Re: cheap eats

[Guest guest]

I think between jobs is the best time to start good habits. It helps keep

your head straight so you can get the job you want when the time comes. My

advice is to not buy packaged food and it will actually be cheaper than

eating improperly. Large tubs of non-fat cottage cheese are $2.59 here and

they have enough for 4 or 5 protein portions. In season fruit is cheap

right now and there's your carb. I've been putting some low fat Canadian

bacon on a half of a whole wheat English muffin for breakfast, with a small

orange. Then I take the other half put some turkey ham and a slice of low

fat Jarlsberg, zap it in the microwave for about 45 seconds for lunch. I

have an apple and string cheese for a snack. All of this stuff can be

bought in bulk at Costco or Sam's club and will really help keep her cost

down. She can get meat in bulk or burgers in bulk and keep the per pound

cost down there. If there is a Farmer's Market near where she lives that's

also a great sort of cheap fruit and veggies. I was out of work for 18

months back in 1981, may I never have to go through that again, and I found

all sorts of creative ways to eat well and properly for not much money. I

was bodybuilding back then and it was a game to see how much I could get for

how little. Imagine this: red snapper $.89 a pound. Cheaper than ground

meat back then! I can make ANYTHING with snapper! LOL!

On 6/25/05 1:02 AM, " fuzzyelfone " <fuzzyelf@...> wrote:

> ..so here's a question for all...My sis is thinking about starting up

> BFL, but she's in-between jobs right now and has very limited

> income...so, she feels she can't start yet b/c as we all know, eating

> healthy ain't cheap, so, my question is...what advice can I give her

> to get started or what tips might I impart that would help in this sitch?

> Thanks...

>

>

[Guest guest]

I saved one of Maggie's old posts about doing BFL on the cheap. It's a

really good overview of how to pull it off without breaking the

budget.

~~~

Now here's my favorite subject: How to do BFL on the cheap. (You may

watch every nickel and dime, but I've budgeted my entire life down to

the cost of my cats' kitty litter and food through 2070.)

How much are you currently spending on groceries plus dining out each

week? How many people are in your family? If you are planning to get

EVERYONE to eat the BFL style meals 6 times a day, that will make it a

lot easier for you to stay within budget than if you had to buy two

sets of groceries, one for the BFL'ers and one for the flabtastically

unenlightened. I spend about $20-$25 a week on groceries for just

myself, and an additional $25 or so a month for a 5 lb container of

protein powder. I eat out VERY rarely now (I'm a terrible cheapskate

and HATE to pay $10 for a single entree that I know only costs $1.50

to make). Anyhow, if you are spending more than $25 per person each

week, BFL might just save you some money.

Money-saving BFL grocery shopping tips:

1. Buy things like protein powder, oatmeal, whole wheat flour (if you

use it) in bulk.

2. Buy fruits and veggies that are in-season and substitute them

creatively (but still within proper portion sizes) in your BFL/EFL

recipes. If a recipe calls for spinach, but Romaine lettuce is

cheaper, there's nothing wrong with using the lettuce instead.

Anal-retentive adherence to recipes is for the unadventurous, wealthy,

or wasteful!

3. Use reasonably-priced frozen fruits if their fresh counterparts are

out of season and hideously expensive.

4. Check sales ads for great deals on lean meats and buy in large

quantities when they are on sale. Freeze anything you don't use.

5. Many fruits--berries, peaches, etc--can be bought cheaply while in

season and then frozen for future use.

6. Cook in large batches, then divvy up the servings into Rubbermaid

containers and freeze them. I like to make WW pita pizzas, wrap them

in plastic, and freeze them for quick lunch meals.

7. Cut out pre-packaged and restaurant meals. These really add up

over time. (It costs me a little over $5/day to eat 6 BFL meals.

Most people I know spend that much on just one fast food lunch or two

TV dinners.)

8. Make your own shakes and nutrition bars. Each of these items

averages $1-$2 per serving if you buy them ready-made! The ones you

make yourself taste better and cost less than $0.50 each.

9. Give up the diet sodas and drink water.

10. Try out store brands for stuff like FF cottage cheese, plain

yogurt, and FF cheeses.

11. Go with cheaper sources of protein like whole chicken (I roast one

each week, and use the skinless meat in all sorts of recipes--for me,

at least, the major savings per pound over boneless, skinless chicken

breast is worth the higher fat content in the thigh and leg portions.

I just carve up the chicken and mix the meat for a more average fat

content.), tuna, cottage cheese, and protein powder. Pick up beef

when it's on sale, but fresh or even frozen fish will always be kind

of pricey unless you have a fisherman in the family!

12. Invest in lots of Tupperware/Rubbermaid (used or on sale, of

course). If you are REALLY cheap, just save all of those cottage

cheese and yogurt containers you'll be piling up and use THOSE to

store your planned leftovers.

~~~

On 6/25/05, fuzzyelfone <fuzzyelf@...> wrote:

> ..so here's a question for all...My sis is thinking about starting up

> BFL, but she's in-between jobs right now and has very limited

> income...so, she feels she can't start yet b/c as we all know, eating

> healthy ain't cheap, so, my question is...what advice can I give her

> to get started or what tips might I impart that would help in this sitch?

> Thanks...

[Guest guest]

Don't forget eggs and canned tuna. They are such good sources of

protein and very cheap. Even if all you have in your pocket is some

change you can probably buy these items.

Stasia

[Guest guest]

What about food co-ops? I did not know my town had one and was

attempting to start one but then a woman at the local WAPF meetings

told me of one that already existed. The co-op here is all ran by

volunteers and if you volunteer an hr a week you get 15% off all the

fresh produce- bulk foods, breads etc... and 5% off everything

else. if you have not already inquired with them that would be a

good place to check. If you know families IRL you could start a co-

op and buy bulk together.

As far as cosco the only things i have ever seen organic there are

spinache and broc. They do have 10 lb bags of carrots for under $3.

We buy them a lot as we juice each week. (I save the pulp for part of

the dogs raw food diet. No waste here he he he!) They do have

conventional stuff real cheap produce wise like bags with 8 romaine

hearts for the same price etc... but not org. Have you considered

only buying the dirty dozen in organic and the rest conventional?

Also what about looking into the CSA with local farms. They are

supposed to be cheaper than buying from the famr or the farmers

markets. The oens around me have been willing to take paymetns

instead of the cost up front. You can try the site local harvest for

CSA farmers around your area.

j

-- In , " samadamfamily "

<samadamfamily@...> wrote:

>

> does anyone has any advice on how to stretch a dollar? we've been

on this diet for 2 months

> and we're on our way to the poor house. is there a cookbook or book

that i could get that

> > maybe i should try costco do they have organic food there?

> thanks

> sam

> scd 1/1/08

>

[Guest guest]

Eating well does usually mean spending more. We console ourselves by

looking at what we are saving in doctors, medicines, etc.

That aside, the best ideas I can give you are these:

Make everything you eat from scratch, nothing pre-packaged. This

includes breads (gluten free, of course) yogurt, etc.

Eat *simply*. If you don't try and keep lots of ingredients around

or varieties of meats, etc., but stick to the basic and most

important things, you will save money. Buy bones and make lots of

simple soups from that wonderful, healing broth!

Of course, buy in bulk whenever possible. For me, it is worth

driving an hour once a month to get good prices at a large natural

foods store (not Whole Foods). I get to Trader Joe's and buy wild

caught cold water fish at a great price, along with lots of other

things.

HTH,

Maureen

[Guest guest]

thank you for the suggestions but what is a CSA? also here's a stupid question

but what

are the dirty dozen?

thanks

sam

> What about food co-ops? I did not know my town had one and was

> attempting to start one but then a woman at the local WAPF meetings

> told me of one that already existed. The co-op here is all ran by

> volunteers and if you volunteer an hr a week you get 15% off all the

> fresh produce- bulk foods, breads etc... and 5% off everything

> else. if you have not already inquired with them that would be a

> good place to check. If you know families IRL you could start a co-

> op and buy bulk together.

>

> As far as cosco the only things i have ever seen organic there are

> spinache and broc. They do have 10 lb bags of carrots for under $3.

> We buy them a lot as we juice each week. (I save the pulp for part of

> the dogs raw food diet. No waste here he he he!) They do have

> conventional stuff real cheap produce wise like bags with 8 romaine

> hearts for the same price etc... but not org. Have you considered

> only buying the dirty dozen in organic and the rest conventional?

>

> Also what about looking into the CSA with local farms. They are

> supposed to be cheaper than buying from the famr or the farmers

> markets. The oens around me have been willing to take paymetns

> instead of the cost up front. You can try the site local harvest for

> CSA farmers around your area.

>

>

> j

>

> -- In , " samadamfamily "

> <samadamfamily@> wrote:

> >

> > does anyone has any advice on how to stretch a dollar? we've been

> on this diet for 2 months

> > and we're on our way to the poor house. is there a cookbook or book

> that i could get that

> > > maybe i should try costco do they have organic food there?

> > thanks

> > sam

> > scd 1/1/08

> >

>

[Guest guest]

maureen- what is a large natural food store? i live in ohio and i don't know if

we have

anything like that, also what recipes do you use? is there a book that might

help me? i use

the NT book by sally fallon but i didn't know if there was anything else that

might be

better? we can't use allot of her recipes because we're dairy, gluten, corn

free. i usually

keep meats fruits, veggies, broth, and nuts on hand but i keep making the same

things

over and over again. basically meat with a veggie or two, pearsauce or baked

fruit and that

sort of thing. every once in a while i'll make beef stew or pot roast but i'm

running out of

idea's and we need moree variety.

thanks

sam

> Eating well does usually mean spending more. We console ourselves by

> looking at what we are saving in doctors, medicines, etc.

>

> That aside, the best ideas I can give you are these:

>

> Make everything you eat from scratch, nothing pre-packaged. This

> includes breads (gluten free, of course) yogurt, etc.

>

> Eat *simply*. If you don't try and keep lots of ingredients around

> or varieties of meats, etc., but stick to the basic and most

> important things, you will save money. Buy bones and make lots of

> simple soups from that wonderful, healing broth!

>

> Of course, buy in bulk whenever possible. For me, it is worth

> driving an hour once a month to get good prices at a large natural

> foods store (not Whole Foods). I get to Trader Joe's and buy wild

> caught cold water fish at a great price, along with lots of other

> things.

>

> HTH,

>

> Maureen

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Sam,

The CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. Check it out on Local

Harvest for farmers near you. Bascially they provide boxes of fresh

produce each week all summer and winter. They have drop sites all

voer town and you pick it up on the day they do deliveries in that

area. I have no idea if this is a lot cheaper than buying Organic

from the store or the farmer markets, but it is supposed to be. In

my area if you are on a very tight budget you can get a few $ off -

up to half off each week. That could make it around $10. a week for

a fmaily of 4. for some fresh organic veggies. Some did not offer

anything at all like this. All the farms i checked into were

certified organic. Most had one size box that was enough for a

family of 4 with normal appetites or 2 very hungry adults A

couple offered boxes for 2 people, 4, or 6. The cost went up about

$5. per increment.

Most want you to pay upfront - say 24 weeks, altogether in one full

payment, 4 equal payments, some 4 weeks at a time. It depends on the

farm, your budget etc. I was able to look up most farms from the

Local Harvest site. The farms advertise on there and post their

personal web address or phone number. A lot of them will actually

provide info online as to what was in the boxes and how much each

week last yr. Or have an estimated crop projection for the upcoming

season. They fill up fast so look into it right away. Anyhow you

may be able to tell by looking at those charts if it will save you

money or not to buy from them. Some also sold free range Org. beef

and give the CSA member 10% off.

I am hoping at this point i will be able to use the stuff even though

we are doing the diet. I am still waiting on my book - GAPS - and

hope it comes quick cause i need to cancel with them if i won't be

able to use the food. If we can use most of it i figured i could

dice up and freeze what we can't to add to meals later. What won't

be offered in the boxes, or very maybe limited, that we consume a lot

of i thought maybe we would grow ourselves. I am looking into Square

Foot Gardening as we do nto have a lot of yard space and 4 kids that

i would prefer to play outside a lot this summer, not in. I do not

want to take away their play area either.

The Co-Op i mentioned the prices for food in there are not what the

market value would have been. We wind up getting 15% below

wholesale. So look into one in your area. Try googling food co op

and your town.

Dirty Dozen - if you are buying all Organic to avoid the pesticides

you could look up the Dirty 12 which are the ones that most pro

Organic people say are a must for buying Organic as they contain the

worst pesticides, highest levels, harshest etc... Then you could buy

conventional the ones that are least lethal . just make sure they

aren't GMO or irradiated. You cna tell by the numbers on them and

the irradiated is supposed to have a symbol. You can google Dirty

Dozen food list too it should come up. Also the irradiated foods

symbol.

I just learned that tropical fruits are all irradiated! I love

pineapple, now what??

julia

-- In , " samadamfamily "

<samadamfamily@...> wrote:

>

> thank you for the suggestions but what is a CSA? also here's a

stupid question but what

> are the dirty dozen?

> thanks

> sam

>

>

[Guest guest]

There was a symbol on the pineapple but it was not the same one,

similar. So i am wondering if there is more than one they use. It was

not an obvious label, but a pic in the pic. I thought they may be

trying to be sneaky! I recall seeing a different symbol the first

time i looked into it several months ago. I think the mercola site may

have a pic. I am going to check and see if it is the same as the NN

that was posted. When i saw the pic/post a few days ago it seemed dif.

to me than what i saw before, and not what i saw on the pineapple.

>

> I just read on Native Nutrition that it has to have this symbol if it

is

> irradiated, so look for this:

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think I read that the labeling was not mandatory, but also that *for now* organic was not to be irradiated, unless it was being brought in from another country.  Could be wrong,'tho.MaureenOn Feb 20, 2008, at 8:50 PM, JoyfulHeart wrote:There was a symbol on the pineapple but it was not the same one, similar. So i am wondering if there is more than one they use. It was not an obvious label, but a pic in the pic. I thought they may be trying to be sneaky! I recall seeing a different symbol the first time i looked into it several months ago. I think the mercola site may have a pic. I am going to check and see if it is the same as the NN that was posted. When i saw the pic/post a few days ago it seemed dif. to me than what i saw before, and not what i saw on the pineapple.>> I just read on Native Nutrition that it has to have this symbol if it is> irradiated, so look for this:> >