tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post6392177115901180951..comments2024-03-28T21:51:07.251-07:00Comments on The Tasty Cheapskate: Eating Cheap: A Note from the Middle (lowerish) ClassUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-2697052020740897552013-09-23T12:13:54.804-07:002013-09-23T12:13:54.804-07:00Thanks! Thanks! Jeaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05256112748291670773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-26938018551112246152013-09-22T16:59:26.064-07:002013-09-22T16:59:26.064-07:00Thank you so very much for this post! In a word, a...Thank you so very much for this post! In a word, awesome! I do plan all our meals and we eat leftovers. It's tough but I shop at Aldi and Walmart. I also shop a but at Harris Tester (I'm in NC) because they do have good meat sales. <br />We get by on one income right now (about $75,000 a year) for a family of four. It's difficult to be around so many who can do all their shopping at Whole Foods and eat out all the time. So, I'm so thankful for your very balanced approach to eating frugally. Thank you!<br />SuzanneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-90988613573438617432013-09-19T14:58:22.434-07:002013-09-19T14:58:22.434-07:00I'm sure its every bit as good in the US as it...I'm sure its every bit as good in the US as it is over here. It won "supermarket of the Year" recently- more and more people are going there to save money.The Yogi Vegetarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06567829164135047029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-77805462913079012342013-09-19T11:45:19.985-07:002013-09-19T11:45:19.985-07:00Aldi (and its competitor Ruler Foods) saves us a l...Aldi (and its competitor Ruler Foods) saves us a lot of money each month. It is awesome. Jeaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05256112748291670773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-28364422787514563222013-09-19T11:44:08.065-07:002013-09-19T11:44:08.065-07:00Our garden was also a flop this year. Even so, I w...Our garden was also a flop this year. Even so, I wound up with a few things that were nice to have. Jeaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05256112748291670773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-71372551508863932882013-09-19T11:42:40.983-07:002013-09-19T11:42:40.983-07:00Your leftover phobia makes me laugh. When I make s...Your leftover phobia makes me laugh. When I make something good, I CANNOT wait to eat it the next day so I guess that gives me, like, a leftover fettish:). Also, I avoided that fear of leftovers going bad by having a mom who would scoop mold off things and declare them good (not too often, mind you, but yes, it happened occasionally). Jeaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05256112748291670773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-40661714599929707802013-09-18T23:49:05.818-07:002013-09-18T23:49:05.818-07:00Although I'm in the UK I can really related to...Although I'm in the UK I can really related to this! Here we have the term "squeezed middle" for families like you and I, as the Govt has targeted us for all the austerity cuts, costing us more money than the other social classes. Due to high mortgages and debt, there are some families earning more than us who have to go to food banks every week or their kids wouldn't eat properly! We would love to eat 100% organic but can't afford this, so we do what we can. We grow lots of our own organic fruit and veg and we order in bulk stuff like rice, flour, nuts and seeds and pasta from a wholefood co-op a few times a year to afford organic. The rest we get in our local produce market and Aldi. If it wasn't for Aldi we wouldn't make ends meet! Everything is home made from scratch apart from some bread and the odd frozen pizza for the kids. Nobody in our household of 6 buys their lunch for school, college or work any more; we use leftovers and make packed lunches. That's how we get by! Thanks for a really informative post :)The Yogi Vegetarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06567829164135047029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-5132519666143136452013-09-18T20:15:50.286-07:002013-09-18T20:15:50.286-07:00I have planned our dinners for a week at a time fo...I have planned our dinners for a week at a time for years, and I wonder what on earth we did before I started (we ate out a LOT more... but that was mostly before kids). I don't have a ton of food storage, but I have enough that if we have a tight month I can get away with buying bare necessities at the store.<br />I didn't have much luck with my garden this year, but I do have a bumper crop of tomatoes... which saves a few dollars a week. Having a successful garden could go far in saving some cash.<br />I'm no longer afraid of buying generic for most things... there are a few things that I want the real deal. My husband finally agrees with that, it used to hurt his ego.<br />I didn't grow up destitute, but we certainly didn't have any extra money. No designer clothes for me... My mom is Super Frugal and I'm continually amazed by her comparison shopping ability.Brookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08269464228066647267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-59067221549146646232013-09-18T19:07:37.388-07:002013-09-18T19:07:37.388-07:00Interesting and thought-provoking post, Jean. You ...Interesting and thought-provoking post, Jean. You are right - why is money a big secret? It is for everyone except the poor, who don't have it and don't care who knows they don't have it! We are a family of five living on an annual income of $85-$90,000, depending on bonuses and oddball freelance jobs. We have months where money is tight - usually due to a huge unexpected expense (flights for a funeral, major home repair, that sort of thing), but most months we are good, and while I try to be cost-conscious on our food budget, I don't feel pressured to give things up too often.<br /><br />I think some of the things we do are similar to yours, and some are just plain common sense. One thing I've had to 'get over' is my hatred of leftovers. Even if the thing I ate was fantastic, I do not want to eat it again the next day... and then if it's been more than 48 hours, I am fearful that it's suddenly unsafe to eat anyway. It's a little pet compulsion of mine. I'm working on it.<br /><br />What helps us is to eat mostly "cheap" foods - I don't mean Ramen-cheap, but more like "cooked at home, normal foods" cheap - but then feel that we have room in the budget for a few splurges. For us, those splurges are things like organic popcorn (which is only $1.50/lb), using REAL butter - never margarine, and having one planned "eating out" meal per week. That serves a couple of purposes. One is, it's a well deserved mental and physical break for me (I plan/cook 20 other meals for these people every week); also it's important to FEEL like you're doing something different and fun. Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04548359403189855565noreply@blogger.com