Eat Simpler, Save Money

I recently took a look at my monthly food expenses to see if I could cut back at all on costs but was very happily surprised. My average DAILY tally for food is….. $4.50. That’s less than most people spend on ONE meal eaten away from home.

How I do it:
I buy produce on Saturday mornings at the local farmer’s market a few blocks from home. I’ve found that I can buy organic there for a fraction of grocery store prices.

I enjoy the farmer’s market because I go to same stalls weekly, am always greeted with a smile and a hello so I feel that my purchases are appreciated. It feels like people are less hurried, I like the free entertainment, and I feel like I’m more connected to the planet because I buy directly from a local farmer. If you go to the market the last 30 minutes that it’s open then the prices are drastically reduced though there is less of a selection than earlier in the day. Whatever the farmers don’t grow I’ll buy at Trader Joe’s, a health food store or (ugh) the big food chain. I buy what's in season or on sale so my food varies weekly.

Since last August I’ve been trying to eat mostly raw (recognizable) food. I say mostly because I try not to beat myself up about the occasional ‘slip’. I want to enjoy my meals while still eating healthy food so sometimes I will have some freshly baked bread or add cooked beans and brown rice to my salad.

This month I bought:
1x month = $30.80/4= $7.70 wk
6.00 Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
5.25 raw honey
4.00 old fashioned oatmeal
1.80 raw sunflower seeds
4.50 raw walnuts
4.00 raw almond butter
1.25 nutritional yeast flakes
1.00 flax seeds
3.00 raisins

2x month = $15.70/2= $7.85 wk
2.00 carrots (8)
6.00 apples (4 lbs)
.50 cilantro
.70 radishes
.70 scallions
.80 celery
5.00 avocados (5)

4x month (this varies according to what’s in season) = $15.60 wk
.80 cucumber
1.60 sprouts
4.30 oranges
3.00 yogurt
.80 lettuce
3.00 tomatoes
2.10 bananas (uh, no, not locally grown)

$7.70 + $7.85 + $15.60 = $31.15/7 = $4.45 day

Every 3 to 4 weeks Jeff and I will eat out. Sometimes we enjoy sashimi/seaweed salad/sushi or maybe a ploughman‘s style meal of fresh bread, olives, hummus, smoked salmon, lettuce and cheese made from nuts instead of milk. I find that I’m enjoying eating more simply rather than spending more time cooking than it actually takes me to eat it. I also enjoy knowing that the food I eat is fresh, I feel better physically and, surprisingly, that I’m saving money too.