The Check Out Check Up

I only buy cake mixes on sale & recycle the packaging. I use antibacterial dishwashing liquid & the one time I ran out,we got a tummy bug that almost killed us.

We eat an occasional frozen dinner when very tired & fast food once a week. As for smiling faces, where do you find those?
- Linne Dodds

By

kumarihpx

I think that was an amazing run-down by Rose. I also thank you for bringing up the fact that meat protein is consumed at an alarming, unnecessary, and dangerous, rate by most people today.

I know we are all busy, but it is astounding to me the amount of money that we pay for convenience in everything. It seems that these days, after learning that things _can_ be convenient, we also _expect_ everything to be. There is a word for this - consumerism; and we pay dearly for the convenience that we buy.



Another phrase that applies here is Voluntary Simplicity. I am awe-stricken when it hits me that there are so many families that do not spend quality time together - they get burgers and everyone goes to their rooms to eat them. And, in the end, we are a society of isolationists.



It is so easy to rip that paper towel off the roll and throw it away, it is so easy to pop that small pasta dinner in the microwave. It is so easy to pull wipes out of a dispenser and wipe the bathroom counter. And they want us to believe that it is more clean and healthy for us to do so.



I know - sometimes I need this convenience, too. But most times, I find that I really enjoy putting my energy into making a stable meal and sitting across from smiling faces who enjoy it. I also know that we are more healthy for it.



I like "cheating" the huge corporations when I cut up a t-shirt that I was about to throw away and use it as a rag for cleaning.



Did you know that anti-bacterial liquid hand-soap (which is now the standard and probably doesn't even cost much more because it has become the standard - read above, "we expect convenience").. well, it's a sham. Medically, it is not more clean or better for you - it doesn't remove more bacteria than a regular bar of soap. What removes bacteria is friction as you rub your hands together for 15 seconds and rinse thoroughly. But we buy it because we don't know any better, and don't/can't/won't invest any time to find out better.



I believe that we are taught that the most expensive products put us higher in our own estimation, as well as others. We are taught that if we spend more, we are getting a better or safer product, and that just isn't true. When we buy convenience, we are purchasing "cheap" products (as in, a cheap imitation) that is not nourishing to our bodies, minds, or spirits.



To leave you, I want to bring up an experience that literally left me mystified when I was a bit younger. It's very simple, almost comical that it would dawn on me and have such a profound effect. I realized when I was in the Army as a cook the ingredients that went into a cake. A simple cake from scratch... basic ingredients that probably everyone has around the house. But Pillsbury sells one in a box with a pretty picture on the cover, looking moist and creamy, and just delicious. But you still have to add most of the basic ingredients like eggs and water into the pre-fab contents to make the cake, and you have to bake it. What they sell us is flour and sugar, in a pretty box.



What I try to do today is consider, seriously, what goes into my body and how I can accomplish that in a healthier and less expensive way than listening to companies that simply want to sell me something.
- kumarihpx

By

h_bstowe

Gary's articles are well worth reading, and I highly recommend them. However, I'd like to add a few thoughts to his article on the check out check up.



First, let me tell you about my expertise on this subject. I have recently had to use the Food Stamp Program. I have a family of five, the highest monthly allowance I got from the program was just $365, and I have never used all that for one month of food. When I don't get food stamps, I have a lot of frozen and shelf-stable food. If I replace my stored foods at the same rate as I use them, I only spend $50-75 per week. (That means $200 to $300 per month.) This includes food for one large dog and all the offspring of a stray cat we adopted in a moment of weakness.



One way I cut costs is to stock up on the best bargains (using a price book, of course!), and plan menus using what is on hand. Two weeks ago, I made two trips to a store that was having a truckload sale on meat. I spent about two weeks worth of my budget, but I got about enough meat for two months.



I have a bunch of meal patterns in which I can substitute main ingredients, side dishes, etc. Some of these are just about as quick to prepare as using conveneince foods. The basic idea is to figure on one protein, one starch, and two or more vegetables. For the most part, I do one-pot meals, so that we can have good food with less animal protein. Most Americans eat too much protein food! One small burger is just about half the adult daily requirement of protein. There are small amounts of protein in nearly all nutritious foods. And if you use meat in the meal, you can skip the cheese, or use only a little of each.



Conveneince foods are disguised in lots of ways. Compare the cost of one box of generic corn flakes, about ten servings, to a sack of corn meal, which makes about 30 or more servings. Hot cereals like polenta (fancy name for corn meal mush), oatmeal, cooked rice or barley, and "cream-of-wheat" are more economical than any cold cereal. You can vary the breakfast menu with muffins, quick breads, toast, pancakes, waffles, and so on. For flavor, use lots of fruit, choosing from the many interesting fresh fruits, supplementing as needed or desired with frozen, canned, dried, or stewed (make it at home!) fruit.



Most families can realize considerable savings on milk. Powdered milk is just as nutritious as fresh. To start, mix one quart of reconstituted milk with one quart of fresh, and you probably will not taste any difference. Gradually use less fresh and more powdered, as your taste adjusts. When you first try only powdered, you might like to add a drop or two of almond extract, or a tablespoon of maple syrup to two quarts. If you are buying whole milk (often labled vitamin D milk), you are paying more money for less nutrition. The only thing removed from lower fat milks is the fat; low fat milks provide more protein, vitamins, and minerals in the same volume. Powdered milk is sold without the fat, making it a fabulous bargain. If you find a great sale on fresh milk, buy plenty and freeze it. For cooking and baking, you can generally use either reconstituted powdered milk, or the last bit of the fresh that is not quite fresh enough to drink.



Another vast area of savings that Gary did not specifically address is the paper products. I do not buy paper plates, disposable cups, paper napkins, paper towels, plastic silverware, or facial tissue, except one per year on sale. Instead, I use cloth napkins, bought for a quarter each second hand. I use regular dishes, and all my children know how to wash them. I use a dish cloth or a rag (made from worn-out clothing) for most cleaning. For nose blowing, we use toilet tissue; we keep one roll in a boutique tissue cover for the living room, and in cold season, each persons gets his/her own roll to carry around.



Gary mentioned making your own cleaning products. It is astonishingly easy to do. When I looked up recipes, I found out I'd been doing many of them for years.



You can also save a lot on personal care products. The manufacturer recommendations are intended to sell more product, so they typically recommend at least twice as much as you need. Try using half the shampoo, only a pea-sized dap of toothpaste, half the laundry detergent, etc. I'm also learning to make some of my own personal care products, along with my teen age daughter who wants to make and sell luxury soaps. It is interesting to discover that the finest soaps and shampoos are made of thrifty ingredients available in any grocery. For a great hair rinse, the basic recipe is a tea of herbs steeped in vinegar! Use the right one for your hair after the appropriate natural-ingredient shampoo, and you may never again need creme rinse.



If you don't yet, grow as least some of your own produce. If you have a foot square of level surface that gets sunshine for at least half the day, you can grow lettuce, radishes, or herbs indoors, in a shoe box. If you have a yard, or just a patio or balcony, you can grow food outdoors, too.



Re-evalute the snacks and beverages you buy. You probably don't need the empty calories, fresh fruit and home-baked goodies are just as satisfying, and we all need real water daily. For soft drinks, limit the amount, and choose the cheaper alternatives.



Finally, always take and use your pocket calculator, and a pocket notepad to jot down anything you want to remember. You can quickly and easily compute and compare costs per serving, or per use.



Let me leave you with these thoughts. When you learn to shop wisely, to use less and buy it in less packaging, you are not just saving money. You are also preserving your health (the apple-a-day principle: good nutrition will prevent many illnesses and limit others) and the environment (the three Rs are REDUCE, reuse, and recycle). If you incorporate a little more homemade, you may also find a little nourishment or stress relief for your inner person, or soul, as you grow fresh food or mix and use herbal cleaners.