Family Feasts for $75 a Week: A winner and the interview!
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Thank you to everyone who participated by asking questions. We had over 100 entries, and I know Mary had a great time choosing questions to answer! We chose one winner from among the entries to win a free copy of Family Feasts for $75 a Week.
Here's the lucky gal, courtesy of Random.org:
Lindsey in AL Says: Can I borrow one of the DHM’s questions? She used up way too many of them 
This book keeps popping up on my radar, so to speak, and I can’t get it from the library yet.
I too would like to know if there are any ingredients that absolutely forego and likewise, whether there are any that you buy regardless of price? I know just about anything can be stocked up on sale if one waits long enough, but sometimes you run out.
Congratulations, Lindsey! You'll find the answer to your question in #5 below. Just use the contact form to send your complete name and mailing address, and I'll forward it to Mary so she can send your free copy of her book!
And now, on to the Q&A. Of course Mary couldn't answer every question, but she did try to choose recurring questions or those that overlapped a lot. Was your question answered?
- How much time do you spend in the kitchen daily?
I rarely spend more than 15 minutes for breakfast and lunch—I make simple food that comes together quickly. For dinner I spend a little more time. Forty-five minutes or an hour is not uncommon many days of the week. But I often deliberately double my recipes so that I can have leftovers for an easy meal another day. For example, over the weekend I made two enchilada casseroles, one of which went into the freezer to be saved for a busy day. Then this evening I made a HUGE pot of potato soup that gave us enough left over for lunch in a day or two. I would say that on average I spend 1.5 hours in the kitchen each day. (Full disclosure: I cook. My kids do the dishes. J ) - What are your favorite frugal meals?
Potato Corn Chowder is wonderful affordable comfort food. Pasta Carbonera is another frugal and delicious meal. - How do you deal with picky kids?
Early in my parenting career, I read that kids need to taste an item 10 times to start to get used to that taste. So from the start we instituted a ‘gotta-taste-it’ policy. Everyone is expected to taste at least a few bites of everything I am serving. I make sure that most meals include a side dish that everyone enjoys, such as Really Big Biscuits (from my book!), muffins, applesauce, or fresh veggies with dip. That way even if the main dish isn’t a hit with everyone, there are options that everyone can enjoy. I also encourage kids’ interest in cooking. Having a hand in preparing the food makes kids more favorably inclined even towards unfamiliar food. Our tactics seem to be working; my kids are all good eaters, even the ones who arrived in America at age 11 and 9. - How much time do you spend shopping and planning each week?
I make 2 ‘big’ shopping trips each month, which between planning, driving, and shopping take me about 3 hours each. (We live 30 minutes away from the most affordable store in our area). Between times I make short forays to other stores, usually no more than twice a week and usually only buying sale items and loss leaders. Those trips are usually quick (in and out of the store in 20 minutes) and are combined with other errands. Altogether I probably spend 10 hours a month shopping and planning. - Are there ingredients you never buy? Always buy, no matter what the price?
I never buy cream soups; I prefer to make my own white sauce—it’s cheap, yummy, and quick. I don’t buy pancake mix, frozen waffles, packaged cookies, frozen pizza, or Hamburger Helper. I can make these better, cheaper, and almost as quickly on my own.I always buy butter, good coffee, coffee creamer, fruits and veggies, ice cream, and chocolate chips for baking. - Does your book have dairy-free recipes? Gluten free? Egg free? Vegetarian?
Yes to all. I haven’t counted every category, but there are at least 3 dozen gluten free recipes, many that are dairy and egg free, and at least 4 dozen vegetarian recipes counting desserts and make-your-own mixes. I have a child who is allergic to egg, and another who doesn’t do well with lots of wheat. In dealing with their allergies, I began experimenting with ethnic cooking, and discovered that not only is it affordable, it is a great way to avoid some of the most common allergy-inducing foods in the American diet. - Is it possible to eat affordably AND healthfully? What about fresh fruits/veggies?
Emphatically, yes! Using less ready-made food and learning to cook for yourself will save money AND improve your diet. Prepared foods are loaded with preservatives, food coloring, sugar, and salt. Yes, fruits and veggies do cost money. But if you focus on the most affordable ones and eat other, more expensive fruits only when they’re in season, it is possible to still save money. - Have you ever had people say you are too frugal? How do you respond?
I think that because I have a big family, people understand that I need to be wise with our money. But the point I always try to make when talking about money saving tactics is that frugality is actually about freedom. It gave me the option of staying at home with my children. It helped make adoption more possible for our family. We’ve been able to take trips, and we’ve been able to contribute to various causes that make a difference in the world. If folks focus on the benefits of wise spending, they’ll probably find it easier to stay motivated. - Is it possible to feed a family affordably in areas where food costs are high?
Absolutely. If you live in New York City, your final food costs will be a little higher than in some other areas. But learning frugal shopping and cooking strategies will leave you with more cash at the end of the month, no matter where you live. - What kind of wisdom would you give your younger self? Would she listen?
I was fortunate to grow up observing my parents making wise choices with their money, which made it easier and more natural to be wise with my own spending as an adult. However, I do wish my husband and I had avoided the temptation of buying a vehicle on payments right out of college. Even if a $1500 clunker needs a few hundred dollars of repair each year, it will probably be cheaper than spending hundreds a month – guaranteed - on car payments, with repairs on top of that.
Let's all give a big thank to Mary Ostyn, who took time to answer your questions while on a flight to New York where she is being taped today for a cooking demo on Parents.tv. Congratulations, Mary, on a job well done! Buy the book.
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4 Responses to “Family Feasts for $75 a Week: A winner and the interview!”
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:29 am
Just wondering, will this by chance also be put out in e-book?
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Hi Jeri,
I don’t think my publisher plans to do that at this point. But if you’re interested in a Kindle version, you can put in a request at amazon and they will consider it.
All the best!
Mary
October 28th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
[...] interview at Frugal Hacks answering readers’ questions about me and my [...]
November 9th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
What a fun article!
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