Market Awesomeness

Aj and I love to grocery shop, probably because we love food and care about what goes into our bodies. Lately, we have heard a lot of complaints about how expensive it is to eat healthy. It is true that at most chain grocery stores organic and local options are higher priced. But have you tried branching out of those box stores? They say we are the age of information, yet with all of the references we have at our finger tips we sometimes miss the important stuff to look up. For example, one thing I use Facebook for, keeping up with local farms. When are they going to be at market? When and where are farmer's markets close to me? How can I eliminate the middle man? Surprisingly enough I was able to find local farms who will sell directly to me, eggs and seasonal produce, year round. However, this can still seem more costly or less convenient than driving over to Ingles. So what else?


This year Aj and I stocked our pantry with lots of dehydrated veggies that we grew. We paid $10 for the dehydrator at the PAWS Thrift Store. We store the veggies in reused glass jars. Also, anytime we saw a good deal on over-ripe veggies, we'd buy them. Once home, we would immediately freeze them to make veggie stock out of later or dehydrate them.You may remember this picture from The Grove Community Garden page. These dried foods have been great this winter. We've put them in soups, rice dishes and have even used jars of dried food to barter for other foods and services. Gotta love that!



But you really just want to go grocery shopping? A couple of years ago I was introduced to a grocery store in Asheville called Amazing Savings. I know what you're thinking, "but Asheville is 70 miles from Bryson City." You're right, but how often do you find yourself or your neighbor visiting? Aj and I make it a point to stop there anytime we find ourselves in the area. Picking up staples as we can afford them, to have them for times when we can't. Our friends, Erin and Kerby sometimes make the trip carrying their coolers. Erin was excited to find affordable organic yogurt (see her empty containers with lids pictured). This store is a great place for organic and local items that have been reduced for quick sale. They also sell organic/local milk, cheese and eggs for cheaper than most chain stores.



What else can we do in our kitchens to help the food budget? Well, a while back two good friends of mine wrote an article published in the free magazine, Kitchen Drawer Illustrated. They talk about re-evaluating the way you think at the grocery store. By resisting the cheapest items you are not only getting healthier food with less preservatives, you can also look for foods that come in reusable containers. This can help by keeping the food fresher longer after opening and also gives you a container later to keep something else fresh. Saving a little trash from ending up in the landfill while you're at it. 

Using what you purchase is important. How much of your grocery money is being thrown away because stuff in the fridge is going bad before you use it? Keeping this from happening can be as simple as planning your meals and knowing how to properly store or preserve foods. By knowing what you're cooking and how many you're cooking for BEFORE you go grocery shopping, you can eliminate unnecessary purchases and buy appropriate amounts. This is where buying bulk goods comes in handy. Most places that sell bulk dried foods (such as rice, flours, nuts, spices, etc) allow you to take only the amount you need and not the amount someone prepackaged for you.

This past weekend we found ourselves visiting my sister and her husband, two people who share our love for food and health. Luckily, we were around for their Sunday run to The Dekalb County Farmer's Market.  This place is awesome. Aj's favorite part is the florist. He said it looked like something you'd see in Europe, lots of exotic flowers and greenery. My favorite part was the spices, the selection and the price. Now if we would have had our cooler, we would have purchased way more exotic produce. Instead, we stuck to staples and pantry items that would last and we could get the most nutrients out of. Here are the items we came home with (minus a few we gave away on our way home). Unfortunately, they do not allow cameras inside so I had to take the photos once I got home.

Loose leaf teas, dried herbs and spices in reusable containers and in appropriate amounts for our needs.

These are the types of items we stock up on when we have the money. They will be stored in glass mason jars and will help with our budget for fresh meat and produce.

Again pantry items in reusable containers. These are dry and stored properly can last us a long time.

These are items that we can get at Ingles, but knew we would over pay.

We also found some helpful kitchen items. A few bags for keeping our fresh produce fresher, longer and 100 unbleached tea bags to use with the loose leaf tea we purchased.

This is all the fresh produce we came home with this time.

These breads are made right there at the market from organic flours. We got 50% off the loaves because they were a day old. We also picked up a beautiful french baguette that we left with my brother.

Now don't start thinking that we are rich. This entire market trip including tax only came to $75. Yep. That's right. To give you another idea of how better grocery shopping can help, look at this:

After this market trip, my sister came home and washed all of her produce. Then she placed it in the appropriate containers for the fridge so they would be fresh and ready to use through the week. She also went ahead and made a large, wonderful salad with watercress, fennel and radish. In a small glass pint jar she whipped up a homemade dressing in minutes. This will be part of her lunch for the rest of the work week, keeping her from wasting money on convenience foods that will offer no nutritional value.

This morning, I had an everything bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. I also had a latte that I made from organic beans at home. Breaking down the prices of these items, this breakfast cost me $1.45 and no more time than it would take for someone else to make it for me. At our local coffeeshop, I would have paid $1.50 plus tax for the plain bagel alone! Didn't even need to buy gas to get down to the coffeeshop. 

I'm not trying to keep you out of coffee shops. Aj and I love us some Cork & Bean, plus we need the social interaction, but we have a better budget for the community gatherings at local businesses when we are careful with other important purchases.

Many people will read this and get hung up on some pretty basic things that our society has caused. First, some readers cannot imagine a world where it is ok to ask your neighbor to grab something from Asheville for you, but why not? Our good friend Sophie's last trip to Asheville yielded us a tube of fluoride-free toothpaste, something not available in Bryson City. Learning to lean on our friends and neighbors and allowing them to lean on us is vital to a strong community. Still afraid to ask your neighbor to grab you a gallon of milk? Maybe start by offering to pick something up for them next time you're headed that way, it could be the ice breaker you've needed. Second, there are a lot of stressed people out there living fleeting lives who are wondering what "planning meals out" means. If you can't plan ahead, then plan for not having a plan. Buy things that will last like dried and canned food or just do your shopping more often. Make short trips with the intention of buying for one or two meals. Lastly, some of you are looking at my pictures and wondering where all the junk food is. I assure you, we eat plenty of sweets we don't really need. Those flours and the agave nectar will become cookies. The coconut oil will be used to fry sweet breads and pop popcorn. Trust me, we still get our snack on.


The purpose of this post is to help you start thinking about your diet and your wallet. Eating right doesn't have to be an unachievable goal. Use your resources, internet, local farmers, even your neighbors! Find recipes, share recipes! Buy quantities and divide them among friends and family. Share costs. Grow gardens together. Share knowledge and produce. Share ideas and be creative.

We would love to hear other budget and diet saving ideas. What are you doing at home to make the most of what you have?

"live simply, so that others may simply live"