Friday

Frugal Friday: Food and Money Shortage


Having a bit of a money shortage lately and scrounging for cash, to feed my family of teenagers - Hungry people teenagers - has given me a different viewpoint on food. It is all very nice to follow a certain diet, or tell everyone to sit at the table together and freeze leftovers etc but what if you don't have any money or any leftovers? 

Here's what we did -

1. we bought cheap basic staples like bread, mince, potatoes, butter and whatever veges were the cheapest.

2. we had less choice - there was 1 type of fruit in the fruit basket (whatever was on special)

3. we got more bang for our buck - there was a 5 kilo bag of potatoes for $5.00 so we ate potatoes - mashed, spicy wedges, baked, on sheperd's pie, in soup, fried - we became friends with the humble potato and the carrot.

4. all concepts of dieting (which is a choice) went out the window. There was no "is this lowG.I.?" or "I can't eat white rice" it was what will fill the bellies with the coins I have or the food that is in the fridge.

5. all leftovers were used (Margaret Fulton has just brought out a book about this and never throws food away but she does not use the word leftovers)

6. mother became all important in putting out snacks and meals because teenagers could not SEE there normal food choices and thought there was no food

7. a list was made of what foods there were, ranked in meal types, so everyone could see what was available when the munchies struck

8. more time was taken in preparing meals just like the olden days

9. more people became involved in helping prepare food

10. we actually looked in the pantry, right in the back, and used up all the food that was hiding there and also the freezer

11. we found a site where you can punch in (for free) what food you have and it will generate meal ideas - Supercook recipe resource

Frugal Food Recipes and Tips:
super salads
choose a challenge
frugal suggestions
seasonal fruit & veges
save at supermarkets
lower your grocery spending

8 comments:

  1. Sometimes you have to go back to old ways... and it can be good. We spent more time with each other then... :)

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    1. So true and so important to spend time with each other, especially in this technological age.

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  2. Hi Lee, I am very frugal with food and have only a small budget for food. Food prices continue to skyrocket in the US so I use lots of strategies to stay within my budget. Food is so precious that we should be eating this way in good times and bad. I don't shop at the natural food store and do a lot of comparison shopping. I get avocados at WalMart for 50 cents! Avocados usually sell for $1 to $1.50. I won't buy food from any roadside stands that most likely stole the fruit to sell it. I won't compromise my ethics and values. Thanks for reminding me of how precious our food supply is! Blessings, Valda

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    1. Thank you for these great tips Valda. I love your frugal ideas and that you took the time to share them here.

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  3. I agree with Launna and Valda - we have to go back to the old frugal ways and food is precious. When we live closer to the earth or more consciously we realize this. Every drop of pure water is precious, every piece of food grown should not be wasted.

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    1. Wise words, and I wish they were understood by more people.

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  4. I enjoyed reading your post and had fun looking at the supercook website. Thanks for sharing
    Niccola

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    1. Thanks Niccola, the Supercook recipe resource is cool.

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Thanks for your input - we love comments