What can you do without?

[darwinslair]

The other day I was at the grocery store.  Nothing too out of the ordinary there, I still buy staples.  In the checkout line my cart was full.  Contents were 25# of jasmine rice ($19) 60# uncut pork loin ($60) 40#whole wheat flour ($16) 3 dozen eggs ($4) 10 pounds of butter ($15) and 4 gallons of whole milk ($10)

My total?  $114 for about 175# of pure food, which will last several months (excluding eggs and milk)

The person ahead of me had far less, as far as pounds of food, all frozen or pre-packaged.  Her bill?  $285.  My best guess is that she had maybe a bit more than a weeks worth of food, assuming a husband and no more than the 3 kids already with her.

Knowing HOW to shop if you do have to still buy things is as important as being frugal about it.  Watch for sales for the things you USE.  Do not just buy anything that is on sale.  Spending money on something that you do not need does not save you anything.

Tom

[Mike]

Darwinslair,

Nice post!  I have nothing to add or argue.

Two days ago my wife said, "Butter costs $5 per pound."  My first thought is, "It isn't worth it." and "I'd rather not buy it."  I just don't like paying too much.  If we bought butter at the same place we buy carrots, it would probably be $1.50/# like Darwinslair.

It is orange season!!!!  Even though we don't live in Orange County, 'tis the season to buy oranges by the box.  And they are good!...and fairly cheap.  My family doesn't have any trouble going through a box of oranges.  Even so, it is fun to share stuff that was bought in bulk.  Just send company away with a small sack of 3 - 6 oranges.  It would be almost as though we were living in a rural setting with an orange tree in the back yard.

My wife's friend was leaving, but returned from her car with a few onions.  She didn't have a farm; just a sack of them.  That reminded me that we had a new sack of fresh potatoes, which we would have shared if we had only thought of it.  The gift of onions reminded us of our sack of potatoes that needed sharing.

The reason we have grocery stores is that it has been proven as the most efficient means of distributing food.  The shelves are always stocked.  And we can get whatever we want.  Always.

Actually, there is an economic cost to having every item stocked, always.  As a second thought, I am not sure always is worth it.

It might be worth re-considering if the grocery store model of food distribution really is more efficient than the rural sharing model.

[opsec]

I am starting to follow Atash's example. I've saved money by making my own cornmeal mush with my $20 walmart crockpot. And I've bought the material to start experimenting with homemade bread. You can get all those things for the same price as eating out for one meal.

[Dame]

Personal opinion comment on the grocery store vs the rural sharing models of food distribution.

*Savings in both system presume organized home storage, for both dry goods and and parishables.
*Savings in both systems are what has been saved and available for trade either for direct exchange or through and exchange medium of currency.
*Eating what is purchased presumes a solid knowledge of nutrition, and menu planning.
*Preparing bulk foods for the table presumes a well equipped kitchen, appliances, pots and pans, utinsils, condiments and seasonings.
*And finally, the savings require a life style where the surpluses of money, transportation, time, personal energy, knowledge and skills are all available at the same time and place on a consistent basis.

Getting all these ducks in a row even some of the time requires maturity and dicipline; and even more so in urban settings.

Planned and paced transitions between the current practices and some as yet undecided future practice will continue to require that I focus on where I am trying to get to and satisfy myself with small incremental changes.  The chaos of attempting to move too fast has, at least for me, actually delayed many of the goals being met.