Cheerful Frugality Considers Convenience
I type as the smell of microwave breakfast fills the air. (Yes, you're still on the Frugal Hacks page!)
I've been zapping those Vans frozen waffles guilt-free...ever since reading my friend Busymom's tongue-in-cheek post, "the misdirected war on convenience."
It's true--you can make almost anything at home. (I'm still waiting on my husband to jump on the biodiesel bandwagon with me!)
But should you?
- If you enjoy cooking--or the fruits of your labor, yes.
- If you are seeking healthier ingredients or a higher-quality product, yes.
- If you are making the most of a tight budget, absolutely.
Let's not forget to call a spade a spade, though. When we purchase products like frozen waffles, we're buying convenience. That may be the best stewardship of time and money, given a particular situation.
What concerns me: by relying too often on premade products, we can lose the ability (or the motivation) to make them ourselves.
Before you know it, there's a generation of daughters like me who've had to dig through vintage Home Ec texts to learn that scalloped potatoes don't come from a box. After all, the most valuable part of my frugal quest has been the freedom that comes from independence.
A Quiet Simple Life recently highlighted Rick Saenz on the homesteader's conflict between cash-based and subsistence lifestyles. Sallie's thoughts are worth reading for anyone interested in the time vs. money conundrum, especially as it applies to frugal folk.
As a frugal hacker, how do you strike the balance between time and money? Are you more of a homesteader or a smart shopper?
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14 Responses to “Cheerful Frugality Considers Convenience”
October 6th, 2008 at 6:47 am
I used to try to cook everything from scratch since I thought that was the least expensive way to go. I have now learned how to use coupons to drive the price even lower on groceries and other items. I find balance with comparing prices of items combined with coupons to prices of making things from scratch. I will chose the lower price. It may take some time to find out exacly how much it costs to make things from scratch, but isn’t that all part of the fun?
October 6th, 2008 at 7:23 am
I’m a mix of both. I am concerned about my family eating healthy, and I enjoy cooking, so I do cook a lot of things from scratch, and we do grow some of our own food. But, for example, there was jarred spaghetti sauce and boxes of noodles on sale recently that were incredibly cheap. I bought several of them, know that even though I would probably not feed them to my family (corn syrup and sodium in the sauce! white pasta! gasp!) they would be great if someone we knew needed a meal. And sure enough, recently we had a friend lose his job and his wife is having health problems. So I took them some baked pasta, and still had time to cook my own family’s dinner. Then I don’t have to choose between sharing/hospitality and “getting it all done.”
October 6th, 2008 at 9:30 am
I look at what the alternative would likely be. For example, I like to cook a nice scratch breakfast for my family. Some mornings my husband has to leave for work extraordinarily early. It is unlikely I will get that healthy scratch breakfast cooked before he has to leave every time. I try to have home made breakfast burritos in the freezer for these mornings. If I know I am out of burritos and will not have time/$/energy to make a batch soon then I buy some type of healthy convenience food to have on hand. I do not feel guilty doing this as I know it is healthier and less expensive than something from a fast food drive thru. I also keep the ingredients for a quick meal in my pantry/freezer. We have all had “those” days and we will continue to have them – usually when we can least afford them. So, I plan ahead to avoid the temptation of take -out. There are many dinners that are quick, less expensive, and healthier than take out. Figure the average cost of take out for your family. Then you know the price to beat when shopping for quick foods that meet your nutrition standards. If you’re having a stressful day already, the last thing you need is to exceed your budget and spend extra gas to eat a dinner that is not good for you.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I make almost everything myself. I do it for two reasons. 1. I get far more for my grocery dollar if I stick to whole foods. 2. Because I really love to do it. I understand people who don’t cook or don’t want to cook. I discovered fairly late that I have a talent for cooking. My family is delighted. I work 40 hours a week and am not a woman with a lot of time. Some how, practicing one of my favorite art forms each night makes me very happy.
And with that said, I still never pass an opportunity to get Baja Fresh or even that occasional McDonalds binge.
October 6th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I was all about doing everything myself until the kids started piling up:) During pregnancy and the newborn phase I’m constantly reminding myslef that having a baby is more valuable to our family than baking bread or or even making dinner from scratch every night. WIth small children and homeschooling, time is a priority – but I make time when I can for doing the things that save the most money.
October 6th, 2008 at 10:40 am
For six years, I didn’t own a microwave. I know, crazy, right?
Well, I just moved into an apartment that had one built in, and you know…I still don’t use it. You know why?
Because it seems like everything that I would put in there are freezer foods – boxed crapola that is full of salt and preservatives. Things that aren’t good for me or my family or those I choose to entertain.
Thus, I make a LOT of things by hand. I have a rice cooker which has become the best appliance I EVER bought – it cooks things quickly without having to go through the fuss and waste of using the range top.
I’d rather eat healthily and spend a little time on making my own food than using my microwave and settling for ‘convenience’.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I’m all for cooking from scratch, but sometimes it’s just not feasible. There are times when the convenience is worth the cost.
As I’m typing this, I have a can of refrigerated biscuits waiting to be heated to go with our dinner. I worked today, and I have a dance class tonight. I don’t have time to make biscuits from scratch today. Another day, though? Sure. But for tonight’s dinner, the convenience of pre-made was worth the cost.
October 6th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
For me, it’s a mix. On the one hand, cooking is more frugal, plus I have food allergies that mean that even convenience food is more expensive for me. But I also have to be realistic. If it’s a busy week at work, I know that I’m not going to cook, and if I don’t have convenience food around I’ll wind up going out which is even more expensive.
I also factor in the amount I’d need to make. As a single person, a whole batch of pancake batter will just go to waste before I can use it. I’d much rather buy frozen and not waste food.
October 7th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Meredith – Thanks for the link!
October 7th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I think there is a balance–I make a lot of things from scratch but when I choose convenience foods, it’s exactly for that reason–convenience.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Hmmmm. Both.
I remember one day when we went Orienteering with the girl scouts. I packed a lunch, but, when we drove off, the lunch stayed home, sitting on the kitchen table.
When we finally made it back home … tired and hungry, I was sure glad to have Marie Calendar’s frozen entrees stockpiled in the freezer.
OTOH, I have a wonderful recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I make up a large batch and freeze the dough. That gives me convenience plus make-it-myself.
So, I guess it depends on your daily situation.
October 12th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I like to ‘harmonize’ the scratch with pre-made at times – As a working mom, I find that veggies from the stalk are more perfect for my small children, because they PACK nutrients – When it somes to frozen veggies, I’ve learned they pack the same nutrients, than those from the can…
Not against store bought canned veggies, just don’t prefer ‘em when making them ‘naked’ and not in a soup or something… blame my grandma for that one…
When it comes to waffles/pancakes premade – I can’t praise the generic makers enough for thinking of it – I always buy the ’store’ brand as opposed to the names – same thing I believe -
I love to cook from scratch – I make over so that I can freeze half – much healthier – because I get to control the sodium and fat in the meals – When you buy a boxed lasagna to freeze, mama’s can’t control the bad stuff … Plus, just enjoy mine better…
Prepackaged salad is okay and cheap where I get it – but the liberty in adding your own carrots, cheese, brocolli? and raisins is always great-
Diabetes runs heavily in my hubbies fam, and over the last few years, he’s lost 30 pounds – Want to keep the blood pressure and sugar at bay -
Thank God for Meredith, who inspires us to be smart, efficient and frugal mom’s…
latrice, ‘wminw’
October 12th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
For me convenience foods make a nice alternative to eating out. I would rather spend $4 on a frozen pizza on the nights I don’t feel like cooking than hit the fast food places or an even pricier restaurant for $20+.
September 14th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Did you know that you can freeze waffles that you make and they will go in the toaster just like the premade ones? Next time you make waffles, make extra and freeze them. Benefits of homemade and convenience rolled into one.
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