Guest guest Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 , Just a thought...it's not only about what you buy, but what you cut out. Of course, I think any money spent on pop/soda is a waste, but there's also crackers, cereal and other processed, convenience foods that I consider the cost to be exhorbitant! If these are already gone, you can also look elsewhere in your life. Staying with grocery store items, trim away any unnecessary personal care items. I once heard that the father of the Duggars (19 Kids and Counting) uses copious amounts of hairspray. Not only do I consider this to be very unhealthy and bad for the environment, but how does he afford it? From there, you go on to look at expenses in other areas of your life. Also, don't forget to take into account the savings in the area of health care. It has been literally years since any member of my family has seen a dr. except for a checkup. Food is an INVESTMENT in your well-being! Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Hi Elise, I totally hear you. It's hard to keep a tight budget and still eat the foods we know are healthiest for us. Over the last couple of months we have not kept a budget for food and we were spending close to $1000 a month and I can say this was not buying anything special, but sticking with whole foods. While I do think processed food can be more expensive, sadly even at the co-ops that's the food that most often goes on sale and has coupons available for it. It's difficult when you see you can get certain food for a couple of dollars while a head of broccoli cost $6-$8 (which is what we just paid at our co-op). Starting in Feb. we are going to try and lower our food budget to $300-$400 a month. We have to, because we must get out of debt. While I too agree that food is an investment into your future and your health, having debt hanging over you is not good and sometimes needs to be addressed more immediately. I am actually still trying to figure out how I'm going to do this. I was at the co-op again yesterday and I was again shocked at how much food prices are going up for items I regularly purchase. I also spoke to my friend who shops at the same co-op and she is no longer going to be able afford to shop there because of prices. She spent $400 on her last grocery bill and was shocked. I am looking into different online sources for bulk food, as well as, figuring out what foods we can cut back on, like drinking a glass of milk with each meal or things along that line. I hate to do it, but we have to. We want to purchase property to homestead on and our debt is keeping us from being able to do that. I know I might talk about my blog hear a bit, when I post anything, but it's a huge part of life right now and I actually get many of my ideas for posts from this group. I see what people are interested in, which is often the same things I've already been thinking about. With that said. After I get this next series done for real food, I'm working on sharing our personal story of getting out of debt, while still maintaining an organic, real, whole food lifestyle. So stay tuned. I will encourage you to shop from local farmers as often as possible. Their prices are often better than the co-ops or grocery store, especially if you can do bulk purchases. This is much harder in the winter, I know. I keep telling myself I just have to make it to June when we will have our food (vegetables mostly) coming from a CSA. I think CSA prices are always better than shopping at the store. Therese Asmus www.artistta.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Yeah, I'll echo what Kathy said, definitely an investment. I went from a very sickly 20 year old who was in and out of the doctor's office many times each year, to not having stepped foot inside one (save for my SAD family members) in the 4 years since, thanks almost entirely to diet. I think if more people could see just how marked the change is in health, pouring a larger percentage of income in to real food, and cutting out heavily processed foods would become a no brainer. Especially families that spend a lot of money on entertainment, tv, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 , I understand your quandary. My family is also in transitional mode, and we will be for a while. For a family of 5 we spend between $500 and $600 a month on food. While my expenditure has gone up, from $400 two years ago, I think it's more a function of my growing children, not the prices of the food. When I first started transitioning us, I noticed that my family ate so much less of the high quality food, offsetting the price. So instead of spending $6 or $7 for two pounds of ground beef, we could get by with 1 pound of grass fed beef for the same price. (We still only need 1 pound to feed us, although, I see my 11 year old son will soon be needing more.) Also in the winter. I typically use frozen vegetables. I stock up when they are on sale. So recently, at our co-op the organic frozen vegetables were on sale for $1.79 a pkg. This is still more than the .99 to $1.10, I was used to buying them for, but again, we eat less of them to feel satiated. One other thing, I buy very few pre-prepared things. I don't buy everything organic, we can't afford it. I spend alot of time reading labels though and buy the best quality we can afford. I put my priorities in meats and dairy and eggs. Is it perfect? no, but okay? yes, for now. You can shop at target for part of your groceries. For example, Super Target carries 1000 hills 100% grass fed ground beef. I buy it there for three reasons. 1. Target needs to know there is a market for this quality of meat. 2. I want 1000 hills to be successful in this venue. 3. My husband works for Target and I get a discount. Target has a limited supply of organic produce, and I will buy there if it is in good condition, again, they need to know there is a market for it. If enough people buy it, they will continue to provide it. Also, things like their spinach and salads are the same brands as are provided at our co-op. Coconut oil was probably the hardest thing for me to start buying. I now have no qualms about it. I buy it for $50 a gallon and frankly, we use it for everything. We eat it, use it as lotion, lip balm, body oil, deoderant, treating eczema, sunburns, sun block, the list goes on. My children tease me I'm like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. He used windex for everything. For me it's coconut oil. If I take in to account how much I spent on all the other things, including cosmetics, which I rarely use anymore, (My skin looks so nice I don't need it anymore) I'm probably saving money. Feeling better is another thing to take in to consideration. I have found that we visit urgent care once or twice a winter now. We have a $35 copay each time we go. I have three children and we used to pass stuff around like crazy, so I would frequently spend $105 a month on urgent care visits from November through April because of strep and ear infections, just for the kids, and with strep frequently myself or my husband would also get it. Once you add in antibiotics for 4. There are clearly some offsets there in terms of money. Hope that helps. Another thing to try, organ meats, are usually pretty inexpensive. I was able to feed my family two meals for $3.54 with 1 1/2 pounds of grass fed liver. If your family doesn't like liver, disguise it. Last week I put liver in our burritos, chopped it up very finely and put it in with the beans, tomatoes and brown rice. The kids never knew it was there, ate it up and asked for more. Beans are another healthful, inexpensive choice, especially if you buy dried and soak them. Go slowly and it won't be so hard. Also, each little change you make will add to your health and build you up for the next change. You don't have to do it all at once. Press on . You can do it! " How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo? " ~Jacques Plante From: ladyelisabethberry@... Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:39:53 +0000 Subject: Real Food Budget Hi Folks. I'm what some of you would call a " transitional foods " eater. I'm really serious about improving the health of my family though, so I'm trying to make some changes (it's easier in the summer)! In bringing my husband along on this ride, the question of finances comes up often. I realize that real high quality food is more expensive and I'm okay with that. I'm just trying to figure out though, what is a reasonable amount of money to spend in one month for a family of four? (Two kids and two adults)? I'll just throw it out there - our budget for some time had been $400/month. But that was not been cutting it and we were consistently going over budget! So we bumped it up to $500/month (and my husband doesn't want to raise it anymore). But we're STILL having trouble having enough money! Maybe it's too many trips to the wrong stores (health food co-ops)? In the summer I don't visit the coops as much because I can use the farmer's market, or my own garden. But last summer I didn't ferment any veggies, so I'm hard pressed for veggies during this winter. Hopefully next winter will be different. Anyway, I digress. I would love some feedback from all of yall's experience regarding your food budget, and if you don't want to share your personal budget amount, just sharing what you think is reasonable would help me. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Hey ~~~ This answer won't necessarily help your budget in this season, BUT as each year goes by w/ this real food lifestyle, I've found ways to get save more and more money. It takes planning and a little prep work, but the payoff is fantastic. First, you're going to need an add'l freezer (which I think I recall you already having). If not, hitting up Craig's list or a sale will pay off within a season. My method during this last growing season was participating in my CSA and going to the Farmer's Markets. There were weeks that I had an overwhelming amount of veggies & fruits, but I chopped, blanched, froze, & dehydrated everything to take me through these Winter months. The nice part now is that most of my meals involve less prep time since I did all the chopping before. So far so good. I go to the co-ops to pick up misc ingredients that I didn't store. The organic veggies seem to be more expensive in any of the stores right now simply because they're not in season and, well, the demand for them is there! You and may want to consider sitting down to discuss a seasonal/annual budget rather than a monthly. At first glance, I know that sounds a little silly...but the average going rate for a full-share box of produce through a CSA this next year is approx $550-$600. Generally about 18 weeks worth (some run shorter, some longer). You could set a higher budget for the growing season and lessen it during the winter months. Also, starting some gardening will curb the budget...even if it was gardening in pots or something as simple as an herb garden. Just starting somewhere takes the pressure off and it's fun to do! Finally, I stock up at random times on my meat, fish, and poultry depending on when one of our farmers on this list or through a Farmer's Market are advertising something I'm ready to refill on. It WILL get easier! Just start with the small steps that seem doable to you right now and the rest will fall into place over time. Becca :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 ---You know I have been thinking about this a lot lately b/c this is my first full winter in the Twin Cities. We moved here from the DC area in the middle of last winter (end of January). My initial perception last winter and one that is reinforced again THIS winter is that good food here is just really really expensive. I think I notice it here more because in general everything ELSE is a lot less expensive than in the larger metropolitan area I came from ( For example I would estimate that housing costs here are about half of what they are there). My husband I have speculated that this is partly because of the short growing season here (for example in DC you have areas of MD and VA and PA that have very long growing seasons and so you get a long local season) and partly because demand here is actually lower (not b/c there isn't a vibrant strong community of people who want this food but b/c population density just isnt what it is in the larger cities). When the demand is lower the pricing has to take into account the amount of product that will spoil just sitting in the store b/c no one will buy it (like all the Peruvian $7.00/pound asparagus I saw in my co-op recently but that is another story altogether!!). Of course I don't have any stats to back this perception up...but it is something I have been thinking quite a bit about as my own food budget for our family of 4 (and now 5 b/c my mom is having an extended stay...but adding one person has not changed the budget much) has ballooned since I moved here but our habits have not changed enough to warrant the increase in prices. In our case it is still a net gain though b/c like I said the cost of things like housing is still much much lower and our income stayed steady. Just the perceptions of a newcomer FWIW! Josie " The organic veggies seem to be more expensive in any of the stores right now simply because they're not in season and, well, the demand for them is there! " _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Becca Griffith Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 10:49 AM Subject: Re: Re: Real Food Budget Hey ~~~ This answer won't necessarily help your budget in this season, BUT as each year goes by w/ this real food lifestyle, I've found ways to get save more and more money. It takes planning and a little prep work, but the payoff is fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Thanks, I appreciate reading this! nne On Tue, Jan 18, 2011 at 11:04 AM, Josie <josie.nelson@...>wrote: > > > ---You know I have been thinking about this a lot lately b/c this is my > first full winter in the Twin Cities. We moved here from the DC area in the > middle of last winter (end of January). My initial perception last winter > and one that is reinforced again THIS winter is that good food here is just > really really expensive. I think I notice it here more because in general > everything ELSE is a lot less expensive than in the larger metropolitan > area > I came from ( For example I would estimate that housing costs here are > about > half of what they are there). My husband I have speculated that this is > partly because of the short growing season here (for example in DC you have > areas of MD and VA and PA that have very long growing seasons and so you > get > a long local season) and partly because demand here is actually lower (not > b/c there isn't a vibrant strong community of people who want this food but > b/c population density just isnt what it is in the larger cities). When the > demand is lower the pricing has to take into account the amount of product > that will spoil just sitting in the store b/c no one will buy it (like all > the Peruvian $7.00/pound asparagus I saw in my co-op recently but that is > another story altogether!!). Of course I don't have any stats to back this > perception up...but it is something I have been thinking quite a bit about > as my own food budget for our family of 4 (and now 5 b/c my mom is having > an > extended stay...but adding one person has not changed the budget much) has > ballooned since I moved here but our habits have not changed enough to > warrant the increase in prices. In our case it is still a net gain though > b/c like I said the cost of things like housing is still much much lower > and > our income stayed steady. > > Just the perceptions of a newcomer FWIW! > > Josie > > " The organic veggies seem to be more expensive in any of the stores right > now > simply because they're not in season and, well, the demand for them is > there! " > > _____ > > From: <%40>[mailto: > <%40>] > On Behalf Of Becca Griffith > Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 10:49 AM > <%40> > Subject: Re: Re: Real Food Budget > > Hey ~~~ > > This answer won't necessarily help your budget in this season, BUT as each > year goes by w/ this real food lifestyle, I've found ways to get save more > and more money. It takes planning and a little prep work, but the payoff is > fantastic. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Hi Elise, I realized what I wrote earlier, probably wasn't very helpful, so below I listed some of the things my family had done in the past (and will start doing again in Feb., only because I have all our food for this month) to help cut our food expenses. 1. Purchase cheaper cuts of meat. One of our favorites is beef heart. We use it sliced thinly in stir-fry, or cut it into large 1 " thick steaks and cook them to medium rare (delicious), or beef heart sandwiches. Don't let the name throw you, beef heart is just like any other muscle, except much more lean (after you cut the exterior fat of) and higher in protein. Consider cow tongue, liver and brisket. If you purchase chicken, always purchase it whole, as extra fees are often added when they cut it into pieces. Try and buy stewing hens (older hens) and make broth. Once your broth is done pull out the meat and reserve it for some awesome spanish food (check out A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa for some fabulous recipes, , site owner, follows Weston Price principles too). Don't throw out the bones from your broth, save them to make chicken bone stock. Once you've used them for that, they are often so soft they can crumble in your hands. I then grind that (bones and vegetables) down and make dog treats out of it. 2. I believe someone else mentioned this, but do purchase frozen instead of fresh vegetables. In the winter especially, frozen vegetables can actually be more healthy because often the vegetables are frozen right after harvest, helping preserve more of the vitamins and nutrients. 3. If you can, try to purchase as much in season food as you can. Get's a little tiring in the winter, but just means you've got to get more creatives with the dinner menu! :-) 4. Buying bulk items can be (although not always) cheaper than by smaller pre-packaged amounts. If you purchase bulk from a co-op try to do it where you can see that the bulk food has a high turn over so you can avoid rancid foods. 5. Always walk into the store with a list and stick with it. 6. Make out a menu plan, preferably for the whole month instead of just the week. This will allow you to take better advantage of sales, while not overbuying. 7. Bring cash and a calculator with you to the store. You can't spend more than the cash you have. It will force you to watch each dime you spend. 8. Learn to make more food from scratch. For instance, making your own yogurt can save a lot of money. 1 quart of yogurt is usually in the $4-$5 range, while you can make a whole gallon of yogurt (using organic and if possible raw milk) for $6-$8. Making homemade yogurt is extremely easy. Making your own sourdough bread can also be extremely easy and another money saver. I've got an excellent, no kneed recipe that allows everything to soak overnight and only requires the sourdough starter, flour, water and salt. If you're interested I can send you a link to it. 9. Eat left overs for lunch and dinner to avoid purchasing processed meats and even peanut butter. Plus, making a larger batch of something is often more economical and time saving than just making enough food for 1-2 meals. 10. Try and buy items like coconut oil with friends to receive a discount price. That goes for most foods. Maybe you can't purchase a whole 1/2 of a cow, but maybe you could do a 1/4. See if anyone wants to share the cost with you. That is one thing this group is excellent for. 11. Don't buy any type of specialty drinks like juice, sparkling beverages or pop, stick to water, tea and if you can afford it, milk. Hope that is a bit more helpful. Good luck! Therese Asmus www.artistta.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Hi I used to live in MN but have moved to TN. I do most of my buying from two Mennonite communities in KY (from the farms and their own little stores, not the " tourist " stores most people know of). I save a mint - like I get excellent organic grass-fed beef (buy whole cow) for $3.25/lb packaged (not hanging or on the hoof) and good eggs for $1.25/dozen (and these are the biggest things I've ever seen, with a few smaller ones thrown in). Google something like " mennonite/amish grocery stores MN " or " mennonite communities in MN " - I found a few but don't know how far they are from you. I also found THEIR store in the community I go to in sville, KY that they get goods from. Great place, and they sell Wheat Montana wheat berries and many good organic/raw things in bulk. I also get good raw milk from one of the farms for about $1/quart. She has to milk that morning and I get it immediately because they have no electricity though. I also buy from salvage stores. I have a great one in the town I live in - lots of organic, and in TN they can hardly give the stuff away (lucky me!). Google " salvage grocery stores by state " - there are many good websites with stores. Once again I also have three good ones in KY around the Mennonite communities (one of their stores is 10,000sf and they have great prices and lots of organic. But some of the stores I've gone to I won't go to again; it's just who runs them. My lady in my town lets me know when she is getting in a semi from a good state where there will be lots of organic. > > Hi Folks. I'm what some of you would call a " transitional foods " eater. I'm really serious about improving the health of my family though, so I'm trying to make some changes (it's easier in the summer)! > > In bringing my husband along on this ride, the question of finances comes up often. > > I realize that real high quality food is more expensive and I'm okay with that. I'm just trying to figure out though, what is a reasonable amount of money to spend in one month for a family of four? (Two kids and two adults)? > > I'll just throw it out there - our budget for some time had been $400/month. But that was not been cutting it and we were consistently going over budget! So we bumped it up to $500/month (and my husband doesn't want to raise it anymore). But we're STILL having trouble having enough money! Maybe it's too many trips to the wrong stores (health food co-ops)? > > In the summer I don't visit the coops as much because I can use the farmer's market, or my own garden. But last summer I didn't ferment any veggies, so I'm hard pressed for veggies during this winter. Hopefully next winter will be different. Anyway, I digress. > > I would love some feedback from all of yall's experience regarding your food budget, and if you don't want to share your personal budget amount, just sharing what you think is reasonable would help me. > > Thanks! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 I did not see anyone mention purchasing meat in bulk- such as a while lamb directly from the farm, or a side of beef directly from the farm. Obviously the more bulk you buy and the more you cook from scratch, the more you will save. Make your own bread, which is necessary to live by WAP principles. If you are only making your own treats, you do not eat nearly as much as when you purchase them premade, and they are healthier too. I did not see anyone mention bulk suppliers either such as Azure standard or country life natural foods, both of whom deliver. Do you track your money and spending? We used to and had spending grouped into categories. Yes, our grocery budget rose, but our medical expenses dropped tremendously. It is true that you pay the Dr or the farmer, it is a matter of what we choose. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 I think that this is a subject that many of us wrestle with and I agree with a lot of what has been said here. We now spend very little time in any doctor's offices and when we do, it's usually the ER because someone is sick enough to need that kind of help but for the most part, we use food, herbs and homeopathic remedies as our medicine so we were able to change our insurance plan to one with lower premiums. We buy beef from a family friend every other year. They're not certified organic but we know exactly how that cow was raised and what it was fed and that's often more important than a certification. In the summer, we do the farmer's market as often as possible and we get eggs from my mom as often as possible. I buy organic milk most weeks but some weeks I just can't. And I belong to Costco and do a lot of my shopping there. They have some of the exact same cheeses that they carry at my co-op and for the same price, I can get a block of cheese at least 4 times bigger than the one at the co-op. I have 4 kids. We go through cheese so it's not hard to do the economical math there. I also buy organic bread, artisan breads, frozen organic vegetables, often organic fruit, organic eggs, organic half and half, organic cream, organic butter, organic cereals and yogurt and peanut butter, olive oil, raw nuts, herbs and spices.all brands that I would be buying at my co-op but in much larger quantities for a fraction of the price. I can even regularly get organic cotton clothing. I go to Costco every other week and spend about $150-200 and then I can fill in from the co-op or the regular grocery store. I have to find the balance between eating well, supporting local farmers and my co-op and staying on a budget and so there's give and take. For me, being in the mindset of buying as much organic and as little processed food as possible is the main thing. You can buy good food in many places and while I do like to support my co-op as much as possible and I do (I shop there about every other week for the things I can't get elsewhere), I simply can't afford to buy all of my groceries there. I rarely buy meats at my co-op unless they're on sale and they sometimes are. I watch the section that they have of almost out of date meats and stock up and freeze them. Honestly, I think that Costco saves us a bunch of money over all. If I can buy the same brands in bulk for a lower price and have to buy them less often, it just makes fiscal sense for me to do it that way. Now I know that this is sounding like a huge commercial for Costco and that's not what I'm intending and I've probably got some blood boiling over it but it is what it is. I will say this one last thing about it: we have a family friend who has a company where he does moral and ethical business consulting. Costco is one of his clients. For a big box store, they are as socially conscious as they come. They make sure that they know about their suppliers. They make decisions on what they will and won't carry in their stores based on the way those suppliers do business. THEY TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES WELL!!! I've honestly never had anything less that great service at Costco with every single person I encounter. Our friend tells us that as part of his consulting, he anonymously shops the stores and talks to employees asking them why they choose to work there, do they like their jobs, etc. And he says that every single person he's talked to has had only good things to say. I like that and it actually makes me want to shop there. So in the end, I feel for those of us who are working to feed our families well while still being on a budget. We are lucky enough to have many options at our disposal and we can choose to use them in the combinations that work best for our families. I've learned a lot from this group about how to hunt down good food and where to find it and it's also helped me let go of the idea that going to 1 store to get everything is how you have to do things. Once you work into a groove of getting what you need in a way that works for you, you just fall into the rhythm of it and it flows nicely. Good luck finding your groove. Krista Krista Boos DS 1: 1/18/00, DS2: 7/20/01, DS 3 & 4 11/23/07 www.4-boy-bliss.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 I usually spend around $30/week to feed my family of 3 (not including TP). I know that very few people can do this since I raise a good portion of our food. I have a large garden and some fruit trees and put up most of the fruit and veggies that we eat. I also raise chickens for meat and eggs and sell the extras to offset my costs. We also have dairy goats which is a huge budget help for us since we are huge milk drinkers and I hate what happens to my budget when my goats are dry and we have to buy milk. The key way I save money is buying seasonally and putting up the food (dry, ferment, freeze, can, root cellar). I only buy peaches or apples in the fall and in bulk. Then I dry or freeze the extras and when it's gone, it's generally gone until the next season. We're on our last bag of apples and will do without fresh ones until Aug. Fortunately oranges are now in season so I bought a box. I save the orange peels, dry them on the counter and add them to our breakfast smoothies. Start a garden, even if it's just a pot of basil or parsley on your window ledge. I'm just starting a pot of lettuce now so we'll have fresh lettuce again. Seeds are cheaper than produce and you can learn to save your seeds for the next year. Buy as direct from the farmer as you can. I only buy beef by the side or quarter and it lasts me just over 1.5 years. It's much cheaper, I support the local butcher and the farmer gets all of the profit. Buy in bulk. There are lots of buying groups around. If you don't want 50 lbs of wheat or 25 lbs of dried beans, then you can usually find someone to split a bag with you. I very rarely buy any processed foods. An organic twinkie is still a twinkie and it's horribly expensive. I bake my own bread (and grind the wheat), never buy cereal and generally make almost everything from scratch. Soups! Soups and stews make with bone broth are wonderful! They're very healthy and really stretch a cut of meat. I can get 6 meals out of one chicken because I always make soup out of the carcasse. It takes a bit more work up front and you definately have to be aware of the rythmn of the seasons, but I think it's definately worth the extra effort. Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 So bazaar. I'm also very money-conscious but I'm quite the opposite. I also have a costco membership but I wouldn't touch the produce there except for their organic lettuce. So I avoid that place like the plague. It annoys me that they don't have more organic produce, quite frankly. I've never seen organic bread there. I must not be looking right. My coop eggs are cheaper than their container. I pay $2.88 a dozen at my coop. I think their 2 dozen pack is close to $6 and they theirs don't taste as good. I've only seen like one or two varieties of organic frozen veggies. I feel like I'm saving money by buying at my co-op. In fact, I know I am. Maybe the difference is that I'm not buying packaged things. I'm buying from the produce section and then with my winter CSA I'm covered there. The last weekend of the month Eastside has their meat SUPER cheap. The stuff that is about to expire... They freeze it. I buy my " packaged " stuff in their bulk section. The only things I've found saving on at costco is their real maple syrup and olive oil. So I'm only paying a shopping visit to them about 3 times a year... I'm about due. This isn't slanted on how I fee about big stores vs. local... but I have to say, I have found the opposite in my shopping experience. oh and my kid hates peanut butter. And we don't eat cereal... so it's just two different styles of eating I guess as to whether there is a savings or not. Very interesting, I think. Although I am pretty cheap, I will spend the extra bucks to ensure what I buy is close to home. I've been told by a California friend that some of those big " organic " producers spray at night and when they run out buy from the conventinal growers and put their organic sticker on them. That's not to say that the costco stuff is that way... but it's something to consider. I hope that's not the case with my salad mix. But to us that is a fabulous buy. I won't compromise on egg, milk, chicken or beef. I'll pay the extra money to make sure I know how it's raised, etc. I hear the coop employees talking about their farm visits. And I trust them. So although I can't always make it to the farm personally, I know where my food is coming from because of the people I trust. Just my two cents. > > I think that this is a subject that many of us wrestle with and I agree with > a lot of what has been said here. We now spend very little time in any > doctor's offices and when we do, it's usually the ER because someone is sick > enough to need that kind of help but for the most part, we use food, herbs > and homeopathic remedies as our medicine so we were able to change our > insurance plan to one with lower premiums. We buy beef from a family friend > every other year. They're not certified organic but we know exactly how > that cow was raised and what it was fed and that's often more important than > a certification. In the summer, we do the farmer's market as often as > possible and we get eggs from my mom as often as possible. I buy organic > milk most weeks but some weeks I just can't. And I belong to Costco and do > a lot of my shopping there. They have some of the exact same cheeses that > they carry at my co-op and for the same price, I can get a block of cheese > at least 4 times bigger than the one at the co-op. I have 4 kids. We go > through cheese so it's not hard to do the economical math there. I also buy > organic bread, artisan breads, frozen organic vegetables, often organic > fruit, organic eggs, organic half and half, organic cream, organic butter, > organic cereals and yogurt and peanut butter, olive oil, raw nuts, herbs and > spices.all brands that I would be buying at my co-op but in much larger > quantities for a fraction of the price. I can even regularly get organic > cotton clothing. I go to Costco every other week and spend about $150-200 > and then I can fill in from the co-op or the regular grocery store. I have > to find the balance between eating well, supporting local farmers and my > co-op and staying on a budget and so there's give and take. For me, being > in the mindset of buying as much organic and as little processed food as > possible is the main thing. You can buy good food in many places and while > I do like to support my co-op as much as possible and I do (I shop there > about every other week for the things I can't get elsewhere), I simply can't > afford to buy all of my groceries there. I rarely buy meats at my co-op > unless they're on sale and they sometimes are. I watch the section that > they have of almost out of date meats and stock up and freeze them. > Honestly, I think that Costco saves us a bunch of money over all. If I can > buy the same brands in bulk for a lower price and have to buy them less > often, it just makes fiscal sense for me to do it that way. > > Now I know that this is sounding like a huge commercial for Costco and > that's not what I'm intending and I've probably got some blood boiling over > it but it is what it is. I will say this one last thing about it: we have a > family friend who has a company where he does moral and ethical business > consulting. Costco is one of his clients. For a big box store, they are as > socially conscious as they come. They make sure that they know about their > suppliers. They make decisions on what they will and won't carry in their > stores based on the way those suppliers do business. THEY TREAT THEIR > EMPLOYEES WELL!!! I've honestly never had anything less that great service > at Costco with every single person I encounter. Our friend tells us that as > part of his consulting, he anonymously shops the stores and talks to > employees asking them why they choose to work there, do they like their > jobs, etc. And he says that every single person he's talked to has had only > good things to say. I like that and it actually makes me want to shop > there. > > So in the end, I feel for those of us who are working to feed our families > well while still being on a budget. We are lucky enough to have many > options at our disposal and we can choose to use them in the combinations > that work best for our families. I've learned a lot from this group about > how to hunt down good food and where to find it and it's also helped me let > go of the idea that going to 1 store to get everything is how you have to do > things. Once you work into a groove of getting what you need in a way that > works for you, you just fall into the rhythm of it and it flows nicely. > Good luck finding your groove. > > Krista > > Krista Boos > DS 1: 1/18/00, DS2: 7/20/01, DS 3 & 4 11/23/07 > www.4-boy-bliss.blogspot.com > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Be careful purchasing bulk frozen veggies, or anything for that matter. I used to do that, and then realized that all the bulk organic veggies were from China. China has no internal checks and balances and organic produce from China has been found to contain higher pesticide levels than allowed for non organic produce here in the US. I do not trust anything coming from China, whether it be food, drugs, toys, house wares, clothing- but especially not food. Snow pac is a local company and you can buy the best tasting organic frozen veggies and fruit for a steal from Alvin. When the warehouse opens, you can buy it there. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Funny, we enjoy Costco too, but I'm finding less and less of our money going there. My understanding is that all their produce is irradiated, so the organic produce 'deals' seem less impressive considering their lower nutritional value. And yes, much of their frozen organic stuff is from distant lands! Probably still better than non-organic, but we are gravitating to the small co-ops moreso. I'm getting much pickier on the Olive Oil too - looking for smaller opaque jars for a fresher experience. Have switched over to coconut oil for a lot of recipes, which seems to be much more shelf stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I was encouraged when I saw the USDA's opinion of how much a family of my size should spend on groceries. I'm on the frugal side, even with trying to buy simpler, better quality food that is not processed. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2010/CostofFoodSep10.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks for sharing! I'm excited to see that I've been buying quality food for my family and we're still on the low end of the budget for processed food! > > I was encouraged when I saw the USDA's opinion of how much a family of my size should spend on groceries. I'm on the frugal side, even with trying to buy simpler, better quality food that is not processed. > > http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2010/CostofFoodSep10.pdf > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Hi, I bit late in getting to this but here goes: Try to find a farmer that will sell off the farm. Not all do, most will however. Next step is to purchase the animal and get it into the freezer. Never buy less than half a cow. If you can't fit half a cow in your freezer find some other people to go in together on it and do it that way. It is much cheaper to get a half (even cheaper to get a whole) than to pay an even higher fee for the butcher to quarter it up. Some people will also let you butcher on the farm. This is usually something that we farmers don't want getting out so no one comes around and says we are operating a slaughter house but it never hurts to ask. I would not recommend butchering your own cow that is full grown unless there is a place to hang it for a week or so. Pigs, sheep, goats, and all the poultry can be done in a day if needed. Try to buy a whole sheep or goat. Goat is the most common red meat eaten world wide. It is good and I have used it for burgers, in all sorts of pasta dishes, etc. My kids don't know they are not eating a cow! Ask around for stew hens. I think Alvin may have some from time to time. Currently I have a few extra roosters that I thought were hens heading into winter. Many times these types of chickens will sell for little, you do have to get them freezer ready tho! If you know someone who is butchering an animal ask if they are using all of it. I do not use kidney, liver, feet, head, or natural casings. I am getting better at it tho. If I send one of my pigs to the local butcher I have to ask to get the feet, head if someone wants it, ears or skins for the dogs, etc. Get the idea? We waste much of what is still used in several areas of the world. I have TONS of lard still waiting to get processed too. Gardens always help. Also, plant herbs. You can make anything taste so much better with a little spice. It may take a while to get things right but everything can be made to taste so much better with just a few plants added! Many herbs can be planted year round for fresh use. Otherwise plant, freeze, dry. If you can't plant a garden ask to see if a CSA will allow some work credit toward your food. Never hurts to ask. I was asked by someone too if they could work in the garden for veggie credit. They would rack up hours at a set " wage " and be paid in veggies as they came in season. Probably not a bad idea for me or the weeder! I make a lot of meals that can be good leftovers. When I do up a turkey or lots of chickens I take the meat off the bone and chop some up for extra soup meat, turkey over toast, chicken salad, etc., and have some also ready for sandwiches. Makes quick meals easier. Have a canning party with someone. Either plant your own veggies or get some from a farmer and spend the afternoon canning with someone. Or making jam, whatever. Split the cost of the veggie and work. Makes a hot task go must faster too. If you can buy in bulk. Put dried bay leaves on top of your grains to keep insects out--helps a bit anyway. Learn to use what gets thrown out. I don't like the bread crust or hard bread. I started throwing it into the freezer until I make something in the oven then take the crusts out, put some butter on them, herbs, and toast them until they are nice and hard in the oven. Great for making bread crumbs or croutons cheaply. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Just wanted to add, never underestimate the power of barter. We have a long list of things we have bartered in the past (dh has a photography business). And I just recently have begun to barter with a farmer for chicken, by arranging drop sites. Also, I have contacted people in the past asking if I could get a 'bulk rate' if I arranged a large group order. My most recent barter is to trade home made bread for a good rate on organic chicken feed for my chickens. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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