American families are struggling, and in this tough economy there are people who can barely afford to put food on the table. We can all benefit from making an effort to reduce the amount of money we spend on our food.
As I see it, there are three parts to this project. The first is how to purchase the best quality food for the lowest possible price. The second is deciding what food to buy and when to buy it. And the third is preparing and storing it efficiently, without waste. Today I would like to talk about creative food shopping. We’ll leave Parts Two and Three for another time.
I have the good fortune to live in a semi-rural area between a large city and a thriving Amish community, so we have opportunities which may not be available throughout the country, but quite a few of these tips can be used wherever you may live.
Thrift stores. A number of the large commercial bakeries have outlet stores which sell both day-old and overstocked products at nicely discounted prices.
The Reduced Rack at your local supermarket. There are some real bargains here. Ignore the ones with the brown bananas. Many stores will reduce anything that isn’t pretty. Trust me, an English cuke with a bit of a curl, or a lopsided pepper tastes just as good as any other. Many supermarkets also have a rack for reduced baked goods.
Ethnic food stores. We like to order a falafel sandwich while we shop for olive oil, freshly made phyllo dough, or spices at bargain prices. Many of these stores sell hot-from-the-oven pita bread at prices lower than anywhere else. And if you are willing to settle for imperfect pitas, a package can be bought for as little as fifty cents. At an Asian store you might find tofu, dozens of varieties of rice, and shelves of different soy sauces. Why not buy this type of food from the people who do it best.
Food terminals. We have a food terminal that takes up a city block. It caters to restaurants or grocery stores, but individuals can shop there as well. The catch is that you must buy by the box, which shouldn’t be a problem if you shop with a friend. They sell just about any fruit or vegetable known to man at wholesale prices.
Bulk food stores. Around here the best ones are run by the Amish. Here you can buy baking supplies, spices, dried beans, that sort of thing. I used to buy the best flour in the world at one of these stores. The farmer grew the wheat and ground it himself.
Salvage stores. Again, most of these are run by the Amish, but they have been popping up everywhere lately. You need to check the expiration dates and look for seriously dented cans, but you will find plenty of things which are absolutely perfect. The savings are enormous. We recently bought the large bottles of Perrier for twenty cents a bottle. Cans of diced tomatoes were also twenty cents a can with the 28 ounce cans selling for thirty-five cents. They also sell pet food, paper products, cleaning supplies, you name it.
Natural springs. Although I like Perrier, I seldom buy bottled water. We stop at a natural spring and fill our own bottles for twenty-five cents a gallon.
Pick-your-own farms. Beginning with strawberries we pick our way through the season. There are farms where you can pick blueberries, peaches, apples, grapes, or vegetables.. My husband went out to pick cabbage last week and the owner filled his car with free winter squash and onions.
Cheese factories. The price per pound is always cheaper than in the grocery store, but you can lower the price even further by buying in quantity. Split a wheel of cheese with friends and everyone will benefit.
Produce auctions. These are held weekly throughout the growing season. Everything sold is grown locally, but the lots can be large. It helps to have a few friends to split that lot of four bushels of zucchini.
Just Ask. Older neighborhoods in the city are perfect for this. Look for fruit trees with fallen fruit all over the ground, knock on the door and ask. My husband loves to do this and he has never been refused.
Forage. Even if you don’t have a taste for cattail shoots you can still forage. In many places hickory nuts, elderberries, blackberries, or mint are free for the picking. Every spring I’ll pick a supply of young grape leaves for stuffing. Last time I checked they were almost two dollars for a jar of them.
Plant a garden. It doesn’t need to be a beautiful garden plot with rows of beans and lettuce. Every little bit helps. Put a row of beets behind the petunias, plant a fruit tree instead of a Japanese maple, make a hedge of blueberries, or fill a fancy pot with parsley. You won’t be sorry.
Roadside stands. It seems as though everyone with a garden has a little stand in front of the house these days. They can be as simple as a card table with a coffee can for the cash, or as elaborate as a small farm market. Do you want to give your money to an agri-business a thousand miles away, or to someone in your own community?
The Amish. Cruise the back roads and look for signs. You can buy eggs, maple syrup, honey, or fruits and vegetables directly from the people who produce them. One of my favorite memories from this past summer was of watching my husband walk through a field of honey rock melons, trailed by half a dozen barefoot Amish kids, their family dog, and a few barn cats. He’d choose a melon and hand it to a kid who would carry it to the car. The kids all got chocolate bars and we got delicious melons for fifty cents each.
Everyone had a good time.
You can often find piles of produce at the side of the road for free. This summer we found a mountain of watermelon next to the road. There was no sign, but when we asked, she told us to take all we wanted.. We took fourteen of them and didn’t make a dent in the pile. We brought them home and had a lot of fun handing them out to our friends.
A nod to the meat eaters. At this time of year some communities maintain a list of people willing to take deer which have been hit by cars. You must be willing to drop everything and field dress it yourself. Years ago one of my husband’s friends got one this way, and the two of them split it. Interestingly enough, when a deer was hit on the road in front of our house, my husband was not at home to take the call. Many of the deer can’t be salvaged, but it never hurts to ask.
Frugal food shopping is always rewarding, but it is also great entertainment, and a good way to meet new friends..