tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post519859626284343442..comments2024-03-12T14:47:27.655+10:00Comments on Life at Arbordale Farm: Getting Tough On The Grocery BudgetFiona from Arbordale Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05196630415124998431noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post-38896253066415841682015-05-26T22:49:42.115+10:002015-05-26T22:49:42.115+10:00Oh Aimee you are singing my tune about the $5 latt...Oh Aimee you are singing my tune about the $5 latte. I cannot see how people can buy faux food life from the big takeaway stores and then claim not to be able to afford fruit and veggies.<br />I like to buy in bulk too but since we will move overseas in the next 12 months I will have to get rid of all my food so I want to try and use it all up before we go so am trying to not add too much. We occasionally go out for breakfast but it is rare and I as I like to cook and am a bit of a food snob (love great real food) will only go somewhere that they cook food that I would not make myself as it is a bit of effort. I can do bacon and eggs at home so why would I pay for them.<br />Fiona from Arbordale Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05196630415124998431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post-47353457011718073222015-05-26T07:55:05.164+10:002015-05-26T07:55:05.164+10:00Embarrassed to say we budget bills but not food. W...Embarrassed to say we budget bills but not food. We spend what some may consider to be a "lot" on groceries in some areas because when we buy meat or produce, it's always local and organic, no exception. A lot of folks say how they can't afford to buy organic but I think that's crap, because if you focus on buying staples instead of processed &/or prepared, you can get much more bang for your buck (also here in the US we spend less than any other country on food (http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/01/america-food-spending-less) - for some reason it's OK to spend $5 on a latte at Starbucks but not on tomatoes...sigh... We buy all of our dry goods, from rice to pasta to baking to spices and more, and things like olive oil, honey, shampoo, and laundry soap, in the bulk aisle which is the biggest way to economize as nearly everything is pennies on the dollar compared to packaged versions. I mean, $8 for a small bottle of paprika or 79 cents to buy it in bulk? I just wish more stores would expand their bulk offerings to make this easier. <br /><br />We also discovered that the evil giants Amazon.com sell our holistic dog food brand for cheaper than the local store so while I hate having it shipped, we can buy 50 lbs of Mastiff kibble for about 20% less - and I don't have to try to lug it home in my bike basket :)<br /><br />While we don't have an exact food budget, the biggest way we've saved is to stop thinking we must go out to breakfast every Sunday, which used to be a tradition. We came to realize that the ceremony of it all was more wrapped around reading their copy of the New York Times, not the actual food we were eating at the hipster "too cool for school" cafe, so now we find a cool breakfast recipe and ordered a Sunday-only subscription and we cook together and then dawdle around the garden - way better than a $25 cafe breakfast!!Aimeehttp://www.ecogrrl.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post-29063682143171792222015-05-25T19:42:55.260+10:002015-05-25T19:42:55.260+10:00Thanks Lynda I just hope that others can take my i...Thanks Lynda I just hope that others can take my ideas and make it their own.Fiona from Arbordale Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05196630415124998431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post-30114140771071326992015-05-25T14:07:49.716+10:002015-05-25T14:07:49.716+10:00You're having fun with this budgeting and as u...You're having fun with this budgeting and as usual setting an example to us all. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12605358521258969537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post-81403458726313553082015-05-24T20:41:22.492+10:002015-05-24T20:41:22.492+10:00Lizzie There is only the two of us and we rarely n...Lizzie There is only the two of us and we rarely need to buy meat so it is probably not much less than you. I have a really good idea of what is in the pantry and I know there are lots of beans so I will be looking for new recipes to make use of them. I also have quite a few types of lentils.Fiona from Arbordale Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05196630415124998431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post-5848007244672555242015-05-24T20:37:37.000+10:002015-05-24T20:37:37.000+10:00It never felt like that much before but now I that...It never felt like that much before but now I that I need to find to some savings it needs to feel like even less.Fiona from Arbordale Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05196630415124998431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post-37360734017522169652015-05-24T14:00:01.223+10:002015-05-24T14:00:01.223+10:00Wow $50 is a pretty small budget for groceries. We...Wow $50 is a pretty small budget for groceries. We spend anywhere from $70 - $100 for three of us. We are currently doing a stock take of what needs to be used up in the pantry, freezer and lurking in the fridge. When we move we are going to also be changing our budget as we too are taking a paycut and need to rethink things.lizzie {Strayed Table}https://www.blogger.com/profile/02780078173100461193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957074720324686869.post-77340544433207107322015-05-23T15:01:36.238+10:002015-05-23T15:01:36.238+10:00No idea what we spend anymore. I just know it does...No idea what we spend anymore. I just know it doesn't seem a lot. I'll be interested in your menus.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10975556587020883049noreply@blogger.com