Good Cheap Food

I push self sufficiency, self reliance, or what every else you want to call it! In fact, I'm kind of a nag about it. I was going through my old magazines and found a 2007 issue of Mother Earth News and an article by Craig Idlebrook. He has 75 way to live on less. He just doesn't tell a story, he actually practices what he preaches. I'm not going to share them all at once, because I want us all to think on a little bit at a time and not get overwhelmed. And, by the way, I am now a subscriber to this wonderful magazine! ~Karin

Self Sufficiency

Part 1 of Hmmm, Not Sure Yet

Good Cheap Food

1. Buy raw ingredients instead of prepackaged foods. If you don't know how to cook, learn. You'll save on food bills, and your body will thank you for it in the long run. (I was shopping last week and the young mother in front of me, in line, had a cart full of frozen and prepackaged food. I just couldn't imagine her feeding her children food with all the additives and yuck that in those foods.)
2. Buy in bulk from a local health food store, or place bulk orders directly with mail-order companies. If you can't meet their minimum order size, go in on an order with another family, or organize a larger food buying club. (Customers do this all the time where I work, group sales are GREAT!)
3. Avoid the middleman and buy directly from farmers. Look for farm stands, community supported agriculture programs and farms markets.
4. Eat fruits and vegetables in season, when they are least expensive. (Once, we found organic watermelon for three cents a pound!) Stock up when they're cheap and freeze or can any excess for later use. (Now is the time!!)
5. Keep up with what's in your refrigerator and make sure nothing spoils. Once a week, make soup or casseroles to use up vegetables and other leftovers.
6. Calculate the price of food per pound when you visit supermarkets. Doing the math will help you spot good deals. 
7. Don't overeat. When you do, you're flushing money the the drain. (Literally!)