20 Veggies for Under $1/lb

When I am shopping frugal, I aim for spending less than a buck per pound on the food my family eats. In the western United States, at Kroger owned stores, I found these prices this season:

Tomatoes $0.99/lb

Leafy lettuces $0.99/lb

Spinach bunch $0.99/lb

Parsley bunch $0.99/lb

Radish bunch $0.99/lb

Jalapeños $0.69/lb

Seranos - $0.99/lb

Kale $0.99/lb

Collard Greens $0.89/lb

Carrots $0.98/lb

Red/white onions $0.99/lb

Corn 2/$0.99

Cabbage $.069/lb

Cucumbers $0.89/ea

Green onions  $0.59/ea

Cilantro  $0.59/ea

Potatoes $0.30/lb

Yellow Onions $0.65/lb

Pumpkins $0.25/lb

Squash $0.89/lb

Are prices near you comparable?

Potato - Potahto

54 sack lunches, 12 planned dinners for 5-7 people,  a bunch of breakfasts and snacks that count as half a meal each, 2 Weeks, 1 teenage girl, $150  - she keeps what she doesn't spend

"I just don't think extra potatoes should come out of my budget," KC says thoughtfully.  "I mean, I already planned for and bought potatoes.  We used them last week, and tonight, and I have one more meal for them to go in and we will still have leftover potatoes.  So, I just because you found a really good sale on them, shouldn't mean they have to come out of my budget."  

"Well, if I were to have that money, if I were planning and budgeting, I would just use what I had in the budget and buy the extra potatoes.  They are $0.20/lb.  how can we pass that up?" I ask.  I don't mention the fact that one of the reasons for this experiment is that I have been overspending the grocery budget consistently since March.

She's sixteen and wields her words in such a way as to get to the greatest outcome for her interests: keeping as much of the food budget money at the end of her two weeks as she can.

"I'm not saying you should pass it up.  I just don't think it should come from my budget.  I think there should be a special, 'deals we can't pass up' budget that you can use whenever you see a sale like that."

"Hmm." I say, considering her words.  I do see how my request looks a lot like changing the rules in the middle of the game.  So, my only recourse is this,"Okay, but you have to know that will probably just diminish the budget I set for these kinds of experiments."

She is quick with and answer, "That's fine.  I knew this was an experiment.  I figured we could do it on less.  I didn't assume I would get the same amount next time.  But, I have $75 of my $150 left for this two weeks.  Maybe we need a gallon of milk or two.  But, I have done well and I'm counting on the money I get to keep."

And, that was the end of it.  Stick to the rules.  Make adjustments for next time.  She has done remarkably well, and I have pretty much stayed out of the store, except for my little trip to get kitty food (not on the grocery budget) when I saw the potatoes and was tempted to work outside of the plan.  But, i didn't buy them.  I think being accountable to a sixteen-year-old keeps you very honest.  And, maybe she's right that there should be some funds in a month for not-to-be-missed sales.  Or, maybe we should just strictly stick to the plan.  I have to let that one percolate a bit.

Here is what KC's two weeks look like:

And, here is a recipe for a family heritage favorite, Welsh Pasty.  Note the use of potatoes.  Pasty (with a short 'a' sound as in 'hat') are little pastries covering carrots, potatoes, onions, and, if you are an omnivore, some sort of meat.  All of my kids are vegetarian, so they just have the veggies.  Gordon and I eat meat occasionally, so we mixed our cultures a little bit with this dish and added Italian sausage.  The results were amazing.  Here is the recipe with instructions.

   

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough

1 cup cold butter, diced

1 tsp Kosher salt

3/4 cup ice cold water

Filling

1/2 lb carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

5 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

1/2 lb ground meat or sausage, optional

Preheat oven to 350*

Add flour, butter and salt to mixer.  Mix until crumbles appear.  Add water and mix on high until a dough forms.  If dough is too wet, add more flour, if too dry, add water.  The dough should be moist, but not sticky.  Let rest for 10 minutes while you prep veggies.

Chop veggies and mix with oil, salt and pepper in medium sized bowl.  Set aside while you roll the dough.

Pull off a piece of dough just larger than a golf ball.  On a floured surface roll out a circle about 6-8 inches in diameter.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pastry on the pan.  Fill one half of the circle with the vegetable mixture, fold the other half over (now it is half-moon shaped), and crimp the edges by hand or with a fork.  Cut three small slits in the top of each pasty.  Continue this process until all the dough and filling are used. Bake at 350*  until the crust is golden and the potatoes are cooked, about one hour. 

  

Pantry Prep from the Not-So-Pros

Getting ready for another No More Grocery Store experiment to start next month.  Here are some household challenges to help us get ready.  

Challenge #1 - Pantry Prep

"Mom, if we are going to do this, we can't just pull everything out, wipe down the shelves and put everything back. We need a total overhaul.  We need a lifestyle change," 16-year-old KC says.

"Like what?" I ask, curious about what a lifestyle change was going to look like from her perspective.

"Like we waste a lot of food because there is more stuff in there than we can keep track of."

"True, true.  So, we just need to pare down?"

"Yeah," she answers, "and we need to make sections where certain types of food go so everything has a place."

"Then what?" I ask.  I'm really not leading her.  She is leading me.  I do not have an intrinsic sense of organization.  And, though you wouldn't always know it to look at her room, she does.  Plus, she is a minimalist, so our current situation offends her personal sense of order.

"Well, before everything goes back, and we have all of our categories, we need to get some containers and stuff to keep it all organized.  Then we clean it all out, put it back the way we want it and be serious about keeping it up.  Everyone who uses the pantry  should know when everything goes so we are all responsible for maintaining it.  We can't let it get like this again."  That was her final word.

"Okay.  You're right! I commit."

And, so we began.  Let me warn you: This is not a job for the faint of heart.  Nor, is it one to be done on your own.  Cleaning the pantry, if it looks anything like ours did, can only be undertaken with the help of a sister, friend, daughter, son, husband, or other partner-in-crime.  Most kids over 8 could help you with this task given the proper motivation.  However, if you are looking for someone to lead you, you may need a more mature mercenary.  I paid KC to stick through it with me, and still, we had to prod each other along with a combination of carrots and sticks to finish the job.

Here's what we did:

1. Purge - We First pulled every single thing out and either tossed it, donated it, or decided to keep it.  An initial purge minimizes waste in the future.  We got rid of expired items, stale cereal and crackers, stuff that we never eat (like the rice-a-ronis we had taking shelf space, but no one would ever make). We didn't have to throw it all away.  We put duplicate items in the basement, and donating what is unopened, but unwanted is always an option.  But, it was sick how much stuff we got rid of because it was stale or otherwise beyond its usefulness - two full kitchen-size garbage bags went to the trash.  

Time for this step: About an hour.

2. Planning/Purchasing - When the purge was over and we saw what we had left, we got down to list making. We made categories like spices, sauces, sweet, savory, dry goods, breakfast, lunch food, bulk items, etc.  Then, we made a list of canisters and plastic totes we would need to keep it all organized.  We bought canisters for rice, pasta, flour, sugar and other dry goods; and plastic totes for snack foods, spice mixes and baking accessories like sprinkles and muffin cups.  

Warning: our shopping trip took the remaining energy we had and nearly derailed the whole project.  We ended up leaving the rest of the work, which was a lot, for the next day.  Truly, if we hadn't had each other and the deadline of company coming, we wouldn't have finished the next day.

Time for this step: 30 minutes to survey what we had and categorize everything into a list. 90 minutes for shopping.

3. Clean - With an empty pantry we took the opportunity to get everything clean.  We worked top to bottom  (so all the crumbs fell down and we didn't have to retrace any steps) with rags and vinegar water solution.  Then, we swept and mopped the floor before we put everything back. Tis part was relatively easy compared to what we had already accomplished.

Time for this step: 30 minutes

4. Organize - It helped a lot to have everything we needed to put things in order before we put what we had left back in.  We ended up with a whole tote just for curry creations, another one for sushi supplies, and another for bulk seeds and legumes.  We also had a good sized flat box to put on the floor to keep big bags of flour, sugar, rice and oats in for refilling canisters.

Time for this step: About an hour

5.  Maintain - With everything we wanted back in the panty and a brand new system in place to keep track of it, we all committed to maintaining it a little bit every time we use it.  And, in the month since we've made our lifestyle change, the pantry has stayed very well ordered.  We consider it a great success and wish the fridge could stay as nicely organized.

Time for this step: Next to none. Put things back where you find them, new purchases find their way easily into the system.