It seems like there have been several threads about saving money lately. People are probably thinking about winter coming (higher heating and electric costs and all of the lay-offs hitting the US lately) and thinking they should be saving some money. I have said on a few threads that I can make a whole meal for around a $1 and I'm sure many of you can too!! I could use some new ideas so lets see how many different ideas we can come up with, from the simple to the elaborate. I'll start: simple meal Tomato soup (29 cents) with a jar of home canned salsa added.(about 8 cents for the lid and the electric, ingredients were free) Peanut butter sandwiches (20 cents for bread, 20 cents for peanut butter) Home canned applesauce (8 cents for lid and electric) Iced tea (4 cents a gallon) TOTAL $.89 Elaborate: Deer roast with potatoes and carrots (free) homemade wheat bread (20 cents), home-canned peaches ( 8 cents), 3/4 cup milk each person (60 cents), jello (19 cents) TOTAL $1.07 I hope everyone has fun with this!!

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), August 24, 2001

Answers

Melissa, I have not figured it out as close as you have, but my cheapest meal is Chicken and noodles. The chicken is 'hind quarters' for about .29 a pound. Homemade noodles. How much so far? $.60 or .70? Home canned greenbeans and potatoes. Don't know how much that is but not much. If you raised the chicken, less than that.

-- Belle (gardenbelle@terraworld.net), August 24, 2001.

Great idea..off the top of my head, one of my family's favorite meals in winter especially is a mixed bean soup made from bef or pork stock saved from a previously cooked meal of our home raised beef/pork, a good sweet onion grown in my raised beds and cornbread made from scratch ( the corn meal bought in bulk). Iced tea, homemade fromscratch cookies or brownies. (Best part..other than cheap..cooking the beans slow on the back of the wood burning stove all day). Don't know the exact cost but very low.

-- sandi (msjazt@aol.com), August 24, 2001.

Great topic! here are our recent contributions to the family freezer for "cheap" meals from the farm, not necessarily "put-up" in the typical manner. 1) homemade pasties (pasty-singular) make a triple or quadruple batch of a good pie crust recipe, we use our home grown potatoes, carrots and onions along with ground beef grown by a neighbor and purchased at a very reasonable price (all of the above organically grown) dice the potatoes, carrots & onions, spice with S&P, garlic and not much else, roll out and make 7-8inch circles with the dough, fill with ground beef & veggie mix, bake at 375-400 for 45min - 1 hour, cool and wrap in wax paper and freezer bags. These freeze nicely and can be thawed and reheated at the same time in again a 375-400 oven for about a half hour to 45 mins. Cut one open to see if they're done or listen for the sizzling sound. We figured these cost about 25cents each done this way.

#2) homemade egg rolls, using our own cabbage, carrots, zuchinni, onions, radishes, etc. you can even add chicken or pork (whatever your preferences are, we do strictly veggie on these) and, we do buy store-bought egg roll wrappers. Stir fry your veggies with sesame oil and spices as you like, drain the juices (freeze this as veggie stock for soup) then roll the veggies into the egg roll wrappers (there are usually directions on the packages) for freezing, we fry partially and for eating fresh we fry until golden brown. We package these for the freezer in batches of 4-5. They reheat at about 375 for 20-25 mins. You can make your own sauces and we think these cost us about 15cents each.

I could give 10 other recipes for inexpensive meals, but will stop here for now and try to add more another time, like desserts!

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), August 24, 2001.

We enjoy scrambled egg sandwiches. And the kids really like Ramen soup noodles, we get them on sale 6 for a $1.00 . On sunday mornings we eat cold cereal for breadfast,(no time to cook and clean up a big breakfast before going to church).

-- Russell Hays (rhays@sstelco.com), August 24, 2001.

Melissa:

I hope this doesn't detract from your thread, but I question those free items you included. Unless a friend or neighbor gives them to you, growing your own vegetables has a price, e.g., rotor-tiller, seed, fertilizer, irrigation, property taxes and processing and storage cost. Even those apples can probably have some cost association with them for fertilization and spraying. Free venison - probably not. Someone had to purchase a license, prorate the cost of the rifle, transportation cost, hunting clothing and deer stand as a minimum. Even if someone takes a vacation day to hunt, there is probably still a cost association with it.

What is your time worth to produce those 'free vegetables'? If you didn't garden and worked somewhere the offsetting cost is at least minimum wage.

I once saw an analysis which said fish caught from a boat, when all possible costs were included, were something like 20 times more expensive than the supermarket cost.

Sometimes free items can be expensive, such as that free puppy someone gives you. It will cost about $600 a year when feed, housing, toys, vet bills, etc. are considered.

A friend told me they were swamped with tomatoes and I could come and get all I wanted for free. Free? No. At a minimum I would have the cost of transportation and wear and tear on my vehicle just to pick up those free tomatoes.

Expenses, such as the above, need to be factored into your meal costs.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 25, 2001.

Ken, "free" stuff here seems to mean something not directly purchased. Sure, there are hidden costs, such as time spent and initial investment. But some initial investments average out lower each year you use them. For instance, I might buy a box of canning jars new for $9.97/dozen. The first year I use them, they cost $0.83 each. 2nd year, $0.42 each for the 2nd use. By the end of 10 years, they are down to $0.08. That's for new jars. Buy the same jars at a yard sale, for, say, $1/dozen. By the end of 10 years, they are less than a penny each. When figuring the initial cost of anything, especially tools and other equipment, you need to factor in how long (years, in many cases) you will use it. That cost decreases the more the item is used.

As for time, I have seen some of these charts where people figure, based on minimum wage, how much "money" you have "spent" doing a certain thing. I value my time and try not to waste it. But if I do not actually have to spend real money working in my garden, I consider my produce to be "free" in the sense that term is used in this thread. (I personally do not use commercial fertilizer, pesticides, etc. The only real money I spend on my garden is for seeds and tools.) However, if I decide to SELL my produce, I would most certainly factor time into the prices I would charge.

Overall, rather than figure my hourly wage, I consider time vs. money. Early on, when I only had three children, I used cloth diapers almost exclusively. We had well water and a clothesline, so besides the initial cost of the diapers, I only spent real money on the electric for the washer. (And I used those diapers until there was nothing left of them. Instead of tossing them into the rag bag when they got holey, I folded them for diaper inserts.) As the years went by, and three more children came along, I felt I no longer wanted to spend the time on laundering diapers, so we began using disposables. One night, coming home from church, I told my husband we needed to stop for diapers. He immediately thought of the low figure in the bank account and asked if I REALLY needed them. I said we could go back to cloth, but that I would have to cut something else out of my schedule. I said, "Either we spend my time or your money; which is more valuable to you?" He decided that my time was more valuable and we went to the store. (He did mention the third option, potty-training!)

My point is, if it's for my family, my time is "free". If it's for the general public, there's a cost involved.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), August 25, 2001.

Well, I don't have cost breakdowns, but they seem like pretty cheap meals --

I bought a book last summer, which of course I can't find now! that was all about the Depression, and what people were eating, cooking, and scavenging in order to put food on the table.

I remember a recipe for something called 'So Good Casserole', which consisted of cooked macaroni, in a casserole dish with home canned tomatoes poured over top, some cooked shell beans added, and the whole thing baked. It didn't sound that tasty to me, and I asked my mother if it was 'So Good' simply because it was So Good to have Something To Eat. She said that that was most likely the case.

In any event, I thought it would be better if you got a big jar of chili powder at one of those cheap places like Big Lots or whatever (or grew them yourself) and added a tablespoon or so, and maybe throw in a couple of boullion cubes for flavour. I also got boxes of Barilla pasta macaroni shells at Big Lots recently for 49 cents a box, what is usually $2.49 off the grocery shelf. I really like Barilla, so I was really happy to find this -- it seems to last nearly forever if kept dry and sealed in glass bottles, so it was a great bargain. Cornbread has always been pretty cheap if you make it yourself instead of using bagged mixes, and would probably go pretty well with it.

On a gardening page, we were all rhapsodizing about the joys of simple, fresh tomato sandwiches on plain bread, and many people chimed in with variations, such as broiling it with mozerella cheese on top, and if it came from your own goats, and you made the bread yourself, that's fairly cheap. Don't even need bacon in it.

Potato soup is a favourite of mine -- and it's pretty cheap. Potatoes that I grew myself (and I saved the seed from last years crop, so that didn't cost me, and I fertilized with horse manure, also free), green onions out of my garden (leeks once they're ready), and cooked them in some chicken stock, with some garlic, parsley, (both out of the garden), and thickened with a little flour. Milk is optional, I like mine without.

I love my old copy of Euell Gibbon's 'Stalking The Wild Asparagas' for gathering roadside and ditch bounty.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), August 25, 2001.

Cathy N. The potty yraining option made me chuckle.

I remember 1982 just like it was yesterday.....................Ann was pregnant before Ricky was trained, and she had morning sickness, so yours truly had to change that disgusting "messy" one. I took one look at the little saint and said "you gotta learn to use the potty, boy.

-- rick K (rick_122@hotmail.com), August 25, 2001.

Hi. This is a topic of conversation around my home almost everyday. The cost of growing and preserving your own food vs. grocery store food. We raise turkey, lamb, chicken, duck, honey, veggies (we live in Maine so we can't raise the variety we did in Tenn.) We have a greenhouse for winter salads. But each of those items is not free in terms of no cost. If you factor in the cost of the items orginally, your time (you lose big time there), the materials you need to raise livestock and gardens, gas for the tractor, fuel for the stove to can, the canning supplies themselves (even if you get them from yardsales) I'm not so sure you do better growing your own. You do get fresher food, and you know what has been done to it. One of these years I may try to figure the exact cost...did it with chickens one year and boy was I depressed.

Mary

-- Mary R. (cntryfolk@ime.net), August 25, 2001.

Cathy I agree with you 100%. Ken to address some of the issues you raised: GARDENING Most of my seeds were a gift from my mother-in-law when she quit gardening. She had a bag full and I am still using many of them and saving seeds every year. Our local Dollar Store sells seeds 10 for $1 so when I need some this is where I buy them. If I plant a 10 cent pack of tomatoes I usually get 24 plants. I know I can get at least 10 bushels of tomatoes from these plants. The cheapest I ever see tomatoes in the store is 4 for $1. So I figure that once I eat my first tomato, the rest are free. I mulch heavily when I plant so I spend only about 1 hour on these tomatoes the entire year. I don't fertilize, I never water, I don't use a rototiller. I give away all excess produce and people often give me beef, hams, turkeys, fish in return. My husband's gun was a gift when he was a teenager (about 25 years ago!) His hunting clothes were given to him by a cousin just out of the army, he built his tree stand from scrap lumber, his shells were purchased years ago for $1 a box (5 shells) and he rarely uses more than 2-3 shells to shoot a deer. He doesn't need a license because he hunts on our own property. He is already laid off from his construction job so he isn't missing work.Our fishing poles were given to us, and worms are free. Don't use a boat! Aboat would probably qualify more under recreation, than food. I feel my time is valuable and I enjoy spending it with my 4 children, teaching them . They work with us side by side, learning many valuable skills. A relative recently told us that we were"LUCKY" to have such good kids, I told him LUCK had nothing to do with it!! There is no job that would coax me to leave them, I would much rather spend my time canning, and cooking from scratch than spending 10 hours a day going to a job. So I don't really count my time when figuring the costs of a meal. Many women are home all day and do very little, so at least I feel I am using my time the way I choose. Actual MONEY spent is what I was referring to in this thread. I don't have to go out and get a job to can tomatoes!! I just plant the seeds I already have, on property I already own, using time that I could spend watching TV, and have a lot of food that costs me very little eg. electric and canning lids. Most of my jars were also free or purchased for $1 a box (maybe 20-24 per box). I know my method works, because we are doing it every day on a low income for 6 people. I know there are probably many people who agree with me, and many who agree with Ken, so I am just trying to show my reasoning. the tightwad Gazette had a good article along these lines. She also said she would rather stay home and garden than go through the hassles of dressing up, driving to work, finding childcare, etc... I know you are a bachelor Ken so you have probably not looked at this from a mother's point of view. I imagine most of the mother's here probably understand my point

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), August 25, 2001.

I forgot to mention that we don't spray our fruit trees. Thanks to everyone for the great ideas. I also make the egg rolls but I never thought of making them ahead and freezing them.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), August 25, 2001.

I have to agree with Melissa. There are expensive methods of gardening and frugal ways of gardening. Our fertilizer is homemade compost made with trimmings, leaves from our trees and grass clippings. It is the only fertilizer we use. The only areas that get tilled are the plots for corn and the rows for our potatoes. Most seeds are saved from year to year. I really don't count my time gardening. I can't recall a time that I never didn't garden, my earliest memories include gardening. I don't bother spraying fruit trees anymore, as it didn't seem to make a difference.

Meals for around $1--Potato soup, sweet corn soup, mixed vegetable chowder, vegetarian chili, split pea soup (2 cup split peas, carrot, and onion from the garden, a handful of ham cubes if you have it), leftover baked bean soup plus lots of other soups. Serve with a garden fresh salad. (Get those cold frames ready for winter). There are lots of things you can do with one can of tuna, or 1/2 pound of meat and garden vegetables. Or how about a big fruit cobbler with milk. Dont't forget about eggs, scrambled, omelets, oven bread omelets, also served with a garden fresh salad.

Julie--Was the book you are referring to "Stories and Recipies of the Great Depression"? There are three volumes that I know of. Great ideas for meals and interesting stories of how people got through the depression with very little but their own creativity and determination.

-- vicki in NW OH (thga76@aol.com), August 25, 2001.

I have to put in my 2 cents worth. I raise my tomato and pepper plants from seed. They are in the heated greenhouse for 2 months. It cost more to heat the greenhouse than it does the house. I could buy tomato plants at a nursery a WHOLE lot cheaper than it cost me to raise them from seed. But this is what we do. This is our entertainment AND our food. I bet I have veriaties that you never heard of. I know I never heard of them. That is the fun part. Same goes for equipment. We went on vacation to Vermont. Instead of buying a t-shirt or coffee cup that said Vermont, I bought a hoe. My Dad said one time that there was no way that he could justify the cost of a tiller. A few years later Grandpa died and Daddy got his tiller. Well, 10 years ago Daddy died and WE got the tiller. So how much per quart of greenbeans does a tiller cost?

-- Belle (gardenbelle@terraworld.net), August 25, 2001.

DUCK AND COVER KEN!! You done got the wimmen riled up now! Y'know, if CS wanted to generate a volume of mail to fill out an issue, this sure would be a good question to throw out to the readers. Hee-hee!

What was the cost of my pizza last week?

Well, let's see...My last canning jars I got at auction - 6, 1/2 gallon jars, 9 dozen quarts and 3 dozen pints - for a dollar. Well, okay; a guy didn't want the jars out of a box he bought, he just wanted a couple of old bottles off the top, so he GAVE me what was left in the box, but I still gave a dollar for the other three boxes. The auction was two miles from home and gas prices are outrageous right now, so that probaly did cost me a few cents - no wait; I borrowed Hubby's truck, so I'm in the clear on that one! The lids do cost me about 8 cents apiece and I'll freely admit that I've got no idea what the propane cost me to can stuff. I'll give you a dime on that one.

I did pay for the seed for the tomato plants. Probably $10 for 6 or 7 packages and I've got enough to plant next year too. I gave Unc a bunch of plants for his garden, but then again, I've been sneaking down and "borrowing" some peppers from him (walked - no charge) and I gave neighbor Mike a bunch 'cause he loaned me some livestock panels which would have cost me $12 new plus the cost of going to get them, so I got to say I'm in the clear on the 'maters. Now, I did use some sugar and olive oil and a couple of garlic cloves; and probably 2 cents worth of electricity to run my crock pot so I guess I'll allow another dime for that; but it did make enough for 4 pizzas - note, I only buy those staples when they are loss leaders....and I have to go right by the store on my way home from work, so I don't think we need to count any gas just for wheeling in the parking lot, do we?

Okay, the pizza dough was homemade; the flour was a loss leader at 69 cents for 5#, so I'll allow another dime for flour. Water was free, a smidge of sugar and olive oil again; the yeast was free - an outdated jar (proofs fine) from a co-worker with a bread machine, but I did have to bake it....hmmm, I'm feeling pretty generous now, I'll give you a nickle.

On top of the sauce went some peppers and onions, also from Unc's garden; and some thin sliced deer sausage that was a thank-you from a fella we let hunt last fall. Now, I COULD Figure out how much acreage his tree stand took up and how many hours he used it and somehow divide it up with my property taxes; but then I'd probably have to figure out how much of my sweet corn that deer didn't eat this year and I'm already starting to get a headache trying to keep all these numbers straight; so let's just call it even, okay?

Allright, here comes my big expense - 99 cents for 8 ounces of store bought mozzarella - dang, that hurt!! Huh, a dollar thirty-five cents for a pizza that fed 4 people with a piece left over for me to take to work.

Now, here's where the savings comes in. I didn't order a pizza from the pizza joint for $15. I didn't drive into town (54 miles round- trip) to pick it up - $3 gas. I didn't go see a movie afterward for $12 (tickets only) 'cause I got my entertainment quota for the week at the auction. I didn't need to pay $30 a month ($1 a day) for a health club membership and drive that 54 miles daily to work out (there's that $3 gas again), 'cause it's probably a 1/2 mile to sneak down to Unc's garden, and I didn't have to hit the vending machines at work for a $2 slice of plastic pizza. Okay $36 I didn't spent minus $1.35 for the pizza - Heck, I done gained $34.65!!!

(Give up yet? Big grin!) Send this one to Anne-Marie, she might like it for a humor story.

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), August 25, 2001.

Polly:

Think big. If you had gone to Italy for that pizza, you could have been a couple of thousand dollars ahead.

My point remains, very few free things are actually 100% free. Walking to another garden put wear and tear on at least a pair of shoes, unless she does it barefoot. The venison had probably been in a freezer. Should some portion of the energy cost for the freezer for a year be prorated to it?

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 25, 2001.

Well, darn, Ken - you're still trying. Okay, I wear cheap canvas sneakers from K-Mart (on the way home from work) that were $2 a pair on sale, and I've been wearing the same pair to garden in all spring and summer now - I'd hate to think how many miles I got on them. But I'll let you knock off the whole two bucks against that pair of $60 cross trainers that I didn't need for the health club that I didn't go to.

Ya got me on the freezer though: Let's see - a used freezer that cost $50 17 years ago...we gonna get down into partial cents now? And it's a 23 cubic foot one, so keeping that sausage (3" dia X 12" L) in there since January....

I reckon to be fair, I could figure in my time - even at my hourly rate ($16/hr) on my job. 'Course, then I've got to balance it against the psychotherapy($115/hr) and psychotropic drugs ($800/mo) I don't need 'cause pulling weeds gets rid of my tension...

Dang, I may just have to go to Italy for that pizza after all, just to make this pay out!

I think what a lot of the folks were saying is that they feel that since raising veggies and hunting are hobbies that they enjoy; and that they, therefore; aren't out spending money on golf or something equally non-productive, they shouldn't have to take those costs into consideration when considering how much there grub cost them. Sounds fair to me!

Been fun sparring with you!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), August 25, 2001.

Bear in mind I have an MBA and my career was in financial management with some pretty big bucks involved. Probably just gives me a different slant on things.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 25, 2001.

Well, that's it then - you just know too much! Naw, just yanking your chain. I guess when you're dealing with the big bucks, you need to consider those cost associations; but anyone who's managing to feed their family for about a buck a meal gets my attention a lot faster than some guy in a power tie talking about cost analysis and factoring in this and that. Besides, it's a heck of a lot more fun to think about!

Thanks for the mental exercise!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), August 25, 2001.

Polly you are too funny! I was laughing so hard my kids think I'm crazy. I do understand Ken's point though, but the wear and tear on your feet is maybe taking things a little far?!? Of course there are hidden costs like freezers and electric for canning etc.. but if I completely dis-connected my electric and took the $80 a month just to go out to eat with the 6 members of my family I doubt I could get 6 meals out of the $80. So in this case I think the electric is a bargain. If I add the whole electric bill to what I pay for groceries, I am still way below the average for food a month for 6 people. This doesn't take into consideration that the electric also covers hot water, lights, TV's, computer, radios, etc... I think that gardening in a frugal way, cooking from scratch, and keeping your eye out for bargains and free food whenever possible, has to save money in the long run. Supper tonight: Scalloped potatoes ( free potatoes, small piece of ham- gift from a friend,milk 10 cents, flour 5 cents, cheese 25 cents) salad(free) sliced peaches (free) iced tea( 4 cents a gallon) wheat bread (1/2 of loaf 10 cents). Very good!! total cost: 54 cents, with leftover potatoes for breakfast.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), August 25, 2001.

Well, 23 years ago I was a welfare mom and had to feed me, my 5 yr old and my nursling on $1.10 daily and we did it! We used powdered milk for all cooking and 1/2 powdered 1/2 whole for drinking, made all flour products from scratch with Cornell Triple Enriched Formula (from Joy of Cooking- to each cup for flour, add 1T wheat germ, 1 T dried milk solids, and 1 T soy flour, then fill up rest of the way with unbleached enriched white flour) ate a lot of eggs, and beans & rice, and cheese. Fortunately I LOVE split pea soup! We also had "free soup" once every few weeks-which was made from all the leftovers the kids left behind on their plates, frozen and then revived with a little bit of ground beef. And we ate chicken till I clucked. But every Saturday we had fresh homebaked bread and homemade pizza, and every Sunday I made my noodles for the week (by hand). AND washed clothes/diapers by hand AND went to school for my job training. It can be done! (I'm getting ready to plant my garden again here in zone 11-my most productive tomato was one from Publix that had rotted in the refrig and I threw it out in the garden to make compost. I bet I put up 14-15 gallons of tomato sauce just from thet one volunteer plant!)

-- Mitzi Giles (Egiles2@prodigy.net), August 25, 2001.

This thread is getting a little nit-picky. Good thing I'm sitting hear alone. My family would think I'm nuts sitting here giggling at the computer. :) You guys are too funny.

But seriously looking at things, I see the only way to cut down on our food cost is to get a garden going. Should be getting a bunch of free dirt monday so I won't have to keep messing with all this stupid clay. Maybe a fall garden is in my future. :)

BTW I also love Aldis. Haven't been to Big Lots yet. Didn't really know what it was and since I hate shopping, had no intention of looking. But you all have me intrigued.

-- Kathleen (krob777@msn.com), August 25, 2001.

Cheapest meals? I go over to my mom's and she feeds us...(my poor mom....)

-- sheepish (the_original_sheepish@hotmail.com), August 25, 2001.

all in how you figure things a friend who market gardens has a different idea he always charges himself full price for everything he uses said that was where the profit was . now i make pizza at home and fix a large one for the family . well if i use the tomatoes fresh i save the canning cost 10 cents for lids ,but they can be reused if you are realy tight (not usualy recomended ) home made cheese well there i figure the whey back out as nutrition for the chickens,and the milk cost is reduced since the grain is reused as feed by the ducks . and milking the cow ,well helping is the kids top entertainment so charge 5$ each for thier fun and 5$ more each for the fun of mixing the dough then pay yourself the cost of a pizza bought well lets see 3 of 5 kids participating so 15 for milking entertainment 15 for baking fun and 25 for the pizza gives me $45 with a 10cent lid and 15 cents of flour and 15 cents heat to cook it well mabey everything is not cash but a lot of acounting is kept the same way when you allot overhead and depriciation values .i have to allot my time for somthingso i get creative on the value of what i do .i live like a gourmay if i want o live cheep id eat corn meal mush 3 timese a day (polenta) check the store prices for polenta (the up scale stores) not that cheep is it? lol all how you look at it ,driving after freebies can be charged to them or to entertanment visiting the friend who has the freebe.... oh and if ken looked at all related cost his free sugar corn stalks would be very expensive feed unless like many old timers always said well i guess i made a profit on my cows/chickens... if i count the value of the manure.

-- george darby (windwillow@fuse.net), August 25, 2001.

George:

I don't think I have ever said the sweet corn stalks were free, just low cost. Since I don't have an alternative use for my time most of the time, it really cannot be applied against them. However, there is still gasoline, what wanted ads I run and wear and tear on the truck. Probably comes out to a couple of dollars per ton. Cheap, not certainly not free.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 25, 2001.

Ken, I sure hope you're wearing a grin while you sit at the computer reading this! All in fun, big guy. Missed your wit while I've been off the forum; but enjoyed the stories in the mag.

>^..^<

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), August 26, 2001.

Kathleen -- you never know what you're going to find at Big Lots. The stuff that they get in is a very odd mix, and once they have sold it out, you may never find that same item there again. Apparently they buy things that are overstocks, or poor movers or however it is determined, and so they can sell it for cheap prices. This time they had the Barilla that I liked, and big big jars of chopped garlic in oil ready for cooking for 99 cents. No telling what they'll have next time.

Vicki -- that might have been the title. I've mislaid the books (and I do believe that there were three different ones -- stiff cardboard covers, spiral ring bound). Lots of rememberances about the Depression and how to have anything at all to eat. I got it for my mom (maybe that's where they are --) because I knew she'd enjoy reading them. I did too.

A story in there might add more fuel to Polly & Ken's 'discussion' -- one man was recounting how his father would offer any child in the family a dime if they would go without dinner that night. A dime was a considerable amount of money. So he decided that he could endure one night going hungry and pocketed his money.

The only hitch was that when he came downstairs the next morning for breakfast, his father was there to inform him that breakfast would cost him a dime --

How's that for a cheap meal?

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), August 26, 2001.

Cheap meal , that's easy .Ken is single get him to take you out to dinner !

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), August 26, 2001.

What is your time worth to produce those 'free vegetables'? If you didn't garden and worked somewhere the offsetting cost is at least minimum wage. .............................

Yep all this work and your billed at minimum wage! Now Ken has her barefoot to! The iceing on the cake is to find out Ken is single, geeze wonder why!! Got to love you Ken. :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 27, 2001.

Hmmm, never noticed nobody figgerin in taxes in all them figgers. Remember - a dollar saved is a dollar twenty-five earned.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), August 27, 2001.

I get ideas from the simple food that poor folks ate during the depression (and what we eat now ha). Also look at other ethnic groups and you will see alot of combination foods that together make a protein--that way less meat is used: corn and beans, rice and beans, tofu and rice, etc...

It costs pennies to use beans if you buy them dried (especially in bulk) If your family won't eat them--grind up the cooked beans and slip into any dish that has hamburger in it.Thats what I did for a few years when things were slim.

Here's some foods that are very inexpensive--esp if you make them yourself: potatoes (mashed, fried, soup). Cornbread (good with beans makes a protein with cheese and beans) Rice (added to meat to make casseroles, stuffed in squash, zuchini).

Hey if you live in my community--someone will be willing to GIVE you squash for free--there is so much of it.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), August 27, 2001.

Okay, I'll jump in here again, since I was the first one to take Ken on in this thread. (See my post on the "Paul Harvey" thread for my humble opinion of Ken:o).) First, I apologize for the mistake I made: I DO fertilize my garden after all. My problem is, how to break it down in terms of cost. I buy rabbit and chicken feed; they give me meat, fur, eggs, and FERTILIZER. Let's start with the chickens: I pay $9.97 (Canadian) for 50# feed that lasts 31 chickens for two weeks. Oh, wait...put away the calculator; I have no idea how many pounds (!?) of fertilizer each bird gives. Besides, I suppliment with garden produce from the very garden they fertilize!

One more thing...There's not much wear and tear on shoes here. Most of the time, I DO go barefoot. The shoes I wear when spading the garden are ones that would otherwise have been thrown away, they're that worn out already.

Glad to see that everyone has a sense of humor around here.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), August 27, 2001.

We had French Toast for breakfast--didn't figure the cost but it's cheap food and my family eats it as if it were fare for a king! I like homemade runny plum jam on it; they eat it with powdered sugar. Made with goat milk and eggs from free-range chickens hatched ourselves (the chickens not the eggs!) it's a very cheap meal. Unfortunately our chickens aren't laying yet and the goat milk is being fed to a goat kid but still...

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), August 27, 2001.

I thought it was a simple question!

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), August 28, 2001.