1 post from March 2008

My little blog experiment got seriously derailed for a while there, for a combination of reasons.  True, work was a little hectic towards the end of the half-semester, Bud1 got sick, we had the bathroom remodel project going on, etc, etc.  But really I just sort of lost steam, even though my last post was all about just doing whatever I reasonably could.

However, I just checked our financial records (gotta love Quicken!), and discovered that my goal to reduce our spending has actually worked somewhat!  Last year, we averaged $1100 for groceries and $525 for dining every month!  I'm embarrassed to see those numbers in print!  But I have made some differences since January 1:  our average monthly grocery bill is $866, and our average monthly dining bill is $470, for a reduction of $289 per month! 

The best part is that I have not purchased any CAFO meat since starting this little project, we’ve eaten mostly organic fruits and vegetables, and we’ve had some fantastic meals.  So, this is proof to me that with some work, dedication, creativity, planning, and perseverance, we absolutely can eat well and still spend less.

Other money-saving goals of mine:

1. The pantry list needs to be updated to reflect my new cooking habits.  Although it’s been a useful reference, it’s out of date and doesn’t reflect the way we currently eat, even down to the fact that I used to use a lot of nuts and can’t do that now.  But I’m still working on our core group of meals, so the pantry list will have to be a work in progress.
2. We have got to reduce our meat consumption, especially after seeing the price list from my new organic, local, free-range farmer.  Here’s what I’m thinking: we need to have at least one completely meatless dinner, two dinners with meat as a seasoning and not the main dish, and at least one beef dinner per week, since we have so much of that already in the freezer.    That leaves only 3 dinners per week with other meat involved (and I’m not accounting for Date Night or Friday Family Fun night).  Much less expensive!
3. My garden experiment has not been a huge success thus far.  We planted our peas, but just after they sprouted into cute little stems, something (perhaps the %$* dog?) dug them all up.  And the weather has just been bizarre!  Friday it was 70, and then Saturday morning it snowed!  But I’ve got all the seeds and equipment, and I’ll persevere.
4. I’m still exploring some ways of preserving foods with successful results.   The pre-mixed pot pie veggies and the corn I had in the freezer are awesome, but the green beans were not so much.  They just got too mushy.  I’m excited to do some u-pick berries, apples, and peaches, and I really do want to explore the cold storage options of the basement.  How awesome to have a huge supply of organic, locally grown potatoes and onions readily available all winter long!

Finally, I’m sort of changing the focus of the blog.  When I started, it was to share my experiences and be another voice, but I found that tiresome very quickly.  Logging on this morning, I really enjoyed looking back at what we had done the last few months, not only in the kitchen, but just in general.  It was only a few months ago that I drove home from Whole Foods in the snow, but I had forgotten it already.  So, this will be totally personal now: reflections that may wander and include more family stuff than cooking at times.  I will use the blog primarily to remind myself of various recipes, techniques, meals, or ideas, for planning ahead and for documenting, and I want to post at least once per week.