As anyone who has stepped foot into a Health Food Store knows all to well anything that is touted as healthy, natural or the humdinger of them all organic is going to be significantly more of a drain to the budget than the bargain fare that can be found in the sale papers of the local grocery store.  Unless one is very desperate to try anything and pay an arm and a leg with all fingers and toes attached for last straw health improvement purposes, or else is very well educated about nutrition it’s enough to deter even a semi frugality conscious individual from wanting to have anything to do with this whole natural food movement. (See? I promised marathon sentences with poor grammar. More to come.)

MyMan and I are diligently working to dig ourselves out of a rather hefty pile of debt that we in our naive excitement over earning more money than we ever thought we would managed to accumulate. “But it’s an investment!” (Ever heard that before??) It isn’t as bad as some but we are definitely of a mindset now that we want no personal debt at all except perhaps some purely investment based debt. So, yeah, digging out of debt hole = living on a budget. A totally sufficient but not a whole lot of wiggle room or extravagant purchases budget. This is the one crimp in my high flying fancies of living the all natural organic foodie life daydreams are made of.  After talking and talking and talking some more (our favorite way of spending couple time) we finally decided that we would set our food budget higher than shoestring and lower than all organic. We have both known families to go hardcore “Dave Ramsey” on life as we’ve come to call it, living on dried potato flakes and ramen noodles for years at the expense of their families health. We desire to eat as healthily as possible while not going overboard on food extravagances at the expense of the War on Debt.

So, here are my foodie- budget-keeping tips-tricks-ideas-and otherwise obvious statements.

Electricity where we live in central TN is pretty dadgum cheap. Not that this is an excuse to leave the lights burning 24/7 but it does mean that energy efficient chest freezers do not incure an unreasonable monthly expense.  When purchased at a couple of years old off of craigslist or a local dented appliances warehouse one can obtain chest freezers without too much cost. There is of course the space issue…Right now I have oodles of space so that is not a deterrent. For those with tight quarters there are some relatively small chest freezers that can be found. If it is possible at all to chisel some space for one they are totally worth every lost inch. With shelves put above them it isn’t a total loss of space, just the floor part!  Freezer space allows me to bargain shop and bulk buy without worrying about having to eat 80lbs of apples before they go bad. Another thing that is invaluable if you are into culturing food like I am is an extra fridge. Or cellar if you are lucky. Anything that stays consistently cool year-round. My goal is to replace canning as much as I can with culturing and for me this entails a second fridge. Again, if you can spare the space and afford the extra bit of cost energy efficient models will probably pay for itself before too long.

My favorite thing to do is buy in bulk.  We live a hefty drive from The Big City where most of the healthy bargains live so for me it is a more frugal move to stockpile what I can vs. frequently buy small quantities. Our gas budget and the environment should thank me.  Requires advance planning but enough trial and error and even I eventually figured out how to do it. If there is insufficient storage space start looking for a network of local individuals that can go into large orders with you and split it. Buying clubs can also be a great way to get fantastic organic/all natural dry goods savings. Right now I have four people I split my organic oil orders with. Grassfed Beef orders are also divided. Same goes for bulk organic fruit orders.

God failed to give me the math in the head ability that most penny pinching bargain shoppers are blessed with. Have a friend that can keep a running tally of price per ounce or lb. standard pricing from 5 different stores along with the accompanying sale price. My blood pressure goes up just thinking about that and a surreal out of body experience begins to happen. So, I’ve created some basic buying rules for myself. I set a “maximum” and “fantastically incredible” price per lb/ounce of specific items. Some examples:

Grassfed/pastured/organic/all natural meat: $3.00 lb maximum $0.80 per lb. fantastically incredible

All natural/organic fruits and veggies: $2.00 lb. maximum $0.25 lb. fantastically incredible

Wild caught fish (from safe sources, very hard to find): $5.00 lb. maximum $2.000 fantastically incredible.

All natural/organic Beans and Grains: $1.50 lb. maximum $0.35 lb fantastically incredible

So on and so forth. Shopping farmer’s markets in season is an excellent way to stay on the low end of my set price ranges. This spring for the first time I am purchasing a share in a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm. It’s been a long time goal of mine to support local agriculture and I finally figured out how to finagle it into my budget.

For those that are able a garden is a marvelous foodie saving way to spend time. Plus it gets indoor pasties like me outdoors! My black thumb perpetually gets in the way of the lovely garden that lives in my imagination but I pursue it as a worthwhile activity anyway.

Planning meals around whatever I have bought up at my cheapo prices allows me to usually fly under my set budget. The occasional once a week splurge on foods that are on my “high” range of price allowance is the current game plan that seems to be working out pretty well.  Nothing makes me want to beat my chest and holler “I AM DA WOMAN!!!” more than handing over an extra chunk of money back to MyMan for extra to fuel the Debt War momentum because I was able to keep us under the food budget for a few months.

Last but certainly not least is the ages old principle that cooking from scratch is always and forever cheaper than buying pre-mixed, pre packaged, pre-pretty-much-anything. You pay for it in time but depending on where you are in life it can be totally worth the savings.

Time for me to run off and do some essential oil experimentation for the cold caused stuffy Doodlebugs. Will break out the frozen chicken broth from the freezer and stuff her with chicken noodle soup tomorrow.  Recipe’s forthcoming.

Sinong nag-aakala na mamimiss ko ang sari-sari store? Kadalasan ang mga sari-sari store ay nasa harapan lamang ng bahay. Yung isang bintana nila ay nakabukas sa may kalsada para kita ng publiko, kaya kahit sinong miyembro ng pamilya ay pwedeng tumao sa tindahan. Walang ganun sa states! Lahat dito binibili sa supermarket lamang. Kaya wala silang commercial na – “mabibili sa inyong suking tindahan o sari-sari store”.

Ang sari-sari store ay talaga naman sari-sari! Lahat na ata ng uri ng pwedeng itinda ay mayroon doon, at ang importante sa lahat – pwedeng bumili ng tingi lang. Yan ang patok sa mga pinoy! Merong pagkain – mga tigpipisong tsitsirya, kendi, de lata, maski ilang piraso ng bawang, sibuyas o paminta. May mga gamit pang eskwela – cocong ban (coupon bond), art paper, pambura, pandikit at bolpen. At ang lahat ng ito ay pwedeng bilin ng pira-piraso lang! Tulad ng art paper, pwedeng kulay pula lang ang bilin. Kung kailangan ng panggisa, bumili ng ilang piraso ng bawang (na nasa maliit na supot) at sibuyas. At syempre kasama na sa buhay sari-sari store ang mga tambay. Kahit anong oras ata ay may makikita kang nakatambay sa harap ng tindahan. Minsan umiinom ng sopdrink, o kaya beer, o di kaya nagyoyosi… kahit ano man ang ginagawa nila ay basta nasa harap sila ng tindahan. Minsan pa nga pag talagang kilala ka na ng tindera ay pwede pang umutang! Palista muna ang tawag dito at ang bayad ay sa sweldo na. Daig pa ng sari-sari store ang mga convenience store!

Walang sari-sari store dito sa Amerika. Tulad ng nasabi ko na dati – uso ang walang pakialamanan dito. Hindi nga masyado magkakakilala ang magkakapit-bahay! Kaya nga minsan ay nasasabi ko sa asawa ko na magtatayo ako ng sari-sari store sa tapat ng bahay para magkakilanlan na! Pwede silang tumambay dito! Pero sa tingin ko ay hindi ito papatok dito, mahilig kasi ang mga kano na bumili ng bulto-bulto. Kung sa Pinas ay bibili ka ng mga 2 bote ng sopdrink para sa bahay, dito ay isang case na! Ang bote ng shampoo nila ay pwedeng tumagal ng ilang buwan at pwede ka nang lumangoy sa laki ng lalagyan ng lotion! Siguro ay sinasakto lang ang sukat ng mga produkto sa sukat ng mga tao – dahil nga malalaki ang tao dito kaya malalaki rin ang mga bagay-bagay. Kaya nga parating nag-uumapaw ang mga bilihin pag nag-grocery kami, pero tumatagal naman ito at hindi namin kinakailangan mamili agad. Sa totoo lang, mag-iisang taon na ko dito pero dalawang beses palang ako bumili ng shampoo… yung facial toner ko, minsan pa lang… kaya naman pakiramdam ko ay sulit din naman.

Sa tingin ko lang, ang tunay na convenience store ay ang mga sari-sari store. Mas mura ang mga bilihin dito at madami kang mabibili… at ang importante pa may mga nabubuong samahan dito.

So…. I’ve been a bad, bad blogger! Santa surely kept that in mind this year! (lumps of coal found in my stocking…?)

We have been solar powered for twenty years. We have joined together with several other solar powered folks so that we can buy our new panels cheaper by the pallet.

We decided to see if anyone else would be interested in getting in on the savings with us, we asked around and found that there were a lot of people interested.

The club is simple, and free to join. By purchasing the panels in bulk, we all share in the savings.

If you have any questions, please ask away. We don’t know everything but we installed our own systems, and have maintained them for over twenty years.

If we don’t know the answer, we’ll point you in a direction where you will find it.

We do not generally install systems, but we have a great relationship with two area companies that can help you out.

If you’re looking for something specific, give us a call and we will try to locate it for you at a reasonable rate.

All panels are shipped to the farm outside of Lyndhurst, when they come in we’ll invite everyone over for a photo opportunity, and something warm to drink!

New panels are sold by the pallet. Used panels are sold by availability. Prices do not include tax or the $25 Shipping charge

DECEMBER SPECIALS

190 Watt Canadian Solar $825 NEW ($4.34/watt) – twenty panels available

80 Watt   Solartech Panels $299 New ($3.73/watt) – eight panels available

175 Watt panels 3 yrs old  $725  ($4.14/watt) – many available USED

100 watt Siemens (5 yr old)  $450 ($4.50/watt) USED

75 watt Siemens (7 yr old) $300   ($4.00/watt) ) USED

Scientists have found that Americans spend .0003 of their lives inside Costco stores. I dread the Costco trip: present my card, the industrial lighting, lack of windows. Why do I go back? The allure of Costco is how it plays on human impulses.

Cheap Snacks

Inside the door, a food court: a siren song for shoppers, especially those with kids. Hot dogs and pizza, ice cream too. My personal fave is the latte freeze, at around $1.50. Once I ate a hot dog and it didn’t go down right. I also tried the soft-serve ice cream, and it was enough for five people.

Bigger Is Better

Whether it’s the two-gallon vat of potato salad, 25-pack of light bulbs, or jumbo box of condoms, Costco sells volume. And the customers love it, rolling out palettes of chips and candy and diapers with the kids grinning on top of the pile. Why buy one can of juice, if you can buy 24? I’m still working on a five-pack of toothpaste that I bought years ago.

What a Deal

Costco confuses customers by presenting them with an insane variety of choices, alongside colossal packages. The customer gets the impression that they had better get this before it goes away. Another strategy is to package expensive items like stereo equipment in plastic as if it were a bulk purchase. This tricks the customer into believing that the items are less expensive, and they can buy more. I have found that Costco prices are not always the best.

Smash-n-Grab

Another Costco strategy is a looting mentality. A suspension of common sense, that moment when husband looks at wife and says, “Should we get this?” The unspoken message is, “We don’t need it.” The conspiratorial answer is never “no.” With a shared smile, hubby dumps the oversized box of fruit leather into the huge cart.

Holiday, Celebrate

Despite the fluorescent lighting and drab warehouse setting, Costco does all it can to make customers feel they’re at an amusement park. Exhibit A is free samples, you can cruise around grabbing bites of food. The folks who do the free samples are my favorite. There is variety among the sample-givers, and they have a sense of humor: they have to.

Unlike other stores, Costco does not play music: they rely on their customers to be the entertainment. Bumper carts is a popular game. People leave their carts in strategic locations, inside the entrance to an aisle, or in the center of a crowded aisle. Avoiding other customers’ carts and children is a major effort inside Costco. Proof that the amusement park strategy works: kids love Costco. My sport is how fast I can get what I need and scram.

The giant portion sizes, free samples, bulk packaging, and circus atmosphere conspire for the consumer to think, “It’s okay to over-indulge here, Costco understands my need.”

Costco is blithe on waste and over-packaging. Everything is shrink-wrapped in yards and yards of plastic film. They reuse cardboard boxes, for which I thank them. For a retailer their size though, they need to carry more eco-friendly products, like Seventh Generation.

Costco is a parade of consumption. An American institution of questionable merit, I will continue to shop there as little as possible.

The content herein is Copyright to the author, All Rights Reserved.

Living in the southern gulf of the United States hurricanes are a fact of life. We do not get it as often as Florida does but we get our share of hurricanes ever so often. In the past few years we have gotten three major hurricanes that have affected our way of life.

Katrina: which was obviously huge to Louisiana, Houston ended up with many of the refugees of the area and saw the toll that it took on the people of the south personally. It was devastating and scary.

Rita: My in laws saw this one personally, the hurricane demolished a great deal of the Golden Triangle area between Texas and Louisiana. They were without electricity for weeks and the towns are still recovering.

Ike: We don’t like Ike. I don’t care what anyone says. There are few things scarier than a hurricane passing over your house in the middle of the night while you sleep in a closed off bedroom with your small children. The sound of a train passing over your house. The pitch black. The loss of the food and of parts of your own home. We lived through Ike and the aftermath of it almost exactly a year ago.

Because of these recent events we have learned to prepare for hurricanes when the season starts. In our location we are more likely to get hurricanes in the later part of the season, around August-October.

In the beginning of the season we buy shelf stable foods in bulk. Canned tomatoes, dried fruits and veggies, powedered milk, shelf stable juices and milk in tetrapaks. We make sure that our generators are running and that we have enough fuel for them.  We bought some water containers for storing potable water in case of emergencies and made sure that we had some water purification tablets on hand. We have a family emergency preparedness plan together and I even made sure that our company bought a little emergency kit.

This is what FEMA tells us that we need:

• Water
  • Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day for up to 2 weeks (family of 5 needs 70 gallons).
  • “Watersafe can help you meet that requirement.”
• Food
  • At least a 3-Day supply of ready-to-eat non-perishable food for each person
  • Manual can opener for canned foods
  • Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little or no water. If you must heat food, pack a can of sterno.
  • Select food items that are compact and lightweight. Avoid foods that will make you thirsty.
  • Choose salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals, and canned foods with high liquid content.
• First Aid Supplies
  • Essential medicines including:
    • Eyeglasses and contact lenses
    • Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
    • 2-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
    • 4-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
    • Hypoallergenic adhesive tape
    • Triangular bandages (3)
    • 2-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls)
    • 3-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls)
    • Scissors
    • Tweezers
    • Needle
    • Moistened towelettes
    • Antiseptic
    • Thermometer
    • Tongue blades (2)
    • Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant
    • Assorted sizes of safety pins
    • Cleansing agent/soap
    • Latex gloves (2 pair) Sunscreen
  • Non-prescription drugs
    • Aspirin or nonaspirin pain reliever
    • Anti-diarrhea medication
    • Antacid (for stomach upset)
    • Syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control Center)
    • Laxative
    • Activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center)
• Clothing, Bedding and Sanitation Supplies
  • Include at least 1 change of clothes and shoes per person
    • Jacket or coat
    • Long pants
    • Long sleeve shirt
    • Sturdy shoes or work boots
    • Hat, gloves and scarf�
    • Rain gear
    • Thermal underwear
    • Blankets or sleeping bags
    • Sunglasses
  • Sanitation
    • Toilet paper
    • Soap, liquid detergent
    • Feminine supplies
    • Personal hygiene items
    • Plastic garbage bags, ties (for personal sanitation uses)
    • Plastic bucket with tight lid
    • Disinfectant
    • Household chlorine bleach
• Tools
  • Mess kits, or paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
  • 2 coolers – one for food and one for ice
  • Emergency preparedness manual
  • Portable, battery-operated radio or television and extra batteries
  • Flashlight and extra batteries
  • Cash or traveler’s checks, change
  • Nonelectric can opener, utility knife
  • Fire extinguisher: small canister, ABC type
  • Tube tent
  • Pliers
  • Tape
  • Compass
  • Matches in a waterproof container
  • Aluminum foil
  • Plastic storage containers
  • Signal flare
  • Paper, pencil
  • Needles, thread
  • Medicine dropper
  • Shut-off wrench, to turn off household gas and water
  • Whistle
  • Plastic sheeting
  • Map of the area (for locating shelters)
• Special Items
  • For Baby
    • Formula
    • Diapers
    • Bottles
    • Pacifiers
    • Powdered milk
    • Medications
  • For Adults
    • Heart and high blood pressure medication
    • Insulin
    • Prescription drugs
    • Denture needs
    • Contact lenses and supplies
    • Extra eye glasses
    • Hearing aid batteries
      
  • Important Family Documents
    • Keep these records in a waterproof, portable container.
    • Will, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stocks and bonds
    • Photo IDs, passports, social security cards, immunization records
    • Bank account numbers
    • Credit card account numbers and companies
    • Inventory of valuable household goods, important telephone numbers
    • Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates)
    • Photocopies of credit and identification cards
  • Cash and coins
  • Entertainment–games and books

I will admit that I am an over planner.

So tell me? What does your family do to prepare for the worst?

I over prepare everything… and that is ok. I accept myself and love myself.

So of course I have all sorts of things prepared, I even have grains and recipes for bread that dont need ovens. I am pretty sure that if the next nuclear holocaust were to come my family and I would be safe, you know like that movie “Blast from the Past” (oh man how I love Christopher Walken).

Anyways, I think that no matter where you live you have to prepare for emergencies. Be it hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, killer cockroaches, etc.  I think preperation is a big part of living green anyways so this is fine by me. I have found that we are the most wasteful when we are not ready for what is coming because we have to buy what is convenient.

The first step in this was getting a deep freeze.  We put meat, fruits, jams, nuts, dried stuff, etc. in there. It keeps for a long time and helps us stay prepared. We do not have to do huge grocery runs every week and are ready to feed our family at a moment’s notice. It also helps us avoid a lot of packaging by being able to buy things in bulk.

Home preperation is an important part of our life and it wasnt instant but I think that we are finally at a point where we can say we will be ok even if we are unable to purchase any new foods for a while.

Let’s talk. What is your family doing to prepare for the worst? Do you have any suggestions for me or anyone else?

This is a NT-Style adaptation of Martha Stewart’s fabulous “Oatmeal Raisin Cookies”….

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Any dried fruit can be substituted for the raisins. Be sure the cookies are completely cool before storing in an airtight container.
INGREDIENTS Makes about 3 dozen. 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup packed light-brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoons milk 2 large eggs 3 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup raisins	DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter with both sugars, and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, milk, and eggs, and mix well. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from the electric mixer, and stir in oats and raisins. Place dough in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough, and shape into a ball; place on one of the prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing balls 3 inches apart. Press down to flatten into 2-inch diameters. Transfer to the oven, and bake until golden but still soft in center, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans between oven shelves halfway through baking. Remove from oven, and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week First published Copyright 2009 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ok, so obviously I had to try to change a few things… and I’m seriously interested in your input in case you have other ideas on how to convert these even more….(like “can you really just use rapadura instead of Brown Sugar?” Seems like a texture issue…)

It occurred to me today that the world has moved on sufficiently if I can buy 5kg of flour and not have to worry about it being infested with weevils.

For starters I’d wonder how in the heck the little blighters got into the apartment, and second we’ll likely keep most of it in a plastic container.

The only real hassle will be using it quickly enough.

However, as long as we do use it all then the savings on this bag of flour are pretty good. This 5kg cost me $7, when a 1.5kg bag from the same place, Moore Wilsons, would have $3.88. So we save roughly $5 buying in bulk.

As I say, this is only an actual saving if you’re going to use the product in good order. But, with this winter being as damn cold as it is, baking seems to be the best way to get decent warm food in us while also heating the place up!

I’m planning three primary dishes for this flour. Mini muffins, scones, and, if I can get the yeast to rise, Bread.

Don’t think I am not embarrassed about this lil’ post. I am. I take pride in my anti-consumerism, bulk buying stance. “No need to hoard” has always been a motto of mine. Well, if your fridge was the size of a shoe box you would need that motto too. But I know secretly I am as materialistic as anyone other average joe, which is why I need to tell you something:

I love going to Costco in Leeds. I look forward to pushing my oversize cart (wait, I mean trolley) through the  wide aisles stacked to the ceiling with American products. And bulk-sized American products, in the UK at that!! Get your Krusteaz pancake mix, your family size 560 count Oreos, your 4 gallons of Grade A maple syrup. It is all there waiting for you! Craving some donuts? Well you better be off Weight Watchers because darlin’, you’ll have to buy 24! My imported Oprah magazine is 20% off, I can buy a ready-made pizza the size of my coffee table, and you can sample Gatorade to your mouth’s desire. But guess what? The ironic thing is when I am there I don’t feel the need to buy any of it  (except the donuts -ha!). Somehow, when I know where I can get a taste of America my desire for Root beer disappears. Ironic.

Now, there are all kinds of ways to beat homesickness, but may I suggest a trip to your local Costco? You would be surprised about how comforting it feels…

Ok, I just want so show you my produce box from last Saturday (isn’t it gorgeous?!) and in the cooler are the Raw Milks, Cream & the grass fed meat (this week I ordered Tri-Tip & Skirt Steak), YUM!  We also could add on Organic Blueberries for $4 (9oz.), pretty good price, right?

so thru our CSA we’ve been able to add-on special orders like a huge box of peaches or cherries…SO exciting, right?

 

Here’s a few snaps of me processing some of these gems:

I made several things so far, stay tuned for recipes! (Aren’t I a tease?)  XOXO

Here is a site I found jumping around wordpress http://features.csmonitor.com/backstory/2008/12/29/dining-on-a-dollar-a-day/     read it, is is very interesring( and silly) but has great comments. They are vegan  or veg, can’t remember but come on I would rather not eat for a day and have an apple than eat rice, flour or potatoe based meals everyday. Well I could probably do it cause I am a carb person but it is not healthy. Some people have to eat on that and less in a day not just in 3rd world countries either ALOT of American kids go to bed hungry too. If you watch Hulu at all you have probably seen the 1 out of 8 commercial. To fight real ( as apposed to pretend) poverty then you have to understand that poor people CAN”T buy in bulk because there is no money to do it and as far as shilling out 30.00 for one container to store one kind of food in forget it. To really stop hunger we need to educate in a way that is helpfull to the way the person is living not by a pie in the sky example they can’t begin to achieve. One person said in the comments that her freind with 50,000.00  in the bank went to get her low cost senior meal  Monday thru friday, If you can feed your self you should do it and save the limited resources for those that can’t. In  my town the churches get together once a month and put a dinner out for anyone who is struggleing. Once a month may seem like not much but if you’re starving most of the time it is a wonderful thing. The churches run on a strickly donated budget and volunteer cooks from the churches do all the work. I know for a fact many of them also make cakes and pies and treats from thier own pantries to give a desert after thier meals. The food is often plain but good and nutrishes and free. Some people donate what they can when they come some people can’t donate a thing. No one is turned away. If every town had this set up in thier town maybe it could feed someone that hasn’t had a meal in days or very little to eat in a month. As for the 50,000.00 in the bank women eat at home the food you save might save the STARVING KID DOWN THE STREET THAT YOU DON’T EVEN  KNOW ABOUT. Check out The More with Less cookbook it helped me make ends meet when I had little kids There is a great recipe for yogart my kids today still beg for. And check out the Angel food network. You have to have money to spend and wait for food but if you are looking for help and not starving now check it out.     SPEAK UP FOR KIDS…THEY HAVE LITTLE VOICES….Kathryn     Here is something else I want to tell you about, years ago when my daycare I had took state children that were in a special program The state and head start decided to suspend the use of food products in art and other school projects they asked the daycares to volunteerily comply because some of the parents of children somewhere thought it was a terrible thing for thier kids to play with food when they were going home and going to bed at night hungry. Think about that all you daycare teachers it is a good rule today too.

With the jewelry making business exploding into the economy these days, jewelry making suppliers are a dime a dozen. Because of the thousands of components that it takes to make jewelry, not to forget all of the gems, beads, pendants and charms, an artist needs to research all the avenues in which to find a good jewelry making supplier.

A phone book or the internet, of course, is excellent starting points. Checking out reviews of the different suppliers is always a good idea. Talk to fellow artists and see who they use and compile all of your findings before making a decision.

Research Jewelry making suppliers

Beginning your research for a good jewelry making supplier should start with yourself. What style of jewelry are you creating, and exactly what are the components and findings that you need to make a beautiful piece? List your components, and then decide exactly what market you are targeting. If it is just friends and family that you are selling to, then perhaps you do not need the best quality of components; a mid-range may do for that audience. If you already have a large medium to sell to, then perhaps the top quality suppliers would be best for your business.

These decisions definitely need to be made before choosing a jewelry making supplier. Once these questions have been answered, start your search. A jewelry making supplier should be reasonably priced and sell quality materials. This doesn’t mean that the higher priced supplier sells the quality merchandise. Search for critiques and reviews of their products. Find out which manufacturers use their components. Check out their references and make sure they will sell their merchandise in bulk and, if you are a smaller client, make sure they don’t discriminate by the size of the order. A repeat customer is your best customer, whether a large order or a small one. Repeat business is what a jewelry making supplier needs to stay in business.

Once you have found a good jewelry making supplier, stay with him or her. When in a crunch, your supplier can become your best friend. He will help expedite materials to you, or search for a particular material that you may need. Good communication is the key to working with your suppliers. As the saying goes, ‘If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’. This is never as true as it is with a client and the jewelry making supplier. Establish a rapport, earn their respect and your jewelry making supplier will become your best friend.

It seems that many people we know have a membership to Sams Club. Friends, relatives, and mere acquaintances all casually mention their trips to that place. Earlier this year, I had a homeschool mom friend say she picked up a math curriculum book at a great price for her daughter. Emboldened, I asked another HS mom friend to pick up a “K” or 1st level math workbook for Child #2. She found a “complete curriculum” book which has been a huge hit with my “color, write, draw” etc child.

My spouse is the one who started asking questions. How much cheaper is it? How many cans in a flat? How is the selection? What is it really like? With the economic downturn, we wanted to explore a possible cost-saving option.

We were unable to get satisfactory answers from those who have been there, so we set a date to go take a look ourselves. After following correct procedures for our trial visit (we were guests of a current member), we embarked on our first foray, all four children in tow.

My impression
It wasn’t what I expected. This one seemed smaller than a normal (non-Super) Walmart. Higher ceilings, yes, but not as big as I expected. It reminded me of the warehouse of the manufacturer for whom I used to work except that it lacked the large dock doors. In selection, it reminded me of Alco (i.e., none).

Lessons learned:
- Sam’s only carried name brand labels. In many staples, we buy generics. Thus, there would be no savings or it would actually be more expensive to buy the same type of item. (Canned vegetables like corn & green beans or liquids like lemon juice and oil fall into this category.)
- Where we buy name brand of something (some canned fruit, Cheerios, tomato sauce, diapers), the price versus previous (recent) Wal-Mart trips was comparable – plus or minus only a couple of cents per item. Even diapers were less than fifty cents cheaper on a huge box. The one exception was on Bisquick. Sam’s has a five pound box vs. Wal-mart’s six pounder and when you adjust for that, Sam’s is cheaper by over a dollar.
- The bulk packaging (smaller size cans packed together) would be more convenient than a bunch of individual items when handling in the quantities we tend to buy.
- Sam’s often didn’t carry the usual size product we buy. One example is baked beans. They had them in smaller cans 18 oz(?) vs the 26 oz(?) we purchase. This wouldn’t make it a good buy for us as we would end up using two cans or ’short’ everyone some in order to use the smaller can.

Overall, I wasn’t very impressed.Except for the fact that some of the items were bulk-packed together for easier handling, it wouldn’t be much of an advantage for us. It is a longer trip for us and prices for the items we would be purchasing were definitely in line with Wal-Mart (where we usually go).

We would still have to make a trip to Wal-Mart to fill in the gaps of the items we couldn’t get at Sam’s. Definite thumbs down on the value for us. Other people obviously have come to different conclusions for themselves. This is just my opinion based on our situation.

And so our journey into the realms of bulk-buying began at the wholesale markets on an early Saturday morning. R and I decided that no matter what, no matter how cheap, how plump, how beautifully presented, we were NOT going to even think about purchasing tomatoes as we knew of another place where we could get tomatoes cheap without needing to buy an entire box.

To say the markets were bustling would be a gross understatement. Buyers looked stressed at the very least, as they jostled their way through trolleys and crates and perilously stacked produce to procure the very best deals possible. No one should have to shop for fruit and vegetables this way, I thought to myself as I stressed vicariously through a sea of supreme bulk-buying experts. As the minutes ticked by and the crowds thinned, our shopping experience relaxed ever so slightly, helped incredibly by the drastically falling prices and great bargains that presented themselves as closing time approached (markets operate from 7-10am). R and I deduced early on that we must have been the most relaxed/excited/slow moving people in the entire building and a cursory glance about the place quickly confirmed this!

This is a great way to shop if you have friends to share the very generous portions in which produce is sold. It appears that the majority of shoppers are probably in the food business, but greedy gluttons are more than welcome! Occasionally, buyers get together to share boxes of fruit or vegetables and everyone leaves happy.

We definitely left very, very happy.

Needless to say, R and I combined have the self-control of a midsummer bush fire and of course, ended up with a massive box of tomatoes (how could we say no at A$5 a box???). Add to that a box of red capsicums at $20, positively gargantuan mushrooms (we counted 25 of them for $15), a shopping bag of basil for $2, 15 punnets of strawberries for $10 (still a little annoyed about this as the price dropped to $5 just before we left. Grrr.), 11 cucumbers for $4 and 3-for-$1 pumpkins equals very, very successful shopping trip!

Plump and juicy, each and every one a perfect round of meaty mushroom goodness!

I must admit, as we unpacked our haul at R’s place a remorse loomed over me ever so briefly I can liken it only the the guilt that washes over one the morning after a one-night-stand. Yes, it seemed like a great idea at the time but oh-my-god what have we done?!?!?!?!?! As with all guilt, I soon washed this one under the rug and proceeded to plan my preserving rampage for the week!

Pink lady apples and just-ripe tomatoes just screaming to be made into chutney!

Made stuffed peppers and grilled mushrooms for dinner, while man (who is all-embracing of excess in every way, shape and form) insisted that the strawberries needed to be attended to first as they were bursting with ripeness and MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO ROT!

Enter: strawberry jam.