CaptPiper / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Strawberries are super expensive when they are not in season. But you can save money by growing them yourself. Here is what I’ve learned about growing strawberries that have helped me reap a bounty.
In the spring, I decided to try my hand at planting strawberries in my garden. This weekend I picked about a gallon’s worth of berries!
Soil in the making!
We picked up a huge composter for $45 this past weekend at a recycling event after outgrowing our $4 homemade composters. What excites me – other than rotting food waste in my kitchen – is the tip booklet that came with it. A complete guide to composting!
Making rich soil saves me a ton of money on dirt and shortens my grocery list – I’m growing my food! So don’t pay attention to compost rumors.
Convenience is the number one factor in locating your composter. If it’s too far away, you won’t use it, especially if you get nasty winter weather. One solution is to keep a smaller homemade composter near your kitchen door. When it fills up, make one big trip to your main composter.
A kitchen pail with lid is crucial. Fill it up with food waste during the day, then dump it into your composter as part of dinner cleanup. A lid keeps fruit flies away. We got bugs last summer so I’m dumping it after lunch, too.
Hair, dryer lint, and paper napkins
Pat Hawks / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Whole Foods has a reputation for being expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. If you want to save money on groceries, here are six tips to help you navigate Whole Foods so it doesn’t eat up your whole check.
- Specials – The Whole Foods I frequent in Los Angeles has specials every Thursday. Other locations have specials on different days so make sure to ask when they reduce their prices. I’ve heard grocery stores do this during their least busy day to attract more customers. We also publish Whole Foods coupons and deals shared by The Thrifty Mama every Wednesday.
- Manufacture coupons – Contrary to popular belief, organic product have coupons. Although these coupons may be harder to come by, the first place to check is the manufactures’ websites. In a previous post about natural cleaners I wrote about the Seventh Generation brand that carries products including laundry soap, baby diapers and feminine products. If you sign up for (more…)
This gardening post was brought to you by the UK’s Pond Liner Website. Bradshaws Pond Liner company stock a wide selection of garden pond filters and pond pumps including the Oase Pond Pump and the Hozelock Pond Pump. Check it out for some seriously good bargains on any garden pond liner or automatic fish feeder.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
Muffet/Flickr
One of my greatest pleasures is working in my garden. Not only do I get Vitamin D from the sun, but I also get exercise, fresh air and the occasional fresh fruit or veggie. Although each individual seed packet or plant doesn’t cost a lot of money, the expenses DO add up.
Here are five of my favorite sites to help you with your garden schedule and budget:
- KinderGARDEN is a wonderful site chock full of links to help you garden with kids. I had a great time (more…)
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
Remember, Whole Foods is having a huge sale on organic whole chickens tomorrow Friday, Feb. 18, 2011. The birds are just $1.69/lb and you can buy as many as 10 per person. Make room in your freezer because this deal is a steal!
The difference between regular chickens and organic chickens is:
- The birds are not given antibiotics
- The birds have access to the outdoors (though “access” can be interpreted broadly)
- The birds only eat organic vegetarian feed
Sadly, I am about 30 minutes from a Whole Foods so I won’t be partaking in this amazing deal. Plus, I get my chickens from my local CSA, which costs a bit more per week but is an incredible grocery deal in the long run. Before you go, check out the Whole Foods coupons and deals.
calamity_Sal/Flickr
I summarized this list of 17 healthy and cheap food items from the March 2011 issue of ShopSmart, one of my favorite magazines. I put the benefits of each food in parenthesis. How many of these foods do you eat regularly?
1. Cabbage – $.16 per serving (vitamin A and C). I eat cabbage raw as a salad with lemon juice and chopped cilantro, or with broken up Ramen noodles, almonds, tangerines, cooked chicken, and an Asian-style salad dressing.
2. Canned unsweetened pumpkin – $.38 per serving (beta carotene). Use in muffins, breads, and pancakes.
3. Dried (more…)
Credit: Life as Mom
Every Friday I share five must-read blog posts about saving money.
The top holiday photo deals are gathered in one place at the Faithful Provisions blog.
Find two designs for free holiday gift tags that you can print at home, thanks to The Thrifty Mama.
Prepare for cold season by stocking up with these over-the-counter essentials. I would add generic Zyrtec and cough drops to the list. (Surviving and Thriving)
Want organic coupons? Frugal Shopping with Julie has 15 resources for where to find them.
File this under depressing news. How many jobs do we need created for the recession to go away? Yikes.
Bonus: Main Street has ideas for how to pay off your January credit card bill. That’s thinking ahead!
Pink Sherbert Photography/Flickr
Reader Lindsay brought up a great question on my book review of “Strategic Eating.”
I just turned 30 and am learning what weight gain is like. I need to save money but I need to eat healthy. Doing both of those things is seriously not easy!
For anyone who wonders if eating healthier is cheaper than filling up on junk, the answer is a big, fat, NO!
Let me explain. I headed to my local grocery story armed with a list of typical grocery items. I grouped the list into eight categories, including bread, beverages, breakfast, snacks, vegetables, meat, dinner, and dessert. For each category I listed healthy and less-healthy options.
My goal was (more…)
This weeks CSA haul: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, green beans, beets, tomatoes, corn, peppers, garlic, eggs and goat cheese.
Earlier in the summer I joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, paying $525 for 20 weeks of vegetables, eggs, and cheese. I’m considering re-upping my membership for winter, but first want to re-consider my hefty investment. The program costs me about $11 more per week compared to buying groceries at my local chains. Does joining a CSA make financial sense?
Cost is the first thing I considered. For the 20-week summer program, I paid $365 for good-sized portions of about seven vegetables, including lettuce, tomatoes, corn, beets, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and garlic. I paid another $100 to receive freshly made goat cheese (chevre or feta) and $60 for a half dozen free-range organic chicken eggs that are free of hormones and antibiotics.
That amounts to $26 a week! Before joining this CSA I spent roughly $15.50 for vegetables, one dozen eggs, and a block of cheese each week. So I am spending $10.75 more (more…)
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
I am impressed how many readers are committed to eating organic and natural foods! Dozens of readers (there were 64 comments) shared their strategies to save, including many who grow edible gardens as part of a contest to win the eBook “Real Food on a Real Budget.” The majority struggle with the cost of organic food, which is certainly a big reason why I have not fully embraced organic.
EllieD and Jana had a thoughtful conversation, spurred in part by a plea for help by Shane. A snippet of their exchange:
@EllieD, I think we do agree on a lot!
I like the Whole Foods in-store organic brand, it is dollars cheaper than other brands. The only problem I have is with canned goods. Most, if not all–except for Eden Organic brand–canned goods are contaminated with BPA. This is cause for concern. This is why I don’t often buy canned tomatoes at all, since Eden brand is quite expensive. I guess the best way is to can your own, in glass jars. (more…)
Gudlyf/Flickr
I was thrilled to recently meet Stephanie of KeeperoftheHome because she is an expert in a topic I want to know about: eating organic on a budget. From comments, it seems readers want to know her secrets, too! Here is how Stephanie, who is based in British Columbia, keeps five bellies full of organic food for $450 a month.
Is it really possible to eat organic food cheaply? It really is. We eat about 80-90% certificated organic or non-certificated organic or natural foods. We do that on a pretty low budget for a family of five.
How much is your monthly grocery bill? $450 CAD [$430USD], including all our household and cleaning supplies. At the beginning of the month I start by listing all the firm parts of the budget. I always get $30 of eggs from an organic farmer and I always pay $40 for my organic raw milk and I always pay about $140 for my co-op purchases. From there I start to say well I’m probably going to need about $70 of produce and I’m going to need to go to Costco to stock up on butter and fish. When it’s gone it’s gone. We start eating beans and rice. I’m kidding, but we would do that if we had too.
What are your tips for saving on organic food? It comes down to being really eclectic with how you do your shopping. If I shopped at one store or just used coupons it wouldn’t be enough. I actually shop at five (more…)
iLoveButter/Flickr
If you are interested in eating organic on a budget, finding a nearby grocery store can be a challenge. Stephanie of KeeperoftheHome.org recommended AzureStandard, which is an online organic food catalog and delivery service. AzureStandard delivers to much of the Western states (see below) and can ship orders to other parts of the country, including Alaska and Hawaii. I’m considering eating organic for an entire month as an experiment and may well use AzureStandard! Here’s how it works.
Register on the site to access their sales flyer (free), delivery schedule (free), and product catalog ($.45). Charging for the product catalog strikes me as odd, because you’d think free access would entice potential customers, but perhaps it means only people who are truly interested (more…)
avlxyz/Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Farmer’s markets are a good source for fresh produce and quality homemade goods but can be pretty expensive if you don’t know how to score a deal. Before I started to frequent them, I imagined farmer’s market were expensive because the produce is organic, but with a couple tricks I have been able to save money and so can you. Here’s what to do.
Meet the farmers. It has been my experience that this is the single best thing you can do at the farmer’s market if you want to save money. Instead of rushing through the market, take your time to do a meet and greet. Talk to the farmers and those selling their produce. Many times the farmer’s themselves will not be selling the produce so talking to whomever is in charge is best. One of the best ways to strike up a conversation is to ask questions about their produce and where they grown it. Becoming friends with them may provide you with discounts but it also allows you to learn where your food is coming from. This is also good if you want to know what the farmers will be selling in the weeks ahead. By becoming friends, they know you’ll become a loyal customer and will buy from them as much as possible.
Early bird doesn’t always get the worm. If you are looking for quality and a plentiful selection, you must hit the farmer’s market early in the day, but be warned that quality comes with a price. If bargains are what you want, then the best time to head to the market is later in the day. The selection will be limited but you’ll find the lowest prices during this time as farmers are trying to sell all of their merchandise so they can head home. If you are looking for something in particular, get there early and shop around.
Know what’s in season. When I first started going to farmer’s markets I made a big mistake that cost me greatly. I was paying $10 for out of season strawberries. They were delicious, but not worth all that money. Once I figured out I was overpaying, I vowed to learn in season fruits and vegetables to reduce my costs. I now pay $5 at most for strawberries when they are in season.
Haggle. Many vendors are open to negotiation, but you have to be respectful if you are going to take that approach. Not only is this their livelihood and they have to make a living, but it’s also up to their discretion if they want to give you a deal. I once asked for a deal when purchasing fruit from a farmer and I got it. Another customer overheard and demanded the same deal. She was only buying three apples while I bought an array of fruits for a salad from the farmer. He explained to her that he couldn’t give her a discount when she was buying so little and told her that if she bought more he would gladly extend the offer to her. She refused, left the apples and stormed off. In short, if you want a deal, politeness will get you further.
Do you have more tips on saving money at the farmer’s market?
