Wednesday, July 3, 2013

June Grocery Review and New July Challenge

OK folks, well, I finished June just about perfectly on budget. I spent $134.38 of my $137 food stamp level goal. That's really not too bad at all considering that I sorta went overboard with the fresh produce after May's $21 challenge left me feeling a tad bit deprived. I actually consumed two entire 16 pound watermelons this month, not to mention a fair amount of cherries, peaches, grapes, peppers, asparagus and assorted other produce!



One of my goals for June was to explore more "ethical" options. Well... I decided to focus on what "ethical" food I could find that was either within walking/biking distance or that was on the way to someplace I had to go anyway (like the vet's office.)

Soooo... I visited 2 markets, neither of which left me feeling terribly inspired. Both had very little in the way of farm fresh produce, and mostly had fancy handmade soaps, and homemade prepared foods - the vast majority of which I couldn't get anywhere near due to my many allergies.


I did find eggs averaging about $5/dozen, and one vendor that would sell me pasture raised chickens for $13.99/pound. Yikes! Of course that pales in comparison to the grass fed beef, which was $31/pound - but only if you bought half a cow. Smaller amounts cost more.

Needless to say, I didn't buy much.


The selection in my local stores was even worse. In the 4 stores that I frequent, I managed to find only one package (yes ONE!) of organic meat - chicken breasts for $8.99/pound. There was a small selection of organic produce at the chain stores, but nothing at the closer discount grocery stores.

So, obviously, if I'm gonna find more "ethical" choices, it's gonna have to require significantly more work and travel time, 'cause it ain't just gonna appear on my doorstep!


I also decided to do some research into CSA's just for the sake of comparison. I think that if you didn't have food allergies this would definitely be the way to go in terms of eating local and organic on a budget. Unfortunately for me, when I belonged to a CSA in the past, I could only eat about half of what was in my box each week and the rest was either given away to someone less allergic than me or tossed.

But, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are MANY more CSA's in operation now than there were 10 years ago when I last looked into it. And many of them are actually urban farms which is quite encouraging. On the discouraging side, there still aren't any that are willing to serve this neighborhood, and it would be a significant drive to get to any of the pickup sites. Sigh. Come on peoples!!! Folks in the barrio need fresh produce too!


But the whole thing did get me to thinking. I've been pretty outspoken about how the cost of organic and "ethical" foods put them out of reach for most people, but is it really that much more expensive to eat ethically? Perhaps this is another area where I ought to "put my money where my mouth is."


So for the month of July, I've decided that I'm gonna do an "ethical foods" experiment. Now, defining what exactly ethical means could take an entire lifetime, and I'm sure that you'll get a completely different answer depending on who you ask.


So for the purposes of this study (and to keep myself from going completely broke and/or insane) I've decided that I'll allow myself to buy only foods that are either organically produced, locally produced or salvage goods.

"Local" being defined as anything produced within the state of Colorado and "Salvage goods" including anything in the markdown bin at the regular store, or any goods purchased from the salvage grocery store - I'm sure these won't meet the organic or local criteria, but it's hard to argue that eating food that would otherwise go to waste isn't ethical, no matter how it was produced!


I'll still try to be as frugal as possible, and continue to eat down my pantry stockpile. I'll also record the extra driving miles that this adventure requires and at the end of the month we can tally it all up to see if it's absurdly expensive like I think it will be, or if there's a way to do it on a budget.



Wish me luck!

32 comments :

  1. Oh, interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out. I do like your definition of ethical--it's probably going to be actually possible to do, if barely. Of course, ideally everything is organic, local, and salvage--and within walking/biking distance. But ha!

    I'm very lucky--I have a Whole Foods and a food coop in easy driving distance which have lots of organic and local choices at prices that sound better than yours. And there's a Dollar Tree in walking distance, which could count as a mini-salvage store for some items (though we don't have regular salvage stores here). And my favorite regular grocery store is stocking more and more organic things (pricy, though) and they're about to open a new branch in walking distance.

    I used to be annoyed that you couldn't pay just 10% or 20% more to get less evil foods until I saw just how much is done to get that price down. Now I understand why so many things cost 2 - 5 times as much as less ethical versions. Still, old habits die hard and I've only been making the switchover very slowly, one item at a time, making exceptions for really good sales (yes, I can be bought).

    The cheapest way to do it (as with all food) is to do more of your own processing and to eat lower on the food chain.

    Yes, I happily wish you luck!

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    1. Well, I do have a Whole Foods within biking distance, but it's just SOOOOO expensive - plus it requires crossing the 5-lane thoroughfare where I got hit before. But I'll probably be giving it another shot - wearing a bright yellow safety vest and NOT at rush hour!

      I too understand why the cheaper foods are cheaper... it just really bothers me that junk food is basically subsidized by the government, yet we charge farmers ridiculous fees to go through the organic certification process. Grumble, grumble...

      Anyhow, adding in the salvage foods is probably gonna save the day in terms of price, and I'm already plotting out routes that will get me to the various places that carry these more wholesome foods. Hopefully if I plan well I can do it all in 2-3 trips which will make the driving part less hideous.

      I'll keep you posted!

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  2. Good luck! I hope this turns it to be something that is actually possible to do at reasonable cost :)
    The eggs seem a little pricey...although that could be because I am comparing them to the eggs you can buy as you drive through most of the villages on the way to work, which are roughly 3 dollars a dozen. I imagine people who keep a few hens in the garden don't have the same costs as people doing it commercially!

    Have you found any organic/'ethical' lamb or pork? Chicken and beef seem to be the most expensive meats..I think in the freezer at the moment I have some stewing beef from here: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hatfield-forest/eating-and-shopping/ which was not cheap but it was SO tasty, and a little went a long way, so cost per meal was relatively low. Also have some sausages- these were from my mum's 'Christmas pig' bonus (she works for a pig farmer) so not sure on price of those; also have a bit of beef mince, and lots of lamb mince from the fqrmer's market..I think it's £2/lb, which is about $3/lb. I usually make a shepherd's pie with the mince, which is four good meals!
    It probably helps that I don't mind not eating meat regularly!

    I'm about to try and get serious with the meal planning, so perhaps I will try and work out a rough cost per meal..

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    1. Hmmmm... exploring different kinds of meat is an interesting idea. I can't eat pork - not a religious thing, it's an allergic thing. Although the allergists are in disagreement on that one, but I don't think I'll be pushing it. And I've never actually seen lamb for sale here, although one of the CSA's that I used to belong to sold lamb and goat shares. But I've never seen it in the stores or at the markets - but certainly worth considering if I can find it.

      The one "alternative meat" that I probably can find here is buffalo. Actually the salvage grocery store has a fairly big selection of frozen meats, and I think they usually have buffalo - with the added advantage that it's usually local and grass fed. Not sure how the prices compare, but I may end up going salvage for meat. We'll see...

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  3. This is a great idea for a challenge. I look forward to your updates!

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    1. It should be interesting! I'm thinking that I'm probably really gonna confuse the folks who analyze the shopping trends on the "loyalty cards." They won't have any idea what coupons to send me this month!

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  4. Hopefully you'll find more local foods than you think. We have different people who raise chickens here and there that just have a sign outside their house for eggs. I have found a farm where you can get very lean ground beef of $5/lb (cheaper if you buy in bulk) that is totally all of the things you want it to be. They don't advertise or sell to stores. Also, the FFA club at the local high school sponsors a farmer's market during the summer. Good luck.

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    1. Wow... that sounds great! For many years it was illegal to raise chickens here in Denver. They outlawed it eons ago when Denver was trying to rid itself of it's "cowtown" image. But after years of trying, a group of folks finally got the ordinance changed a few years ago, so hopefully there are more people with chickens these days. I'll have to see what I can find.

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  5. Really cool twist on the challenge! I'm looking forward to this one. Life is a bit hectic right now (I got the job, yay!), but I'll probably try an "ethical" grocery challenge myself soon. We get "food allowance" from work -- a card with a fixed amount every month to be used in grocery stores. My goal will be to spend half of it and get cash back on the other half, which will cover some of my fixed expenses.

    I saw that Google Images has changed format -- I'm guessing your traffic is picking up again? :o)

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    1. Congratulations on the job! I've never heard of an employer providing a food allowance - sounds pretty cool actually. Best of luck cashing out part of it.

      That's very interesting about the Google image search - it hasn't changed here, but I've heard reports that in places with stricter copyright laws they never went to the new format for fear of being sued. Has it gone back to the old format or is it something completely new? I'm hoping its a harbinger of better things to come!

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    2. Thank you! As I tried to find a translation for this food allowance thing I realized it doesn't exist in the US. Many companies here provide it, along with transportation allowance, which is required by law. My brother gets more than a minimum wage for food alone in his company! My pay is more humble but I'm sure I can eat well with half of it :o)

      Brazil certainly doesn't fit in the strict copyright laws category! I'm a bit puzzled because now I went to check it and saw the gray frame thing; but at work images were showing like the old format, with the faded site in the background. Craziness! I hope they are in test process or something.

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    3. That's fascinating about the food and transportation allowances. Does it count as part of your salary for tax purposes?

      I've sorta given up trying to figure out what Google is doing with their image search. It's certainly confusing!

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    4. These benefits are not considered part of the salary and are not taxable, as they are received in form of tickets (paper tickets or cards); therefore I shouldn't be able to get cash back for it, but I already have a deal with my mother and will let her use my card with a discount (that's sort of a moral gray area, but not illegal -- selling the credits directly to a broker is). The employer may discount 6% of the transportation benefit and up to 20% of the food benefit value from the employee's salary, but that's still very worth it. People take these benefits for granted here, but the money saved on food alone will be a huge relief every month, and I'll suffer less when paying taxes :o)

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    5. Wow! That just sounds so... so civilized! Here we've got people ready to succeed from the union because the government is gonna start requiring employers to give their employees affordable health insurance! In fact, the Obama administration just caved in and postponed the new requirement until 2015. Sigh. I just wonder what it would be like to live someplace where corporations don't have a complete and total stranglehold on EVERYTHING!

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    6. I wonder that too... we're not free from lobbies. I'm sure you've seen the recent protests here in Brazil? People got fed up with corruption and exploration in a way that hasn't been seen in decades. Call me cynical, but I don't think we're getting anything out of it.

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    7. Hmmmm... actually haven't seen any news on the protests in Brazil. Everything here has been focused on Edward Snowden and the stuff going on in Egypt.

      You know, there are a lot of people in this country who fear government regulations of any kind. At this point whenever the government does ANYTHING there tends to be a large scale freakout and people start screaming about socialism and "government control."

      But it seems to me that these folks are failing to realize that there is another force at work here that is significantly more powerful than the government and over which we citizens have almost no control, and that's the corporations. And every time you stifle the government's power to create regulations you simply hand more power to the corporations.

      I guess I just think that too much power in ANYONE'S hands is a bad thing. And while our founding fathers did a pretty good job of balancing the power between the various branches of the government, they didn't do much to address the power of private corporations. I guess they just couldn't envision a time when business would have the type of power that it now enjoys.

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  6. I really like this idea for a challenge and will be interested to see how you go. This month I am trying to drive a lot less, and you've inspired me to bike to the shops to do my shopping (maybe every second week to just buy essentials).

    Our big supermarkets have very limited organic food available as well, although they are getting better. I wish they would just carry the dirty dozen instead of things like onions, where it doesn't matter if you buy organic or not. Organic chicken breasts are $30 a kilo ($15 a pound), but the drumsticks are reasonable at around $6 a kilo ($3 a pound). Organic eggs are $8 a dozen, but I think our cost of living here is just higher (and our wages), so maybe it evens out :)

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    1. Yikes! Those prices do sound rather scary! I sure hope the wages are higher there.

      Have fun biking to the shops. It can be a bit challenging to work out all of the details at first, but I find it really relaxing and fun. I'm curious to know what system you come up with for carrying things.

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  7. You might want to see if there are freegan list servs for your area. I've recently become aware of that concept. Dumpster diving may be repulsive, but there are likely stores that will tell you when and where they throw out their meat and produce. Those being the expensive things. Or, you could talk cat man into hunting. I never thought I'd advocate hunting, but like Bill Maher, my opinion on that has changed over time. If you are a good shot killing your own seems much less inhumane than tormenting them and making them live in horrid conditions before making them watch others killed in line in front of them before they are killed. At least they got to live some kind of life. I guess backyard chickens are out? :)

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    1. Ha! I'm chuckling at the idea of CatMan hunting. He hasn't touched meat in over 40 years - all for ethical reasons. Fortunately for him, he doesn't have any other dietary restrictions and it doesn't seem to negatively impact his health. So... um... no - he's not gonna take up hunting any time soon! :-)

      The freegan thing is something I've been interested in for several years. I'm just chicken to try it on my own. It looks like there is a Yahoo group for this area - but it doesn't look like it's very active. But hey, joining the group couldn't hurt!

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    2. Ha ha. Well, there's always the cats. They hunt. But in heard they won't go for anything over 6 ounces, and they are not efficient killers so it's pretty torturous. Let us know if you learn anything from the yahoo group!

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    3. Ha! You know... every time I feed them beef cat food, I try to imagine the four of them teaming up to take down a cow. It's a pretty funny mental image actually! :-)

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  8. I am all for shopping ethically. I know many folk can't afford it so I think those of us who can should, thereby encouraging ethical practices.
    My self challenges recently have been to make it myself as much as possible...though I know my husband gets uneasy when I say "I've just seen a great recipe for homemade soda" I think he visualizes the house on fire:)
    I visit the farm market in the summer as much as possible on my new bike, I might add, yes Cat you have inspired me to have a new goal of using my bike if I am travelling less than 2 miles. This is a really big goal for me as I'm coming up on 65 and haven't ridden a bike in over 15 years.
    The one thing no one speaks about is the fact that we all eat too much. I have been overweight most of my life and a couple of years ago I lost the 40 pounds and I've been struggling to keep it off. I really only need to eat about 1500 calories/day which really isn't that much food.....this makes it easier to stay in budget even shopping ethically.
    Marie

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    1. First of all, congratulations on losing 40 pounds! That's quite an accomplishment! And that's so great that you're starting to ride your bike for errands. It's great fun, isn't it? And I assure you, age doesn't have to be an obstacle in this department. CatMan is about your age and he rides well over 100 miles per week. And we often see folks on the bike path who are much older than he is!

      I totally agree that making food from scratch is the best way to have an impact. With my food allergies I don't have much choice in that matter.

      That's an interesting idea about eating less food. I think in general that holds true, although when you're riding over 100 miles per week your caloric needs definitely go up a bit! :-)

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  9. Cat,
    This will be an interesting challenge.

    I know I'm forever blathering on about Costco, but it is a good option for buying ethically raised meat more economically. It doesn't meet the "local" test, but I've been pleased to find organic chicken breasts for around $5.99/pound, grass fed beef (organic) for $4.25/pound, organic/free range (whatever its called) eggs for $3/dozen as well as many other options - wild caught fish of various types, for instance.

    I'm more middle of the road on these issues. For instance, I'm more concerned that my meat is natural with no added hormones. If you get the Kirkland brand chicken breasts that meet this test they're only $2.99/pound.

    Ethics are measured in many different ways. Not everything I want is available to me locally, and even if my local food coop can get it, it's still shipped in, just like it is to Costco. I like feeling that when I shop at Costco I'm supporting a business that pays a living wage (with health insurance) to its workers and also that it responds to its customer/members. (The free market at its best.)

    We're all on our own journeys with respect to food... probably all trying to do better for a variety of reasons -- ethics and health included. To be frank, I have neither the time nor the financial resources to "perfect" my food choices. I scratch my head sometimes about why food politics are paramount for so many people. There are other values in life.

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    1. It will indeed be interesting. So far the major challenge for me is the driving - I just HATE it! Plus, you can't plot out your purchases before you go because there aren't any weekly specials advertised for Whole Foods or the Farmer's market.

      But, I've figured out that if I play my cards right I can hit 2 natural grocers, Costco and the Farmer's market all in one trip - it will be more shopping than I like to do on one day, but hopefully the stars will align and I can do it without too much grumpiness!

      I think this will probably be my last month of challenges though, as I'm growing a tad bit weary of it all.

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  10. wow that's pretty amazing! My food budget is double that (I'll have my budget posted tomorrow)! I love that you're super conscious of where your food is coming from too.

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    1. Well... I'm sorta schizophrenic when it comes to the ethical/environmental food thing, which is part of my reason for taking on this challenge. We'll see how it goes...

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  11. These people are crazy, those prices at your market are outrageous. I thought $3 for a dozen eggs was bad here at our market. I guess I am pretty lucky to live where I live. When I do decide to have meat I eat bison, which here costs $6 a lb from the local buffalo farm. Your definition of salvage is interesting, but I can't argue that buying food that would otherwise be tossed out is ethical. I hope you are able to find better prices on organics.

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    1. Ha! $3/dozen is dirt cheap for farm fresh eggs! I just spent $6 for a dozen at a local market!

      Even though price is a major obstacle, I'm finding that availability is a bigger one. The selection at my neighborhood stores is just practically non-existent, and what's there is generally wilted and yucky looking, and it's really hard to make myself pay 4-5 times the price for something that's brown & wilted and looks like it's been sitting there for several weeks.

      I'm finding it really hard to make myself drive all over town in the service of "ethical" food too. So far I've been able to combine trips when I had to go to the vet's office or something anyhow, but that makes it much more difficult to play the price comparison game.

      It's an eye opening experience for sure!

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    2. Yes, I agree with livingsimplyfree. You seem to live in an area where good food is crazy expensive. I know you explained the economics of your neighborhood, but seriously, I live in one of the three most expensive locales in the country, and I have access to cheaper stuff than you do. I guess because we are so densely populated here, it's "rich" and there is lots of demand for this kind of stuff. I can get eggs from pastured chickens for about $4. And we've previously discussed that per lb price here for "Level 5" pastured chickens (whole) is $3.99. doesn't seem fair that you are stuck with these crazy food prices. And lack of availability. I guess its a trade off. If you live in a place where housing is expensive and jobs plentiful and people are comparatively wealthy and its very populated (Wash DC suburbs) you have demand for these types of products, and the demand increases availability and drives down price through competition. If you live where housing is cheaper, and the populace is not as economically or educationally well off, there is less demand for these products because the demand is for cheap calories, and that usually means processed foods. So demand is less, market is less, no competition means little availability at high prices. It would be cheaper for me to buy you a chicken and fed ex it to you than for you to buy it local. LOL.

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    3. Doesn't seem fair to me either! But even in the wealthier neighborhoods where there is, in theory, a demand for this stuff it's still crazy expensive. A dozen pasture raised local eggs at Whole Foods costs $9!

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