Frugal Fridays: Linkolicious

Welcome to Frugal Fridays where we share money saving tips, discuss living frugally and generally talk about personal finance issues.  Over the past few months that I've been running this series, folks have posted links to some wonderfully informative sites.  I wanted to take this week to summarize those I've found that deal with food.  Not all of these are necessarily money saving sites, per se, but they may be of interest nonetheless.  If you are not off having fun in Chicago, be sure and add your favorite links in the comments.  And if you are having fun in Chicago, why are you reading this??

Keep in mind that when you are buying food, you are mostly paying for the cost of labor, transportation, packaging and the building you are shopping in.  Look for ways to reduce these ancillary costs, and to take advantage of the economies of scale to increase your savings.  

One final caveat about these links.  I haven't personally used all of them.  I try to note which ones I found helpful, but I can't vouch for the accuracy of the info on any of these.  Enough preaching, on with the list of links:

Shopping
If you are fortunate enough to live near a Costco or a Trader Joe's, they are great resources for cheap, good quality items.  Sam's Club and even many grocery stores also sell items in bulk.  Whole Foods has good quality food, but there is a reason they are nicknamed Whole Paycheck: they are not by any measure cheap.

If you can spend the time, you may be able to save significant amounts of money using coupons (this doesn't work for everyone, keep in mind).  There are many coupon web sites out there, check them out and see if anything works for you:

• Coupon Mom
• Start Sampling
• Val Pak
• Fat Wallet (this is more of a general discount site, but they do list some grocery discounts)

If you are looking for raw, organic or just fresher foods, try your local farmers market.  Some areas have farmer's co-ops where you purchase a subscription to the farm and every week you get a bag of whatever is in season.  If anyone knows how to find one in your local area, let me know, I haven't been able to find a good site for this yet.

Finally, if what you really need is a source for candy in the shape of insects and larva, here's what you've been looking for.

Growing
Growing your own food can be not only frugal, but healthier, and less wasteful than shopping in the supermarket.  No matter how small your living quarters are, you can at least have a pot with herbs.  Once you've grown your own herbs, you can dry them inot a herb wreath for yourself for for a gift.

If you have the teeniest balcony, you can grow tomatoes in a pretty small spot or even suspend them from the ceiling.  

If you want to trade seeds, plants or anything else gardening related with other folks, here is a site that lists a bunch of garden exchange sites.

If you want some kossack gardening advice and support, stop in on Saturday Mornings at  Frankenoid's Garden Blog.

Mr. sarahnity is a bit of a tomato-growing nut.  We found these tomato cages not too hard to make and they are vastly superior to the standard commercial cages.  We made ours bigger, more like six feet in circumference, but decide what works for you.  Warning: constructing these is not a one-person job.

Storing, Canning & Freezing
Whether it is from buying in bulk or from growing your own, if you end up with a pile of food you can't eat in one sitting, you are going to have to find a way to store and preserve it.  

The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a comprehensive site on canning, freezing and all sorts of preservation.

Fresh food storage tips:

• I haven't tried them myself, but somebody recommended these reusable bags for storing fresh vegetables.
• If you are concerned about reducing waste, you can try these reusable adjustable coversfor bowls you can use in place of plastic wrap.  
• Here is a source for bulk purchase of plastic food containers.

Canning tips:

• Our own monkeybiz has posted a couple of detailed diaries on canning.
•  The book Putting Food By also comes recommended.
• Here's some info from Ohio State University on pickling.

Cooking
Cooking is not rocket science.  Anyone can learn to make a healthy meal from basic ingredients.  All it takes is a little instruction and practice.  Speaking as someone who hates to cook and won't do it unless I'm starving, it's not that hard and everyone should at least learn the basics.

If you are trying to learn how to cook at home rather than ordering takeout Saving Dinner is a good place to start with ideas for menu planning and other helpful suggestions.

Once A Month Cooking has great ideas for cooking and storing food in bulk.

The Food Network website has lots of resources for all levels of cooks from the barely ept to the master chef.

Epicurious is another food site with lots of good information.

If you really love cooking and like seeing what other folks are doing, you can check out some of the many food blogs:

• What's for Dinner is a weekly dkos diary series.
• Iron Chef Kos is another weekly cooking series.
• Chocolate & Zucchini is a work of art
• 101 Cookbooks is inspirational
• If you want to see what happens when someone try to cook every recipe from the French Laundry Cookbook, check out The French Laundry at Home
• Finally, if you are bored, you can go look at my friends' food blogs: With Cilantro and Let Us Meet and Catch Up

Recipes
Here are some recipes that people have posted in previous Frugal Fridays diaries:

• bustacap's recipe for Pinto Beans and Ham
• noweasel's recipe for Pea Soup
• buckeye blue's recipe for Lentil Stew
• BlueInKansas' Chicken Livers on toast sounds amazing
• Tuna Noodle Casserole
• No Knead Bread (this is the simplest bread recipe on the planet)
• Cheeky chicken tikka masala
• Baked Ziti
• 24-Hour Half-Sour Pickles of Justice
• Red Beans and rice
• Quick Spinach and Chickpea Curry

Restaurants
I admit it, this is where my food budget gets spent.  I don't like gardening, shopping or cooking food, I just like eating what someone serves me on a plate.  But even if you are as stubbornly wasteful as I am, there are still bargains to be found in eating out.  

One thing to look for is that restaurants, like hotels and airlines, sometimes have customer loyalty programs.  One of my favorites is run by Lettuce Entertain You a company that runs two of my favorite restuarants in Las Vegas (Cafe Ba-ba-re-ba and Mon Ami Gabi) as well as a whole slew of restaurants in Chicago.  They aren't cheap, but by signing up for their Frequent Diner program, I in essence get a small discount every time I eat there.

You can also look for coupons at your favorite local places both on-line and in local advertising.  Just type coupons and your city name into google and you should come up with several local coupon sites.

Miscellaneous

• Lots of great tips and hints were posted in kath25's diary that was really the impetus for this series and in my first official Frugal Fridays diary.
• If you re interested in a vegan diet or just want to know about plant based protein sources, this is a site that may help.
• Here's a site from 1995 that tells you how to eat on $12 a week.
• If you want to give the gift of food to folks, here is a site with lots of ideas and recipes and here's one with lots of cookie mix recipes.

Poll Explanation
This week's poll is designed to feret out the foodies among us, but it requires a bit of explanation.  What if the act of eating were completely divorced from health and nutrition?  What if you could eat as often as you want or as rarely as you want and still maintain a perfectly healthy physique?  How often would you chose to eat?

•  Tasty Tips

  I'll have the tri tip, please.

  Sorry I'm so late today.  I had technical difficulties.  

  If you are interested in writing a diary for this series, or you have a topic you'd like to see covered, or if you want to be added to the mailing list for announcing these diaries, email me: frugalfridays (at) gmail.com.

  by sarahnity on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 02:59:11 PM PDT

•  Great diary, sarah!

  Recommended.

  This is my favourite recipe site.  Two levels of registration, but the free version is just fine.  I use it when I'm out of ideas; especially the ingredient search.

  by Marlyn on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 03:14:29 PM PDT

  •  Thanks!

    I've added it to my bookmarks.  

    by sarahnity on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 03:20:52 PM PDT

•  Poll answer

  In case you are all wondering, I answered "once a week".  Of course I'm married to a "5 times a day" kind of guy, so we'd probably have to do some negotiation if this were ever possible.

  by sarahnity on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 03:22:48 PM PDT

•  I've just started reading Kingsolver's newest

  book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and I'm off to Market Night in a bit to pick up some locally grown produce/fruit. I have been missing out on reading and commenting in the dKos community for some months, so it's great to get back into things with your excellent diary. I'll look forward to next week!

  by Mary Mike on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 03:39:38 PM PDT

  •  Good to see you back

    I was wondering where you had been.

    by mariachi mama on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 03:56:35 PM PDT

    •  Good to be back...missed you all! n/t

      by Mary Mike on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 04:00:36 PM PDT

      •  It's really good to see you here

        (I noticed that you just gave me mojo & went looking for a comment.)

        I hope that things are going well.

        ````
        peace
        
        

        by peace voter on Sat Aug 04, 2007 at 05:58:22 PM PDT

•  Maui Tacos

  Veggie-friendly and budget-friendly Mexican with Mauitude!

  http://mauitacos.com

  by raatz on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 03:48:44 PM PDT

•  Kudos for the Zuchinni & Chocolate

  link. It's my favorite cooking blog.

  by mariachi mama on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 03:55:14 PM PDT

•  The Eazy Vegan

  "The best vegan cooking show in the universe!"

  http://tastebetter.com/...

  by raatz on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 03:56:07 PM PDT

  •  Thanks

    I need more vegan and vegetarian ideas. I'm not ready to give up meat entirely, but I'm getting sticker shock from meat prices. We already don't eat that much meat, but I'm willing to cut down even more, not just for economics but for all the other good reason.

    by mariachi mama on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 04:14:03 PM PDT

    •  Good for you!

      And good luck!

      Yes, there are plenty of good reasons, including the opportunity to meet cool people at veggie-oriented events, such as the Farm Sanctuary Gala in Beverly Hills on Sept. 8:

      http://farmsanctuary.org/...

      Dan Piraro, Alicia Silverstone, Alice Walker, Anita Pointer, Margaret Cho . . .

      :)

      by raatz on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 04:19:30 PM PDT

    •  Leave the Land Meat and Stick With

      fish and vegetarian fare.

      Maybe I'm dreaming but it felt to me as though I dropped back a notch on daily aches & pains. I run a home craft shop so I'm at machines and tools, and I noticed my aspirin diet dropped enough that I had to start reminding myself to take one a day for heart health.

      And I'm not a nutrition-and-supplements kind of guy, I regard most of the lore that's not coming from pretty hard science as superstition.

      by Gooserock on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 06:33:35 PM PDT

•  If you like Mexican food

  which is quite economical, Mexico connect has a good assortment of typical and authentic recipes.

  http://www.mexconnect.com/...

  by mariachi mama on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 04:11:21 PM PDT

  •  I agree, mariachimama....

    ...about the economics of Mexican cuisine.  When you think about it, the basics of Meso-American cooking are simple - corn, beans, squash, and nuts.  The Aztecs occasionally had fowl or fish in their diet, but in a more Oriental style - as a condiment, rather than the centerpiece of the meal.
     For those who choose not to eat meat, it is easy to substitute beans as a protein source.  Ground nuts as a source of fats are very healthy, and exceedingly tasty!

    by drchelo on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 04:34:06 PM PDT

    •  Don't forget tomates y chiles

      lots of vitamins. Sadly, in Mexico the urban diet is toxic.

      by mariachi mama on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 06:31:01 PM PDT

      •  With the Conquistadors...

        ....came grazing bovines for beef, cane for sugar, wheat for the tortillas of the north (made with fat).
         Of course, the addition of these foods made for some really delicious dishes, but they also seem to have been the downfall of some indigenous populations who get overweight too easily.
         When I used to counsel the Latinas who would come to my little clinic on a good diet to feed their kids to keep them from getting as fat as they were, I would talk to them about the "Aztec diet" - and many of them sort of said, "That's food for poor people!  Only the really poor eat corn tortillas!"
         The occasional woman would take my advice to heart, and was often pleased with the results they found in their own blood sugar, and convinced (or tried to) their families to eat an "Aztec diet" as much as possible.

        by drchelo on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 07:16:26 PM PDT

  •  Wonderful, Bookmarked

    Since I can't eat bread I do large corn torillas with Mexish fillings and various kinds of fish. Beans and grain I guess = complete protein so why not.

    Now to go browse!

    by Gooserock on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 06:35:05 PM PDT

•  I was the last vote.

  Cause it was the closest but I didn't want the pie.
  But sometime you have to go with what's on the menu.

  by Clzwld on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 04:49:20 PM PDT

•  Make the bread~!

  It's delicious and unbelievably easy!

  by Joan in Seattle on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 04:49:40 PM PDT

•  Ugh.

  I was drafting a letter/reply to you and went to a spell check and then to ? Java not installed then install then a error and all open windows gone.
  Any way I shortcut-ed  your page and it's on my list to go way back and start reading.
  Then there is a project I'll  talk about with you.
  Right up you penny pinching alley(and mine).

  by Clzwld on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 05:21:59 PM PDT

  •  Great

    email me at frugalfridays (at) gmail.com

    by sarahnity on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 05:26:53 PM PDT

•  A nice simple meal for me

  are tostadas topped with picadillo, chopped raw white onions, cilantro, queso cheese, and diced avocados.

  So simple and so easy!

  by slinkerwink on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 05:35:34 PM PDT

•  My standard food links -- shopping Democratically

  But before I present I need to mention that Sam's Club is part of Wal-Mart and there's no better way to fund the neo-cons than to give our money to the Walton's. In fact, the best way to keep our money where our mouth is so to speak is to shop locally and that means no Safeway, Albertson's, et al and not the crap they stock on their shelves either. Most of it is a warped price that we'll end up paying much more for via the Farm Bill and environmental disasters not to mention health-wise.

  Meanwhile John Mackey, the head of Whole Foods is an odd duck that was caught sockpuppet posting on Yahoo Financial but also is a right-wing libertarian who pens odes to Wal-Mart as well as pushing for Social Security and Public School privatization and much more but mostly virulently anti-labor.

  In fact, here's another post of mine on food in general that has many other links including several of the ones I'm including here such as the Consumers Union site (Consumers Reports) regarding what we eat called Not In My Food.

  But certainly one great way to get a handle on the mess that is our food system check out the radio show (can listen on air, online, podcasts, or read) called Deconstructing Dinner. This show exposes how we are being played and manipulated and how if we aren't careful we will be controlled by what we eat and that we need to eat.

  Then make a vow to try and eat a bit more Democratically each week (which includes dropping the Rumsfeld Diet Coke out of the diet). :)

  Start by finding out who are the 18 families behind the repeal of the Estate Tax and then stop buying Mars Products (including Dove chocolate) and Campbell's (including Godiva chocolate).

  To find Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), farmers markets, co-ops, locally owned markets, cheeses, even seeds and materials to grow your own even in window boxes or pots, and much, much more usually by zip code or town/city check out these links.

  PickYourOwn.org
  Food Routes
  Sustainable Table
  Local Harvest
  Eat Wild
  Organic Consumers Buying Guide
  Green People
  Co-ops
  Oceans Alive
  Eat Well Guide
  Happy Cow Restaurant Locator
  Canadian Organic Growers

  MOVIES:

  • The Corporation
  • An Inconvenient Truth
  • Independent America (great blog too)
  • Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price
  • The Real Dirt on Farmer John
  • The Future of Food (Deborah Koons Garcia wife of Grateful Dead's Jerry)
  • King Corn

  Then to know how to cook all the great and good for you veggies from the CSA Farm Box and Farmers Markets:

  Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables

  Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Supported Farm

  Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics

  Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables features seasonal recipes, stories, fresh insights, and unusual revelations by nutrition experts, shareholders, farm workers, and Farmer John himself. In addition to the 225 recipes and culinary suggestions, The Real Dirt on Vegetables features color and black & white photos of the vegetables growing in the fields, and of the crew harvesting, washing, and sorting. Lyrical yet practical, it builds relationship with the vegetables and deepens the understanding of the farm on which they are grown.

  Learn More about the Cookbook

  and

  Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm-Fresh

  Nutritional, historical, and storage information plus cooking tips and recipes for 53 vegetables and herbs. 420 fresh produce recipes from: Madison Area CSA Coalition

  From Asparagus to Zucchini was originally created in 1996 by the Madison Area CSA Coalition to help our CSA members make the most of the wide variety of produce they received from their farms each week. 17,000 copies later this book has become an indispensable tool for CSA members, farmers, market enthusiasts, and gardeners across the U.S. and beyond.

  The main section of the updated third edition of the book features 53 different vegetable and herb sections. Each section includes nutritional, historical, and storage information as well as cooking tips and specific recipes - over 420 original recipes in all. The best part is that lesser known vegetables have more recipes, not less! The A-Z Food Book is much more than a conventional cookbook. It includes essays that adress the "larger picture" of sustainable agriculture by describing how food choices fit into our economy, environment, and communities as well as information about home food preservation and helping kids appreciate (and even eat!) vegetables. An extensive resource section and recipe index round out this unique resource!

  by CSI Bentonville on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 05:46:46 PM PDT

  •  oh, and...

    NO CILANTRO!

    ~~~~

    Heh! :)

    by CSI Bentonville on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 05:52:07 PM PDT

  •  Wow - My standard food links -- shopping Democrat

    Thank you.  I am a big proponent of shopping  at real people-friendly places, i.e., of the democrat persuasion, too.

    Sam's Club and even many grocery stores also sell items in bulk.

    I also was going to mention that Sam's Club is a Sam Walton entity and I no longer shop there, and would like to urge others not to shop there, either.

    A few years ago I learned from buyblue.com (now defunct, but there's talk about another entity bringing it back) that Costco was owned and run by a responsible person who contributed to the democratic cause.  Ever since then, I drive 45 minutes one way to shop at Costco, rather than drive 5 minutes one way to shop at Sam's.

    Thank you so much for adding all the links.  (You might consider doing your own diary, as you included so much information in your post.)

    by gooderservice on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 06:57:59 PM PDT

    •  Costco is great but...

      There's a lot to like about Costco but they still sell the stuff from the bad companies such as Tyson, Smithfield, Aurora, Dean Foods and ADM.

      Thanks though for helping me to remember a link I forgot which is one that tells us who owns what in the organic industry. Even with as much as I do know I was dismayed to find out last week that one of the companies I enjoyed the most (in part because I thought they were independent) is owned by Kraft. I was trying to discover where they source their ingredients from and couldn't and then became suspicious and looked into them further. Kraft hides their name from the packages and websites just as Coke does from Simply Orange and there's another I can't remember at the moment that shows it's shame in itself by hiding like that and in my mind being deceptive in order to try to sell to me and others.

      However you won't find all companies on the list. For instance Morningstar Farms which does several kinds of veggie burgers and sausages is owned by Kelloggs and Boca Burgers are owned by Kraft. Morningstar at least originally billed itself as organic but was caught including GE/GMO ingredients which are far from and now they and Boca don't even try to pretend. It's easy enough to get people to just believe without lying because the idea of veggie being wholesome is enough.

      And here's another great site, Eating Liberally that is an offshoot of Drinking Liberally. Oddly it currently has a post at top about GE/GMO foods highlighting one of the guest from Saturday's food panel at YearlyKos.

      ~~~~

      Sorry, don't mean to deflate your efforts in the least, but only to have you be more aware. I too went through a Costco phase. The company itself is quite good and resists Wal-Street and pays well with good benefits. However, it is still beholden to Wal-Street and the pockets that only hold paper in companies and Costco does sell some atrocious stuff such as the Tyson products. Also when oranges froze in California rather than pay a bit more for what was left which would have helped our farmers they brought in oranges from Spain and Isreal which isn't even local. However they will often have local companies in regional stores and unlike Wal-Mart (aka Sam's too), rather than bust a small company will bring them up. Costco is better than Sam's by far, not to mention their political bent.

      There's not so great info on Trader Joe's too but I've hestitated posting it because they too are somewhat better than Wal-Mart but like Whole Foods benefit greatly from Wal-Mart's practices.

      Thanks too for the info on Buy Blue. Now I can free up that personal blogroll space for a better food-related link. I do really appreciate as well letting me know that my post had value. I've been fighting hard the last couple years to vote with my dollar in a way that will benefit my neighbors the most and BushCo the least. It does my heart good when I discover others who want to do the same and I can share what I've learned. :)

      by CSI Bentonville on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 08:15:43 PM PDT

      •  You're making my head hurt.

        LOL.  Here I thought I was doing good by going out of my way to shop at "friendly" stores.  But your information on Costco really overwhelms me, but I'm very happy to have it.  Now I have to do some more rethinking of where I shop.

        I do have a question for you, though:  What do you say about Trader Joe's?  I shop there often.  However, we, as consumers, can never know where they purchase their products from, as they label them with their name, Trader Joe's.  It's a mystery.  So how can we know whether they purchase from a good or bad company?

        by gooderservice on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 08:59:54 PM PDT

        •  Yeah, see that's part of the problem with TJ's :(

          One of the things they've been known for is (and I'm going to just use a company name as an example) stocking a product by a company such as Amy's which then has the company gear up for some rather large orders to fill both in amount of employees, production line, hours, equipment, etc., at least until Trader Joe's figures out how to do a near exact duplicate they can slap their own name on and then they drop the company without warning. That's hard on the company and the employees.

          The owners of TJ's are a couple brothers from Germany who are among the world's richest humans. I'm not sure what they spend their money on but when people are that rich I often feel more should be spent on the employees and those that provide the product. As far as I can tell, other than to sell the product, very little in TJ's is fair trade, local, shade-grown, organic, etc. so could be slave food. One of their claims is hormone-free dairy products but that is only on the Trader Joe's branded products it turns out and they source (like Costco) from Aurora for the milk which is a joke.

          However, by all means continue to shop at Costco over Sam's... and maybe start to supplement it by utilizing the locator links I supplied above with more local products and maybe a CSA. Try to add or substitute an item each week until you have weaned yourself off and it will be more painless. And by all means, don't beat yourself up for something you didn't know. Not only is it complicated and convoluted the industry does all they can to keep us fooled and in the dark as well. I think the part that offends me the most is when they pretend to be my friend and have my best interests in mind.

          The absolute worst ones to buy from are the Tysons, Hormels, Smithfields, Cargills, ADMs, etc. So, while you are still going to Costco, those are some of the ones to avoid there.

          It's just as well too. I have insider information from a family member that worked in the food industry and I can tell you that these are not foods you want to consume. In fact, I almost could have stopped with, "these are not foods."

          I can steer you to more info if you are interested. Pretty much anything by Tom Philpott at Grist (who is another member of the YearlyKos Food Panel tomorrow morning) is excellent but it may take a while for the entirety of the issue to start sinking in. I go back and reread many things and see new things nearly every time having learned something new since the last reading.

          The FDA chaos and the deaths of pets was in many ways the best thing that could have happened for the food situation in America. For some reason people have no problem with what they themselves consume and aren't terribly bothered by feeding their children the same stuff but when the pets get messed around with, heads must roll. Unfortunately the answer for so many concerned pet owners was to put them on a diet of human food which in many ways is just as bad and sometimes worse.

          Basically over the last year I've transitioned to what I've dubbed a No Acronym diet. That means no HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup -- that eliminates a great deal of bad foods there), no rBST/rBGH, no GE/GMO, No CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations -- later becoming a full-time vegetarian which has made my kitchen much safer), No MSG, and no artificial sweeteners. And now absolutely no China or if I can possibly help it foods outside the States other than those products that can't be grown and actually support the economy of the other country such as Fair Trade, naturally (as opposed to artificial -- and they do it) shade-grown, organic coffees and chocolates. I also go in for Brazil nuts and Acai berry because those give the Rain Forest an economical reason for existence and hopefully keep it from being destroyed.

          Glad to be of any assistance and hope you can help spread the word too. :)

          ~~~~

          Also, don't limit your local purchases to just food consumed in your home if you can. Go to locally owned and independent restaurants, bookstores, kitchen supply stores, etc. For some things it's even possible to find union made clothes online, or at least an independent and U.S. made products. It takes a lot more thought but in the end it's much more satisfying. And, in an odd twist I've found it saves a lot of money too.

          by CSI Bentonville on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 11:08:30 PM PDT

    •  I agree about Sam's Club

      I won't shop there and don't encourage others to either.  But for some folks on the edge, they don't have the liberty of always shopping their principals.    So I figured I would compromise in the diary and mention it, but not give it a link.

      by sarahnity on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 08:55:02 PM PDT

      •  Don't forget BJs.

        BJs is another "super" store near me.  I haven't been able to really find information on them, but the fact they're not owned by Sam's is a big plus.

        by gooderservice on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 09:02:34 PM PDT

      •  Argh -- I finally just saw this! :( Sorry...

        My apologies sarahnity. I was not ignoring you. I would have replied or at least acknowledged your post but for some reason (probably distraction) I just didn't see this whether through my comment page or Hot List. I'm very sorry.

        Oddly I was just thinking about how Wal-Mart and many others put out the meme of being less expensive (which is how I found this comment I missed) but that it's smoke and mirrors and they are in fact much more expensive (not even including their costs to society). There are indeed a few items that are less but often not those things we really need (such as a giant package of oreos...). Their prescription plan is a huge PR move that they milked for all it's worth (and then much, much more with all that free press -- but then they basically own television news with their sponsorships) but some of the very few meds offered they actually had to raise the price on to have them be part of the $4 group. Many on the list are several different versions of the same medication. The point is to get people including doctors to say that's too good a deal to resist and send and get people to go there... and fill *all* their prescriptions there since they are already there (and maybe shop a bit too while waiting -- getting those oreos and dozens of other things they didn't intend to get -- *WARNING* PDF) and suddenly those $4 prescriptions are very profitable to Wal-Mart.

        But as an example of the sleight of hand that plays out with pricing I love this post by a grower that sells at Farmers Markets and constantly hears how it's "cheaper at Wal-Mart."

        Listening to criticism about local food prices bothers us on more than just a personal level. We have chosen farming as our profession in order to give our community an alternative to the often environmentally and socially unjust food available in grocery stores. When someone grumbles about prices, it hurts more than our feelings. It hits right at the soul of why we do what we do.

        We began to wonder, are our prices really that much more expensive? They do not seem outrageous to us. We decided to put that question to the test.

        We selected three area supermarkets with which to compare our farmers’ market prices: an organic/health food chain, Wild Oats, as we grow organically (though not certified); the most widespread grocery store in town, Albertsons, as it has eleven locations throughout the city; and Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market with their reputation of low prices. We visited all three stores once in May and once in July of 2005. We went to each store on the same afternoon, as we realize produce prices fluctuate from day to day. With each visit, we made a list of the items on our farmers’ market table that week and noted the grocery store’s price.

        We started our project in early May with the Wal- Mart Neighborhood Market. The first item on our list was romaine lettuce. At the lettuce section of the produce aisle we saw that they were charging $1.38 a head while we were charging $2.50 (which includes sales tax). On the surface, Wal-Mart seemed cheaper, but those were tiny lettuce heads. We took the lettuce over to the scale, and were shocked to find it barely weighed one pound. Our romaine weighed three pounds, and was greener, had fewer culled outer leaves, and had none of that tale-tell sign of old produce-wilt. Thus, we refined our research by noting both the price and the weight of each item. When adjusted to a price per pound basis, Wal-Mart’s lettuce would have cost $4.49 if it weighed as much as ours did.

        [emphasis added]

        I too had this personally illustrated for me so now I'm more convinced. I'd been "splurging" for several months and buying organic spinach, sourced locally, out of the salad bar from my locally-owned store. This started before the e coli outbreak and for months after but one day I was walking and went into a big chain store I hadn't been in for awhile and was being seduced by the price of the bag of conventional spinach thinking, 'how could it hurt, it's just spinach and I could get so many salads out of it...' but then something made me look up and see the tiny shelf tag (the one scanned to order more) that showed the spinach worked out to $9.37 a bag and it wasn't even organic or local. It was a 5 oz bag that looked so much bigger. I had thought I was looking at a whole pound. The reason the salad bar spinach seemed so expensive is I was buying it in single servings along with onions, and a few other heavy added ingredients including shredded parmesan (all organic) and I was actually paying an honest price not a slippery price.

        Another thing that's not even figured in is that the time it takes to get from field to Wal-Mart buyer takes many days (even weeks) off the product, leaching nutrient density (needing more food to satisfy body needs), so it doesn't last and often rots before being able to be consumed. That's not saving anything.

        A big part of the puzzle is debunking the myths surrounding big food and start thinking for ourselves outside of the Big Box.

        To do that though we have open our minds to the idea that we are being played so we can even see the game board we've been on.

        I can tell you I'm more than a little pissed at all the money I wasted let alone what it's been used for. I hated what I was eating, I was hungry all the time, I have near-constant cravings and despite all that I gained weight. :(

        As far as Frugality, I'm actually saving quite a bit of money now over what I was spending two years ago. I'm eating far better and enjoying it soooo much more and saving money while supporting my neighbors and the local food shed.

        Wow! :)

        <sup>And I lost weight without trying, the hunger is gone and so are the cravings</sup>

        by CSI Bentonville on Thu Aug 09, 2007 at 04:47:26 PM PDT

        •  Oh, I agree

          If you notice, I never even mention Wal-mart as a frugal option, since it really isn't IMO.  However, buying in bulk sometimes can be a big money saver and for some folks, Sam's Club is the only option for that.  Although even for stuff like paper towels, you may be able to beat the bulk store price if you buy at the grocery store when they put that stuff on sale.  

          You can't expect to always get the best price on whatever it is you buy.  You have to factor in your time (and the gas) for driving all over town to find out who has the lowest price on toilet paper this week.  My approach is to generally research the standard and sale prices and shop where you know on average your bill will be cheapest, but keep an eye out for sales at stores that are close and stock up on those items that you need.  For what I buy, I usually get most of what I want at Costco.  YMMV

          by sarahnity on Thu Aug 09, 2007 at 05:30:20 PM PDT

          •  I guess what I'd like to see...

            is kossoks directed on how to buy frugally perhaps yet stay within a Democratic ideal especially when pushed on a Democratic site. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me to be telling people to go to places that fund the neo-con nightmare we've been living the last several years.

            There is certainly a cost for going from place to place in time, effort and money (commuting/ecological). That doesn't even hit on peace of mind or how one feels about the choices made.

            I made a choice that it was more important to spend my money where my mouth was even if it did cost a couple extra dollars. Then at least I wasn't funding against my own self-interest and hastening the lack of any ability to choose as well as adding to the hidden costs and that includes the companies that make "cheap" toilet paper or paper towels. While I couldn't send a bunch of money (or any really) to candidates at least I wasn't sending it to the opponents (albeit not as directly).

            Even though Costco itself is a good company, what Costco sells often is the enemy so it makes little sense to buy there most of the time once the factors of membership and transportation, and then for those who can, storage costs (and possible waste) are considered along with over-buying. I've saved a lot of money since I quit trying to save so much.

            Oddly it was my daughter who made it really hit home for me by pointing out that we really only save money when we don't spend the money. Going to places such as Wal-Mart and Costco often has us spending much more that we intended on things we never knew we wanted and it gets justified by the idea that we are saving so much money. But, often a lot of the perishables go to waste before they can all be eaten since there's so much (or even that people over-make and also over-eat which is another waste). There's also the issue of having money tied up in items such as shampoo which won't be used for months down the line.

            One of my new rules is that I won't buy anything unless I go back for it the next day. If it's worth it, I'll do it. Shocking how little is worth it. The last things I went back for in the year were a magazine (with an article that was very important to me on food irradiation) and a couple locally made pot holders (that are much cuter and better made than anything at any of the Marts).

            What I've found is it's amazing what we can do without when we decide to step out of the consumerism. There's tons of healthier choices for food that in the long run are much cheaper and the same with cleaning products and both are a lot better for our environment. I can't tell you how much more sanity I have now that more is going out of my home than coming in. I'm no longer quite as owned and held down and back by my possessions.

            The other thing is I've saved enormous amounts of money and it's been wonderful to have so much extra cash. Not only have I treated myself to a few things (such as a good dinner out at a place I've always wanted to go) but I've been able to donate some too. All on less money than I used to have.

            In fact, the potholders bring up an important point. One can buy cheap things that need to be replaced often or spend a bit more for something that not only lasts but is a pleasure to own and end up saving money in the long -- and short -- run. My pots and pans are one illustration. They will probably still be in great shape and passed on to my child. I spent more on replacement pots for lousy ones before than the good ones and I've owned them longer now. More than that, I've cooked a lot more just because the cookware is such pleasure to work with.

            One can be penny-wise and pound foolish. As A Siegel has been pointing out, "what does it cost to own, not what it costs to buy." To my mind, buying from and funding neo-cons is not just pound-foolish as well as justifying the way they do things and how they treat people (including very low wages necessitating frugality) it will ultimately destroy whatever quality of life we currently have left and are holding onto so tenuously.

            by CSI Bentonville on Sat Aug 11, 2007 at 01:32:12 AM PDT

            •  Penny wise = pound foolish

              That's a theme I keep trying to come back to in this series.  Being frugal doesn't mean paying the least for the thing you buy, it means getting value for when you spend money and choosing to not spend the money sometimes too.  I really agree with most everything you're saying, and I've tried to say it all here before (and will in the future) as well.

              by sarahnity on Sat Aug 11, 2007 at 08:11:39 AM PDT

              •  Cool, sorry if it seemed I was at odds with you

                You've always been one of my fave kossoks and I'm actually a little sad I didn't discover your series sooner; I do intend to keep reading as I have you on my hotlist now.

                Sorry too that I've missed your overall message. I get a little excited and eager over food. :)

                It's been a long, strange journey for me that I hope to help make a bit easier for others. Sometimes when it seems I am able to reach someone it helps give meaning to the difficulty I've gone through.

                My apologies if came in a bit strong. I have very much enjoyed this conversation with you.

                by CSI Bentonville on Sun Aug 12, 2007 at 12:19:52 AM PDT

                •  gosh, no!

                  I didn't think we were at odds.  I think we may have some different priorities, but I really appreciate all your input and feedback.  I think it's the comment section that really makes this diary series work.  That's why I'm trying to do these "link summary" diaries once a month or so to summarize some of the great links folks have posted.  Believe me, all yours will be in some future diary for sure.    I haven't yet sorted through them all, but I've saved them.  

                  Your suggestions of buying from local producers where you know the quality (in particular farmer's markets) addresses three out of the four major expenses of food that I tried to point out in the beginning: packaging, transportation, and the shopping facility.  The only one you aren't paying less for, labor, is the one I think as progressives we all agree that we should be the least interested in reducing, since it's important that people be paid a living wage for the benefit of all in society.

                  I think your journey with food may be similar to mine with finances in that now I feel like I have all sorts of information I'd like to share with folks so they can avoid some of the mistakes I've made on this path.

                  One thing about food, it really is a relatively small portion of most folks' household budget, and yet it is usually the first thing they suggest cutting back or cheaping out on when they are trying to save money.  I really hesitate to do diaries on food, since I don't think that's a major source of financial distress for folks, but since it's foremost on most people's minds, I feel like I should address it.  

                  by sarahnity on Sun Aug 12, 2007 at 08:45:01 AM PDT

•  Another link

  My new favorite frugal site is http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com. Along with many other tips and a good philosophy, she has a plan to feed a family of four for a week for $40.  
  If you dare to explore the world of people who are so into coupons and rebates that they find a way to get most of their food and cleaning supplies for free or even get money back, go to http://www.hotcouponworld.com. Along with plenty of advice on the forums, you can get someone to "adopt" you and show you the best way to use coupons to save money. Unfortunatly, you save the most money by eating convienience foods, so I try to remember I don't need crap even if it's nearly free (good for lunch box treats and birthday parties, though!)
  If I had a Trader Joe's near me, I would just shop there and not bother with anything else, but I have used ideas on these sites to cut my food bill way down.

  by Rebeckola on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 05:50:51 PM PDT

•  Links I love. . .

  Well, first off I often post my own budget-friendly recipes on a livejournal community I maintain here:

  Original Cin's Late Night Cafe.
  I do a lot of "off the cuff" style cooking so use cookbooks and sites for inspiration and knowledge then I tend to adapt recipes around what I have on hand etc.

  I am a very inept baker so when I stumbled upon this website:
  Joyofbaking.com I immediately found the glossary and ingredient substitution table very helpful!

  Also as a fan of Alton Brown's food network show "Good Eats" I discovered they have entire show transcripts available at the Good Eats Fan Page.  I have found this to be handy when he talks about things like herbs or spices or equipment in a show but it was not in the featured recipe.  I also like to refer to his Beef Map if I am trying to figure out what is the best method for cooking certain cuts.

  by ninkasi23 on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 07:04:13 PM PDT