Comments on: Monday Teeny Poll http://teenymanolo.com/2008/04/21/monday-teeny-poll-31/ Celebrating the Joys of Parenting and Childhood Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:58:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: La BellaDonna http://teenymanolo.com/2008/04/21/monday-teeny-poll-31/#comment-11197 La BellaDonna Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:13:48 +0000 http://teenymanolo.com/?p=1660#comment-11197 I've been augmenting my "food budget" with whatever's leftover from partners' meetings, etc. at the office. No, I'm not joking. Combine <i>having</i> to buy a house just <b>before</b> the bottom fell out of the housing market, and budgeting pretty close to the wire before that, and I'm not in a good place. There's a limit to how many places you want to go grocery shopping when you take the bus. I’ve been augmenting my “food budget” with whatever’s leftover from partners’ meetings, etc. at the office. No, I’m not joking. Combine having to buy a house just before the bottom fell out of the housing market, and budgeting pretty close to the wire before that, and I’m not in a good place. There’s a limit to how many places you want to go grocery shopping when you take the bus.

]]> By: Twistie http://teenymanolo.com/2008/04/21/monday-teeny-poll-31/#comment-10809 Twistie Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:30:51 +0000 http://teenymanolo.com/?p=1660#comment-10809 Left to his own devices, Mr. Twistie would spend pretty much our entire budget on food because he doesn't grock the concept of bargain shopping in that regard. Every month I try to tell him that Trader Joe is cheaper than the most upscale Safeway and our friendly neighborhood boutique grocery. Every month I try to explain that if we go to Grocery Outlet and get some staples there at huge bargains, we can then fill in the blanks with Trader Joe, the weekly farmers market, and my trips to the Mexican grocery with our next-door neighbor all the while eating better and saving money. I got him to see it for about two months when we really were teetering on the edge of financial disaster, but he's not taking the lesson seriously now that there are three incomes in the household instead of one. Of course, two of those incomes are miniscule and one is not that big. I'm pretty frustrated. Then again, if he sells that song to the Doobie Brothers, he can do the grocery shopping where he likes and I won't complain. In the meantime, I go to the farmers market and the Mexican grocery and try to remind Mr. Twistie not to buy too many extremely perishable things that 'look nice' in one trip to the damn Safeway. Left to his own devices, Mr. Twistie would spend pretty much our entire budget on food because he doesn’t grock the concept of bargain shopping in that regard. Every month I try to tell him that Trader Joe is cheaper than the most upscale Safeway and our friendly neighborhood boutique grocery. Every month I try to explain that if we go to Grocery Outlet and get some staples there at huge bargains, we can then fill in the blanks with Trader Joe, the weekly farmers market, and my trips to the Mexican grocery with our next-door neighbor all the while eating better and saving money.

I got him to see it for about two months when we really were teetering on the edge of financial disaster, but he’s not taking the lesson seriously now that there are three incomes in the household instead of one. Of course, two of those incomes are miniscule and one is not that big. I’m pretty frustrated.

Then again, if he sells that song to the Doobie Brothers, he can do the grocery shopping where he likes and I won’t complain.

In the meantime, I go to the farmers market and the Mexican grocery and try to remind Mr. Twistie not to buy too many extremely perishable things that ‘look nice’ in one trip to the damn Safeway.

]]> By: Phyllis http://teenymanolo.com/2008/04/21/monday-teeny-poll-31/#comment-10797 Phyllis Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:57:28 +0000 http://teenymanolo.com/?p=1660#comment-10797 We just bought a CSA produce share, and we're on a wait list for a meat CSA (Community Supported Agriculture.) Since food prices are going up, I'd much rather support a local farmer than big agribusiness companies. This web site is great for locating CSA's in every state: <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/" rel="nofollow">Local Harvest</a> We just bought a CSA produce share, and we’re on a wait list for a meat CSA (Community Supported Agriculture.) Since food prices are going up, I’d much rather support a local farmer than big agribusiness companies.

This web site is great for locating CSA’s in every state:

Local Harvest

]]> By: Awesome Mom http://teenymanolo.com/2008/04/21/monday-teeny-poll-31/#comment-10787 Awesome Mom Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:41:05 +0000 http://teenymanolo.com/?p=1660#comment-10787 We are living off our food storage at the moment, so we are hardly spending anything of groceries. I am glad that we are moving to a place with a much lower cost of living than California. I know we would be hurting if we were staying here. We are living off our food storage at the moment, so we are hardly spending anything of groceries. I am glad that we are moving to a place with a much lower cost of living than California. I know we would be hurting if we were staying here.

]]> By: raincoaster http://teenymanolo.com/2008/04/21/monday-teeny-poll-31/#comment-10780 raincoaster Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:01:50 +0000 http://teenymanolo.com/?p=1660#comment-10780 Also, it turns out that the largest single cost factor for food is transportation. The 100-mile diet is looking smarter and smarter, which is kind of too bad for people who live in Maine or the Yukon. Also, it turns out that the largest single cost factor for food is transportation. The 100-mile diet is looking smarter and smarter, which is kind of too bad for people who live in Maine or the Yukon.

]]> By: raincoaster http://teenymanolo.com/2008/04/21/monday-teeny-poll-31/#comment-10775 raincoaster Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:44:02 +0000 http://teenymanolo.com/?p=1660#comment-10775 You know, you need to hire me to do your shopping. I could happily grocery-shop for a living. I adore it, and I am very, very good at it. The #1 way to control costs is to choose your stores. I live three blocks from a market veggie store that sells food at wholesale prices, but sells meat at retail prices. I buy my veggies there. I buy my meat at Save-On-Meats, which is shockingly cheap. I buy my canned tomatoes and staples at a bulk food store. Yes, it's three trips. BUT. It's also about $25 a week per person for food. You know, you need to hire me to do your shopping. I could happily grocery-shop for a living. I adore it, and I am very, very good at it. The #1 way to control costs is to choose your stores. I live three blocks from a market veggie store that sells food at wholesale prices, but sells meat at retail prices. I buy my veggies there. I buy my meat at Save-On-Meats, which is shockingly cheap. I buy my canned tomatoes and staples at a bulk food store. Yes, it’s three trips. BUT. It’s also about $25 a week per person for food.

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