Saturday, September 6, 2008
Waste
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/CanAFamilyEatOn100AWeek.aspx
Wake up people. Many Americans are forced to live like this on a regular basis. It's really not that much of a sacrifice.
I wanted to mention waste. Now many may think that this is extreme but I don't think it is. There are three main categories of wasted food. There are leftovers and unfinished food that gets thrown in the trash. There is old food that we let spoil and throw away and there is food that we don't completely clean out of cans and bottles. I've noticed that when I use a can of beans or pineapple that a few pieces cling to the bottom that often is thrown away. Most people also throw away the ends of a loaf of bread. Why? You're paying for them and they are perfectly good to eat. If we are careful about this kind of waste we can probably save more than 5% on out yearly grocery bill!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
What I Bought Last Week
There were some extra things because it was Mother's Day.
One thing I always do is look at everything I bought on the belt as I check out. Compare it to the person in front and in back of you. Does it look healthy? Can you see lots of fruits and vegetables or lots of cardboard and plastic?
I don't use recipes but here's a healthy simple soup:
Minestrone (Italian vegetable soup)
Chicken broth (homemade or canned) or just water $2.50
bag of frozen italian vegetables $1.75
can of northern beans $.75
half can of garbanzo beans $.75
can of italian diced tomatoes $.75
one medium potato peeled diced $.10
1/4 cup elbow macaroni (or other dried pasta) $.10
1/4 cup minced onion $.05
one carrot diced $.10
stalk celery chopped(with leaves) $.10
salt and pepper to taste
pinch or two of dried italian seasoning (basil, oregano) $/05
Bring the broth to a simmer and then add everthing else.
Simmer until the pasta is soft.
Serve with drizzle of olive oil and grated parmesean cheese (if you want) $.20
Total cost is about $7.00 for about 4 quarts of soup (less if you use water or homemade stock). This would easily be dinner and lunch for a family of four (or five).
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Last Two Weeks
- I did really well the last two weeks. I decided to get serious about staying under $100. I spent $61 and $80 respectively. I preplanned what we would be eating and I had no impulse buys. The average is now down to $120.88 per week for my family of five (three teens). I have no doubt that it continues to be possible (even with rising prices) to feed an average family nutritious meals for $100 a week. We need to continue to look to our ancestors and to the third world for guidance on how to do this. Meat should be viewed as an element of the meal and not the primary focus. I've been watching Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel and I'm amazed that people in many other parts of the world will eat virtually any living thing. They will also eat every part of the animal. Nothing goes to waste. This is the case in Europe and the United Kingdom as well. There are traditional dishes like haggis that mixes all the parts of the animal that we would throw away with oats and cooks it in the stomach of the animal for a delicious taste treat :) Insects seem to be quite popular too. I don't see Americans eating bugs anytime soon however.
I have been figuring out the price of everything per lb. I think potatoes are our most versatile vegetable. You can do so many great things with them and there is virtually no waste.
canned corn $1.28 lb (drained water and weighed)
fresh green beans $.99
pasta Sauce (jar) $.62 lb (on sale)
graham crackers $2.10 lb
whole wheat bread $1.08 lb
oranges $.63 lb
eggs $.14 each
potatoes $.31 lb
boxed cereal $1.66 lb (sale price)
romaine lettuce $1.12 lb
fresh strawberries $1.25 lb
tortillas $1.29 lb
bread flour $.40 lb (bulk)
Combo's Snacks $2.28 lb (sale price) $4.59 lb reg price
Home Grown Tomatoes
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Food By The Pound
So after 14 weeks we are spending $128.00 per week for my family of five. I saw a new figure figure that said that a family of four spends $211.00 per week on food. So I think I'm doing pretty well but my goal is still to get down to an average of $100.00.