pick the best sauce with the most vegetables at the best price but that doesn’t mean they are healthy. The sauces are loaded with preservatives and salt. Of course, we can only afford white flour pasta which often sells for $1 a pound. The whole wheat or more healthy choices are often twice that.
I had thought to include the school lunch issue since my son gets free lunches but I believe there is enough discussion out there about that.
We do have the option of getting commodities, a once a month government distribution of food for the poor. This past month the selection was a 5 pound bag of potatoes, 2 packages of chicken drumsticks, a can of beef stew, a can of tomato sauce, a package of dried plums, a package of spaghetti and canned peaches. We don’t get the commodities because we don’t eat enough of the food.
Do I have a great solution for you? No, because it’s not a simple answer. I’d love to see an increase in my food stamps or see more programs like Bountiful Baskets (and perhaps have them accept food stamps). I’d love to see the food that is given out from government programs to be healthy and fresh. To be honest, the processed foods they give out in the commodities are so awful that most people won’t eat them. I know several households that have a pantry full of commodities that they don’t know what to do with because it’s not something they eat.
I know you can’t make the big changes. How are you supposed to fight the rising price of healthy food? How are you going to help those who need more than education? I know I want to eat healthier and it kills me to have to cross off half the healthy things on my list because I can’t afford them. I hate that I have to choose a less healthy option because it’s cheaper. What we really need is a company that is willing to risk their bottom line to provide inexpensive healthy whole foods so that the demand can be met. We have a tough time voting with our dollars when our dollars don’t go very far.
Thank you for your time,
Sara Thompson
Dear Mrs. Obama,
I want to start by saying I appreciate your efforts to encourage healthy eating and exercise habits for Americans with the hopes to reduce the waistlines of our children. However, I find that your approach is no different than other programs in the past.
While I believe education is best for most situations, I don’t believe this is one. We know what good food is, we are bombarded with information about nutrition constantly. Much of this is contradictory but the fact remains the same – the education is out there. The problem is a majority of those with the problem don’t have the resources to change it.
My family is one. We have a weight problem that continues to be a problem. Do we understand the difference between good nutrition and bad? Yes. Do we always eat the best nutrition possible? No. Why? Because it’s not as accessible as the less nutritious foods and let me explain why.
I live in a small farming community in Eastern Washington. Just over a year ago, our community welcomed a Wal-Mart Supercenter, upping our grocery shopping opportunities to 3 stores. A neighboring community offers 4 stores, with one the same as one in our community. We have opportunities for a variety of foods, with one of those being a whole foods co-op. We are, also, a college town so a large percentage of our community has little money to spend on groceries.
We have 2 farmer’s markets during the summer but our growing season is quite short so while we can gorge on fresh fruits and vegetables during that time, we have over 6 months each year where the access to local fresh foods doesn’t exist. The past two years, we have had strange weather patterns which have limited some foods with last summer being the worst.
Now that you have an understanding of our limited shopping, let’s talk finance. I work for one of the universities in our area (we have two). I have a salary of just over $2000. I get paid twice a month. After taxes, medical and other things I bring home just under $750 each pay period. I am the sole provider for a family of three. My husband has been unemployed for over a year and continues to look for work with little success. (A side note – the universities are two of three large employers in the area and budget cuts have left many looking for work, leaving only one major employer who is hiring.) He does take on odd jobs as he can and bring homes another couple hundred a month when possible. We, also, get $226 in child support each month.
Our rent is $700. Our electric bill is $84, our local company averages the amount through the year so we can pay the same each month. Our cable, phone and internet are combined and cost us $150. We subscribed to cable when both my husband and I were working. The cost was barely $100 for all three bundled together. We signed a two year contract. The price continued to increase over time until it had increased by 50% and we were stuck. Recently we hit that two year mark and cancelled the cable but I can’t tell you at this time what we have saved. Just for basic living our expenses are $934, over half my income.
We have two car payments totaling just over $300, again we purchased them when both my husband and I were working. Our insurance is due for four months out of every six and that is $138. That brings our monthly expense to $1372.
Then there’s credit card expense. I would like to say that we didn’t have credit cards but when we had no other way to pay for things this seemed like a good plan. We were on a three year debt free plan when my husband lost his job. Sadly, our debt increases our monthly expenses nearly $400 (after paying off two credit cards when we received our tax refund). We have just now passed my income.
In the end, my husband has to find ways to make more income just so we can put gas in our cars. How does he do that? He cleans apartments for $20 (each time he cleans regardless of mess or time). He takes shifts with a recycling company digging through dumpsters for aluminum. They pay him on commission which can mean as much as $50 for three days work. He has looked into opportunities to make money from home such as selling on eBay or blogging but the money just doesn’t come in. We’re starting our own Etsy company with the hope of getting anything to help our situation.
We do get food stamps – all $92. I’m not complaining; I am grateful for every penny. That $92 is all we have most months for food and this is where the real problem happens.
I have to make $92 worth of food stretch for a month for a family of three – 2 adults and 1 teenage male. I don’t buy processed foods if I can help it. I try to cook from scratch. We eat limited meat. We’ve started to scrape together more extra funds to purchase two bountiful baskets a month. (Bountiful Baskets is a non-profit group that helps families purchase fresh produce for $15 a basket.)
Now comes the breakdown. My family prefers whole grain bread but the cost is up to $5 a loaf. We look for it to go on sale which brings the price to $2.50 to $3. White bread costs $1. So for every whole grain loaf of bread I buy on sale I can buy 2-3 loaves of white bread which actually have more slices per loaf.
I can make the bread from scratch. White flour is normally $2.50 for 5 pounds but often goes on sale for $1.99. The wheat flour is $5.35 for 5 pounds and never goes on sale.
I can buy hot dogs on sale for $.69 a pack and chicken drumsticks for $1.25 a pound. I even buy bacon at $2.25 a pound because I can make a pound last for 2-3 meals.
Lean hamburger costs $2.50 to $3.50 a pound. Boneless skinless chicken breasts sell in three pound bags for up to $10 a bag (we get them on sale at $5-6 per bag).
We like salad. I eat mine with salsa to add more vegetables. Iceberg based salads often go on sale for $.99, sometimes with $.50 off coupons. Romaine and spinach based salads go on sale for $2.50. I can’t tell you what they sell for full price because I can’t afford it at all.
We buy potatoes, carrots, celery and onions on a regular basis because they are vegetables we can afford. Washed out, tasteless tomatoes will cost us $3 a pound through the winter. Colorful peppers can sell for as much as $2 a pepper. We wanted to try Swiss Chard – nearly $3 a bunch (fortunately we found a grocer who had some they were going to throw away and sold it to us for $3 for 2 bunches).
I can make a meal out of pasta and canned sauce for about $2-3. We pick the best sauce with the most vegetables at the best price but that doesn’t mean they are healthy. The sauces are loaded with preservatives and salt. Of course, we can only afford white flour pasta which often sells for $1 a pound. The whole wheat or more healthy choices are often twice that.
I had thought to include the school lunch issue since my son gets free lunches but I believe there is enough discussion out there about that.
We do have the option of getting commodities, a once a month government distribution of food for the poor. This past month the selection was a 5 pound bag of potatoes, 2 packages of chicken drumsticks, a can of beef stew, a can of tomato sauce, a package of dried plums, a package of spaghetti and canned peaches. We don’t get the commodities because we don’t eat enough of the food.
Do I have a great solution for you? No, because it’s not a simple answer. I’d love to see an increase in my food stamps or see more programs like Bountiful Baskets (and perhaps have them accept food stamps). I’d love to see the food that is given out from government programs to be healthy and fresh. To be honest, the processed foods they give out in the commodities are so awful that most people won’t eat them. I know several households that have a pantry full of commodities that they don’t know what to do with because it’s not something they eat.
I know you can’t make the big changes. How are you supposed to fight the rising price of healthy food? How are you going to help those who need more than education? I know I want to eat healthier and it kills me to have to cross off half the healthy things on my list because I can’t afford them. I hate that I have to choose a less healthy option because it’s cheaper. What we really need is a company that is willing to risk their bottom line to provide inexpensive healthy whole foods so that the demand can be met. We have a tough time voting with our dollars when our dollars don’t go very far.
Thank you for your time,
Sara Thompson
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Hillbilly Housewife
Last week someone mentioned looking into the Hillbilly Housewife to find ways to extend your food budget. I can't say the site has completely impressed me. I find it has far too many ads but then we all have to find ways to cut costs.
I subscribed to the newsletter which has far too many - buy me moments. I understand that the author has a number of books that you can buy to learn to stretch your budget. I don't mind that but when everything becomes an ad then I'm totally turned off.
I did take some time today to explore the site. I think there is some rather good information. I liked her recipe ideas and just barely started exploring them all. The cooking is more southern which is a nice change. I feel she uses too many canned foods but we all do what we can to make our budget stretch.
It's not the first budget site I have explored but the first I have felt was worth a mention here.
When it comes to budgeting or stretching dollars there's no real new information but there's a lot who profit from offering to sell you how they got rich (btw - you buying their product is what made them rich).
This week has not been a great week for posting here at Rock and a Hard Plate and I am sorry. I'm in a bit of a funk. I'm stuck between the two places and trying to figure out which way to go. There's a lot of talk about Monsanto and all the GMOs in our diet. Monsanto helps reduce the cost of our food but at what cost to our health. It reminds me that I need to be more cautious when I look at our diet. We've been eating more processed foods this month - it has saved us a ton of money (we still have money left in our food budget which never happens) but I don't feel good. I'm tired and foggy which leads me to not having great posts. I'm coming up with a new plan and better ideas. There has to be a good way to bring all the parts of our life together - food, health, money, etc. We'll find it - we're not giving up.
I subscribed to the newsletter which has far too many - buy me moments. I understand that the author has a number of books that you can buy to learn to stretch your budget. I don't mind that but when everything becomes an ad then I'm totally turned off.
I did take some time today to explore the site. I think there is some rather good information. I liked her recipe ideas and just barely started exploring them all. The cooking is more southern which is a nice change. I feel she uses too many canned foods but we all do what we can to make our budget stretch.
It's not the first budget site I have explored but the first I have felt was worth a mention here.
When it comes to budgeting or stretching dollars there's no real new information but there's a lot who profit from offering to sell you how they got rich (btw - you buying their product is what made them rich).
This week has not been a great week for posting here at Rock and a Hard Plate and I am sorry. I'm in a bit of a funk. I'm stuck between the two places and trying to figure out which way to go. There's a lot of talk about Monsanto and all the GMOs in our diet. Monsanto helps reduce the cost of our food but at what cost to our health. It reminds me that I need to be more cautious when I look at our diet. We've been eating more processed foods this month - it has saved us a ton of money (we still have money left in our food budget which never happens) but I don't feel good. I'm tired and foggy which leads me to not having great posts. I'm coming up with a new plan and better ideas. There has to be a good way to bring all the parts of our life together - food, health, money, etc. We'll find it - we're not giving up.
Monday, February 13, 2012
A new experiment
Life in the northern states can be rough when it comes to food. For the winter months, much of our food has to be imported from somewhere. There is little here in the way of local fresh foods because of our short growing season and cold winters (that start in October and last until June some years). This makes eating on a budget really difficult. We've watched our limited home stores dwindle over the past 2 months. It's been hard to maintain a healthy diet on a tight budget. We did up our budget from $100 a month to $150 to accomodate 2 Bountiful Baskets every month and some additional bulk fruit/vegetable purchases. Our goal is to still keep the cost as low as possible but January did not come out as well as we hoped as we maintained our normal shopping patterns for our $100 budget (we got 2 bountiful baskets and 1 big box of tangerines with our extra $50).
So we thought we'd try something interesting while waiting for spring. Our new plan is to eat like a "normal" American. Attempt to feed our family on our budget without regards to nutrition.
Normally when I plan a meal, I plan nutrition first and then find a way to find a budget into my plan. This time we are budgeting solely based on cost. I'm not sure how this will work but I get tired of people saying they can do a better budget (no complaints here on this blog but I have seen it elsewhere) because they feed their families bean soup and top ramen. We didn't stoop quite that low even though I did buy some top ramen because my teen begged for it (who can resist eating something that comes out to 22 cents per meal or 44 when he's extra hungry).
We planned for a lot of soups. We swapped out our more expensive wheat bread for the cheaper white bread (with the hope I can find a recipe that makes the perfect loaf of bread). We bought family sized cream soups. We planned for lots of soup this month because it's cheap to make. Tonight we start with Chicken and Dumplings (one of the more expensive meals because I bought the ingredients last month to experiment with the baking mix). We have cheap cereals because we hit a great cereal sale.
The bountiful baskets will provide some variety while we try to stretch our budget further with package soups that were given to us.
We have onions and potatoes for more soups.
I may hate soup come March but we have to come with a better plan to get us through these winter months. I feel like a pioneer. Our harvest was not great last year and we're still learning all about the foraging (which had some good and bad harvests last year). we'll be stocking up on fish and crawdads (hopefully) this summer so the winter will not be so bad but we have to wait and see how the weather goes. Maybe this year my garden will grow like crazy.
So we thought we'd try something interesting while waiting for spring. Our new plan is to eat like a "normal" American. Attempt to feed our family on our budget without regards to nutrition.
Normally when I plan a meal, I plan nutrition first and then find a way to find a budget into my plan. This time we are budgeting solely based on cost. I'm not sure how this will work but I get tired of people saying they can do a better budget (no complaints here on this blog but I have seen it elsewhere) because they feed their families bean soup and top ramen. We didn't stoop quite that low even though I did buy some top ramen because my teen begged for it (who can resist eating something that comes out to 22 cents per meal or 44 when he's extra hungry).
We planned for a lot of soups. We swapped out our more expensive wheat bread for the cheaper white bread (with the hope I can find a recipe that makes the perfect loaf of bread). We bought family sized cream soups. We planned for lots of soup this month because it's cheap to make. Tonight we start with Chicken and Dumplings (one of the more expensive meals because I bought the ingredients last month to experiment with the baking mix). We have cheap cereals because we hit a great cereal sale.
The bountiful baskets will provide some variety while we try to stretch our budget further with package soups that were given to us.
We have onions and potatoes for more soups.
I may hate soup come March but we have to come with a better plan to get us through these winter months. I feel like a pioneer. Our harvest was not great last year and we're still learning all about the foraging (which had some good and bad harvests last year). we'll be stocking up on fish and crawdads (hopefully) this summer so the winter will not be so bad but we have to wait and see how the weather goes. Maybe this year my garden will grow like crazy.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Portion Control
More often than not, you will discover that the problem with weight is in direct correlation to the portion size. We live in a nation of supersize and more for your money. We seek out deals that often offer us more food for less money. We have allowed economics drive our diet.
For me, my diet is rather well balanced (could use more fresh fruits and veggies) but my problem is I eat lots of it. I love food. I love good deals. And I am not one to leave food on my plate because that's a waste of perfectly good food. One thing I want to note is that my parents were not the sort that made us clean our plates, this is a habit I developed all on my own.
In my house, the rule is you don't have to eat all your food but if you want seconds then you must clean your plate. This ensures my son eats his veggies before going back for more rice or pasta.
We're also carb lovers. I can live off of bread, pasta and rice. I love vegetables so that's good but I'm not big on fruit necessarily. Meat I can take or leave most of the time. I love starch and this shows in my food diary. I often lack in my protein and go over on my carbs.
How does this all translate to weight loss and budgeting? Easy - portion control means eating a set amount of food. For me, this means measuring the food so I know how much I am eating and so I can accurately record it in my diary on Sparkpeople. Knowing exactly how much food I should eat encourages me to cook less. Cooking less save on my budget.
Now you may feel that bulk cooking works best for you. Great, so long as you are watching your quantities. More food encourages us to eat more. That stems from a time when food was more difficult to regulate. Bigger plates encourage us to dish up more because we want to feel like we are eating.
For my house, cooking in bulk means one of two things - my 14 year old son eats all the leftovers because they are there or we throw out the leftovers because we forgot about them. This is not always true but it happens more often than I like. Cooking enough to feed everyone reduces waste.
Am I hungry? The honest answer is yes. My body is getting adequate calories and nutrients but I'm hungry because my body is used to eating more. Our stomach is flexible, it stretches and shrinks to accomodate food cycles (back when we were hunters and gatherers). Just because I am hungry doesn't mean I'm starving.
Hunger is a tricky thing. If I allow myself to get too hungry then I will overeat when I have the chance. I might sneak in a snack which, more often than not, will be something with little nutrition.
The beginning of retraining my body to eat less is hard which is why most people fail at their diet. I don't deny myself a type of food but I limit how much I eat. I don't feel deprived but I feel hungry. I'm working on teaching my body to eat differently than I did before. It sucks, I'm not going to lie, but it's the same as if I was training to do anything. If I wanted to run a marathon - I would ache, I would be tired. I know I would wake up some mornings and question my whole reason for doing the marathon and wonder if it's really worth it. It's all worth it when you cross that finish line.
For me, my diet is rather well balanced (could use more fresh fruits and veggies) but my problem is I eat lots of it. I love food. I love good deals. And I am not one to leave food on my plate because that's a waste of perfectly good food. One thing I want to note is that my parents were not the sort that made us clean our plates, this is a habit I developed all on my own.
In my house, the rule is you don't have to eat all your food but if you want seconds then you must clean your plate. This ensures my son eats his veggies before going back for more rice or pasta.
We're also carb lovers. I can live off of bread, pasta and rice. I love vegetables so that's good but I'm not big on fruit necessarily. Meat I can take or leave most of the time. I love starch and this shows in my food diary. I often lack in my protein and go over on my carbs.
How does this all translate to weight loss and budgeting? Easy - portion control means eating a set amount of food. For me, this means measuring the food so I know how much I am eating and so I can accurately record it in my diary on Sparkpeople. Knowing exactly how much food I should eat encourages me to cook less. Cooking less save on my budget.
Now you may feel that bulk cooking works best for you. Great, so long as you are watching your quantities. More food encourages us to eat more. That stems from a time when food was more difficult to regulate. Bigger plates encourage us to dish up more because we want to feel like we are eating.
For my house, cooking in bulk means one of two things - my 14 year old son eats all the leftovers because they are there or we throw out the leftovers because we forgot about them. This is not always true but it happens more often than I like. Cooking enough to feed everyone reduces waste.
Am I hungry? The honest answer is yes. My body is getting adequate calories and nutrients but I'm hungry because my body is used to eating more. Our stomach is flexible, it stretches and shrinks to accomodate food cycles (back when we were hunters and gatherers). Just because I am hungry doesn't mean I'm starving.
Hunger is a tricky thing. If I allow myself to get too hungry then I will overeat when I have the chance. I might sneak in a snack which, more often than not, will be something with little nutrition.
The beginning of retraining my body to eat less is hard which is why most people fail at their diet. I don't deny myself a type of food but I limit how much I eat. I don't feel deprived but I feel hungry. I'm working on teaching my body to eat differently than I did before. It sucks, I'm not going to lie, but it's the same as if I was training to do anything. If I wanted to run a marathon - I would ache, I would be tired. I know I would wake up some mornings and question my whole reason for doing the marathon and wonder if it's really worth it. It's all worth it when you cross that finish line.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Weight Loss on a Budget Part 2
As I get to thinking about my plan the more I realize that the tricks I can use to reduce my caloric intake are ones that will help maximize my grocery budget. Once again, all this takes is a little creative thinking.
I mentioned before that omitting unnecessary ingredients helps stretch the budget but it also reduces wasteful calories. I used cheese as an example because it's one I see a lot. Cheese can be heavy on calories and should be treated like a condiment instead of a meal (except that's not always possible in cases of mac and cheese, pizza, quesadillas, etc but I'll talk about that in a moment). Where I see this most is with pasta and with sandwiches (hamburgers included). More often we add cheese because we believe we need to but it doesn't actually add to the dish. We love parmesan cheese on spaghetti but when our budget got tighter we moved from fresh shredded parmesan to the grated powdery stuff that comes in a can. Doesn't matter what brand you buy, they all barely have any flavor. Not using the cheese reduces calories and when you stop thinking about it, you won't notice any difference.
The same goes for most sandwiches. Cheap processed cheese has little flavor but is not calorie free. Eating your hamburger without the gooey glop makes a calorie difference that you won't even taste. It's tough to convince someone that investing in higher priced, higher quality cheese is actually saving your budget (and your waist line). A good quality cheese requires less because you can taste it. I like sharp cheeses - sharp cheddar, blue cheese, feta, because they all encourage using less.
The same goes for butter/margarine. Often times we use too much. A light smear of butter on a piece of bread still offers the flavor without all the extra calories. I had to teach my son that 1/2 cube of butter for a can of vegetables was just a waste. One can add a little or none at all and still have a good tasting side dish.
Vegetables are tough for some people. If you are one who can't eat them without a ton of butter or cheese sauce - there is a way to curb that habit. Each time you eat them, use less. I got my family away from using cheese sauce for vegetables by sprinkling on a good sharp cheddar or parmesan on the vegetable when I served them. Eventually, they didn't even need that. I just cut a bunch of calories and stretched our monthly allotment of cheese and butter.
We've moved from microwave popcorn to air-popped corn which is so much better (too much controversy over the safety of microwave popcorn for me). I found I don't mind it plain but sometimes a little flavor is nice. I'm returning to a trick my grandmother used to use - spray the popcorn with butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle on some spices. She often used taco seasoning on the popcorn. It's a great low fat, low cost snack (popcorn kernals often cost less than a three pack of microwave popcorn and makes soooooo much more).
Back to the cheese for a moment, since I am easily distracted. When it comes to foods like mac and cheese, pizza and quesadillas - how do you reduce the amount of cheese and still feel like you have a good dish. It goes back to buy a good quality cheese. Mac and cheese can be made with less fat by using oil instead of butter to make the roux, using a lower fat milk (the jury is out on whether low fat milk is good for you) and a sharp flavorful cheese. It will take less cheese to flavor the sauce. Same goes for quesadillas - less can be more if you use a good flavor cheese.
As for Pizza - use lots of vegetable toppings and less cheese or omit the cheese all together for some varieties. We love pizza crust with potatoes and onions. Cheese is nice but not necessary.
Making food flavorful with herbs and spices will help reduce cost and calories because you are not adding things to flavor the food.
A tip I learned from my mom when I was younger (that I am sure she has since forgotten) - use salsa as a salad dressing. Salad dressings are often laden with fat and add little nutrition. Using salsa gives the salad flavor and extra veggies. I like to mix it up and use blue cheese or feta as a toppine (about 1 TB is all I need). Sometimes a little crumbled bacon (about 1 strip fried and crumbled). They are fatty foods but they offer more than just fat (well except maybe the bacon). I like adding avocados when I can get them. They have good fat and lots of nutrients so it adds an extra punch to my salad.
I'm sure there's more in the recesses of my brain but that will have to wait for another post since this one is long enough.
I mentioned before that omitting unnecessary ingredients helps stretch the budget but it also reduces wasteful calories. I used cheese as an example because it's one I see a lot. Cheese can be heavy on calories and should be treated like a condiment instead of a meal (except that's not always possible in cases of mac and cheese, pizza, quesadillas, etc but I'll talk about that in a moment). Where I see this most is with pasta and with sandwiches (hamburgers included). More often we add cheese because we believe we need to but it doesn't actually add to the dish. We love parmesan cheese on spaghetti but when our budget got tighter we moved from fresh shredded parmesan to the grated powdery stuff that comes in a can. Doesn't matter what brand you buy, they all barely have any flavor. Not using the cheese reduces calories and when you stop thinking about it, you won't notice any difference.
The same goes for most sandwiches. Cheap processed cheese has little flavor but is not calorie free. Eating your hamburger without the gooey glop makes a calorie difference that you won't even taste. It's tough to convince someone that investing in higher priced, higher quality cheese is actually saving your budget (and your waist line). A good quality cheese requires less because you can taste it. I like sharp cheeses - sharp cheddar, blue cheese, feta, because they all encourage using less.
The same goes for butter/margarine. Often times we use too much. A light smear of butter on a piece of bread still offers the flavor without all the extra calories. I had to teach my son that 1/2 cube of butter for a can of vegetables was just a waste. One can add a little or none at all and still have a good tasting side dish.
Vegetables are tough for some people. If you are one who can't eat them without a ton of butter or cheese sauce - there is a way to curb that habit. Each time you eat them, use less. I got my family away from using cheese sauce for vegetables by sprinkling on a good sharp cheddar or parmesan on the vegetable when I served them. Eventually, they didn't even need that. I just cut a bunch of calories and stretched our monthly allotment of cheese and butter.
We've moved from microwave popcorn to air-popped corn which is so much better (too much controversy over the safety of microwave popcorn for me). I found I don't mind it plain but sometimes a little flavor is nice. I'm returning to a trick my grandmother used to use - spray the popcorn with butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle on some spices. She often used taco seasoning on the popcorn. It's a great low fat, low cost snack (popcorn kernals often cost less than a three pack of microwave popcorn and makes soooooo much more).
Back to the cheese for a moment, since I am easily distracted. When it comes to foods like mac and cheese, pizza and quesadillas - how do you reduce the amount of cheese and still feel like you have a good dish. It goes back to buy a good quality cheese. Mac and cheese can be made with less fat by using oil instead of butter to make the roux, using a lower fat milk (the jury is out on whether low fat milk is good for you) and a sharp flavorful cheese. It will take less cheese to flavor the sauce. Same goes for quesadillas - less can be more if you use a good flavor cheese.
As for Pizza - use lots of vegetable toppings and less cheese or omit the cheese all together for some varieties. We love pizza crust with potatoes and onions. Cheese is nice but not necessary.
Making food flavorful with herbs and spices will help reduce cost and calories because you are not adding things to flavor the food.
A tip I learned from my mom when I was younger (that I am sure she has since forgotten) - use salsa as a salad dressing. Salad dressings are often laden with fat and add little nutrition. Using salsa gives the salad flavor and extra veggies. I like to mix it up and use blue cheese or feta as a toppine (about 1 TB is all I need). Sometimes a little crumbled bacon (about 1 strip fried and crumbled). They are fatty foods but they offer more than just fat (well except maybe the bacon). I like adding avocados when I can get them. They have good fat and lots of nutrients so it adds an extra punch to my salad.
I'm sure there's more in the recesses of my brain but that will have to wait for another post since this one is long enough.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Weight Loss on a Budget
I've been debating about writing a section on dieting on a budget. I have some strong feelings about dieting and the "obesity" epidemic. I, also, worried that it would add just another layer to an already overwhelming change. It's difficult to maintain a grocery budget and a balanced diet. Adding the addition of "dieting" can completely cause the entire system to crash.
The weight loss industry has convinced the American public that losing weight is hard and you can only do it if you spend a lot of money in the process. More often than not their systems are designed to fail for if you succeeded then you would no longer require their products. I'm not going to say that all programs are designed for failure but many are - especially those that come in pill form. Most people want everything right now. Rapid weight loss results in what is called Yo-Yoing. Yo-yoing is losing weight, gaining it back, losing weight, etc. This is the result of most weight loss programs.
Why do most programs fail? The answer is simple, they don't change the underlaying problem. For example, you have a house. The exterior siding is stained so you spray paint it a dark blue to cover it up. Over time the paint fades and you're back to yucky siding. So you paint it green when what you need to do is scrape away all the old paint, prime and then paint it a color that you like instead of something that covers up.
The same is with losing weight. We don't want to take the time to do it right, we want to fit into that outfit for our class reunion which is next week or get ready for summer vacations on the first warm day after winter. We want quick, easy and something that doesn't require a lot of thought. But that doesn't spell success.
When it comes to weight (losing or gaining) there's a simple equation - calories in vs calories out. To lose weight your calories in have to be smaller than your calories out. Easy as can be - in theory.
Now we're looking at food on a budget. This is where I have some real issues with the fighting obesity programs. I don't believe education is THE answer. I believe it's a part of the answer but no amount of education is going to change the price of food and people's access to it. If I had unlimited funds, you can bet I would buy fresh organic fruits and vegetables to serve at every meal. I might even make that the majority of my meal but I can't. I have to be creative when it comes to fruits and vegetables through foraging and gardening because to buy them in the store would financially ruin me. I'd love to buy organic farm raised meat and eggs - I can barely afford what I do buy. This is not a pity party just reality. To buy the foods that are best for maintaining weight just are not affordable. What is affordable is calorie dense foods. That is why the poor have always been portrayed as fat, cheap foods are calorie dense. That doesn't make them lack nutrition, in fact many provide great nutrition but also excessive calories.
How does one maintain a budget, provide good nutrition, and lose weight to keep it off permantently? The truth is - I'm going to find out. My doctor has demanded I lose weight for my health. My blood pressure has been creeping up along with my weight over the last year and it's time to focus on becoming healthy.
One tool I am using is Sparkpeople. Sparkpeople is a free website with lots of tools, trackers and support. I have used it in the past but not really as a committed weight loss tool. What I am going to use and used in the past is the Nutrition Tracker. This is the best tool out there. Enter what you eat and how much (a little tricky for those who make everything from scratch but not impossible), the system tells you how many calories, carbs, fat, protein you have eaten. If you set up a weight loss goal, the tracker will also give the parameters you need to meet to lose weight and still be healthy. My goal is to lose 100 pounds in one year. Sunday was my birthday so by my next birthday I want to be 100 pounds lighter. This might be a slightly too big of a goal but we'll see. It means slow weight loss - 2 pound a week approximately. Slow weight loss is tough because you can't see it right away but it's the perfect plan for keeping the weight off. I am giving myself a year because in that time I can learn to make better choices. I'm not planning on overhauling my diet, just learning to eat less of calorie dense foods and more of the lower calorie foods. Tracking my diet will mean greater success.
I have lots of ideas but I have already talked too much so more thoughts tomorrow.
The weight loss industry has convinced the American public that losing weight is hard and you can only do it if you spend a lot of money in the process. More often than not their systems are designed to fail for if you succeeded then you would no longer require their products. I'm not going to say that all programs are designed for failure but many are - especially those that come in pill form. Most people want everything right now. Rapid weight loss results in what is called Yo-Yoing. Yo-yoing is losing weight, gaining it back, losing weight, etc. This is the result of most weight loss programs.
Why do most programs fail? The answer is simple, they don't change the underlaying problem. For example, you have a house. The exterior siding is stained so you spray paint it a dark blue to cover it up. Over time the paint fades and you're back to yucky siding. So you paint it green when what you need to do is scrape away all the old paint, prime and then paint it a color that you like instead of something that covers up.
The same is with losing weight. We don't want to take the time to do it right, we want to fit into that outfit for our class reunion which is next week or get ready for summer vacations on the first warm day after winter. We want quick, easy and something that doesn't require a lot of thought. But that doesn't spell success.
When it comes to weight (losing or gaining) there's a simple equation - calories in vs calories out. To lose weight your calories in have to be smaller than your calories out. Easy as can be - in theory.
Now we're looking at food on a budget. This is where I have some real issues with the fighting obesity programs. I don't believe education is THE answer. I believe it's a part of the answer but no amount of education is going to change the price of food and people's access to it. If I had unlimited funds, you can bet I would buy fresh organic fruits and vegetables to serve at every meal. I might even make that the majority of my meal but I can't. I have to be creative when it comes to fruits and vegetables through foraging and gardening because to buy them in the store would financially ruin me. I'd love to buy organic farm raised meat and eggs - I can barely afford what I do buy. This is not a pity party just reality. To buy the foods that are best for maintaining weight just are not affordable. What is affordable is calorie dense foods. That is why the poor have always been portrayed as fat, cheap foods are calorie dense. That doesn't make them lack nutrition, in fact many provide great nutrition but also excessive calories.
How does one maintain a budget, provide good nutrition, and lose weight to keep it off permantently? The truth is - I'm going to find out. My doctor has demanded I lose weight for my health. My blood pressure has been creeping up along with my weight over the last year and it's time to focus on becoming healthy.
One tool I am using is Sparkpeople. Sparkpeople is a free website with lots of tools, trackers and support. I have used it in the past but not really as a committed weight loss tool. What I am going to use and used in the past is the Nutrition Tracker. This is the best tool out there. Enter what you eat and how much (a little tricky for those who make everything from scratch but not impossible), the system tells you how many calories, carbs, fat, protein you have eaten. If you set up a weight loss goal, the tracker will also give the parameters you need to meet to lose weight and still be healthy. My goal is to lose 100 pounds in one year. Sunday was my birthday so by my next birthday I want to be 100 pounds lighter. This might be a slightly too big of a goal but we'll see. It means slow weight loss - 2 pound a week approximately. Slow weight loss is tough because you can't see it right away but it's the perfect plan for keeping the weight off. I am giving myself a year because in that time I can learn to make better choices. I'm not planning on overhauling my diet, just learning to eat less of calorie dense foods and more of the lower calorie foods. Tracking my diet will mean greater success.
I have lots of ideas but I have already talked too much so more thoughts tomorrow.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Grocery Shopping - October
I do my shopping on the 10th of each month. So now is the time to start planning my trip. October is the beginning of baking season so that's something I need to remember. It's possible this month we'll have a little extra money. If there is enough I want to stock up on baking supplies and do a SF Herb order. Taking this into account I need to budget accordingly. I understand that planning on having extra money feels like a good time to blow the budget. The problem with that thinking is that plans fall through. Sometimes money doesn't stretch as far as we hope so I need to plan my budget around the potential for not having the extra (however, I will know what extra amount we have before I do my shopping).
I have two plans going on - my grocery shopping under my normal budget and my wishlist with a budget of it's own. There are some things I want to stock up during the baking sales - those are the items I plan for the extra money. If we end up not having extra money then I don't get to stock up but it doesn't hurt my monthly planning.
So onto the plan. It's the 6th, giving me 4 days to plan my shopping trip. That might seem like too much time but actually I am starting late this month. I need to take in account that this month has Halloween. With our son in high school, we no longer have to worry about class parties but we do throw a Halloween dinner party for family and some friends as a before trick or treating meal. I need to take into account my menu for that. (same as next month in planning for Thanksgiving - might want to think about that now since I'll need to plan money and freezer space for a turkey).
The first thing I need to do is go over my kitchen inventory. I've been meaning to do this for two days but off the top of my head I know we are out of several items - canned corn (no freezer space so has to be canned), mustard, tortillas, cheese. I know we'll need eggs even though we still have some. I pull up my kitchen inventory. The one on my computer is not as up to date as the printed one I keep in my kitchen but I can remember what we have run out of - somewhat but it also gets me thinking.
Tonight, I'll sit down with my family and ask them what they want in terms of meals and groceries. I will, also, run through my kitchen inventory to make sure it's up to date. The most important counts will be the items we go through the fasted - canned foods, fridge and freezer. I will need an accurate count of meat in the freezer - this will tell me how much we ate over the past month and how much I'll need for the next. If I started the month with eight bags of chicken (3 chicken thighs a bag) and I still have 4 then I can skip buying chicken. If I have 1 then chicken was something we liked but then my son made a comment the other night when I made chicken that he didn't really like the chicken anymore so maybe we had too much this month.
I start thinking about the items that went fast - tortillas are a big thing in our house. I buy packages that have 30 tortillas but they never make it through the month. I bought more english muffins this month but everyone seems content with homemade bread for toast so maybe I'll skip them this month and focus on buying more tortillas. The cheese still didn't make it to the end of the month but we did have a few meals where cheese was our protein so I think I'll stick with buying two 2 pound bricks. If we do have extra money then I will invest in more cheese and maybe something other than cheddar.
When I have the list somewhat narrowed down, then I start looking at ads. Most often, I don't find the items on my list on sale but we're moving out of fresh foods season and into more staple type food season for sales so I might get lucky. Both of the grocery stores in Pullman have online ads (I usually shop at a store in Moscow which does not) so I can check the ads easily. Because I keep notes about the prices at the other store I can compare but I have to realize that some prices at my favorite store will have gone up. I know I stopped in with my mom on a trip and in a week the eggs had gone up 50 cents so I'm going to budget an extra dollar.
Nothing in the Safeway add made me go ohh and ahh but it did remind me that I should probably look into getting a pumpkin. Here's where some thought needs to come into effect. I can get just any ole pumpkin, we carve it and roast the seeds. Doing that I lose a pumpkin because after we carve it - it's no longer food. If I use my food budget to buy the pumpkin then I have taken food away. Most carving pumpkins are not great eating either. They are edible but not as tasty as smaller pumpkins. So I could look into buying better tasting pumpkins, painting them and then roasting them later. That would do double duty but it would all depend on price. When it comes to squashes - bigger is not better. The smaller squashes are sweeter and have better flavor so I have to keep that in mind. We've been trained to believe that pumpkins need to be huge so they can make great jack o'lanterns.
Another thing to think about is that this weekend is fall festival and pumpkins and apples will be available for picking. They may be less expensive than the stores. Dissmore's has honey crisps for 1.59 but WSU has apples for about .75 a pound.
That's a lot of food for thought. How's your grocery planning coming?
I have two plans going on - my grocery shopping under my normal budget and my wishlist with a budget of it's own. There are some things I want to stock up during the baking sales - those are the items I plan for the extra money. If we end up not having extra money then I don't get to stock up but it doesn't hurt my monthly planning.
So onto the plan. It's the 6th, giving me 4 days to plan my shopping trip. That might seem like too much time but actually I am starting late this month. I need to take in account that this month has Halloween. With our son in high school, we no longer have to worry about class parties but we do throw a Halloween dinner party for family and some friends as a before trick or treating meal. I need to take into account my menu for that. (same as next month in planning for Thanksgiving - might want to think about that now since I'll need to plan money and freezer space for a turkey).
The first thing I need to do is go over my kitchen inventory. I've been meaning to do this for two days but off the top of my head I know we are out of several items - canned corn (no freezer space so has to be canned), mustard, tortillas, cheese. I know we'll need eggs even though we still have some. I pull up my kitchen inventory. The one on my computer is not as up to date as the printed one I keep in my kitchen but I can remember what we have run out of - somewhat but it also gets me thinking.
Tonight, I'll sit down with my family and ask them what they want in terms of meals and groceries. I will, also, run through my kitchen inventory to make sure it's up to date. The most important counts will be the items we go through the fasted - canned foods, fridge and freezer. I will need an accurate count of meat in the freezer - this will tell me how much we ate over the past month and how much I'll need for the next. If I started the month with eight bags of chicken (3 chicken thighs a bag) and I still have 4 then I can skip buying chicken. If I have 1 then chicken was something we liked but then my son made a comment the other night when I made chicken that he didn't really like the chicken anymore so maybe we had too much this month.
I start thinking about the items that went fast - tortillas are a big thing in our house. I buy packages that have 30 tortillas but they never make it through the month. I bought more english muffins this month but everyone seems content with homemade bread for toast so maybe I'll skip them this month and focus on buying more tortillas. The cheese still didn't make it to the end of the month but we did have a few meals where cheese was our protein so I think I'll stick with buying two 2 pound bricks. If we do have extra money then I will invest in more cheese and maybe something other than cheddar.
When I have the list somewhat narrowed down, then I start looking at ads. Most often, I don't find the items on my list on sale but we're moving out of fresh foods season and into more staple type food season for sales so I might get lucky. Both of the grocery stores in Pullman have online ads (I usually shop at a store in Moscow which does not) so I can check the ads easily. Because I keep notes about the prices at the other store I can compare but I have to realize that some prices at my favorite store will have gone up. I know I stopped in with my mom on a trip and in a week the eggs had gone up 50 cents so I'm going to budget an extra dollar.
Nothing in the Safeway add made me go ohh and ahh but it did remind me that I should probably look into getting a pumpkin. Here's where some thought needs to come into effect. I can get just any ole pumpkin, we carve it and roast the seeds. Doing that I lose a pumpkin because after we carve it - it's no longer food. If I use my food budget to buy the pumpkin then I have taken food away. Most carving pumpkins are not great eating either. They are edible but not as tasty as smaller pumpkins. So I could look into buying better tasting pumpkins, painting them and then roasting them later. That would do double duty but it would all depend on price. When it comes to squashes - bigger is not better. The smaller squashes are sweeter and have better flavor so I have to keep that in mind. We've been trained to believe that pumpkins need to be huge so they can make great jack o'lanterns.
Another thing to think about is that this weekend is fall festival and pumpkins and apples will be available for picking. They may be less expensive than the stores. Dissmore's has honey crisps for 1.59 but WSU has apples for about .75 a pound.
That's a lot of food for thought. How's your grocery planning coming?
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Splurge: San Francisco Herb
San Francisco Herb is a great resource for baking ingredients, herbs, teas, spices and other odds and ends. It's a splurge because they require a $30 minimum order and it throws off my budget for the month. However, I take caution to only buy that which we use on a regular basis and take comfort in the fact that I am getting a great deal.
I've been using SF Herb for nearly ten years and have loved everything I have gotten from them.
I started buying from them as a way to get spices at a low cost. There is a disadvantage to ordering your herbs and spices from them - nearly everything comes in a 1 pound bag. A pound of some herbs is a lifetime amount and tough to go through. Sharing helps (both for amount and for cost) but sometimes the deal is so good that it's worth the waste. I try hard not to waste.
Things I buy from them on a regular basis - cocoa powder (*7.40 a pound), Cinnamon (ground and stick - between $2-3 a pound), essential oils - Eucalyptus (2.70 for 1 oz), Peppermint (6.10 for 1 oz), Spearmint (5.60 for 1 oz) and Rosemary (3.10 for 1 oz).
In the past we purchased their pill making kits and made our own herbal supplements. The cost was low but the work was not cost-effective. We found ordering pre-made supplements from Swanson Herbs gave us better quality for a similar price.
I purchase herbs still from SF Herb to make salves, oils and teas. The quality is not the best for everything but I still find quite a few high quality herbs for low cost. Their essential oils are culinary grade so I can use them for salves and cooking which will be nice when I get to making my own sodas.
I'll be putting in an order over the next few months. One thing to remember is that the cost constantly changes as SF Herb gets in shipments. They strive to provide the best cost and if they can lower the price they will but since they depend on harvests the prices fluxuate. Currently Cardamon is high but as the next harvest comes in the price should drop again.
* prices on 10/05/2011
I've been using SF Herb for nearly ten years and have loved everything I have gotten from them.
I started buying from them as a way to get spices at a low cost. There is a disadvantage to ordering your herbs and spices from them - nearly everything comes in a 1 pound bag. A pound of some herbs is a lifetime amount and tough to go through. Sharing helps (both for amount and for cost) but sometimes the deal is so good that it's worth the waste. I try hard not to waste.
Things I buy from them on a regular basis - cocoa powder (*7.40 a pound), Cinnamon (ground and stick - between $2-3 a pound), essential oils - Eucalyptus (2.70 for 1 oz), Peppermint (6.10 for 1 oz), Spearmint (5.60 for 1 oz) and Rosemary (3.10 for 1 oz).
In the past we purchased their pill making kits and made our own herbal supplements. The cost was low but the work was not cost-effective. We found ordering pre-made supplements from Swanson Herbs gave us better quality for a similar price.
I purchase herbs still from SF Herb to make salves, oils and teas. The quality is not the best for everything but I still find quite a few high quality herbs for low cost. Their essential oils are culinary grade so I can use them for salves and cooking which will be nice when I get to making my own sodas.
I'll be putting in an order over the next few months. One thing to remember is that the cost constantly changes as SF Herb gets in shipments. They strive to provide the best cost and if they can lower the price they will but since they depend on harvests the prices fluxuate. Currently Cardamon is high but as the next harvest comes in the price should drop again.
* prices on 10/05/2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Cost of Food
I had plans to share foraging with you today but when I read Vinobaby's post for today I realized there was another topic better suited for today. She shared the USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food. The Thrifty Plan is what the USDA uses to determine food stamps for families. What I found interesting is the huge amounts they use. I have to be grateful that they use such a high number to determine food stamps but is it realistic?
For my family of a 14 year old male, an adult male and an adult female the total is:
Thrifty Plan - 504.80
Low Cost Plan - 661.80
Moderate Cost Plan - 821.00
Liberal Plan - 999.99
Those numbers are staggering to me. The USDA bases these plans on their food pyramid and what Americans should be spending to meet those food requirements. It makes me want to ask what they are shopping for and where they are getting the costs of food. I know they have an explantion for these numbers but do they really reflect the cost of feeding a family nutritiously. If so, perhaps this has the answer to the US's obesity problem. Is nutritious food too expensive for the average family? I worry that I won't have enough nutritious food for my family. As we go into winter the access of fresh produce in my area will decrease. To buy produce in the store will become expensive and what we get is wilted, bruised and unappealing foods.
For me, to have $500 a month for groceries would mean eating more than healthy, we'd be eating in luxury. It would mean organic meat for every meal, raw milk, beautiful cheeses. Purchasing fruit and vegetables by the bushel for canning, drying, freezing. It would mean a full-time job just to use the food, let alone afford to buy it.
To me, this just shows how out of control our nation is. If this is truly what we need to purchase good food then the cost is too high and we need to do something about it. If this amount is what we believe we need then we need to relearn how to eat and cook because it's unrealistic.
I'd love to hear your opinion.
For my family of a 14 year old male, an adult male and an adult female the total is:
Thrifty Plan - 504.80
Low Cost Plan - 661.80
Moderate Cost Plan - 821.00
Liberal Plan - 999.99
Those numbers are staggering to me. The USDA bases these plans on their food pyramid and what Americans should be spending to meet those food requirements. It makes me want to ask what they are shopping for and where they are getting the costs of food. I know they have an explantion for these numbers but do they really reflect the cost of feeding a family nutritiously. If so, perhaps this has the answer to the US's obesity problem. Is nutritious food too expensive for the average family? I worry that I won't have enough nutritious food for my family. As we go into winter the access of fresh produce in my area will decrease. To buy produce in the store will become expensive and what we get is wilted, bruised and unappealing foods.
For me, to have $500 a month for groceries would mean eating more than healthy, we'd be eating in luxury. It would mean organic meat for every meal, raw milk, beautiful cheeses. Purchasing fruit and vegetables by the bushel for canning, drying, freezing. It would mean a full-time job just to use the food, let alone afford to buy it.
To me, this just shows how out of control our nation is. If this is truly what we need to purchase good food then the cost is too high and we need to do something about it. If this amount is what we believe we need then we need to relearn how to eat and cook because it's unrealistic.
I'd love to hear your opinion.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Vegetarian Meals Once a Week
There's a push to encourage families to eat vegetarian at least once a week. Each group has their own reason why from cost to environment. Eating vegetarian once a week can stretch your budget a little more if done right. The problem is that vegetarian cooking can actually cost more than your average American meat based meal if you start to substitute like for like.
It's very difficult to give up a food you like. Whether your reason is economical, health or any other. When you have to give up a food, you begin to crave it. You want it or something like it. I felt this way when our family went gluten free. We worked hard to include gluten free breads, pastas and other grain based foods into our diet but we were not satisfied. We spend a great deal of money trying to preserve a diet we could no longer eat.
When I started to learn how to change our minds, things improved. There were still meals I wanted and would try to re-create but I found more success in creating new dishes.
The same goes for eating your vegetarian meal of the week. The idea is to find an inexpensive alternate dish not a vegetarian substitute for a favorite meal. For the purpose of stretching the almighty food budget, a good vegetarian meal can help. Meals that use beans or legumes as the focus instead of more expensive meat. I have shared a few since the beginning of this blog and more will likely follow.
Don't get stuck in a rut, try new things and remember that new doesn't have to mean expensive and inexpensive doesn't mean suffering. My family has recently discovered the joy of cooking lentils. So far, they've been without meat.
Brainstorm and see what you can find. Tomorrow I'll share a few vegetarian resources. It's never a bad thing to learn how to cook differently.
It's very difficult to give up a food you like. Whether your reason is economical, health or any other. When you have to give up a food, you begin to crave it. You want it or something like it. I felt this way when our family went gluten free. We worked hard to include gluten free breads, pastas and other grain based foods into our diet but we were not satisfied. We spend a great deal of money trying to preserve a diet we could no longer eat.
When I started to learn how to change our minds, things improved. There were still meals I wanted and would try to re-create but I found more success in creating new dishes.
The same goes for eating your vegetarian meal of the week. The idea is to find an inexpensive alternate dish not a vegetarian substitute for a favorite meal. For the purpose of stretching the almighty food budget, a good vegetarian meal can help. Meals that use beans or legumes as the focus instead of more expensive meat. I have shared a few since the beginning of this blog and more will likely follow.
Don't get stuck in a rut, try new things and remember that new doesn't have to mean expensive and inexpensive doesn't mean suffering. My family has recently discovered the joy of cooking lentils. So far, they've been without meat.
Brainstorm and see what you can find. Tomorrow I'll share a few vegetarian resources. It's never a bad thing to learn how to cook differently.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Preserving the harvest
It's not enough to get a lot of food for a low cost, there needs to be a way of extending it's use. Now I have posted about canning. I will saying canning is one of my favorite ways to preserve food but I'm not a real creative canner nor a real adventurous one. I'm working on it but I stick to just a few types of canned products - pickles and jams being the big ones. I make a lot of pickled foods. They last forever and were amongst the first ways people preserved their harvest. However, I'm not really good at using up those pickled products. My son hates pickles - I have never known a child who hated pickles before. He doesn't mind pickled beets but most everything else is not going to be eaten by him. So I have a pantry with a variety of pickled foods that will be buried with me.
The same goes for jams and jellies. I make a ton because it's easy and rather fun. I give it away by the gallons. Works wonderfully for gifts but it's not doing a lot for my family. I used to cook with jams and jellies but I get out of the habit. I eat my share of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches .
I share this with you because you may come across the same problem. I have a case of applesauce I canned last year. That's food we acquired but didn't eat - it's no better than food I bought and threw away.
I'm not against canning, not by any stretch but I want to caution against the endless pantry. Part of my goals for this winter is to come up with creative ways to actually use the items in our pantry and that we gather so it's actually providing for us.
Another way I preserve my harvest is by freezing. I have a horrible freezer habit - more of an out of sight, out of mind. I had a deep chest freezer that wasn't all that large but I lost so much in the bottom of it. I have finally gotten rid of that extra freezer space but now the freezer above my fridge is packed full (no more ice cream for us). I had to actually stop myself from freezing stuff. I was one of those great freezer bag users - I froze extra bits of bread and fat for future use that never came. It's a bad habit I have - it's like I'm almost squirrling food away but I don't use it.
My favorite way to store food is dehydrating. It's so easy and can make such tasty snacks. I hate to admit, we're not so good as using up the dehydrated stuff either.
The more I write this the worse it sounds. Can you relate? Are you one who stores for a future that never comes. I will continue to use these methods but I have to do so with a plan in mind. Currently, we freeze meat in meal oriented freezer bags. I keep them in the front of the freezer so they are used up each month. It may seem counter-intuative to use what you have and not have much carry-over month to month but the truth is if you don't use it, you won't. There are some things I keep for sporadic use such as special flavorings or flours. However, nothing lasts forever and if my food goes bad then it was a waste to buy it in the first place.
My original plan with this post was to talk about the techniques for preserving and I will some day in the future come back to this but I think it's more important to think about what is already stored before adding to it. Only replace that which is almost gone (or already gone) this year and work to use up everything else.
The same goes for jams and jellies. I make a ton because it's easy and rather fun. I give it away by the gallons. Works wonderfully for gifts but it's not doing a lot for my family. I used to cook with jams and jellies but I get out of the habit. I eat my share of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches .
I share this with you because you may come across the same problem. I have a case of applesauce I canned last year. That's food we acquired but didn't eat - it's no better than food I bought and threw away.
I'm not against canning, not by any stretch but I want to caution against the endless pantry. Part of my goals for this winter is to come up with creative ways to actually use the items in our pantry and that we gather so it's actually providing for us.
Another way I preserve my harvest is by freezing. I have a horrible freezer habit - more of an out of sight, out of mind. I had a deep chest freezer that wasn't all that large but I lost so much in the bottom of it. I have finally gotten rid of that extra freezer space but now the freezer above my fridge is packed full (no more ice cream for us). I had to actually stop myself from freezing stuff. I was one of those great freezer bag users - I froze extra bits of bread and fat for future use that never came. It's a bad habit I have - it's like I'm almost squirrling food away but I don't use it.
My favorite way to store food is dehydrating. It's so easy and can make such tasty snacks. I hate to admit, we're not so good as using up the dehydrated stuff either.
The more I write this the worse it sounds. Can you relate? Are you one who stores for a future that never comes. I will continue to use these methods but I have to do so with a plan in mind. Currently, we freeze meat in meal oriented freezer bags. I keep them in the front of the freezer so they are used up each month. It may seem counter-intuative to use what you have and not have much carry-over month to month but the truth is if you don't use it, you won't. There are some things I keep for sporadic use such as special flavorings or flours. However, nothing lasts forever and if my food goes bad then it was a waste to buy it in the first place.
My original plan with this post was to talk about the techniques for preserving and I will some day in the future come back to this but I think it's more important to think about what is already stored before adding to it. Only replace that which is almost gone (or already gone) this year and work to use up everything else.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Foraging
Foraging is a great and inexpensive way to add to your food budget. Note that I did not say it was free. While the actual food is free, there is some cost involved in driving to where the food is and having equipment to forage. For me, my equipment is a plastic bucket leftover from a gallon of ice cream. I share rides and other equipment such as clippers and gloves. What you need will relate to what you can forage.
Time is another expense that you add to foraging but I justify much of my foraging as entertainment. We drive out to beautiful places as a family and with friends, what more fun can you ask for. Sometimes foraging is not as successful as other times.
What exactly is foraging? It's collecting edible vegetation, basically. This past week or so, we have foraged for crabapples, elderberries and mushrooms. Our mushrooms were the least successful but still got us 8 that I will dry for future use.
Foraging often coincides with preservation. I can, dry or freeze the foods we forage.
It's not hard to learn to forage but some individual foods can be difficult. When it comes to berries and mushrooms - you must only pick what you absolutely know. There are a large variety out there and many are poisonous.
If you are uncertain what you can forage in your area, do a quick internet search. There are many foraging websites out there and many are area specific. They may not tell you where you can find the plants but they will tell you what's available. Plants on public lands are open for foraging, private lands you will want to get permission.
Don't hesitate to join a group or take a class if you really want to learn about foraging. It is an expense but as I said I justify our foraging expenses as entertainment. We do fishing and foraging vacations. I go to mushroom forays (groups that go searching for mushrooms together) - so far they have not cost me anything and I have learned about 2 mushrooms we can pick (there are more but so far I know 2).
Ask questions. If you find a group but can't afford to join or take a class, ask them if they know of someone who would be willing to help you. Look for online groups. Mary Janes Farm has foraging discussions and tons of friendly ladies who are always helpful.
I know this is not a long detailed post on foraging and that's because a new project is in the works to teach people to forage and fish (and whatnot) and as soon as that is up and running I will share.
Please ask me questions if you have some. Here in the Palouse during this month of September there are blackberries, crabapples (so many crabapples), elderberries, chestnuts, and pears. Mushrooms are just starting but it's been on the dry side so watch for more rain to bring out more mushrooms. I hear there might still be peaches as well due to the late summer. We found a few thimbleberries as well but not enough to call it foraging (more like taste testing).
Time is another expense that you add to foraging but I justify much of my foraging as entertainment. We drive out to beautiful places as a family and with friends, what more fun can you ask for. Sometimes foraging is not as successful as other times.
What exactly is foraging? It's collecting edible vegetation, basically. This past week or so, we have foraged for crabapples, elderberries and mushrooms. Our mushrooms were the least successful but still got us 8 that I will dry for future use.
Foraging often coincides with preservation. I can, dry or freeze the foods we forage.
It's not hard to learn to forage but some individual foods can be difficult. When it comes to berries and mushrooms - you must only pick what you absolutely know. There are a large variety out there and many are poisonous.
If you are uncertain what you can forage in your area, do a quick internet search. There are many foraging websites out there and many are area specific. They may not tell you where you can find the plants but they will tell you what's available. Plants on public lands are open for foraging, private lands you will want to get permission.
Don't hesitate to join a group or take a class if you really want to learn about foraging. It is an expense but as I said I justify our foraging expenses as entertainment. We do fishing and foraging vacations. I go to mushroom forays (groups that go searching for mushrooms together) - so far they have not cost me anything and I have learned about 2 mushrooms we can pick (there are more but so far I know 2).
Ask questions. If you find a group but can't afford to join or take a class, ask them if they know of someone who would be willing to help you. Look for online groups. Mary Janes Farm has foraging discussions and tons of friendly ladies who are always helpful.
I know this is not a long detailed post on foraging and that's because a new project is in the works to teach people to forage and fish (and whatnot) and as soon as that is up and running I will share.
Please ask me questions if you have some. Here in the Palouse during this month of September there are blackberries, crabapples (so many crabapples), elderberries, chestnuts, and pears. Mushrooms are just starting but it's been on the dry side so watch for more rain to bring out more mushrooms. I hear there might still be peaches as well due to the late summer. We found a few thimbleberries as well but not enough to call it foraging (more like taste testing).
Friday, September 16, 2011
Creating a food support system
If I had to share one thing to lower your food costs, I would say a really good support system. This can be friends, family, facebook contacts, whatever but they should be local to your area.
My support system helps me in two ways - we share meals and we share information.
Sharing meals: Our meal sharing began several years ago when my mother decided we needed to have family meals. These meals were open to any family member or close friend. Each Sunday, one person would be responsible for preparing a main dish and everyone else would supply side dishes. It created a bonding moment for family member but also relieve the stress of having to prepare an entire meal on your own. When we moved away from my mom, we continued that tradition with family members who were close to where we currently live. We have extended it to Friday night movie night when we make a less formal meal.
The benefit of sharing meals is that you can stretch the cost of meal amongst other people and still have a great meal. We discuss what the main dish will be so that other's can plan their sides. Some weeks we have themes just to liven it up.
I have heard cases where several families get together and share meals on a daily basis. As nice as that sounds, I can't imagine having most of my dinners away from home. I like having my time at home so I can eat dinner in my pj's if I so desire. But if that works for you - build up to it. Start with once a week and see where that goes.
Sharing information: The one thing we, as humans, can't seem to grasp is that we can't be everywhere or know everything. We try but not successfully. However, one way to feel like that is to have a network of people who will be your eyes and ears. It's not uncommon for me to call friends/family and tell them about this great deal I saw at the store. They do the same for me. This network let me know that corn was on sale for .05 an ear earlier this week at a store I don't normally shop at. It was this network that introduced me to Bountiful Baskets. These are resources I wouldn't have discovered on my own but now I can pass them on. We, also, use facebook to share information.
I use this network for foraging. We teach each other where there are places to pick fruit or fish to extend our food budget (more on that coming soon).
The other thing I use my network for is sharing of overstock foods. Sometimes when we can a food we end up with so much that we couldn't possibly store it all, let alone eat it. That's when we share. Sometimes we get great harvests from our garden or foraging that it would be a waste not to share. We, also, swap recipes to use our harvests. Having a strong network of like minded foodies is one of the best resources you can have. Don't have a network - start building one. Start with close friends and family. Let them know when you find a deal, they'll think of you next time they find a deal. Food is a popular topic - let it come up and then make comments like "I wish I knew where I could find the best deal on..." or "I would really love to eat more ... but it's out of my budget." If anyone knows of a great deal, they'll share (or however they get the food).
For me, I'm always looking for creative ways to stretch the budget and I share. I'm not too proud to share my blackberry picking spot or to ask someone where they find huckleberries or mushrooms. I won't learn if I don't ask. I hear that many foragers are hesitant to share where they forage - more often than not those are individuals who forage for profit. Those who forage for themselves are more than willing to share, more often than not. (oops - I will probably repeat all that when I talk about foraging next week).
Last bit of advice for today - don't hesitate to ask for help! Everyone eats and most people cook. We all come across problems or issues when it comes to preparing inexpensive food for our families. Whether it's the kids not liking what's for dinner or not being able to provide enough fresh vegetables, someone you know has a solution or an idea to help.
My support system helps me in two ways - we share meals and we share information.
Sharing meals: Our meal sharing began several years ago when my mother decided we needed to have family meals. These meals were open to any family member or close friend. Each Sunday, one person would be responsible for preparing a main dish and everyone else would supply side dishes. It created a bonding moment for family member but also relieve the stress of having to prepare an entire meal on your own. When we moved away from my mom, we continued that tradition with family members who were close to where we currently live. We have extended it to Friday night movie night when we make a less formal meal.
The benefit of sharing meals is that you can stretch the cost of meal amongst other people and still have a great meal. We discuss what the main dish will be so that other's can plan their sides. Some weeks we have themes just to liven it up.
I have heard cases where several families get together and share meals on a daily basis. As nice as that sounds, I can't imagine having most of my dinners away from home. I like having my time at home so I can eat dinner in my pj's if I so desire. But if that works for you - build up to it. Start with once a week and see where that goes.
Sharing information: The one thing we, as humans, can't seem to grasp is that we can't be everywhere or know everything. We try but not successfully. However, one way to feel like that is to have a network of people who will be your eyes and ears. It's not uncommon for me to call friends/family and tell them about this great deal I saw at the store. They do the same for me. This network let me know that corn was on sale for .05 an ear earlier this week at a store I don't normally shop at. It was this network that introduced me to Bountiful Baskets. These are resources I wouldn't have discovered on my own but now I can pass them on. We, also, use facebook to share information.
I use this network for foraging. We teach each other where there are places to pick fruit or fish to extend our food budget (more on that coming soon).
The other thing I use my network for is sharing of overstock foods. Sometimes when we can a food we end up with so much that we couldn't possibly store it all, let alone eat it. That's when we share. Sometimes we get great harvests from our garden or foraging that it would be a waste not to share. We, also, swap recipes to use our harvests. Having a strong network of like minded foodies is one of the best resources you can have. Don't have a network - start building one. Start with close friends and family. Let them know when you find a deal, they'll think of you next time they find a deal. Food is a popular topic - let it come up and then make comments like "I wish I knew where I could find the best deal on..." or "I would really love to eat more ... but it's out of my budget." If anyone knows of a great deal, they'll share (or however they get the food).
For me, I'm always looking for creative ways to stretch the budget and I share. I'm not too proud to share my blackberry picking spot or to ask someone where they find huckleberries or mushrooms. I won't learn if I don't ask. I hear that many foragers are hesitant to share where they forage - more often than not those are individuals who forage for profit. Those who forage for themselves are more than willing to share, more often than not. (oops - I will probably repeat all that when I talk about foraging next week).
Last bit of advice for today - don't hesitate to ask for help! Everyone eats and most people cook. We all come across problems or issues when it comes to preparing inexpensive food for our families. Whether it's the kids not liking what's for dinner or not being able to provide enough fresh vegetables, someone you know has a solution or an idea to help.
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