Posted in Frugality-Simplicity

Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Simply Frugal

Many of us are struggling with the rise in grocery prices. The crunch is on! Shopping at a farmer’s market can really help curb the costs. But what if you don’t have one locally? Check out roadside vendors. These are usually farmer’s who are looking to unload their wonderful produce for less than you would get at the grocery. It has been my experience that they are usually friendly and chatty people. Take an interest in their lifestyle and they will give you all the information you want about their farming practices. In addition, they will unload their produce VERY cheaply at the end of the day.

What if there is a farmer’s market within an hour or two’s drive. First you will need to find out if the produce is grown locally. If it is shipped in from any distance you will find that the prices will be lower than the grocery, but higher than what you can find that is locally grown. When you make your call or visit websites, determine what produce you may be able to find. Remember, eating locally is one of the least expensive and healthful ways you can feed your family, but that also means you won’t be able to pick whatever you are hankering food. Eating locally, means eating in season.

The next thing you need to determine is how much you will save comparatively with where you normally purchase your produce. When the savings is abundant, purchase as much as you can afford from the farmer’s market. The simple fact is that even if you do not have the means to can food, you can easily put food by with freezing and drying methods that will keep you in produce through the winter. Be forewarned that you will need to plan at least two days for putting food buy after a large farmer’s market purchase, so as not to have spoilage. Check your local library for resources on food storage. Shop at the end of the day, when you will get AWESOME bargains on the same produce you would have paid more for in the morning.

Now figure the cost of gas to drive to the market and back. Are there any other stops you could make along the way or activities you would want to partake in, that you would not normally spend the gas on if you weren’t in the area? Subtract your savings on groceries figure from the gas expenditure figure and this will be your base savings. Now, try to estimate how much the food you will put by would cost if you were to purchase in the off season. Add that figure to your base savings. Use this amount to determine if this simple & frugal day trip is worth your time. I bet you will find that it is!

These are my thoughts.