Posted on 08/31/2009 5:41:02 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
All signs now point to the United States being entrenched in a deep recession. It may be some time before things turn around, and because of that Americans will likely suffer serious side effects from the extended recession. Financial effects of recession are fairly well known and include things such as job losses, and increases in foreclosures and bankruptcies. But not all of the side effects of recession involve finances.
Food Budgets Tightening
One of the first places families look to cut their budgets is food. After all, some could argue that food and categories such as utilities, both budget categories billed based on consumption, are a couple of only a handful of budget categories we can control from month to month. Monthly housing costs are fairly stable. Your car payment doesn’t change from month to month. Unfortunately, the effect of reducing a food budget often means poorer food choices, ultimately leading to declining health.
A diet of Ramen noodles and 2 for $1.00 generic macaroni and cheese will certainly help keep your wallet fat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help your waistline stay trim. A quick survey of most coupon offerings reveals most manufacturers provide coupons for prepackaged or convenience food items. I know this because when shopping with coupons it is impossible to use them anywhere around the perimeter of the store (where healthier foods such as produce, meats and dairy items are typically found.
As more and more Americans look for ways to save money on groceries I imagine we will see a steady rise in obesity rates, already high relative to the rest of the world. I’m one to talk. I’ve been guilty of slashing the food budget and eating cheap things at each meal like cereals, boxed noodles and rices, etc. and have seen my own waistline expand.
After discussing things with my wife we have agreed that we should continue to spend a little more for quality foods and look for other places to sacrifice. Being the frugal person I am, I still look for deals, even on high-quality food items, and use a couple strategies to keep costs down.
Ways to Save Money on Healthy Foods
Shake produce before placing in bags. Most produce is sold by the pound, and grocery stores typically give them a good soaking fairly often to keep them moist and fresh. They water absorbed also adds a bit to their weight, and can add up if you pick up a couple pounds of fruits and veggies. Shake off any excess water before placing in the produce bags to be sure your savings don’t evaporate on the ride home.
Shop for deli meats late in the day. Often deals can be found just before the deli closes on shaved turkey and other meats nearing the “sell by” date. Deli meats are typically of a higher quality because they are not packaged in sodium and other preservatives. Be sure to check out the meat case while you are at it. Many time we pick up a pork tenderloin or whole chicken marked “manager’s special” which is perfectly good if eaten or frozen that day or the next.
Declare a “Meatless Monday.” I was raised on meat and potatoes, so this concept seemed a little strange at first. But replacing meat with other proteins such as beans and lentils one meal a week is a great way to reduce your food budget and your intake of saturated fats. My family also eats breakfast for dinner a couple times a month, including eggs, turkey sausage and fruits.
Eliminate “empty-calorie” foods from your grocery list. When trying to save money on groceries, or lose weight, it is a good idea to remove empty-calorie foods such as chips, candies, cookies and soft drinks. They really add little to no nutritional value to your diet. I guess this means I’ll have to give up Little Debbie snack cakes.
Take up square foot gardening. You may not yield enough to feed the entire block, but we were able to enjoy great summer salads last year complete with freshly-picked cucumbers and tomatoes. This year we are adding to our square foot garden and plan to grow even more tomato plants–hopefully they will yield enough tomatoes to can a batch or two of homemade salsa.
I’m interested to hear from readers. What strategies have you employed to help keep the costs of eating healthy down?
Walk to the local farmer’s market....
;-)
*Sigh*
People could be starving in the streets with Food riots a common occurrence, and there will still be Health Nazis out there nitpicking people for choosing to eat unhealthy food
Make a big pot of soup or stew and freeze a couple meals worth for later.
Buy club packs and freeze in meal sized packets.
Potatoes can be dressed up for a meal.
There's several ways to do this, but the biggest thing is to stay away from processed food. The stuff in the flashy boxes is expensive and has all sorts of hidden crap. Stick more to natural foods and you'll eat less food that's full of nutrients. And once I learned to make my own red sauce, the stuff in the jars - yuck.
Or out to my garden...well, THIS time of year, at least, LOL!
Oh, grow your own herbs. Basil grows like a weed and can be frozen for basil balls well into winter. Yum.
“Potatoes can be dressed up for a meal.”
I did that a lot when my kids were small and we were broke. We’d have a ‘Baked Potato Bar’ on the weekends and I’d make baked taters, then haul out all the leftovers from the week and they could top their tater with whatever they wanted.
They came up with some pretty creative ideas, and it was always cheap fun.
I have a ton of basil. I’m down to my last few jars of pesto, so you know where that’s going!
A cheap meal is pasta and pesto, some bread and a lettuce or fruit salad. Heaven!
Pesto pizza is wonderful and pizza crust is easy to make. Load it up with veggies and low-fat cheese. Yum! :)
Lack of global warming has stunted my garden, this year.
I have a temporary job that pays enough to cover all of the bills. I hope the economy recovers soon, but the lessons I've been prompted to learn will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Mine’s a little slow too, peppers weren’t all that good but if the tomatoes ripen, we’ll have enough. I have apples and grapes coming from elsewhere, so plenty-o-pie and apple sauce and juice to be put up still.
Just put in fall lettuce and when I pull out all the basil, I’ll put in some more. :)
41 degrees here this morning! August 31st! Unheard of.
That is VERY inspirational. I’ve always come out the better for hard times, too.
This recession has my ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ in high gear; all things considered, I’m in a pretty good position to ride this out...or rather down and then back up again. :)
Yep. Long sleeves this AM and the truck’s heater ON.
How many times do you and I have to promote the idea of a shopping/budgeting and cooking class for those receiving food stamps???? And making it mandatory?
Every d@mn day...until the day we die! :)
Potato Pancakes: Shredded with shredded onions, a little flour and a bit of milk. ON a skillet with a bit of butter -- they are to die for :) Applesauce and/or sour cream and I'm in heaven and so is the family.
Leftovers go into the freezer and make real easy dinners. If I'm going to go to the trouble, I do at least 5lbs of taters and 2 of onions. There are times when the food processor can be considered one of mans greatest creations :)
ROFLMSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BTW -— I checked that first batch of wine I made...............I need to go to sleep :)
You shouldn't mess with Mr. Potato head.
He'll slam on the brakes and your mouth might fall off...........
:-)
Awe, Jeeze! I still have weeks to go. One of the balloons broke, but I fixed it quick.
The cranberry jug is still beating the two grape jugs.
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