One area of our budget that we continue to struggle with is the food bill. I've been saying for years that we should not be spending more than $150 a week on food, but DW thinks I'm living on the moon. I recently started to take over the shopping and have been able to hold the line a little better and yet still buy some "frivilous" (spices and sauces and whatnot) things but we still are overshooting the mark. This week: Friday I spent about $80 at Dillons, DW spent about $35 at Walgreens and $50 at the health food store on Sunday, then today (I couldn't get there) she spent another $72. I usually try to make a stop at the farmer's market on Wednesday but obviously we're over $150.
One thing we're trying to do is menu plan a little more. This weekend I went through the cookbooks and came up with 4 meals: a rice, TVP and tomato sauce casserole and a lentil cheese loaf, both from the Linda McCartney book; a broccoli and mushroom manicotti; a seat of the pants pad thai from Vegan with a Vengence. The first two didn't need any ingredients we didn't already have, the second two needed a few, but I think it's okay to buy a couple of special ingredients as long as we're not picking out recipes with all the most esoteric ingredients. (Which is a habit I can get into. ) I made the pad thai with spaghetti instead of the rice noodles the recipe called for. It still came out good.
We're also trying to rely on a pantry system somewhat more. There are a few things we basically have to buy every time we go: pasta, dry cereal (this is a major hit as we only like the kind in the health food section - whole grain, low in added sugar, organic if possible; I buy what's on sale but it can still be $3 a box, and we go through probably 4-5 boxes a week); milk and eggs of course, apples. Now I've been focusing on keeping tuna, canned tomato products and beans, a variety of veggie convenience foods like Boca burgers, and a variety of frozen veggies in the house. Rice, tuna and veggies is a workable meal on a weeknight.
I've been trying to keep track of specials and coupons, particularly on-line offers. Coupons don't really work that well for us because they're usually for name brands and we don't really buy those.
The short version of it is that we really can't afford to spend $600 in a month on food. If we're over $50 every week, that really adds up. I feel like this is the area where we could really see s0me of the most impact in our financial lives.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Wake up and smell the rebate
From Simple Living network, a (justifiably) politicized response to the rebate checks - positioning not spending the money as a non-violent protest against a political and economic system out of control. There are flyers you can print as well.
One thing that gets undersold sometimes in the frugality literature, with its focus on hows and personal whys, is the societal whys, the whys that have more of a political edge. The acquisition mentality is not only damaging personally, it's damaging on a societal level. The more society focuses on getting-and-spending, the more it faces the repercussions of that choice, including the environmental/energy costs, the Walmartization of our economy - cheaper is better, so China is better, quality and slavery be damned - and the endangerment of a lot of people's financial well-being, as we see in the housing and credit crises right now.
The way this whole rebate thing has been framed shows the flim-flam nature of the thing - the government borrows money from the future to give us money that we're supposed to spend on a bunch of stuff we don't need in order to stimulate the buy-buy economy. But an economy based on buying a bunch of stuff we don't need is part of the reason we're in the economic straits we're in. It's like 3-card monte, and if you know that game, you know the sucker never wins. And you and I, my friend, are the suckers.
Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of society and the kind of economy that we want. If you want a Walmart society, spend your money at Walmart. If you want a farmer's market society, spend it at the farmer's market. If you want a society that has values other than big screen tvs and the other electronic detritus of the modern age, then put it in the bank, pay down debt, give it to charity - in other words, don't spend it at all!
One thing that gets undersold sometimes in the frugality literature, with its focus on hows and personal whys, is the societal whys, the whys that have more of a political edge. The acquisition mentality is not only damaging personally, it's damaging on a societal level. The more society focuses on getting-and-spending, the more it faces the repercussions of that choice, including the environmental/energy costs, the Walmartization of our economy - cheaper is better, so China is better, quality and slavery be damned - and the endangerment of a lot of people's financial well-being, as we see in the housing and credit crises right now.
The way this whole rebate thing has been framed shows the flim-flam nature of the thing - the government borrows money from the future to give us money that we're supposed to spend on a bunch of stuff we don't need in order to stimulate the buy-buy economy. But an economy based on buying a bunch of stuff we don't need is part of the reason we're in the economic straits we're in. It's like 3-card monte, and if you know that game, you know the sucker never wins. And you and I, my friend, are the suckers.
Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of society and the kind of economy that we want. If you want a Walmart society, spend your money at Walmart. If you want a farmer's market society, spend it at the farmer's market. If you want a society that has values other than big screen tvs and the other electronic detritus of the modern age, then put it in the bank, pay down debt, give it to charity - in other words, don't spend it at all!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The biggest rip-off...
...in the world is greeting cards! Went to Dillons on Friday to do some of the shopping and picked up 4 cards for mother's day - one to DW and one to my mom from me, one to DW and one to my mom from the kids. $15!!! And the worst thing is, DW doesn't particularly like them and doesn't keep them. So why did I burn this money ??? The answer: Expectations - my mom taught me that's what's expected.
DW's mom (satisfied with a phone call) has a card design program and does her own cards. I wonder if that would be worth it for us or if it would just make me think that we "need" to upgrade our printer?...
DW's mom (satisfied with a phone call) has a card design program and does her own cards. I wonder if that would be worth it for us or if it would just make me think that we "need" to upgrade our printer?...
Friday, May 9, 2008
Deficit spending - the government's, not mine this time
The "economic stimulus" check appeared in my account today. Here's how we spent it:
$200 to DW's CC
$400 to my CC
This represents an extra month's payment to both, and makes 3 monthly payments we've been able to make this month. My CC is now around 7600, which means if I keep up the same pace and stay off the plastic it will be paid off in 23 months.
An extra payment to the loan for DW's car. We've backburnered this but it is eating up a lot of interest.
$500 to savings. Making a total of $2000 we've put in there in the last month, which is, um, $1850 more than we had in there at the end of March.
This leaves about $600 remaining. This will be used for summer camps, lessons, etc. and a pool membership over the summer.
You know what? I don't know about the economy, but I do feel kinda stimulated.
$200 to DW's CC
$400 to my CC
This represents an extra month's payment to both, and makes 3 monthly payments we've been able to make this month. My CC is now around 7600, which means if I keep up the same pace and stay off the plastic it will be paid off in 23 months.
An extra payment to the loan for DW's car. We've backburnered this but it is eating up a lot of interest.
$500 to savings. Making a total of $2000 we've put in there in the last month, which is, um, $1850 more than we had in there at the end of March.
This leaves about $600 remaining. This will be used for summer camps, lessons, etc. and a pool membership over the summer.
You know what? I don't know about the economy, but I do feel kinda stimulated.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Who is rich?
Between Pesah and Shavuot it's customary to read selections from "Pirke Avot" - Ethics of the Fathers - a collection of adages from the early rabbinic period (basically from about the 2d century BCE to the redaction of the Mishna in 220 CE). There are a couple of selections that I've always found very appropos for a simplicity perspective, and I'm going to share a couple of them over the next few days.
The one I'll share now is absolutely my favorite, from chapter 4:1: "Who is rich? The one who is happy with their portion."
I've sometimes heard criticisms of this line because it can be taken to suggest that mistreatment should be abided, but I don't see it that way. I see it as a corrective to the American treadmill of "achievement" and aquiring. You see, nothing that you can buy will make you happy if you're not already essentially satisfied with your life and your situation. This is not to say that one shouldn't try to improve oneself and one's lot, but there's a difference between wanting to improve and needing to improve, as if from a compulsion. And anyway, the core truth of simplicity, it seems to me, is that everything we need and want, we already have available to us.
The text continues: "It is thus written: 'When you eat of the effort of your hands, it will be well with you' in the World to Come." Now, I'm not overly focused on reward in the hereafter, but I know that we can choose - by our attitude - to make life here on earth a heaven or a hell. And I take this line to mean that if we can do the best we can with what we have, the life we live today will be that much closer to heaven.
The Me'am Lo'ez, a commentary written in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) in the early 18th century, adds:
The one I'll share now is absolutely my favorite, from chapter 4:1: "Who is rich? The one who is happy with their portion."
I've sometimes heard criticisms of this line because it can be taken to suggest that mistreatment should be abided, but I don't see it that way. I see it as a corrective to the American treadmill of "achievement" and aquiring. You see, nothing that you can buy will make you happy if you're not already essentially satisfied with your life and your situation. This is not to say that one shouldn't try to improve oneself and one's lot, but there's a difference between wanting to improve and needing to improve, as if from a compulsion. And anyway, the core truth of simplicity, it seems to me, is that everything we need and want, we already have available to us.
The text continues: "It is thus written: 'When you eat of the effort of your hands, it will be well with you' in the World to Come." Now, I'm not overly focused on reward in the hereafter, but I know that we can choose - by our attitude - to make life here on earth a heaven or a hell. And I take this line to mean that if we can do the best we can with what we have, the life we live today will be that much closer to heaven.
The Me'am Lo'ez, a commentary written in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) in the early 18th century, adds:
The master further said, "Who is the wealthy person who can boast of riches? The one who has a good heart, and rejoices in the lot that God has given, wanting nothing more than he has." Such a person lives happily all his life, and is able to serve God properly.I can't think of a better guideline for the frugal life. The text goes on to point out that avarice weakens the spirit, by "tearing the soul asunder" when one sees someone with more than they have.
The sages teach, "There is noone in this world who dies with even half their desires fulfilled. If one succeeds in amassing one hundred gold coins, she wants two hundred." Since a person always wants twice as much as she has, it is impossible for her to achieve her goal. She may have much money, but there is no one poorer than she.
This kind of envy detracts from the ability to do what is useful and productive; to Me'am Loez this is serving God, but we can also see this as doing those things that make life worthwhile, whether raising one's children, doing charitable work, or even "following our bliss" as the man said. It is these things that cause one to be blessed.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Makin' bread (in the literal sense)
My birthday was the other day, and with some of my b-day money I bought something I've wanted for several years now: a bread machine. I found one for $50 at Target that seems to do everything I need it to do (and another one for $100 that does a lot that I didn't need it to do). If it costs me $20 to buy the ingredients I need to get started, that means I would have to make 17 or so loaves to have the thing pay for itself, based on the bread we buy (whole wheat, no HFCS) costing about $3.50 a loaf. And I just think it's a really cool thing to do!
My dad always had a tendency to buy a kitchen toy, use it once and let it rot in the cabinet after that. Example included a fondue pot and a crepe maker. There have been some (rare) times when I've fallen to this tendency myself ($40 plastic sushi maker purchased at the Green Festival in Chicago last year, can't for the life of me make it work properly, the seaweed always tears). But I don't see any reason why that should be the case here.
My dad always had a tendency to buy a kitchen toy, use it once and let it rot in the cabinet after that. Example included a fondue pot and a crepe maker. There have been some (rare) times when I've fallen to this tendency myself ($40 plastic sushi maker purchased at the Green Festival in Chicago last year, can't for the life of me make it work properly, the seaweed always tears). But I don't see any reason why that should be the case here.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Investment advice: Get into dry pasta
The Wall Street Journal suggests that stockpiling food might be a better investment than CDs right now. I am just getting used to the idea of buying more than my immediate needs. For instance, Walgreens had a sale on cereal this week, 2 for $5 on Life, which my kids love. So I bought 4 boxes. This is new for me, but given what's happening with food prices right now, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see prices like this for much longer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
