Frugal and Healthy
I am by no means an expert on this issue, and, of course, 'healthy food' means different things to different people.
But here are some ways that may work for some people to expand the variety of foods I would consider healthy in their diets:
Gleaning- this time of year you may find wild berry bushes which are free for the picking (huckleberry, elderberry, blackberry, red raspberry, cloudberry, and currants are a few we've picked wild in different places) or fruit trees whose owners no longer eat the fruit. When you see a fruit tree dropping its fruit to the ground to rot, be brave, knock on a door, and ask if you can pick any of the fruit that is falling off the tree in the front yard. You may be doing somebody a favor. The first time we tried this, it was somebody we knew- our girls' piano teacher had an apple tree in the front yard and the driveway was covered in fallen apples. We asked if we could pick up the windfalls to feed our chickens. She said we could have those, and pick the apples in the trees as well. We've found apples good enough to eat on the ground and used them for apple sauce, apple butter, and apple crisp. We've picked pears this way as well. We've also composted fruit that was too far gone to eat. If you know somebody with pigs or chickens, maybe you could trade fruit you've gleaned for pork or eggs. Often when the fruit is on the ground it's because the owners have grown too old to pick their fruit and their family members live too far, or are not interested. They might just be thrilled to have you clear up the fruit and use it.
One important aspect of health is having a variety in the diet. Eat seasonal foods (that link is for the Western Hemisphere, and mostly the States), and watch sales. To do this, you need your family not to put limits on what they will eat. One thing we did to encourage our children to see new foods as an adventure and a treat was to reward them from time to time with a treat from the grocery store- but rather than the treat being a package of cookies or a ride on the mechanical pony, I would buy a single fruit that we'd never tried before. As any economist will tell you, scarcity increases value, and when 9 people are dicing up and sharing one starfruit, that makes the starfruit seem very precious, even mysterious and exotic. Our single starfruit, 3 kiwi split 9 ways, or the 2 pomegranates divided amongst 9 of us made our treat all the more intimate and special. These seemingly small treats have brought us an abundance of joy, delight, family fun, and laughter- so much so that I feel sorry for those who would look down their noses at such small pleasures. They have no idea what a precious joy it is to bring home a single Asian Pear, cut it up carefully, sit down together and each eat our bite, carefully savoring every molecule while sharing the experience with those we love.
I watch sales and have a target price for most fruits and vegetables. I don't pay more than .99 a pound for grapes, for instance. This means last year we never bought a single grape. We ate other fruits. I thought I would have to raise the target prices this year, but this month grapes are on sale for .99 a pound and we are gorging.
Watch for sales, stock your pantry and freezer with things on sale, and when you grocery shop try to replenish the pantry with sale items rather than shop just for what you feel like this week. Our family prefers butter to margarine, for both taste and health reasons. Butter is, of course, vastly more expensive than margarine, and we are very blessed to be at a place in our lives when we can afford it. For years we could not, and I bought margarine because that was all we could afford. I can afford it now, but even now, I can afford it not just because we make more money now than we did ten years ago, but because I buy butter on sale and from places like Aldi or Save-A-Lot, and this way I don't pay over 2.00 a pound. Butter keeps in the freezer very well.
If you do a lot of baking from scratch, have a large family, wish you could afford some organic foods, or have other special dietary needs, consider joining a buying club or food co-op. Some people think these are a lot of work, but really, it depends on the co-op or buying club. Mine is easy (for me, not for our coordinator). I order online once a month, and on the day the truck delivers I take a couple Progeny and meet the other members of the co-op at the friend's house who runs our co-op. We help unload the truck. I pay for my order when I pick it up. Ours requires no dues and has no surcharges. There are two other co-ops I know of in our vicinity that charge dues and require a surcharge as well as a commitment to put in a certain amount of time taking care of co-op jobs. Ours is very low-key.
The catalogs and ordering can be confusing. It will really help to get a friend to help you work through it the first couple of times. Things I find particularly frugal to order from a co-op:
Organic oats and other grains- cheaper than at the grocery store by far
Organic spices, also cheaper than at the grocery store
Frozen organic fruits and vegetables- not always, but periodically they are on sale and then I buy a case. Not cheaper than the grocery store, but ever so much more delicious.
Organic whole coffee beans- I know, so not a necessity, but we really prefer our coffee freshly ground in our own kitchen, and I have found that when I watch for sales, I get these even less than conventionally grown at the grocery store
Essential oils- usually a couple dollars less than any local resource, and I watch for sales.
Legumes- I buy 20-40 pounds of dried beans at a time. beans keep well and I use lentils for sprouts as well as for lentil soups, stews, and casseroles.
Tofu- it depends on where you live whether this is cheaper through a co-op or not. For me, it's nearly half the cost through the co-op as it is at my grocery store.
Here are some websites that might help you get started:
There are some co-ops listed here.
This co-op directory service is impressive. It also has information explaining what a co-op or buying club is and how you could start one yourself.
United Warehouse will put you touch with buying clubs in your area.
More resources and information here.
If, unlike us, you don't think your family can use 50 pounds of organic oats and 20 pounds of organic coffee beans within a couple of months, at best, you can talk to friends and share an order.
Here are some other sources for healthy food options, although these are not usually affordable for those living from paycheck to paycheck:
Local Harvest- find farms, CSAs, and more in your area.
Eat Well Guide: plug in your zip code and find local farms, farmer's markets, grocery stores, CSA programs and more
Eat Wild has links to sources for grass fed and organic meat, eggs, and dairy products.
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One Response to “Frugal and Healthy”
July 9th, 2010 at 6:22 am
Very useful post!
You mentioned that you do not pay over .99 for grapes; do you have max prices for other fruits, too? I’ve been trying to come up with better pricing targets for fruit and would love to hear more about yours!
Thanks in advance
)
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