To Respond To Awesome Comments:
Meklin - "Excellently observed...but let us cultivate our garden."
Viv - Thanks so much for your comments and support. My food prices are a little pie in the sky at times...not dishonest, but having more to do with my personal circumstances than is useful to the average person. I'm just going to write down absolutely everything I do to save money, hope that some people can glean some useful information, and then maybe come up with something new and exciting. I'm pretty sure, however, that you could teach me way more than I could ever come up with alone. I'm glad you could relate to my article about women and food.
Louise - Welcome back!
Christina - the moment I typed that sentence, I thought the same thing about it being a title. Maybe next years blog?
Lizzie - Ah, love, we have built up a lot in Austin. And Austin isn't going anywhere. I'm over sacrifice and martyrdom, I'm not giving up anything. We're just adding to our sphere of influence and inspiration when we leave. It took five years of education and job training for my husband to reach a point where we could take this show on the road. This isn't so much a change in plans as the reaping of seeds long ago sowed.
Debbie - Independence is the way to go for a lot of people, and I know you make it work for your lifestyle. But who is this master you speak of? : P
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Is Cooking Whole Foods Worth The Effort?
If you want to save money on groceries, there's no better place to start than the dried bean and whole grain section of your bulk aisle. But wait - beans need soaking! And who has time to boil rice? Isn't the time saved using canned beans, or heck, canned soups, going to more than cover the expense?
I wondered if the money saved was worth the extra effort of whole foods, particularly for people unaccustomed to spending time in the kitchen. My imaginary friend Mr. Theo offered to help. He works full-time and earns minimum wage. Theo, like the rest of us, has neither time nor money to waste.
Nevertheless, he goes to the grocery store with subversive intent and purchases a day's worth of groceries out of the bulk bin, noting near-identical packaged options and prices on his way out. He then works out a menu for the next day, keeping in mind that he only has a couple of hours to cook.
Theo likes a hearty breakfast of oatmeal in the morning. His favorite is Quakers Instant Oatmeal with maple and brown sugar. A box of ten 35 gram packets costs $2.88. That's less than thirty cents for breakfast!
The entire box of Quaker oatmeal amounts to about three quarters of a pound. Three quarters of a pound of oatmeal from the Wheatsville bulk bin would cost $.89. Divide that by ten and the price of one packet-sized serving of organic oatmeal is about nine cents. A pinch of salt, tablespoon of brown sugar, and a tablespoon of maple syrup (all purchased in bulk) might theoretically double the cost of the serving to eighteen cents, but it's not likely.
It would take less than five minutes to boil 35 grams of oatmeal on the stove. Probably about three minutes. He has therefore saved about twenty cents at the cost of two minutes of time. Crap - he has to wash the pan! Let's just say it took him five minutes to make his breakfast this morning
Theo often eats out for lunch, but sometimes he will bring a can of soup. He likes split pea soup, which can be purchased for $2.86 a can. Displeased about having to make his lunch the night before, Theo begrudgingly breaks out a cookbook.
His recipe calls for $1.49 worth of split peas (an even pound), less than a dollar worth of spices, a potato, two carrots, and some celery (let's call it another $2). For $4.49 and an hour at the stove, Theo gets six servings of soup. That's $.75 and ten minutes for every serving.
Theo isn't a huge fan of cooking, but getting six meals and saving more than ten dollars just throwing dried peas and veggies into a saucepan the night before has softened his disposition. Not so much that I could convince him to make a pizza from scratch for dinner, nor try marinated tofu or veggie chili made with tvp, but he's definitely enthusiastic to cook something.
He confessed a love for a boxed Asian stir fry dinner made with peanut sauce and noodles. A box of six packets sells for $18.77, providing him with a frugal dinner at $3.13 a serving. And it only takes fifteen minutes to prepare - not including clean up, of course.
I showed him my easy peanut sauce recipe which uses half a pound of peanut butter ($3.15), soy sauce, and some spices (less than a dollar total), and takes about ten minutes. My sauce recipe usually feeds five or six people. Theo refrigerated his excess. We estimated that he used about fifty-three cents worth. while his sauce cooked, he boiled half a pound, or $2 worth, of noodles. Although the picture on Theo's packaged noodle dinner depicts a meal with both meat and vegetables, neither are provided, so we left them out of Theo's meal as well to provide a fair price comparison. The result?
After a leisurely five-minute clean up (two pans and a couple of utensils), Theo's dinner took fifteen minutes and cost $2.53 a serving. He therefore saved sixty cents, and some time, by avoiding the "convenient" alternative!
A day of cooking from the bulk bin instead of buying packaged convenience meals only saved Theo $2.83 cents today, and cost him an extra fifteen minutes.
Theo didn't wake up early the next morning to laugh all the way to the bank with that two bucks. He was hardly impressed at all, and promptly bought a liter of soda with his hard-earned savings. However...I pointed out the following:
By expending fifteen minutes of his life to save $2.83 every day, he will save $1,032.95 in one year. And it will only take him 91 hours and 15 minutes to do so. To earn that money at his regular job, he would need to work an extra 142 hours. So in the process of saving that thousand dollars, he also saves about 51 hours of his life.
In the meantime, Theo could cut out about a zillion preservatives from his diet and reduce his waste production by about 90%. AND, by shopping at the cooperative grocery store, he supports a community-owned endeavor instead of a monolithic super-store. Although Theo is fictional, these prices are not. The boxed food prices are straight from Wal-Mart, and the bulk prices are gleaned from my own receipts.
There you have it. Bulk whole foods can save both time AND money AND improve one's general lot in life. Triple Win, Mr. Theo!!!
***As usual, I'll allow that this is a fairly simplistic example. But I definitely err on the side of caution. This example assumes that the subject is not eating out at all, which would significantly increase the savings of both time and money. It also ignores the vastly superior nutritional content of whole foods vs. convenience foods. 35 grams of oatmeal is nothing, the Quaker Oats serving size is obviously a result of masking the high calorie content. Anyone who tried to live on a single packet of oatmeal, a can of soup, and a box of noodles and peanut powder would be in a very poor state indeed, particularly compared to someone who consumes the whole food alternatives I've described.***
I wondered if the money saved was worth the extra effort of whole foods, particularly for people unaccustomed to spending time in the kitchen. My imaginary friend Mr. Theo offered to help. He works full-time and earns minimum wage. Theo, like the rest of us, has neither time nor money to waste.
Nevertheless, he goes to the grocery store with subversive intent and purchases a day's worth of groceries out of the bulk bin, noting near-identical packaged options and prices on his way out. He then works out a menu for the next day, keeping in mind that he only has a couple of hours to cook.
Theo likes a hearty breakfast of oatmeal in the morning. His favorite is Quakers Instant Oatmeal with maple and brown sugar. A box of ten 35 gram packets costs $2.88. That's less than thirty cents for breakfast!
The entire box of Quaker oatmeal amounts to about three quarters of a pound. Three quarters of a pound of oatmeal from the Wheatsville bulk bin would cost $.89. Divide that by ten and the price of one packet-sized serving of organic oatmeal is about nine cents. A pinch of salt, tablespoon of brown sugar, and a tablespoon of maple syrup (all purchased in bulk) might theoretically double the cost of the serving to eighteen cents, but it's not likely.
It would take less than five minutes to boil 35 grams of oatmeal on the stove. Probably about three minutes. He has therefore saved about twenty cents at the cost of two minutes of time. Crap - he has to wash the pan! Let's just say it took him five minutes to make his breakfast this morning
Theo often eats out for lunch, but sometimes he will bring a can of soup. He likes split pea soup, which can be purchased for $2.86 a can. Displeased about having to make his lunch the night before, Theo begrudgingly breaks out a cookbook.
His recipe calls for $1.49 worth of split peas (an even pound), less than a dollar worth of spices, a potato, two carrots, and some celery (let's call it another $2). For $4.49 and an hour at the stove, Theo gets six servings of soup. That's $.75 and ten minutes for every serving.
Theo isn't a huge fan of cooking, but getting six meals and saving more than ten dollars just throwing dried peas and veggies into a saucepan the night before has softened his disposition. Not so much that I could convince him to make a pizza from scratch for dinner, nor try marinated tofu or veggie chili made with tvp, but he's definitely enthusiastic to cook something.
He confessed a love for a boxed Asian stir fry dinner made with peanut sauce and noodles. A box of six packets sells for $18.77, providing him with a frugal dinner at $3.13 a serving. And it only takes fifteen minutes to prepare - not including clean up, of course.
I showed him my easy peanut sauce recipe which uses half a pound of peanut butter ($3.15), soy sauce, and some spices (less than a dollar total), and takes about ten minutes. My sauce recipe usually feeds five or six people. Theo refrigerated his excess. We estimated that he used about fifty-three cents worth. while his sauce cooked, he boiled half a pound, or $2 worth, of noodles. Although the picture on Theo's packaged noodle dinner depicts a meal with both meat and vegetables, neither are provided, so we left them out of Theo's meal as well to provide a fair price comparison. The result?
After a leisurely five-minute clean up (two pans and a couple of utensils), Theo's dinner took fifteen minutes and cost $2.53 a serving. He therefore saved sixty cents, and some time, by avoiding the "convenient" alternative!
A day of cooking from the bulk bin instead of buying packaged convenience meals only saved Theo $2.83 cents today, and cost him an extra fifteen minutes.
Theo didn't wake up early the next morning to laugh all the way to the bank with that two bucks. He was hardly impressed at all, and promptly bought a liter of soda with his hard-earned savings. However...I pointed out the following:
By expending fifteen minutes of his life to save $2.83 every day, he will save $1,032.95 in one year. And it will only take him 91 hours and 15 minutes to do so. To earn that money at his regular job, he would need to work an extra 142 hours. So in the process of saving that thousand dollars, he also saves about 51 hours of his life.
In the meantime, Theo could cut out about a zillion preservatives from his diet and reduce his waste production by about 90%. AND, by shopping at the cooperative grocery store, he supports a community-owned endeavor instead of a monolithic super-store. Although Theo is fictional, these prices are not. The boxed food prices are straight from Wal-Mart, and the bulk prices are gleaned from my own receipts.
There you have it. Bulk whole foods can save both time AND money AND improve one's general lot in life. Triple Win, Mr. Theo!!!
***As usual, I'll allow that this is a fairly simplistic example. But I definitely err on the side of caution. This example assumes that the subject is not eating out at all, which would significantly increase the savings of both time and money. It also ignores the vastly superior nutritional content of whole foods vs. convenience foods. 35 grams of oatmeal is nothing, the Quaker Oats serving size is obviously a result of masking the high calorie content. Anyone who tried to live on a single packet of oatmeal, a can of soup, and a box of noodles and peanut powder would be in a very poor state indeed, particularly compared to someone who consumes the whole food alternatives I've described.***
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
First TAB!
Woot! I finally produced my first "tab!" The first I'm really happy with, at least. It's entitled Sustainable Food and provides a somewhat brief introduction to saving money, reducing environmental impact, and empowering your community via your grocery choices. Included in the text are links to articles that explore some concepts in more detail (many of those links will be familiar to current readers). I'll be fleshing it out over the coming weeks with articles on starting seedling and saving seeds, lots more recipes, my long-promised and many-times aborted post on vegetarianism, and articles on the benefits of working in food service.
Most importantly, the page includes PICTURES. Including one of my two girls, Ruby and Blondie. That's worth a gander right there <3
Most importantly, the page includes PICTURES. Including one of my two girls, Ruby and Blondie. That's worth a gander right there <3
A Moment On The Soapbox
Americans clearly have a
dysfunctional relationship with food. We eat things that are bad for us,
we eat in such a way that discourages health, we tell ourselves that we
are fat, and we worship skinny people.
Let's not talk about coupons just yet. Let's not talk about bulk purchasing, cooking, vegetarianism, gardening, or the million and one ways you could save money in the kitchen. Let's just take a moment to talk about the REAL correlation between food and money.
Money and Food are ways to control one's self and one's environment. Some of us use any excuse to treat ourselves, with either a trip to the mall or a bag of cookies. What we don't talk about is a tendency to punish ourselves by the same token...we get our bank statement or step on the scale, sigh, and write up a budget or meal plan.
There are two reasons this bothers me. First, as someone who doesn't diet (or budget, really), it's really boring to hear about other people's restrictions. Second, and vastly more important, is that our national hysteria regarding food is REALLY, REALLY BAD FOR YOUNG GIRLS.
These young girls grow up and become women. They become mothers. They become grandmothers. And they are encouraged every step of the way to treat themselves like idiots, like naughty children, like desperate scumbags because they give into cravings for food that they see advertised almost every waking hour of their lives.
Count the number of fast food advertisements you see in a day. I dare you to even try. Count the billboards on your commute, count the television commercials, the radio advertisements, the magazine pictures and the coupons delivered door to door. Count how many times you see cheesy pizzas, sizzling burgers, and crispy fried chicken, and then tell me the countless people who can't seem to resist excess fats and sugars are simply weak-minded.
The next day, count the number of women you can find who are honestly happy with their bodies. Young, old, fat, skinny...call your friends and ask. Call your sisters and daughters and mother.
Women don't outgrow anorexia. They justify it, their doctors justify it, and it sucks. It makes me very angry and very sad. My husband's mother was the most wonderful woman I have ever met, and she suffered with the disease her entire life. She isn't the only octogenarian we know who wanted to lose weight at the worst possible age.
So, the first step I'd like you to take on your financial journey - especially if you are a woman - is to learn to tolerate yourself. I know that this was my first step. The second? Befriend yourself. Maybe you can skip these steps. Maybe you can skip straight to loving yourself.
There's not a fourth step of this nature. Loving yourself, unconditionally, will be a lifelong process. You will forget and remember again. You will disappoint yourself, lie to yourself, and cheat yourself. But if you forgive, over and over again, maybe the food idiocy that plagues our society will fade into the background of your existence. Squeezing into a size six won't be your default focus, there are challenges much more worthy of your attention.
Preaching Apology and Check In
Right now my goal is to create a number of informative posts that can be arranged neatly on a page on this blog for direct access to readers. My current focus is on saving money on food. I know this comes off as preachy, especially from me, which is a real bummer. Buuut, I'd really like to offer resources from folks who might actually stumble onto this blog looking for strategies and advice, and, good or bad, I want to deliver.
My ultimate hope is to create a series of tabs (food, shelter, clothing, etc.), with a tutorial for people approaching these topics in a more sustainable/frugal manner. I haven't done everything right, but...well, I've done practically everything, and have some perspective to share. I know a lot of long term readers might get sick of me preaching cooperation every other post, but that is one of the few really intelligent things I've pursued in my life and is going to come up in these informative articles. Now that I have over a thousand articles, I want to be sure that this blog provides a modicum of user-friendliness.
In the meantime, I will try my best to keep up with my daily-life posts for those of you primarily interested in that aspect of the challenge.
I'm working on some personal projects around the house. I'm about to finish the second wall of the chicken coop and start on the next boxes to be attached to the back. Our four chicks (Ruby, Blondie, Houdini, and Amy) are growing fast and need a permanent home. In further homestead-worship, Darling and I are going to learn to make soap in the next two weeks from professionals! I'll keep you updated on the results.
Darling found out yesterday that his next project is officially starting in two weeks. We've both spent the majority of May unemployed, so it will be a huge relief to have an income again. Once he wraps up this gig, probably in September, we get to make some pretty interesting choices. The company wants him on a job in North Carolina. Once upon a time, my husband and I fancied ourselves adventurous nomads, and now that lifestyle is a serious probability. So we have to figure out how to make that transition as comfortably, frugally, and environmentally friendly as possible.
In the meantime, I'm working the night desk at a nearby company. The job promises to be low-key and casual as any I've ever seen, and I look forward to catching up on my knitting and researching transport and living arrangements for a green gypsy and her solar cowboy.
My ultimate hope is to create a series of tabs (food, shelter, clothing, etc.), with a tutorial for people approaching these topics in a more sustainable/frugal manner. I haven't done everything right, but...well, I've done practically everything, and have some perspective to share. I know a lot of long term readers might get sick of me preaching cooperation every other post, but that is one of the few really intelligent things I've pursued in my life and is going to come up in these informative articles. Now that I have over a thousand articles, I want to be sure that this blog provides a modicum of user-friendliness.
In the meantime, I will try my best to keep up with my daily-life posts for those of you primarily interested in that aspect of the challenge.
I'm working on some personal projects around the house. I'm about to finish the second wall of the chicken coop and start on the next boxes to be attached to the back. Our four chicks (Ruby, Blondie, Houdini, and Amy) are growing fast and need a permanent home. In further homestead-worship, Darling and I are going to learn to make soap in the next two weeks from professionals! I'll keep you updated on the results.
Darling found out yesterday that his next project is officially starting in two weeks. We've both spent the majority of May unemployed, so it will be a huge relief to have an income again. Once he wraps up this gig, probably in September, we get to make some pretty interesting choices. The company wants him on a job in North Carolina. Once upon a time, my husband and I fancied ourselves adventurous nomads, and now that lifestyle is a serious probability. So we have to figure out how to make that transition as comfortably, frugally, and environmentally friendly as possible.
In the meantime, I'm working the night desk at a nearby company. The job promises to be low-key and casual as any I've ever seen, and I look forward to catching up on my knitting and researching transport and living arrangements for a green gypsy and her solar cowboy.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Shopping En Masse
During a recent conversation with friends I happened upon the conclusion that buying "en masse" is the twin sister of buying in bulk. We were talking about the means of feeding oneself on only $2 a day - how low can one go in the grocery aisle? I noted that $2 a day for one person will result in less food value than $4 for two people. The purchasing power increases with the addition of each individual, even though the $2/person limitation remains.
A simplistic example: With $2 I can buy a bag of rice and a bag of beans and enjoy a hearty meal. If I got in to the store with $4, I can add a couple of vegetables, both stretching the meal to feed two people and increasing the nutritional content. If I bring $6 I can feed three people with rice, beans, and some vegetables, and might be able to pick up a a pound of cheese. Each person gets a little more for his or her $2.
This doesn't work, of course, if one spends her cash at the drive-thru. $2 buys a burger. $4 buys two burgers. No magic there. The same goes on packages of ramen noodles, cans of soup, and other convenience foods, which don't really provide the nutritional requirements of one person and are therefore a nutritional and financial loss from the get-go.
Joining a food co-op is an excellent way to access these savings in the most anonymous way possible. You typically buy a membership share, buy your groceries as you would anywhere else, and maybe receive the occasional refund or rebate based on your annual spending. The downside of this is that most food cooperatives choose to carry better quality food and offer their employees better-than-average wages. By playing a cleaner game than the competition, food co-ops put themselves in a position to be significantly more expensive than the big box stores. I maintain that supporting folks who play by the rules is preferable to saving a buck, however, and we are talking about rice and beans here, so pay the extra 5 cents/pound, for goodness sake.
To really buy en masse, talk to your friends and neighbors. I've known folks who work in food co-ops to form their own co-ops within: combining their employee discounts to buy products in bulk from their stores to divide up amongst themselves. Buying granola from the bins costs about $3/pound. A 25 pound bag of granola might cost $50, making it $2 a pound. Add a 10% discount to that, and 5 individuals come away with five pounds of granola for only $9, a savings of six dollars each. To buy five products - say, rice, beans, honey, and olive oil - in this fashion could reap hundreds of dollars in yearly savings for these thrifty workers.
Seriously buying in bulk is an expensive proposition for individuals. Even if your family would eat 25 pounds of granola in a reasonable amount of time, how many people have an extra $50 for groceries to start out with? Making the switch could take years for a family operating on a limited budget. Of course the average person can trim some fat (give up meat for a few weeks, or coffee, soda, eating out, or driving...), and use the resulting saving to start slowly. But by speaking up and seeking out other folks with similar goals, huge savings could be reaped at a much faster pace.
There are other benefits to making shopping a community event. Families that share shopping lists can also share transportation to-and-from the store. If you invite an elderly or disabled person into your shopping club, you could greatly ease the burden of what might otherwise be a physical and financial challenge. Many farmers will offer discounts on large purchases - especially during the height of tomato and zucchini season. Simply belonging to a group dedicated to saving money and procuring nutrition - how could that not improve your life?
A simplistic example: With $2 I can buy a bag of rice and a bag of beans and enjoy a hearty meal. If I got in to the store with $4, I can add a couple of vegetables, both stretching the meal to feed two people and increasing the nutritional content. If I bring $6 I can feed three people with rice, beans, and some vegetables, and might be able to pick up a a pound of cheese. Each person gets a little more for his or her $2.
This doesn't work, of course, if one spends her cash at the drive-thru. $2 buys a burger. $4 buys two burgers. No magic there. The same goes on packages of ramen noodles, cans of soup, and other convenience foods, which don't really provide the nutritional requirements of one person and are therefore a nutritional and financial loss from the get-go.
Joining a food co-op is an excellent way to access these savings in the most anonymous way possible. You typically buy a membership share, buy your groceries as you would anywhere else, and maybe receive the occasional refund or rebate based on your annual spending. The downside of this is that most food cooperatives choose to carry better quality food and offer their employees better-than-average wages. By playing a cleaner game than the competition, food co-ops put themselves in a position to be significantly more expensive than the big box stores. I maintain that supporting folks who play by the rules is preferable to saving a buck, however, and we are talking about rice and beans here, so pay the extra 5 cents/pound, for goodness sake.
To really buy en masse, talk to your friends and neighbors. I've known folks who work in food co-ops to form their own co-ops within: combining their employee discounts to buy products in bulk from their stores to divide up amongst themselves. Buying granola from the bins costs about $3/pound. A 25 pound bag of granola might cost $50, making it $2 a pound. Add a 10% discount to that, and 5 individuals come away with five pounds of granola for only $9, a savings of six dollars each. To buy five products - say, rice, beans, honey, and olive oil - in this fashion could reap hundreds of dollars in yearly savings for these thrifty workers.
Seriously buying in bulk is an expensive proposition for individuals. Even if your family would eat 25 pounds of granola in a reasonable amount of time, how many people have an extra $50 for groceries to start out with? Making the switch could take years for a family operating on a limited budget. Of course the average person can trim some fat (give up meat for a few weeks, or coffee, soda, eating out, or driving...), and use the resulting saving to start slowly. But by speaking up and seeking out other folks with similar goals, huge savings could be reaped at a much faster pace.
There are other benefits to making shopping a community event. Families that share shopping lists can also share transportation to-and-from the store. If you invite an elderly or disabled person into your shopping club, you could greatly ease the burden of what might otherwise be a physical and financial challenge. Many farmers will offer discounts on large purchases - especially during the height of tomato and zucchini season. Simply belonging to a group dedicated to saving money and procuring nutrition - how could that not improve your life?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tenets of Subversive Sustainability
1. To pursue personal and cultural empowerment and freedom by means of personal improvement and development.
2. To support those institutions, products, and individual choices which sustain humanity, our planet, and its inhabitants.
3. To end our dependency on those institutions, products, and individual choices which lead to exploitation, destruction of natural resources, and unsustainable expectations.
2. To support those institutions, products, and individual choices which sustain humanity, our planet, and its inhabitants.
3. To end our dependency on those institutions, products, and individual choices which lead to exploitation, destruction of natural resources, and unsustainable expectations.
Home Again, Home Again
I just got back from a good long camping trip with friends. They loaned us the tent and bedding and paid the park fees, we purchased a good deal of food and beverages.
We drove up to Ink's Lake State Park, where there was much sunning on pink granite boulders, roasting veggie hot dogs over the fire, brewing sun tea, maintaining a consistent-yet-manageable level of inebriation, cards and domino games, stargazing, birdwatching, squirrel-shooing-away, hiking, boating, and general relaxation.
I was hoping to develop a zen-like level of understanding of the past several days/weeks/months(/years?), but mostly I just slathered on sunscreen and added wood to the fire. I did manage to start my copy of Voltaire's "Candide."
I start my new job the day after tomorrow.
We drove up to Ink's Lake State Park, where there was much sunning on pink granite boulders, roasting veggie hot dogs over the fire, brewing sun tea, maintaining a consistent-yet-manageable level of inebriation, cards and domino games, stargazing, birdwatching, squirrel-shooing-away, hiking, boating, and general relaxation.
I was hoping to develop a zen-like level of understanding of the past several days/weeks/months(/years?), but mostly I just slathered on sunscreen and added wood to the fire. I did manage to start my copy of Voltaire's "Candide."
I start my new job the day after tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Yet Another New Job Post
I just accepted a part-time job down the road from my house. I'll be working three evening shifts a week, which should be enough to manage rent and keep us afloat until Darling is working again next month. I'm relieved to have found something that shouldn't be too emotionally or physically demanding - better to reserve my energy for finishing the chicken coop and caring for the garden.
I'll be able to ride my bike and wear my regular clothing :) I'll be able to save every penny once Darling is working in mid-June. Also, the rest of the staff seems really cool. My Real Hourly Wage will probably double. Although it sucks to have taken a month off from debt servicing, it's completely inevitable that Darling and I will be debt free by the end of July!
I'll be able to ride my bike and wear my regular clothing :) I'll be able to save every penny once Darling is working in mid-June. Also, the rest of the staff seems really cool. My Real Hourly Wage will probably double. Although it sucks to have taken a month off from debt servicing, it's completely inevitable that Darling and I will be debt free by the end of July!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Doing What Needs Doing
Being unemployed can be hard.
It's been one of my greatest fears since my early teens. Having a job is the key to security, skill-development, validation, cash, and time-management. For me, work fulfilled the functions of family, community, education, religion, and even personal responsibility. For the low, low price of the majority of my waking time on Earth.
In the past, I suffered anxiety and depression during even very short periods of unemployment. This time around, though, I'm relishing my freedom. Every day I roll out of bed and see opportunity and potential. There are seeds to sow and veggies to harvest, chicks to feed and a coop to build, friends and family to visit, bread to bake, books to read, thoughts on which to reflect.
Not only is there plenty to do, there's not too much to keep up with. I typically let myself get overwhelmed by the big picture, but right now I'm just not bothered by the dirty floors (too busy outside today), or feeling obligated to help with dinner (kitchen is crowded enough). I feel free to tackle big projects, occupy my time with daily bits-and-pieces, or spend a rainy day catching up on my reading. It's been amazing.
I've spent $22 since being unemployed. Darling and I attended a brewery tour that charged $10 for six half-pint samples. We spent $2 on a bag of chips to pack along with our lunch of sandwiches, home-brewed ice tea, and nuts, and bought a cd from some friends providing the music. I felt kind of guilty about the spendthrift behavior until it sunk in that Darling and I haven't event talked about spending any money besides that in two weeks. It's not that we're cutting back, doing without, or broke. It just hasn't occurred to us to spend money on anything in over fourteen days besides amazingly good local beer and equivalent music.
Today I had a job interview for a part-time job down the road, practiced guitar, spent an hour working on my non-blog writing, and played at "building" for a while in the garage. Yesterday I fixed some wonky curtain rods in my bedroom, cleaned a closet, replaced a string on the guitar, helped Darling build a corner table for his office, and attended a meeting. Nothing revolutionary or groundbreaking, perhaps not even blog fodder, but solidly pleasant and productive days. I really love just looking around and simply doing what needs doing. Hopefully this keeps up for a good long while.
It's been one of my greatest fears since my early teens. Having a job is the key to security, skill-development, validation, cash, and time-management. For me, work fulfilled the functions of family, community, education, religion, and even personal responsibility. For the low, low price of the majority of my waking time on Earth.
In the past, I suffered anxiety and depression during even very short periods of unemployment. This time around, though, I'm relishing my freedom. Every day I roll out of bed and see opportunity and potential. There are seeds to sow and veggies to harvest, chicks to feed and a coop to build, friends and family to visit, bread to bake, books to read, thoughts on which to reflect.
Not only is there plenty to do, there's not too much to keep up with. I typically let myself get overwhelmed by the big picture, but right now I'm just not bothered by the dirty floors (too busy outside today), or feeling obligated to help with dinner (kitchen is crowded enough). I feel free to tackle big projects, occupy my time with daily bits-and-pieces, or spend a rainy day catching up on my reading. It's been amazing.
I've spent $22 since being unemployed. Darling and I attended a brewery tour that charged $10 for six half-pint samples. We spent $2 on a bag of chips to pack along with our lunch of sandwiches, home-brewed ice tea, and nuts, and bought a cd from some friends providing the music. I felt kind of guilty about the spendthrift behavior until it sunk in that Darling and I haven't event talked about spending any money besides that in two weeks. It's not that we're cutting back, doing without, or broke. It just hasn't occurred to us to spend money on anything in over fourteen days besides amazingly good local beer and equivalent music.
Today I had a job interview for a part-time job down the road, practiced guitar, spent an hour working on my non-blog writing, and played at "building" for a while in the garage. Yesterday I fixed some wonky curtain rods in my bedroom, cleaned a closet, replaced a string on the guitar, helped Darling build a corner table for his office, and attended a meeting. Nothing revolutionary or groundbreaking, perhaps not even blog fodder, but solidly pleasant and productive days. I really love just looking around and simply doing what needs doing. Hopefully this keeps up for a good long while.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Day Off
Has it only been just over a week since I left the factory?
My days have been full, but I've fought the temptation to let them become hectic. The garden has become my playground, so much so that I finally had to decide that it is not acceptable to be out there after noon. The sun is just too powerful, the desire to water too strong. It's more pleasant in the evening. I'm watching the tomatoes ripen like a hawk, counting down the days until sauce can be simmering on the stove, turning our already hot house into a sauna.
My first impulse has been, upon first rolling out of bed in the evening, to bake. Before breakfast I am kneading bread or mixing scones. Then there is laundry to fold, floors to sweep, tea to brew, notes to type, chicks to feed...I've done very little reading, knitting, or sitting in general, besides at a picnic yesterday and board games in the evening. I'm thinking about officially taking today "off." After the sourdough is in the oven, after this post is written, I'll tuck myself into a room and ban any thoughts of productivity until it's cool enough to poke around in the dirt tonight.
My days have been full, but I've fought the temptation to let them become hectic. The garden has become my playground, so much so that I finally had to decide that it is not acceptable to be out there after noon. The sun is just too powerful, the desire to water too strong. It's more pleasant in the evening. I'm watching the tomatoes ripen like a hawk, counting down the days until sauce can be simmering on the stove, turning our already hot house into a sauna.
My first impulse has been, upon first rolling out of bed in the evening, to bake. Before breakfast I am kneading bread or mixing scones. Then there is laundry to fold, floors to sweep, tea to brew, notes to type, chicks to feed...I've done very little reading, knitting, or sitting in general, besides at a picnic yesterday and board games in the evening. I'm thinking about officially taking today "off." After the sourdough is in the oven, after this post is written, I'll tuck myself into a room and ban any thoughts of productivity until it's cool enough to poke around in the dirt tonight.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Subversive Sustainability
Ours is a consumer culture.
To consume is to destroy or use up. Therefore, we are a people of destruction. To this end we wage wars, shape economies, and educate our young. All species consume to live, but many of us live to consume. We work, work, work, buy, buy, buy, and then leave the planet significantly less capable of handling the next wave of industrialized people.
To subvert is also to destroy, but institutions, standards, and status quo are the victims. To consume an old growth forest is acceptable, to subvert Wall Street would be criminal. That's what we humans have to work with. We live in exciting times.
Sustainability is the opposite of consumption and subversion, but I believe that the pursuit of sustainability, in this day and age, is ultimately a subversive act. If we were all to roll out of bed tomorrow and say, "that's it, to Hell with the oil industry, I'm riding my bike or staying home," the world as we know it would effectively end. And I'm not dumb enough to expect that to be a clean revolution, or even a desirable revolution.
As individuals, however, we can roll out of bed and say, "today, I will not destroy." Very rarely will that result in limiting the choice of another, until so many individuals choose sustainability over consumption that the current market system folds under its own weight. Naturally there will be folks who prefer the current system, but that's the price of progress, and they have plenty of time and resources to fight the good fight.
Understand that much of modern consumption is a matter of dependence, whereas sustainability is independence. Go to the store and buy a bag of potato chips, and you are dependent on dozens of systems - not only the producers and transporters of the chips, but the employers who provide the income necessary to make such a purchase. You are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Plant a potato, though, and you find the sustainability: one potato produces many, each capable of producing exponentially more potatoes. There is no better bargain: food begets food. No one can fire you from your garden.
The pursuit of sustainability is both subversive and empowering. Knitting, building, repairing, cooking, baking, walking, sewing, sharing, writing, reading, and teaching are all activities that can take place outside the capitalist model. Take this path and you will find that beauty trumps fashion, meaningful work beats exhaustive paper-shuffling, friendship is more valuable than networking.
Creation is preferable to destruction.
To consume is to destroy or use up. Therefore, we are a people of destruction. To this end we wage wars, shape economies, and educate our young. All species consume to live, but many of us live to consume. We work, work, work, buy, buy, buy, and then leave the planet significantly less capable of handling the next wave of industrialized people.
To subvert is also to destroy, but institutions, standards, and status quo are the victims. To consume an old growth forest is acceptable, to subvert Wall Street would be criminal. That's what we humans have to work with. We live in exciting times.
Sustainability is the opposite of consumption and subversion, but I believe that the pursuit of sustainability, in this day and age, is ultimately a subversive act. If we were all to roll out of bed tomorrow and say, "that's it, to Hell with the oil industry, I'm riding my bike or staying home," the world as we know it would effectively end. And I'm not dumb enough to expect that to be a clean revolution, or even a desirable revolution.
As individuals, however, we can roll out of bed and say, "today, I will not destroy." Very rarely will that result in limiting the choice of another, until so many individuals choose sustainability over consumption that the current market system folds under its own weight. Naturally there will be folks who prefer the current system, but that's the price of progress, and they have plenty of time and resources to fight the good fight.
Understand that much of modern consumption is a matter of dependence, whereas sustainability is independence. Go to the store and buy a bag of potato chips, and you are dependent on dozens of systems - not only the producers and transporters of the chips, but the employers who provide the income necessary to make such a purchase. You are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Plant a potato, though, and you find the sustainability: one potato produces many, each capable of producing exponentially more potatoes. There is no better bargain: food begets food. No one can fire you from your garden.
The pursuit of sustainability is both subversive and empowering. Knitting, building, repairing, cooking, baking, walking, sewing, sharing, writing, reading, and teaching are all activities that can take place outside the capitalist model. Take this path and you will find that beauty trumps fashion, meaningful work beats exhaustive paper-shuffling, friendship is more valuable than networking.
Creation is preferable to destruction.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Grocery Savings: Feeding 9 Adults
As you know, saving money has been on my mind the past several weeks. Unfortunately, I feel kind of like I've hit a wall in this area. I look at my money tracking chart, and consider how often the expense line peaks above the earnings line. If not for debt, our spending would fall like a stone, but that won't happen for another couple of months. The other two categories that dominate my wallet are those in which I experience the least amount of choice: rent and work.
Well, I recently nipped that work problem in the bud, huh? Rent is another matter entirely.
Anyone who has ever found themselves to be supporting a professional landlord -someone who has no "day" job, but lets you pay his living expenses on top of his mortgage, and still can't be bothered fixing you toilet, can appreciate the beauty of cooperative living. Our rent covers the cost of living, nothing more and, to be honest, nothing less. So I could well enough leave the rent issue alone and focus on eliminating my other spending categories...but that would mean forsaking my favorite area of frugality: The Kitchen.
My household spends roughly $310 a week feeding our family of nine adults, significantly less than the USDA's "thrifty" food plan prices, despite paying slightly higher prices for organic food purchased from a local grocery cooperative and drinking far more coffee (with organic cream) than one could consider frugal.
Our house does not buy meat, and our convenience foods are pretty limited to cans of salsa, some frozen fruits and veggies, canned tomato products, jams, and tortilla chips. We do not buy cans of beans or soups, frozen dinners, or any baked goods besides bread.
The bulk aisle is a dear friend. Sugars, oils, flour, pasta, nuts, seeds, quinoa, rice, and beans, herbs, cereals, and yes, coffee, are all a fraction of the price of their packaged alternatives.
We do really, really well when it comes to buying food, but I can't help but think we could improve. Already we've saved money buy purchasing bulk laundry and dish soap from Azure Standard, and have slowly edged towards buying honey and apple cider vinegar by the gallon. After months of rumination, my housemates have suddenly become very excited about the concept of purchasing more products in large, manageable quantities.
Since we can't afford to transition all at once, I created a process to determine which products would yield the greatest monthly savings.
First, I recorded every grocery purchase made in April. Fortunately we shop once a week, so this meant reviewing only four receipts, but it took five hours all the same. I noted the product and, in some cases, the brand, the price/unit (pound, oz, loaf, etc.), how many units we purchased that month, the total paid that month, and if we took advantage of sales or coupons. Here are some examples:
Penne Pasta, 3.29/lb, 3.22 lbs purchased, $10.59 total
Russet Potatoes (5 lb bag), 1.10/lb, 5 lb, $5.49 total
Frozen Strawberries (1/2 lb bag), 6.98/lb, 2 lbs, $13.96 total
Looking at the spending in this way made certain things obvious. For one, fresh strawberries are significantly cheaper than frozen, particularly this time of year. So we will probably simply buy fresh and freeze our own from now on, especially if we get to the pick-your-own farm where we can pay as little as $2.50 a pound. This should save us at least $3.96 a month, $47.52 for the year.
I then looked at alternative sources for bulk products. If we were to order whole wheat organic penne pasta from Azure Standard, it would cost only $24.35 for a 10 lb bag. That's $2.44/lb, and would reap a savings of $2.85/month for 3 months. $34 saved over the course of a year may not sound like a great deal, but I made these calculations for every bulk product we spend more than $10/month on and found $54.16 in potential monthly saving. That's without so much as switching brands.
For products produced in Austin, I considered purchasing directly from the producer. I didn't get very far with this. It's still but a whim, but a worthwhile one. Same goes for growing food: we spend a good deal of time in the garden, and often produce side dishes, but I couldn't calculate how much money the occasional jar of jalapenos or handful of green beans actually saves us. Maybe after a few months of tracking...
Finally, I considered how much we could save by producing our own goods. Not wanting to make assumptions, I pulled out ye olde canning recipe book to make exact calculations. Good thing I did, too. Even purchasing bulk tomatoes on special deal specifically for canning directly from farmers (pre-order, no less!) I would still be paying far more to jar our own tomato sauce than to buy it. Bread, on the other hand, is dirt cheap to bake, particularly with sourdough. It doesn't sound like much, but if I could convert my housemates to using the homemade stuff for sandwiches and toast, we could easily save about $40 a month. A gallon of milk is $6, a gallon of yogurt is $13.99. If we made our own, that's $16/month saved. Similar savings could be achieved by making our own salsas, salad dressings, jams and jellies...
So a few hours brainstorm yielded approximately $116 in monthly savings! That could mean $150 back in everyone's pocket come the end of the year, or lowering our individual rents by $12 a month.
Well, I recently nipped that work problem in the bud, huh? Rent is another matter entirely.
Anyone who has ever found themselves to be supporting a professional landlord -someone who has no "day" job, but lets you pay his living expenses on top of his mortgage, and still can't be bothered fixing you toilet, can appreciate the beauty of cooperative living. Our rent covers the cost of living, nothing more and, to be honest, nothing less. So I could well enough leave the rent issue alone and focus on eliminating my other spending categories...but that would mean forsaking my favorite area of frugality: The Kitchen.
My household spends roughly $310 a week feeding our family of nine adults, significantly less than the USDA's "thrifty" food plan prices, despite paying slightly higher prices for organic food purchased from a local grocery cooperative and drinking far more coffee (with organic cream) than one could consider frugal.
Our house does not buy meat, and our convenience foods are pretty limited to cans of salsa, some frozen fruits and veggies, canned tomato products, jams, and tortilla chips. We do not buy cans of beans or soups, frozen dinners, or any baked goods besides bread.
The bulk aisle is a dear friend. Sugars, oils, flour, pasta, nuts, seeds, quinoa, rice, and beans, herbs, cereals, and yes, coffee, are all a fraction of the price of their packaged alternatives.
We do really, really well when it comes to buying food, but I can't help but think we could improve. Already we've saved money buy purchasing bulk laundry and dish soap from Azure Standard, and have slowly edged towards buying honey and apple cider vinegar by the gallon. After months of rumination, my housemates have suddenly become very excited about the concept of purchasing more products in large, manageable quantities.
Since we can't afford to transition all at once, I created a process to determine which products would yield the greatest monthly savings.
First, I recorded every grocery purchase made in April. Fortunately we shop once a week, so this meant reviewing only four receipts, but it took five hours all the same. I noted the product and, in some cases, the brand, the price/unit (pound, oz, loaf, etc.), how many units we purchased that month, the total paid that month, and if we took advantage of sales or coupons. Here are some examples:
Penne Pasta, 3.29/lb, 3.22 lbs purchased, $10.59 total
Russet Potatoes (5 lb bag), 1.10/lb, 5 lb, $5.49 total
Frozen Strawberries (1/2 lb bag), 6.98/lb, 2 lbs, $13.96 total
Looking at the spending in this way made certain things obvious. For one, fresh strawberries are significantly cheaper than frozen, particularly this time of year. So we will probably simply buy fresh and freeze our own from now on, especially if we get to the pick-your-own farm where we can pay as little as $2.50 a pound. This should save us at least $3.96 a month, $47.52 for the year.
I then looked at alternative sources for bulk products. If we were to order whole wheat organic penne pasta from Azure Standard, it would cost only $24.35 for a 10 lb bag. That's $2.44/lb, and would reap a savings of $2.85/month for 3 months. $34 saved over the course of a year may not sound like a great deal, but I made these calculations for every bulk product we spend more than $10/month on and found $54.16 in potential monthly saving. That's without so much as switching brands.
For products produced in Austin, I considered purchasing directly from the producer. I didn't get very far with this. It's still but a whim, but a worthwhile one. Same goes for growing food: we spend a good deal of time in the garden, and often produce side dishes, but I couldn't calculate how much money the occasional jar of jalapenos or handful of green beans actually saves us. Maybe after a few months of tracking...
Finally, I considered how much we could save by producing our own goods. Not wanting to make assumptions, I pulled out ye olde canning recipe book to make exact calculations. Good thing I did, too. Even purchasing bulk tomatoes on special deal specifically for canning directly from farmers (pre-order, no less!) I would still be paying far more to jar our own tomato sauce than to buy it. Bread, on the other hand, is dirt cheap to bake, particularly with sourdough. It doesn't sound like much, but if I could convert my housemates to using the homemade stuff for sandwiches and toast, we could easily save about $40 a month. A gallon of milk is $6, a gallon of yogurt is $13.99. If we made our own, that's $16/month saved. Similar savings could be achieved by making our own salsas, salad dressings, jams and jellies...
So a few hours brainstorm yielded approximately $116 in monthly savings! That could mean $150 back in everyone's pocket come the end of the year, or lowering our individual rents by $12 a month.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
In The Past Five Days:
I have...
* brought the first chicks of the co-op's brand new flock home from the feed store. So far we have a Rhode Island Red and a Production Red, and we intend to buy four more, each a different variety, over the next couple of weeks
* Started building a coop with the intention of buying no new materials
* Created a new sourdough starter, and baked my first loaf of sourdough bread. I struggled with this quite a bit a couple of years ago, experimenting with all sorts of recipes and techniques. And you know what? This time I didn't use a recipe or anything, but relied on my instinct and experience. Not only did it turn out an absolutely delicious loaf, but I think it might be the best loaf of bread I've made in seven years of baking
* Worked on a patchwork quilt
* Drove a half-yard of mulch and a half-yard of compost home from the organic gardening store
* Pruned and "trained" tomatoes until my fingers turned green :)
* Tabulated the house's grocery budget so as to determine exactly how much we spend on what brands, products, veggies, etc. I can now tell you how many pounds of red bell peppers the nine of us eat in a month and how much we spend on sugar
* Took several short walks
* Tabulated April's earning and spending (not yet our real hourly wage)
* Figured out our net worth (-$1305.05!!!)
* Paid May rent
* Fixed the attic fan just in time to offset the Summer heat
* Talked to a couple of friends at the union, who pointed out that my job at the plant is NOT the same as my membership to the union, I haven't missed a single class yet, my dues are paid, and though I'll get a talking-to about walking out on a contractor, they still want me around...
So, in the next five days I will...
* Bring home two fuzzy new members of the flock,
* Finish prepping coop materials to build the chicks' new home,
* Finish painting the bathroom (started this project weeks and weeks ago)
* Finish reviewing last month's spending, think about how Darling and I will
* Start another quilt square
* Cut toilet rolls into collars to protect the young corn in the garden from cutworm
* Look into bulk-buying opportunities to cut down on the house grocery budget
* Go to my apprentice class, and maybe a weekend welding refresher, as I apparently am still a union carpenter <3
* brought the first chicks of the co-op's brand new flock home from the feed store. So far we have a Rhode Island Red and a Production Red, and we intend to buy four more, each a different variety, over the next couple of weeks
* Started building a coop with the intention of buying no new materials
* Created a new sourdough starter, and baked my first loaf of sourdough bread. I struggled with this quite a bit a couple of years ago, experimenting with all sorts of recipes and techniques. And you know what? This time I didn't use a recipe or anything, but relied on my instinct and experience. Not only did it turn out an absolutely delicious loaf, but I think it might be the best loaf of bread I've made in seven years of baking
* Worked on a patchwork quilt
* Drove a half-yard of mulch and a half-yard of compost home from the organic gardening store
* Pruned and "trained" tomatoes until my fingers turned green :)
* Tabulated the house's grocery budget so as to determine exactly how much we spend on what brands, products, veggies, etc. I can now tell you how many pounds of red bell peppers the nine of us eat in a month and how much we spend on sugar
* Took several short walks
* Tabulated April's earning and spending (not yet our real hourly wage)
* Figured out our net worth (-$1305.05!!!)
* Paid May rent
* Fixed the attic fan just in time to offset the Summer heat
* Talked to a couple of friends at the union, who pointed out that my job at the plant is NOT the same as my membership to the union, I haven't missed a single class yet, my dues are paid, and though I'll get a talking-to about walking out on a contractor, they still want me around...
So, in the next five days I will...
* Bring home two fuzzy new members of the flock,
* Finish prepping coop materials to build the chicks' new home,
* Finish painting the bathroom (started this project weeks and weeks ago)
* Finish reviewing last month's spending, think about how Darling and I will
* Start another quilt square
* Cut toilet rolls into collars to protect the young corn in the garden from cutworm
* Look into bulk-buying opportunities to cut down on the house grocery budget
* Go to my apprentice class, and maybe a weekend welding refresher, as I apparently am still a union carpenter <3
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