The Cost of Food - Page 9

[barose]

Originally Posted by spiderdust

I like doing sprouts -- and they are pretty cheap -- but I've been wondering lately if they're ok to eat while I'm pregnant. I know the ones in the stores often have the warning that pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems should avoid them, but what about the ones I grow?

I think the warning is because of contamination. The ones you do should be fine because you’re growing them at home - not in some filthy facility.

[madskye]

Do you think that the price hikes are pretty specific? I went to the store yesterday and found some great deals--I was shopping from the circular.

I wish there were coupons for the staples I buy regularly though--pita bread, tortillas, and coffee!

[kathirynne]

Originally Posted by spughy

...I DID notice razor blades were hellishly expensive this morning, but I'm pretty sure it's unrelated.

OMGoodness! I bought razor blades for my son last week and I almost fainted when I saw that I had spent almost $27 for them (for a pack of 10, but still!)

[transformed]

everything that is made anyplace but in your town is going to get more expensive. Think about how much gas it takes to get to you?

[majazama]

Originally Posted by LionessMom

what about sprouts? does anyone grow their own sprouts? i heard you can do it in a jar. what kind of sprouts do you like best? i would think that sprouts would be an economical way to add to your diet and they are healthy.

very healthy.

I do sprouts. It's good to have an extra 'drying rack' next to the one you use for dishes and then you can fill it up with lots of sprouts. You can prout lentils, and all sorts of things. almonds, different seeds . You can use them to make salads, just add some grated carrot or whatever, some dressing, and it's SO good.

[spiderdust]

Originally Posted by barose

I think the warning is because of contamination. The ones you do should be fine because you’re growing them at home - not in some filthy facility.

YAY!! : I'm going to pull out my sprouting jar and start a new batch!

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by Baby Makes 4

The question becomes, do we try to cut back our food budget by changing the way we eat or do we try to maintain our current (healthy) diet and cut back in other areas? What are your thoughts on that?

This is the question I'm facing currently. So far, even on a tight budget I've always made feeding my kids well a high priority, even if it meant doing without other things we sorely need. The way I see it, good food now is an investment in their future health and that's the most important thing I can give them. But more and more I'm facing the fact that there's nothing LEFT in my budget to cut.

It sucks.

Anyway, on the topic of gardening:

Have you checked out Food Not Lawns? Google it-- it's pretty interesting.

Gardening used to be a hobby for us. Increasingly, it's an issue of survival for us. I'm not POOR, but I live on the edge financially, saving nothing and living from check to check. We live in a rented townhouse and technically we're not allowed to garden, but we've lived here long enough that as long as we don't cause trouble they cut us a lot of slack. It's taken us 8 years to learn enough about permaculture and organic gardening to be able to have a really productive garden in the eensy-weensy amount of space we have. Gardening takes skill and know-how.

We have about 6 feet by 4 in the back, and about the same up front, and we manage to raise pounds and pounds of produce, year-round. With very little up-front investment. Our raised beds are built of lumber salvaged from washed-up junk by the river, and our cold frames are made of old windows some family was throwing away by the curb. Almost everything is salvage. Seeds are our only real investment, but once you make the investment in heirloom varieties, you can save them year to year.

It can be done.

Anyway, gardening may not be for everyone, but it can make a big difference in a situation where your food budget might not otherwise stretch to much fresh produce.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by spiderdust

This sounds like a great idea to me... except we never get many vegetables from our gardens. I don't know what we've done wrong, maybe we're just terrible gardeners. We spend a lot of money and time on cultivating plants and get very little return.

I'm not an expert, but the internet is chock full of gardening advice (and even MDC has a forum about it). You might have too much nitrogen in your soil, or not enough. (I think Home Depot has a nitrogen test kit). You might be watering too much, or not enough, etc. You have to plant at the right time and the right depth (search for information on your "hardiness zone" for when to plant. )

[A&A]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

Another thing is some people simply can't afford to garden, no matter how cheap it is. They may need that money to buy guaranteed food.

.

For much, much, much of history, "guaranteed food" only meant what you could grow or kill yourself. This notion that the grocery store will always be reliable, stocked with food shipped from half away across the world, is a strange one.

I realize that some people are too urban to garden (living in apartments and such), but anyone who has a lawn, which they water and mow, could afford to have a garden.

[katheek77]

Originally Posted by A&A

For much, much, much of history, "guaranteed food" only meant what you could grow or kill yourself. This notion that the grocery store will always be reliable, stocked with food shipped from half away across the world, is a strange one.

I realize that some people are too urban to garden (living in apartments and such), but anyone who has a lawn, which they water and mow, could afford to have a garden.

Even in an apartment, you can do some stuff yourself. Not enough to sustain, of course, but, you can cut down your bill.

We use lots of basil and cilantro. Cilantro in the store is, like, $2/bunch. I grow that myself in long planters on the balcony. It's great...you cut off what you need, and it grows back. I get 4-6 months out of a little 99c packet before I have to reseed.

Next year, I thinking about growing peppers. I'm contemplating whether to do it this year or not (with already growing plants)...we only have a balcony (3rd floor) with an overhang, so, little sun. Organic peppers are $5/lb here, though....I don't think I could grow a ton, but, heck, even if I got a dozen peppers off of it, it would be worth the investment. I wonder if the complex would let me use some of the "dead" space for gardens...(I already plan to scavange the blackberry bushes and apple trees this year).

We have a CSA, and I bought a pressure cooker and dehydrator (about $110 for both) so that I'll be able to save a lot of it (we have 2 adults and a toddler...we won't eat all those veggies in season). I've done water canning before, but I want to do veggies this year.

[henhao]

Originally Posted by Parker'smommy

I always hear about people complaining that they don't use the stuff that coupons are for, but don't you guys use HBA items? That's a BIG place where I cut my budget. Everyone needs toothpaste, toliet paper ( unless you go cloth there I suppose), deodorant, toothbrushes, cleaning supplies ( and the green ones have coupons too), shampoo, conditioner, soap, detergent, dishwashing soap, sponges, razors, pet products, etc.

I look at the coupons and don't see a thing I'd eat. What is HBA?

I rarely buy deodorant and we're trying to cut out paper towels. For cleaning supplies, we use mostly water and vinegar. I am also thinking about making my own shampoo and conditioner. Why not, I figure? After talking to my hairdresser -- not going to see her much more either -- I learned washing hair less often is better, so I've reduced washing my hair and save on shampoo. Once your head gets used to not having the oils stripped away, your body makes less oil and your hair is healthier.

For sponges, we use cloth. We wash them out. Our sponges always started to smell, so I came up with the idea of using cloth. Saves a lot of $$.

[LionessMom]

I just planted a bunch of stuff. I live in a trailer so my landlord said i had to plant stuff in planters. i wasn't allowed to dig up the yard. so i got my lettuce and spinach in huge planters. then I secured long flower planters on my porch railings and planted my spices. i would like to can some stuff and dry some spices for winter as well. ....wish i had more space

[bwylde]

HBA= Health and beauty aids. We don't use a lot of those and stock up on what we do use, which are things you cannot get coupons for (trust me, we're good for a long, long time ). Coupons are pretty useless here. They are almost all for snacky, junky foods I am trying not to buy. I do pick up ones for items I may use, but honestly it's not worth my time trying to seek them out.

I can't get DH to see that we need to stock up NOW while prices are still reasonable. In most stores, some of our regular staples have not gone up so I want to load up. I buy extra here and there. It's not like I am going to go to the store and buy everything they have. I want to sell our never used dryer and get another small freezer so we can stock up on sales/take advantage of freezer specials and so when we can buy things locally this summer/fall, we will have room.

DH works retail (at a grocery store, so he does see prices go up) so I'm concerned about the security of his job.

I'm loving the ideas of sprouting. I've never had much luck but I've never been serious about trying. I think it's time to start trying .

[henhao]

Originally Posted by bwylde

HBA= Health and beauty aids. We don't use a lot of those and stock up on what we do use, which are things you cannot get coupons for (trust me, we're good for a long, long time ).

Oh, okay. Well, I don't use a lot of that stuff. I have lipsticks for years and don't wear other makeup.

[cappuccinosmom]

on the subject of gardening, I have to agree with this:

am not against the suggestion. For some people, it is a great suggestion. I think gardening is a great option *for some people* I garden myself. While it definitely has the potential to save money. If your garden doesn't produce, then you are out that money, and those few dollars make a serious difference for some people.

Some people don't have the space and no community gardens to use. Some people don't have the knowledge. Some people cannot afford the upfront costs, as small as they may be. If the choice is eating that week or buying garden supplies to hopefully eat for free later, people need to eat. Some people work 12-16 hours a day and simply don't have the time or energy.

We have tried for three years to garden, and been mostly a miserable failure. The only growing space we have gets very little sunlight, being sandwiched between a hill and our house. So I can grow lovely tomato plants, but the fruit never ripens. The soil is terrible, the garden usually gets over watered because of hill run-off, and then we have a problem with groundhogs and destructive neighborhood kids.

I can't even grow *mint* in my patch, as pathetic as that sounds.

At this point, gardening is just not an option for us, as much as we would love to do it. There are no community gardens in our immediate area, so what we might save by having one would be eaten up in gas costs to get there.

We are definately noticing a pinch in the food budget, even though I am trying my best to spend frugally. I got eggs for .99c/dozen, last week but there was a limit (3) to how many per customer. We will probably be eating a lot of sweet corn and potatoes this summer.

[EmsMom]

As to the discussion of growing food -- I have been taking an apprenticeship in herbalism and earthspirit teachings and I have been learning an incredible amount amount wild food. Some of the wild things (because they are weeds!) are actually quite easy to grow for food. Especially wild greens. I actually bought some dandelion seed last year and spread it around and this spring I very happily have been munching on dandelion leaves and now flowers. Stinging nettle is also very easy to grow (in an out of the way spot) and incredibly nutritious. Purslane is another weed that people labor to get out of their garden while I am planting it. Violets are tasty, too, as a salad green. Actually, yesterday we did a week walk and ate dandelions, elm seeds, and wild grape leaves and stalks. And we collected morel mushrooms. My teacher also teaches in NYC and collects much of her food and medicine in the parks of NYC. Now, the finding and identifying, collecting and preserving of these plants takes a bit of time to learn and is perhaps best learnt from a good teacher. Anyway, there are some seed companies that are selling seeds for wild greens and in my shady, slug infested garden, those are the things that are doing much better. I do plan on some potted cultivated lettuce this year and I am working on clearing a plot that actually gets some sun (but I am dealing with poison ivy there so it may take a while).

[BunnySlippers]

Yes, I was going to suggest foraging too if that is your thing.

Take the kids on a nature walk.

Right now is a good time for burdock roots. Cut them up and add them to your stir-fry.
dandylions are still good right now. you can even make wine with the flowers.
The roots can be used as a coffee substitute. You eat the leaves in salad or soup.
Red clover is good for you.

Ive found a huge patch of those puffball mushrooms. Unfortunatly I don't like mushrooms, but if I did Id be eating them.

Leeks grow wild- but be careful not to take too many.

Asparagus can often be found at the edges of forrests/fields. I found a great patch at the edge of a parking lot once.

Cat tails roots are supposedly good.

sheeps sorrel- a common weed is great this time of year.

Im sure there is tons more out there. Id like to get into foraging for the fun of it.

[pollyanna]

I was going to post that when I went shopping yesterday only a couple of things had gone up in price. This morning when making breakfast I noticed that the french toast sticks (same $) i bought where in a smaller box. Talk about a price hike. 20% reduction in size.

[UptownZoo]

Originally Posted by LionessMom

what about sprouts? does anyone grow their own sprouts? i heard you can do it in a jar. what kind of sprouts do you like best? i would think that sprouts would be an economical way to add to your diet and they are healthy.

We're sprout crazy around here. Or rather, my kids are. My eldest son will sit down to a jar of fresh bean sprouts and eat the whole thing. I've even caught him having sprouts for breakfast. I don't find them especially economical. I suppose sprouting is cheaper than buying sprouts, but we could just eat the beans!

We sprout in wide-mouth canning jars with cheesecloth under the rings. There are fancier ways to do it, and some kinds of sprouts need more sophisticated systems, but for our needs, this works great. We mostly sprout adzuki beans, mung beans, broccoli, lentils, and alfalfa.

Originally Posted by henhao

For sponges, we use cloth. We wash them out. Our sponges always started to smell, so I came up with the idea of using cloth. Saves a lot of $$.

We have a big stack of washcloths, most of which we bought at thrift stores or cut from old towels, and we use those instead of paper towels and sponges. I keep some paper towels hidden up high that we use for very disgusting and/or greasy messes. We use 1-2 rolls per year, compared to 1-2 rolls per week before we switched over.



For seeds: Seeds of Change

I know these are very spendy, but if you can't afford one, he offers plans, and even just perusing the site gives some great ideas. He specializes in helping people grow a huge amount of food in a small space year round, "micro intensive gardening". We're blessed with lots of space, good soil, and a very sunny yard, but we're saving to get one of these next fall so we can grow food in the winter, too.

I do understand that gardening is not possible for everyone, but lack of knowledge does not have to be a problem. IME, people who are into gardening are INTO gardening! There have been times when I asked a master gardener a simple question and before I knew it, that gardener was in my yard showing me things, offering me seeds, testing my soil, telling me exactly what to do next. If I didn't know anybody who successfully grows lots of food, I'd do a web search for a gardening group or club and just ask for help. When people have special knowledge, they very often like to share it.

[transformed]

Master Gardener =