Re: grocery bills any ideas for getting it under control?

[Guest guest]

When you do the calculating for your food bills my suggestion is to be careful

about

trying to " get it down " . One HUGE obstacle to being healthy is the notion that

food should

be cheap. This is killing Americans and killing the country as well. The idiotic

FARM BILL is

all about subsidizing cheap food. This topic continues to rumble under the

surface of all

discussions about food.

Rather than using a number of $X per week or month, try figuring it as a

percentage of

your total income. Americans typically spend a paltry 8% of their income on

food. Italians,

and most europeans, spend 20-22% of their income on food. Their food is better,

their

health is better and eating still remains a joy for most people. Americans

seemingly ALL

have cable TV, cell phones, and SUVs, but insist on having cheap food!

If you are NOT buying junk food, fast food, fabricated pre-packaged food, $6

triple

cappachinos, or super-luxury restaurant cuisine, and your food bill is, say

$250-300/

month I say you are living like kings and queens!, and furthermore, you DESERVE

it! This is

living well.

Rebekah and I have never even come close to adding up our food bill. We continue

to stay

alive and solvent mainly by taking the OPPOSITE TACK of a " food budget " .... that

is, we just

buy the very best, most local, most fresh, and most organic food we can find (we

do avoid

super-luxury restaurants (they don't have our kind of food anyway!). We will

scrimp on

other variables first but we would never think of scrimping on eating good

healthy food.

Likewise, we never waste a bite of food.

We do our best to employ the principles explained in THE SECRET especially the

" LAW OF

ATTRACTION " . People create the life they believe they deserve (see the DVD or

book for

explicit details on this). In that way of life, we try to operate from the

point of

ABUNDANCE in all ways. It's my personal belief that by trying to " get it down " ,

that is,

scrounging for or settling for less quality food, one intrinsically begins

thinking that you

are not worth a good life. Following that paradigm, your ability to earn more

income at

work will thus be diminished (bosses, co-workers and customers see it), your

vitality will

be diminished and your ability to give back the beautiful abundance of the

universe will be

diminished. Why do that?

There it is,

Will

[Guest guest]

While I agree with everything Will had to say I would find it really

difficult to spend more than we currently do $150-200/week on groceries and

still make it work in our family budget and we do buy all good food. I make

choices about what I buy at the co-op and what I buy at our Cub (the one in

Apple Valley has a manager who is totally into Natural and Organic foods and

it really shows. They have a fantastic selection of good food). I also get

milk from MVV, we buy a quarter of organic cow annually (for which we budget

and save all year) and we buy chicken either from an organic farm, my father

in law gets organic chicken from the butcher shop he used to work at or I

get it in bulk from the co-op. Giving up on the idea that I have to do all

of my shopping under one roof really helped bring down the cost on some

things and helped us to incorporate better food at the same time so it was a

win-win. I like to run to Whole Foods every-so-often to get some stuff that

I can only get there (like corn syrup free marshmallows for summer

roasting!) but I find that it absolutely does not help my pocketbook. They

are quite expensive even though I somehow FEEL like I'm being economical by

shopping there. I don't know why I feel that way but I do and then I'm

shocked at my total at the end of it all:-). One of the things that helps

me buy only what we NEED each week is I make a meals list, and from that my

grocery list, every single Sunday. I take into account who's going to be

home on which days and we always have at least one " leftovers " meal each

week. I try to only have in my refrigerator a few staples and then just the

food that we are going to eat this week so that by Sunday, it's pretty bare

and then we start over again the following week. Last summer, I went

through all of my cookbooks and magazines and recipes in my recipe box and

made a list of Entrees, side dishes, soups, salads, desserts, etc. that are

our favorites (it is constantly growing of course). I use that to create

our menus for each week so that we don't have the same 5-10 meals over and

over again and we get some variety. Also on the list I made a note of where

to find each recipe so I don't have to dig. Yes, it was a lot of work but

something that can be done a bit at a time and certainly can be taken

outside on these beautiful days! As my boys get older, I do see them eating

more and more so I know that my groceries will need to reflect that but as

long as I'm making good food available to them, I know that they will stay

satisfied longer even though I swear they have hollow limbs some days! I

think that we do need to make a paradigm shift when it comes to looking at

budgets and the law of abundance is a great way to do that (as long as

you're not spending what you don't have. It's an attitude, not permission

to wrack up credit card debt!)! It's like the analogy of filling the jar.

First we need to put in the big stones, then the pebbles, then the sand,

then the water. We need to put first the things in our lives that are

important to us and then fill in with the less important things. That's the

only way to live a full and abundant life!

Here's to good food and good living!

Krista

Krista Boos

Creative Memories Consultant

952-707-1263

babymonkeytoes@...

Organized Life

Organization Consultant

" Creating Order from Chaos "

[Guest guest]

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: " Krista Boos " <babymonkeytoes@...>

>

> While I agree with everything Will had to say I would find it really

> difficult to spend more than we currently do $150-200/week on groceries and

> still make it work in our family budget and we do buy all good food.

I think there's a big difference between buying " cheap " food and looking for

quality food at reasonable prices. I buy good food. But I don't buy

" expensive " food. I can't.

If an organic item is 10% higher than the non-organic, that's a no-brainer for

me. I buy organic. When it starts getting 50% higher than the non-organic, I

begin evaluating how important it is to buy organic of that particular item.

Sometimes it's important enough (especially if it's something that's usually

very high in pesticides) and I willingly pay the price. But when organic items

are three or four times the price of the non-organic, I frequently simply do

without that item.

Some people may be able to spend freely and not have a grocery budget. I don't

have the luxury. But at the same time, I'm not content to buy " cheap " food. So

I do a lot of searching, looking for good food at prices I can afford. I do a

lot of talking to people and following possible leads. What I don't do is buy

processed/packaged food, and I very rarely shop in a traditional store any more.

Terri

--

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[Guest guest]

Unfortunately, some of us have budgets that do not allow for such

pricey food allowances. I'm not to say that the price of good food is

not worth it- it certainly is- but some of us simply cannot afford to

spend that much if we want to be able to have a roof over our heads.

For many families (especially nowadays) this is a very vivid reality.

We have a family of four, sometimes plus friends. I have $300 PER

MONTH to spend on food, which I am very thankful and appreciative for

because it used to be less.

This does not include milk- I buy as many gallons of organic raw milk

as I can afford whenever I've had an extra large order or we have some

extra money on hand. We then freeze it and thaw as we use it. So

milk is not included in the budget.

And it does not include some bulk stuff we pick up as we can.

Meat is, however included in our food allowance, and God has blessed

us with some very appreciated meat deals from some trustworthy farmers

we know and admire very much for their clean farming practices.

I have found that in our situation, if you cannot AFFORD good food,

you have to WORK HARD to prepare and provide your family with the best

possible. This includes growing and preparing our own foods in our

yard.

I am not saying that everything we do/eat is right, but here are some

tightwady tricks I've learned along the way. Take it for whatever

it's worth...

* we have learned to be good gardeners and grow and freeze most of the

vegies we eat throughout the year.

* We grow heirloom varieties in hopes of better nutrition compared to

hybrid vegies, and because we can save the seeds year after year for

future gardens. Besides, I don't want to promote playing around with

the genetics of my food, it's just not what I personally believe is

best.

* Make our own sauces, condiments, etc...

* we harvest wild berries and herbs (DO NOT do this unless you KNOW

what you are looking for, and what goes on on the land you are

harvesting on, AND have permission to harvest the land you are on, AND

harvest properly- leave some berries for the birds!)

* we hunt and fish

*Kombutcha, Kefir, Tibicos, Caspian Sea Yogurt... you get it if you

know what these are all about

*I bake bread every week and we eat sandwiches for lunch. To help

with the bread/carb issue, I sprout wheat and grind it by hand, and

soak flour.

* WE OBEY THE DIRTY DOZEN LIST

* we avoid processed pre-prepared foods, even if they are organic

* We shop the local farmer's market, stock up on what we don't have

room for in our own garden, and freeze what we can for year round.

With some vendors we barter for food- I have a hand cream that the

vendors like very much.

* We cut burger with ground turkey or venison to help with expense and

make it go further.

* We eat lots of GOOD EGGS. Eggs are a great source of nutrition and

is an area where we do not compromise. Quality eggs are WORTH it.

* Beans are also a good food that are often forgotten about and you

can be really creative with

* We do not waste food, and plan meals. For example, if you cook a

crockpot chicken one night, save the broth, leftover chicken, vegies,

potatoes, etc and stick them back in the pot with the bones to make

chicken soup with the next day's lunch. These tricks save on TIME too!

* Meat is NOT the main and largest protion of almost all of our meals,

and garden salads are almost always a part of the meal in season.

* we buy/barter in bulk whenever possible and can be afforded (ie, TAX

RETURN). You can save a LOT buying a cow by the quarter/half, buying

bulk wheat/flour, suconat, etc.

Now, I'm not saying we're right in the way we go about things, and I

don't want to tell people how to do things. But maybe there's someone

else out there with a very tight budget that could use these ideas. I

know I love hearing crafty ideas others use.

I personally don't feel buying boxed mac-n-cheese and wonder bread

because that's " all than can be afforded " is an excuse. If you're

willing to take the time and effort to grow your own food, then you

can feed your family good food on quite the budget. It's a lot of

work, but it's worth it.

It's surprising what an appreciation of farming and food can be

learned by your children, too.

For whatever it's worth, anyway....

I've got to get back out in the garden now...

Amber

La Crosse, WI area

www.JRemedies.com

[Guest guest]

I buy organic whenever I can, and I find that buying in bulk on items

I use regularly like flours, rice, beans, freezer meat, etc. saves a

tremendous amount. I can't even imagine spending $500 a week on food

buying mostly unprocessed items. Even buying gourmet coffee beans,

chocolates, imported olives, and cheese which are the big splurge

items in our household, doesn't get me anywhere close to that cost per

week. I'm curious to know specifically what the family eats every day.

Dani

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> I think there's a big difference between buying " cheap " food and

looking for quality food at reasonable prices. I buy good food. But

I don't buy " expensive " food. I can't.

[Guest guest]

I was so excited to see this thread and was hoping to get some ideas,

as our budget recently was cut by about 1/3, but unfortunately, I

already do most of the things suggested and have a few to boot.

Just to reiterate a couple points, planning menus is highly important

in saving money as well as time. Freeze some dinners too for

emergencies so that you are not left ordering pizza because things

happened.

Secondly, the more you do from scratch, the more you save. Packaged

foods are expensive and do not taste good. My family can not stand

bottled salad dressings and I save a ton by making our own. Do not

buy expensive marinade packets but put your own together. Buy bulk

spices, and other things in bulk. Cereal should be a rarity. Rely on

eggs, muffins, oatmeal, smoothies for breakfast

Order dry bulk supplies from country life or another wholesale

distributor. I buy 25 - 50 # bags of oatmeal, and other things cheaply.

Buy meat directly from a farmer. Do not buy things like beef, lamb

and chicken from the store, it is so much cheaper to buy directly from

a farm and it benefits the farmer more as well. It is also easy to find.

Make good use of your monthly discount at your local co-op. I always

keep a cumulative list of things I am running low on, and I buy a few

pounds of coffee, OJ and other things I habitually buy at the co-op,

and I buy enough to last a month and I get my monthly discount as

well. I also buy a large quantity of anything on sale that I use

regularly (if it does not expire). Outside of this monthly trip, my

weekly grocery trips are almost always 90-100% produce.

Do not waste a thing. Americans throw out so much food. When we

accumulate a few left overs but do not have enough for an entire meal

of one item, I type out menus and we have resturaunt night. The kids

love this. Also, I try to use up and substitute things in rather than

let them go to waste. I might freeze the tiny bit of pizza sauce and

use it another time for an individual pizza for instance. Before you

throw anything away, think hard, are you sure you can not use it? Go

through the fridge frequently, and use things up before they go bad.

Cook and freeze celery and onions before they get icky, blanch carrots

before they go bad. Also, pandering to kids is a recipe for a high

food bill, and it does not help the children be well adjusted pleasant

adults either.

No one has mentioned broth. Broth is incredibly nutritious, and it is

just made from stuff that gets thrown out by most Americans. Do not

use whole chickens or a roast for broth, way too pricey! Instead use

soup bones from beef that are thrown in if you buy a 1/4 cow directly

from the farmer (which is the most economical way to buy beef). There

is so much meat on the soup bones that I usually pull the meat out

after I filter the broth for the soup. With chicken, periodically I

will cook and debone a chicken for a casserole, throw the bones back

in a crock pot and cook it for an additional 12 hours for broth. I

also will save the chicken necks for broth, and if I cut a chicken up

into pieces, I save the junk for broth. Incredibly delicious soups

can be made with these cheap broths, and the quality is top of the

line and incredibly healthy to boot. This is the best thing to do for

family health and budget.

No one mentioned buying produce at a CSA or at a farmers market, and I

can not speak of savings because I have not ventured there yet but

perhaps someone else can comment. The most expensive part of our

grocery bill is produce followed by milk, and I would love to figure

out how to get this cost down. I used to head a produce club that

bought directly from a distributor, but it is in limbo because we need

more hands on deck. If you can get something like that started that

saves cash too.

Will mentioned things like cable. Are there things you can do

without? Can you cut kids hair, get cheaper insurance, spend less on

Christmas gifts? My kids are thrilled to get one toy and two small

items for Christmas. Are you reading your magazine subscriptions?

Are you utilizing coupons and bag returns? Are you using as little as

possible of things? Can it be repaired or do you really have to buy a

new one? Can you find what you are looking for second hand? Can you

go without make up (I think women are prettier without makeup

personally)? Are you investing in good quality items such as decent

appliances which saves money in the long run because they do not need

to be replaced as often?

Make your own natural cleaners. Do not buy pricey premixed stuff.

Lastly, but what probably should have been first, are you giving

freely? Tithing is a Biblical principle, and many non-Christian money

gurus say they can not explain why, but people who give freely are the

people who tend to do well financially, and that that giving attitude

starts before they are well off. I know it is counterintuitive, but

it is some sort of money law that tends to hold true. Suze Orman does

a nice job explaining this principle.

Hope these things help.

Carol F

[Guest guest]

" " " Giving up on the idea that I have to do all

of my shopping under one roof really helped bring down the cost on some

things and helped us to incorporate better food at the same time so it was a

win-win. " " "

This is the number one way to eat well and keep costs down!!! I shop at least 6

different places to get the best prices I can on the best food I can. We too are

on a very tight budget and I have been able to keep our costs close to the same

as when we were eating junk foods! Now mind you we have increased our budget a

bit though.

I shop whole foods and the wedge when I am in town on Mondays, an extended

round trip for me when I volunteer with the parrots rescue. I know I can get the

best price on Olive oil at WF and trout at Wedge. We splurge on the trout it is

from, Oh my, I forgot your name but they are here on list. (Star Parrie?) But

you will never get a better tasting trout any where else than from them! I could

eat it every day and never tire of it. Plus their smoked trout mixed with some

raw cream cheese is to die for!! Spread it on crackers with a nice salad for

lunch or dinner.

Chicken I get at the farmers market in the summer months, I shop several of

those. Other wise I get it at Fresh and Natural in Shoreview. They have the best

price and it is so good tasting too. I get much of my steaks at the Wedge too.

then I go to several farmers to get my other things like raw milk, eggs and

such. Oh honey too. Fruits and veggies I see who has the best prices and do the

farmers markets for this too. We also have huge gardens to grow much of our own

veggies. I am getting some yellow raspberries plants, was given some red ones

from a friend the other day too! Plus we were gifted from another friend several

strawberry plants!! So we will be growing those too!

Making most of our foods from scratch is the biggest money saving and healthful

thing we have done. Lets face it, you have control of what goes into your food

this way! making home made kraut is much cheaper than buying it and really it is

fun too!! I have fallen in love with cabbage, onion and fennel kraut! Oh and

apple cabbage and onion is right up there too!! So easy to make and even easier

with a food processor!!

My recipe for any kraut:

2 # Minim of cabbage then to = a total of aprox 3# total add what ever else you

like, ex: onions, fennel, apples, carrots.....

Every thing should be shredded or sliced VERY finely.

To this add 1 T salt, I use 'real salt' and 3 to 4 T of whey, I use Kefir whey.

Add what ever you desire herbs, pepper flakes and seeds (ex. caraway, fennel

seeds) at this point and Mix well! Let sit for a couple of hours or so at room

temp till juiced up some and wilted a bit. I often cover with a cloth. Pack

firmly into clean sanitized jars, crock etc. To pack smash it down well into the

jar. You want to create more juice when packing it in. Make sure it is covered

well with liquid. Cover with a ironed cloth (this sterilizes the cloth) let sit

for 3 to 5 days at room temp. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for a couple of

weeks before eating. Works great each and every time.

This makes about a 2 qt jar for me and I figure it costs me under $6 depending

on what ingredients I add in. So you pay about $1.50 a pint. Not bad, very

helpful and cheaper. I have seen some raw brands in the store go for over $5 a

pt.

I am experimenting with making marshmallows and find that honey, sorghum and

molasses all work well to replace the corn syrup. To be honest though, they are

a lot of work if you do not have a stand mixer. Plus I really do not think they

are cost efficient either. the recipe I am using calls for 2 c sugar (I use raw

evaporated cane), 3 T gelatin, 1/2 c honey, 1/4 t salt, 3/4 c water for the

gelatin and 1/2 c for the syrup mixture.

To make mix the gelatin and 3/4 c water in the mixing bowl and let it sit. In a

sauce pan add the remaining ingredients and mix before turning on the heat. Let

it come up to a soft ball stage on a candy thermometer. Once it gets to this

point, pour it all at once into the mixing bowl and turn the beaters on slowly

till it comes to the whipping stage. Whip for 5 to 10 minutes. Pour into a

buttered pan heavily dusted with powder sugar or a mix of cinnamon and sugar.

Use a buttered scapula to pour into and spread in pan. Sprinkling the top with

the powder or cinnamon sugar mix. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Store

in a tightly sealed container and keep cool and dry. Or you can leave it open

on top of the fridge if you like stale peeps!

Any way, this is how we save money and eat very healthily!

Kimi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.Jremedies.com

" I do not ask that Thou should give me some high or noble task. Give me

little hands to fold in mine. Give me little children to point Thy way, over

the strange, sweet path that leads to You. Give me little voices to teach to

pray. Give me shining eyes Thy face to see. The only crown I ask to wear is

this, that I may teach my children. I do not ask that I may stand among the

wise, the worthy, or the great; I only ask that softly, hand in hand my

children and I may enter at the gate. "

-Anonymous

--- http://USFamily.Net/dialup.html - $8.25/mo! --

http://www.usfamily.net/dsl.html - $19.99/mo! ---

[Guest guest]

Can you send the URL for Country Life??? I was going to google it but the list

was long, popular title.

Also if any one wants, I can bring some cloth coffee filters that are reusable

tot he next swap I come to. Not able to make it on the Aug. 11th as we have a

car show our club is hosting that day! (Family of Christ Church in Ham Lake, MN

if any one is wanting something to do that day after or before the swap. it goes

from 9 to 2)

Kimi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.Jremedies.com

" I do not ask that Thou should give me some high or noble task. Give me

little hands to fold in mine. Give me little children to point Thy way, over

the strange, sweet path that leads to You. Give me little voices to teach to

pray. Give me shining eyes Thy face to see. The only crown I ask to wear is

this, that I may teach my children. I do not ask that I may stand among the

wise, the worthy, or the great; I only ask that softly, hand in hand my

children and I may enter at the gate. "

-Anonymous

--- http://USFamily.Net/dialup.html - $8.25/mo! --

http://www.usfamily.net/dsl.html - $19.99/mo! ---

[Guest guest]

an idea that I haven't seen on this thread yet, is to eat lots of organ meats.

they are cheaper

and also contain more nutrients. Last year I got 30 lbs. of bison heart, liver,

tongue, spleen,

kidney and testicles for $2.60/lb. The bison farmer was very happy to sell them

to me.

Carolyn

>

> We do a spread sheet of expenses and put in every receipt to track

> where we spend money and food is the BIGGEST one after bills. One

> month we spent 700 bucks on food. We consistently spend around 200 to

> 220 a week on food. What in the heck am I doing wrong!! We don't really

> eat out. I usually only get one " great " meat a week like lamb chops.

> Any ideas? What does your list look like? I would like to get it down

> to 150-170 a week.

> andrea

>

[Guest guest]

I have been reading these posts on healthful eating on a budget, and I

must say I am very impressed with all the creative ways you people are

using to provide good, nutritious food to your families. I would like

to offer another one, if anyone is interested.

I have a large quantity of bulk, organic grains that I would like to

offer free to anyone who will use them. They are mostly organic hard,

red wheat, in 35 pound buckets, sealed with nitrogen for long storage.

There are some smaller buckets also, oats, barley, maybe others. They

are mostly 7 or 8 years old, but I have been using the wheat for wheat

grass, and I'm getting good results sprouting, so it is still alive.

I've also ground some, and it made great bread.

You will have to pick up in Northeast Mpls (only about 2 mi. from the

wonderful new farmers' market downtown, which is now open on Thurs eves,

besides Sat am) preferably this week. I want these to go to families

who will eat them, not just store them or feed them to animals. Please

email me off-list with time and day that you will come, if you are

interested.

(I also have other things, mostly new--concrete & blacktop caulk,

automotive cleaners & de-icers, power cords, tools, a case of outdated

6oz organic tomato paste that is still good, a huge pressure cooker,

various other items--if you come by this weekend you can pick through it

before I donate it elsewhere.)

Colleen

PS It's not required, but I wouldn't refuse a little of your kefir, or

whatever, in exchange!

Build your personal library while building a successful home business.

www.WinningInTheMargins.com

pass key: withbooks

[Guest guest]

http://www.clnf.org/

Carolyn

>

> Can you send the URL for Country Life??? I was going to google it but the list

was long,

popular title.

>

[Guest guest]

On the Organ meat idea: and I will be doing a session at the

WAPF conference on preparing organ meats. We will be practicing all

summer. He will be pulling on what he learned at Le Cordon Bleu as

well as many traditional favorites. My 14 year old daughter made a

fantastic liver loaf the other night. My husband didn't even know it

had liver in it! But many of the dishes will feature the organ meat,

not just grind it up. Let us know if you would like a " pre-conference "

report!

~Jan

>

> an idea that I haven't seen on this thread yet, is to eat lots of

organ meats. they are cheaper

> and also contain more nutrients. Last year I got 30 lbs. of bison

heart, liver, tongue, spleen,

> kidney and testicles for $2.60/lb. The bison farmer was very happy to

sell them to me.

> Carolyn

>

[Guest guest]

yes, give us a pre-conference report!

>

> On the Organ meat idea: and I will be doing a session at the

> WAPF conference on preparing organ meats. We will be practicing all

> summer. He will be pulling on what he learned at Le Cordon Bleu as

> well as many traditional favorites. My 14 year old daughter made a

> fantastic liver loaf the other night. My husband didn't even know it

> had liver in it! But many of the dishes will feature the organ meat,

> not just grind it up. Let us know if you would like a " pre-conference "

> report!