Comments on: What We Eat

By: Brenna Kater, the Ocean Skater

Brenna Kater, the Ocean Skater — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:11:24 +0000

I’ve realized coupons aren’t just about getting food for my family; they’re about making money! I’ve made about $10 this week buying stuff. It’s pretty cool

By: FBN Roundup- Final Semester Registration Edition : Tight Fisted Miser

FBN Roundup- Final Semester Registration Edition : Tight Fisted Miser — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:06:04 +0000

[...] Babe shares what she eats. She shows it is possible to eat healthy and be [...]

By: Carnivals, Festivals and Linklove — Almost Frugal

Carnivals, Festivals and Linklove — Almost Frugal — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:05:47 +0000

[...] Babe writes about what she eats, which also includes this Apple Carrot Salad that she contributed to Friday is for [...]

By: over the cubicle wall

over the cubicle wall — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:41:28 +0000

It usually try and keep food buying as simple as possible, i.e. the less ingredients the better the better they probably are for me. As a bonus, they tend to be less expensive than highly proocessed or prepared foods.

By: Frugal Babe

Frugal Babe — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:49:51 +0000

Hi NorCalRN,
We’ve bought our oats at Wild Oats/Whole Foods, and also at a small local health food store. They always have to special order it for us, but we’ve been doing it for years without any problems. We do the same thing with quinoa.

By: NorCalRN

NorCalRN — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:45:42 +0000

Hi FB-

I am just wondering where you buy your Organic Oats in bulk from?? We have been thinking about stocking up on organic bulk items like flour, oats, etc but I don’t know quite where to look….

Thanks for all the info- I also have been curious about your family’s eating/shopping habits. You’re a great role model so far….

By: Frugal Babe

Frugal Babe — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:53:03 +0000

Thanks Alissa and April, for the great comments!
We do use some supplements, although in the last few months I’ve been reconsidering and looking for other alternatives. I take a whole food supplement called Blood Builder, because I have a tendency towards anemia, which became more pronounced while I was pregnant. It’s not cheap, but especially as a nursing mom, I need to make sure I’m not anemic (and since I don’t eat meat, I need all the help I can get).
I add a variety of “superfoods” to our meals and green smoothies every day. Things like fresh ginger, goji berries, turmeric, acai juice, flax seed, kelp powder and hemp protein powder. Some of these things are not cheap (hemp protein, for example) but I always stretch them by using less than a serving size (the protein powder says to add 4 Tbsp, whereas I might add 2 Tbsp to a green smoothie).
I’m debating buying an organic, whole food vitamin supplement online, but it’s super expensive, and I’m really not sure that I need it. With a diet based mainly on plants, including nuts, seeds, greens, and all the superfoods we eat, I feel like I might just be creating expensive pee by adding an additional vitamin supplement. Still thinking about this one…

By: April

April — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:39:38 +0000

This is very similar to how my husband and I eat, but since we live in Texas, our farmer’s market is open year-round. I buy 75 percent of our groceries from the market, and only buy the staples at the grocery store. People balk at the expense, but I’d argue that most people I know could afford it if it were really a priority. It is the true cost of food.

We have a fish monger who brings in fresh seafood (not frozen, just iced), and several vendors for various types of meat. I only eat fish, husband eats all kinds of meat, though I’m considering adding some meat back into my diet every so often, since I don’t have to worry about factory farming with the meat from the market. Like FB, we don’t buy meat/fish very often, maybe one item per week.

It is hard eating at someone else’s house, but of course I stay flexible and would never say anything about what is served. Last weekend we were at my MIL and had eggs, and I couldn’t help but to think about where the eggs came from, knowing (from the carton) that they weren’t free range or organic. I feel much better about eating our eggs from the market. But my MIL and SIL are very interested in how we eat, and they ask questions all of the time, which I’m very happy to answer. I think they are going to start looking for a farmer’s market nearby.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m all about the farmer’s market. I love getting to know the vendors, and there’s a real trust that develops. It’s great to talk to the people who made the butter or grew the squash you’re about to eat.

I don’t know that we’ll ever give up sugar. I subscribe to a European way of eating–real foods, in moderation. Plus, I enjoy baking from our French cookbook too much! Though from what I’ve made so far, there isn’t a great deal of sugar…they sort of let the breads and fruit fillings speak for themselves.

I could ramble on forever about organic food and cooking!!

On tip I do have for staying on budget is to make a list of desirables (likely to be there). Since most markets deal in cash, I only take the amount of cash I want to spend. Then I try to get the items from the list, leaving room to be flexible and to pick up new things that might be popping up this week.

Finally, if your health food store has a e-newsletter, sign up for it. Last week I received a coupon for $5 off of a $25 purchase at Whole Foods. I had a few items I knew I’d only be able to find at WF, so it came in handy.

By: Alissa

Alissa — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:19:34 +0000

This is an area that we are definitely struggling with right now. With food costs rising, I’m having difficulty keeping up with buying organic. A bag of organic apples right now is $6.49. The last time I went to buy a bag of organic flour it was $2.00 more than the last time I bought it. So I started slacking our standards, and buying some non-organic foods, in order to be able to live within our budget (you can’t spend it if you don’t have it!). But I felt horrible buying non-organic food. I hated supporting companies that were not environmentally conscious. I hated the thought of what we might be putting into our bodies. So I decided to reduce our debt repayment budget so that we could increase our grocery budget. What good is being debt-free if you don’t have your health? That being said, I still need to find ways to keep the budget as low as possible, while still eating healthy and organic. So thanks for all your wonderful tips! Like you, we eat mostly whole foods. I would love to find a source of bulk organic food in order to get it cheaper. Places like Azure Standard don’t deliver to Canada. I also plan to start growing some of our own produce and freezing it for winter. I want to start growing sprouts (to replace lettuce in the winter!). I do shop the Farmer’s Market when it’s in season. I buy organic spices in bulk at our local health food store for a fraction of the cost of the grocery store.

Do you guys take any vitamins or supplements? I just bought some organic/natural liquid multivitamins for the kids. And we use Udo’s Oil mixed in our smoothies to get our Omega 3,6, and 9 (we’re vegetarian). I find those to be the HUGE budget busters. Those two things alone cost me $50.00.

Something I do struggle with (and I’m always curious how others handle it) is the local vs. organic debate. For instance, where I live (Nova Scotia), we are known for our abundance of apples. Yet they’re not organic. So I’m never sure if I should buy local, non-organic apples, or if I should buy organic apples shipped here from halfway across the continent. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks for this great post! It’s very timely!