Tweet

Food is, of course, the most basic of our needs beyond water and air (and toilet paper!). Isn’t it funny how we take these simple things for granted? You breathe in and out, you pull on the roll, you turn on the tap, you pop a Lean Cuisine into the microwave, or answer, “Yes”, to “Fries with that?” Easy, automatic, instant. But of course, it’s not. All of these things, with the exception of air, require a complicated combination of infrastructure and workforce to get to us. We only think about it when the system breaks down (imagine a toilet paper factory worker’s strike!), or when we pay our bills.

Food is also one of the easiest things to save money on. We have so many choices, and we can grow it ourselves with just a little work and research. You may not have the land for a full garden and enough wheat and corn to last you a year, but anyone can grow herbs, lettuce, green onions, even tomatoes or strawberries in a container garden on the porch, windowsill or in another lighted area (hey, rumor has it that some folks do quite well growing Other plants in a closet with a UV light. I wouldn’t know). If you have room outside, there are lots of low-maintenance vegetables that will even overwinter like turnips, leeks, cabbage and kale. Kale will reseed itself and come back over and over. Good container garden choices would be green onions or chives, herbs like parsley, marjoram, and cilantro, and lettuces (try a mesclun mix), cress, or wheatgrass (for juicing). These will all tolerate lots of snipping and are quite easy to grow. Even I, with my formerly brown thumb, was able to grow this kind of stuff successfully in Arkansas.

There are lots of great resources online, and lots of books free at the library. Be sure to find resources specific to your climate, as some plants may do better in different climates and soils. You may be able to find a gardening club in your neighborhood, or check out back yards to see who has a garden, and ask them for help getting started. You might be able to get free seeds and plants as well as some good advice. And it’s a great way to make friends.

So why have a home garden? In the short term, you will save money on veggies and herbs. It’s hard to find quality fresh herbs, and when you do, they’re expensive (several dollars an ounce!)Dried herbs are less expensive, but still on the high side, and often low quality. Fresh produce has the best flavor, nutrition, and quality. And you can’t get fresher than from your own backyard. Additionally, you will know where your food comes from and what is on it (please don’t use Miracle Grow or pesticides or fertilizers on your home-grown food! Or at least go natural/organic. Why poison yourself?) If you grow enough (read: too much) you can share the surplus with friends, family, and neighbors. You may even be able to sell or barter some.

In the long term, growing something will give you enjoyment and relaxation – gardening and being around plants is a natural stress-reliever. You’re more likely to use herbs and fresh vegetables if you have them on hand, which is better for your health. Also, especially if you have a larger garden outside, it’s great exercise: turning beds, pulling weeds, watering, etc. Your better health now will lead to better health and lower doctor’s bills in the future. Lower stress and eating more vegetables leads to lower blood pressure and a lower risk of stroke/heart attack.

Besides gardening, there is plenty you can do to keep down your food costs. One of our biggest expenses is bread. Americans eat a lot of sandwiches and toast, rolls with dinner, muffins, pancakes, waffles, or donuts for breakfast, cookies or cake for desert. Sadly, we buy a lot of these things packaged, refrigerated, frozen, completely processed and full of crap, and we pay exorbitant prices for them! It’s so easy, and so inexpensive to make them at home. You don’t even need Bisquick. Bread can seem time-consuming and difficult. But most of the time spent is in rising. You don’t even have to be around. You can leave the dough on the counter or in the fridge to rise while you’re at work, or overnight. And don’t worry about forgetting. Longer rising times are actually good. I’ve made some really good bread that rose for 2 days or more, because I forgot about them (it doesn’t work all the time, but bread is very forgiving).

Try this recipe from Mark Bittmann, the author of How to Cook Everything and columnist for the New York Times. Simple, delicious, and cheap! (thanks to SteamyKitchen.com for the recipe)

Yield: one 1 lb loaf
3 cups flour (bread flour or all purpose)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 tablespoon kosher or regular salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel…something that can go into a 450F oven.)
1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.
2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly.? With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface.? Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour.? Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough.? Let it rest for 2 hours.? When you’ve got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.
3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven.  Holding towel, dump wobbly dough into pot. Doesn’t matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes.

For super quick, super good bread, try the white pizza recipe on my site.

Check online or at your library for great cookbooks and recipes to make all kinds of baked goods at home. Stop buying that processed junk that makes you sick. Learn the traditions of baking and making things from scratch.

Now, don’t stop with baking. It’s easy to make simple, inexpensive meals at home. It costs less than eating out, and again you’ll know what goes into your food. Watch good cooking shows on TV, again, check the library and online. Don’t get too fancy all at once. Rachel Ray is a great place to start, also Mark Bittman again. While you’re cooking, it’s interesting to note that the least expensive recipes will generally use unprocessed natural foods. Rice, potatoes, flour, fruits and veggies, pasta, eggs (eggs are cheap in the States, but I think they’re overpriced in Canada). These are the staples of civilizations around the world. Meat, if you choose to use it, is expensive. There’s no getting around it. But you can take advantage of sales and remember that you don’t have to buy rib roast or fillet Mignon to get good meat. But also, don’t go for Spam and Bologna, which pound for pound are just as expensive as “real” meat. Most of us eat too much meat, and you can cut down on this luxury by making more one dish meals that use meat more as flavoring, less as the ½ plate main attraction. Look to ethnic menus for ideas, especially Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Central American (substitute veggies in season for more exotic ingredients, and feel free to improvise). The key is to fill up on vegetables and starch (rice, potatoes, pasta) with herbs, spices and meat as a bonus. Flavorful meats like bacon and sausage pack in a lot of flavor, but you can use tiny amounts to cut back on fat and cost. Make it a point to eat a few meatless meals a week. Before long, you will find some favorites that you really enjoy.

If you live in the country, take advantage of this and do some foraging. Find out what wild plants are good to eat (dandelion leaves make great salads and cooked greens). Go fishing. Raise a few chickens (free range and/or feed them table scraps) for eggs and/or meat. Barter with neighbors who may have milk, eggs, meat, veggies, fruit, honey or other products.

Check out farmer’s markets for produce. Depending on where you live, this may be cheaper or more expensive than in the store. But you can at least get an idea of what’s out there. If you have a large freezer, or know how to can, take advantage of sales and produce in season, whether at the store, the farmer’s market, or in your garden. Peas, corn, tomatoes, and zucchini can get ridiculously cheap in the summer, and raise to incredible prices in the winter. Take advantage and put some up when it makes sense to buy a lot. The Book Back to Basics by Reader’s Digest is a great place to start learning about canning, freezing, and drying to save things up for later.

One thing that we spent way too much money on in the States (at least in the beginning) was soda (Coke, pop, whatever you want to call it). We could go through a 2-liter or more a day! When we lived in Belize, we had to cut way down. 2-liters are unheard of, and the classic glass bottles were relatively expensive. It became a treat, and something we really appreciated. You can save so much money by simply drinking tap water. If the water’s not good in your area, see if it would be improved with a water filter (the faucet filters are convenient, but it’s more cost effective to have a full system. More start up cost, but they’ll last longer). If a filter wouldn’t work in your case, go for the larger bottled water, in gallon jugs or even 5 gallon containers. It doesn’t have to be Perrier or Evian. It takes a while to get off of soda, and water is tasteless, so it isn’t as fun to drink. But once you’re drinking enough every day you’ll feel weird without it. Teas, both black and herbal, are inexpensive, especially if you reuse your leaves or bags. And you can make your own tea (free!) from mint, lemon balm, rose hips (the frut left when roses die) and other herbs, fruits, and leaves. Even coffe is cheaper made at home. A coffee maker is five or ten dollars at Wal-mart. A can of Folgers that makes 200 cups is around $8.00. Hmm…a Starbucks coffee is around $4.00 or more, even McDonald’s coffee is over a dollar. The Exxon gas station coffee for a quarter sounds cheap, but $8.00 will only give you 32 cups. Even with milk and sugar added, you’re saving a bunch doing it at home. And, it’s still less than soda!

The great thing about learning to cook and save money in your food is that you generally eat better and healthier. Your meals have more fiber, are more filling, have more nutrients and better flavor, and lead to a generally better lifestyle. Most of us need to lose weight or at least reduce the amount of cholesterol, sodium, and junk we take in every day. I have to warn you that once you start eating healthy, you may never want to go back to the McDonalds and Little Debbie lifestyle (and if you do, it just might make you sick). But it’s a change that we should all make, and a change that will put America back on track for a healthy, wealthy nation.

Thanks to Kettu and MorgueFile for the photo.