I used this recipe many times with variable success. The author never bothered to state the application rate, so it's a guess. My 10-gal hose end sprayer, like many others, has a dial for setting the mixing rate. Too rich, and I can burn my lawn. Too lean, and it won't be effective. Does anyone know what rate to use?
Since I started eating gluten and dairy-free, and we no longer buy prepared foods, our budget has gone up about 25%. Unfortunately, the cheapest foods (think macaroni and cheese) are the ones that you can find coupons for and go on sale regularly. When we go to the register, we hardly have any coupons at all! Still, we save money by cooking from scratch once a week, trying to buy when things are on sale. We eat more beans, lentils, and brown rice dishes. Most people aren't willing to go to the lengths we do to eat healthy.
That's absolutely true, and if you click through to the "food groups" on the ChooseMyPlate website it does note that calcium-fortified soymilk is part of the dairy group. My point was that for a food icon that is supposed to simplify choosing your food groups, it's strange that the dairy portion isn't labeled "calcium-rich foods" or "dairy and substitutes", given how limited a food group "dairy" is. After all, they changed "meat" to "protein".
Maybe I'm cynical, but it seems a bit like a nod to the dairy industry. But other than that, I do approve of what MyPlate is trying to do, overall.
I don't work at Gamestop, but it's well known that Gamestop makes its real money on used games. For new games, they'll give you something like $20 (I don't even know if this is cash or store credit, but it might be the latter) and then sell the game for about $5 less than the new price of $60. This aspect of Gamestop's operations is angering some video game manufacturers since Gamestop can sell a new game many more times than the studios can, and so try to avert this by putting one-use redeemable codes for downloadable content (or in extreme cases, to be able to play the game at all without an extra "activation fee"). Personally, I think the manufacturers should stop whining --- the first sale doctrine should apply to them like it does to all sellers of retail products.
Dairy doesn't have to mean cow's milk products. One can find lots of alternatives full of calcium and vitamin D such as soymilk (yum!) that are nutritionally even better for and more easily tolerated by some people. I've almost completely eliminated cow's milk from my diet and don't miss the bloating I used to suffer even with lactaid supplements.
Great write up. I am a vegan - so no animal products at all, and many times people ask me how I can afford it. Well, its pretty easy actually. Having a well stocked pantry is a great tip - because then you dont find yourself asking the dreaded "whats for dinner" question on your ride home from work plus you will resist eating out if you know you have things at home to eat.
A great thing to stock up on when it is on sale, which is rare is Quinoa. It is a grain, you can eat it with anything - smoothies, pies, rice, anything. It has no taste, and it is filling and has all essential proteins.
I am currently tacking a financial make over for my personal life and it is all here....www.fififrugality.blogspot.com
LMAO, Visa and Captial One and Citi (group) send out the exact same cards to EVERYBODY, and you guys want to bash the ( USED to be the only card service with barely ANY fees... lmao, I feel ya that you didn't sign up for it... but did you sign up for that Visa CREDIT CARD, that I'm sure you, like us all, get damn near twice a week..... THINK before you act strictly off of emotion... I say this just because I've been a netspend customer *voluntarily* for over 5 years.. I had an overdrawn balance and stopped using the card.. then I needed it for an engine purchase on eBay ( Banks wouldn't talk to me because of a 100 dollar mishap 3 years prior to that.. which was paid promptly YET still could not get a bank account until I started my business...) even after 3 years of a negative balance I WAS NOT CHARGED A DIME THE WHOLE TIME... so that's my story, hope it brings a little clarification.. you receiving that card is nothing more than marketing strategy that has been used by companies since before we were even born. If advertising in your face is a bothersome... leave America... cuz that's how we make our money
Saying a person "should" donate hair and selling it is wrong is like saying you "should" donate your stuff to a thrift store instead of holding a garage sale. You can choose to donate or not donate, but you're not wrong not to donate your hair OR your stuff. Though I do advocate generosity, it just doesn't need to be your hair you're generous with--it can be with your money and it can also be with your time.
When I drove across the country earlier this year, staying with friends and relatives was definitely key -- I got to catch up with people I hadn't seen in a while and cut my number of hotel stays in half.
Does anybody else have any advice for keeping costs down on road trips?
Potatoes are in the vegetables under a "starchy vegetables" category. :(
I agree with Sanctimonia - the grains section is still too large. I never felt better than when I was eating a diabetic diet when I had gestational diabetes. That diet was mostly lean proteins and non-starchy veggies, with smatterings of fruit and a healthy but smaller portion of carbohydrates - preferably whole grain.
I agree that the dairy portion is too large! I'm borderline lactose-intolerant (as are 70% of people around the world), so I can't drink milk, though I can have yogurt and cheese. If I had that much yogurt or cheese with every meal, I definitely wouldn't be healthy! The dairy portion is the weakest part of the model, in my opinion.
Kudos to you, Olivia, for feeding your family on a tight budget! It is true that starches are the cheapest, and I wish it weren't so. More change has to happen in the upper echelons of policy makers if we are to eat healthily on a budget!
This was an interesting article, and had some good points. However, the attempt to apply it across the board to everyone is unfortunate. The world has changed since 1700, and people can now live anywhere in the world. My family is from Northern Europe originally (think Scandanavia). Not all of us have a problem with the heat, but a number of us do. By problem I mean that we can easily get heat stroke just cooking–even in an air conditioned home. My pale, red-haired little niece develops a fever, hives and spends the night vomiting when she gets just a little overheated. It's happened to her even going from the house to the car (and waiting for it to cool down) on a 100+ day. This is not a problem of getting used to the heat–I've been living in the tropics for years.
Additionally, while it's true that many families could do as you have done, many cannot choose to avoid going out at the hottest times of the day or find shady trees nearby. Everyone sleeping in the living room is not a viable option for every family, and I think it's common knowledge by now that people do not get good sleep when they're hot–even when they do sleep fine they dream harder and get lest quality rest. Not everyone can choose that kind of lifestyle every summer.
I appreciate your thoughts–but it's not something everyone can do with a little cooperation and dedication.
I still believe the "grains" portion is too large. It should be right in the same category as dairy (which is also too large). The obesity, heart disease, and diabetes problems will remain unless we transition away from these two categories and more towards fruits and vegetables for the main sources of "carbs". Fill the gap in caloric intake with sprouted beans, seeds, nuts, etc.
That's the second time I've read about this site. I will say that there are good penny auction sites out there for obtaining good deals. Don't let your experience with this one taint your feelings for all of them. Just be smart about what you bid on and when. I think you might be surprised by what you can get.
Your article is so refreshing. As much as people try, you just can't beat economic forces. Like any fad in the short term this will be great, but the things that aren't considered in this equation are: supply and demand is absolute, manufacturers aren't stupid (i work in CPG and I can guarantee you that this is not being overlooked by manufacturers and they're getting rid of crap they don't want), and as you mentioned - people are not accounting for the value of their time.
The funniest/saddest evidence to me is that two people I know have jumped on the bandwagon and take delight in posting their "treasures" on facebook. I see the same crap from each of them (tubes upon tubes of John Freida Full Repair permeate almost every photo).
Nothing wrong with using coupons and deals smartly, but again, as you pointed out, if it was easy and valuable, everyone would do it. But it's not, they won't, and those that do are feeding a machine. You have a show that's gaining ratings which equal dollars for advertisers, you have websites and classes (?!?!?!) to help people learn it that are also going to feed resources to one or more people, and then you have the manufacturers who are banking on this trend to help them meet their goals.
So, anyway, thanks for taking your position on this. I applaud you :-)
Your article is full of sensible advice. You asked if it works for us. As our food budget is $21.25 per person per week, (teens through adult), it's near impossible to implement Mrs. Obama's plate. I do all the things you suggest and keep a small garden as well. Sadly, starches are still cheaper than vegetables. Somehow Michelle Obama's endorsement, though well intentioned, rings kind of hollow. Her husband earned 5 million dollars his first year in office. That changes people. She cannot possibly remain objective or remember what it's like for regular folk. Maybe her ideas are doable for others. Now if we could legally keep chickens....
We have a very small emergency fund right now. We have had to use it once but were able to replenish it within 2 months. One of our goals is to make this fund bigger in case of a lost job or something like that.
I used this recipe many times with variable success. The author never bothered to state the application rate, so it's a guess. My 10-gal hose end sprayer, like many others, has a dial for setting the mixing rate. Too rich, and I can burn my lawn. Too lean, and it won't be effective. Does anyone know what rate to use?
Since I started eating gluten and dairy-free, and we no longer buy prepared foods, our budget has gone up about 25%. Unfortunately, the cheapest foods (think macaroni and cheese) are the ones that you can find coupons for and go on sale regularly. When we go to the register, we hardly have any coupons at all! Still, we save money by cooking from scratch once a week, trying to buy when things are on sale. We eat more beans, lentils, and brown rice dishes. Most people aren't willing to go to the lengths we do to eat healthy.
That's absolutely true, and if you click through to the "food groups" on the ChooseMyPlate website it does note that calcium-fortified soymilk is part of the dairy group. My point was that for a food icon that is supposed to simplify choosing your food groups, it's strange that the dairy portion isn't labeled "calcium-rich foods" or "dairy and substitutes", given how limited a food group "dairy" is. After all, they changed "meat" to "protein".
Maybe I'm cynical, but it seems a bit like a nod to the dairy industry. But other than that, I do approve of what MyPlate is trying to do, overall.
I don't work at Gamestop, but it's well known that Gamestop makes its real money on used games. For new games, they'll give you something like $20 (I don't even know if this is cash or store credit, but it might be the latter) and then sell the game for about $5 less than the new price of $60. This aspect of Gamestop's operations is angering some video game manufacturers since Gamestop can sell a new game many more times than the studios can, and so try to avert this by putting one-use redeemable codes for downloadable content (or in extreme cases, to be able to play the game at all without an extra "activation fee"). Personally, I think the manufacturers should stop whining --- the first sale doctrine should apply to them like it does to all sellers of retail products.
Thanks for the tip about the potatoes; I must have missed that! I've been thinking of cutting down on carbs too...but...they are so good...
Dairy doesn't have to mean cow's milk products. One can find lots of alternatives full of calcium and vitamin D such as soymilk (yum!) that are nutritionally even better for and more easily tolerated by some people. I've almost completely eliminated cow's milk from my diet and don't miss the bloating I used to suffer even with lactaid supplements.
Great write up. I am a vegan - so no animal products at all, and many times people ask me how I can afford it. Well, its pretty easy actually. Having a well stocked pantry is a great tip - because then you dont find yourself asking the dreaded "whats for dinner" question on your ride home from work plus you will resist eating out if you know you have things at home to eat.
A great thing to stock up on when it is on sale, which is rare is Quinoa. It is a grain, you can eat it with anything - smoothies, pies, rice, anything. It has no taste, and it is filling and has all essential proteins.
I am currently tacking a financial make over for my personal life and it is all here....www.fififrugality.blogspot.com
Check out it!
@christiancredit
LMAO, Visa and Captial One and Citi (group) send out the exact same cards to EVERYBODY, and you guys want to bash the ( USED to be the only card service with barely ANY fees... lmao, I feel ya that you didn't sign up for it... but did you sign up for that Visa CREDIT CARD, that I'm sure you, like us all, get damn near twice a week..... THINK before you act strictly off of emotion... I say this just because I've been a netspend customer *voluntarily* for over 5 years.. I had an overdrawn balance and stopped using the card.. then I needed it for an engine purchase on eBay ( Banks wouldn't talk to me because of a 100 dollar mishap 3 years prior to that.. which was paid promptly YET still could not get a bank account until I started my business...) even after 3 years of a negative balance I WAS NOT CHARGED A DIME THE WHOLE TIME... so that's my story, hope it brings a little clarification.. you receiving that card is nothing more than marketing strategy that has been used by companies since before we were even born. If advertising in your face is a bothersome... leave America... cuz that's how we make our money
Saying a person "should" donate hair and selling it is wrong is like saying you "should" donate your stuff to a thrift store instead of holding a garage sale. You can choose to donate or not donate, but you're not wrong not to donate your hair OR your stuff. Though I do advocate generosity, it just doesn't need to be your hair you're generous with--it can be with your money and it can also be with your time.
When I drove across the country earlier this year, staying with friends and relatives was definitely key -- I got to catch up with people I hadn't seen in a while and cut my number of hotel stays in half.
Does anybody else have any advice for keeping costs down on road trips?
Potatoes are in the vegetables under a "starchy vegetables" category. :(
I agree with Sanctimonia - the grains section is still too large. I never felt better than when I was eating a diabetic diet when I had gestational diabetes. That diet was mostly lean proteins and non-starchy veggies, with smatterings of fruit and a healthy but smaller portion of carbohydrates - preferably whole grain.
and then I posted it ont he internet so everyone knows the apparent box of recycling in my truck actually hold some goodies.
I agree that the dairy portion is too large! I'm borderline lactose-intolerant (as are 70% of people around the world), so I can't drink milk, though I can have yogurt and cheese. If I had that much yogurt or cheese with every meal, I definitely wouldn't be healthy! The dairy portion is the weakest part of the model, in my opinion.
Kudos to you, Olivia, for feeding your family on a tight budget! It is true that starches are the cheapest, and I wish it weren't so. More change has to happen in the upper echelons of policy makers if we are to eat healthily on a budget!
This was an interesting article, and had some good points. However, the attempt to apply it across the board to everyone is unfortunate. The world has changed since 1700, and people can now live anywhere in the world. My family is from Northern Europe originally (think Scandanavia). Not all of us have a problem with the heat, but a number of us do. By problem I mean that we can easily get heat stroke just cooking–even in an air conditioned home. My pale, red-haired little niece develops a fever, hives and spends the night vomiting when she gets just a little overheated. It's happened to her even going from the house to the car (and waiting for it to cool down) on a 100+ day. This is not a problem of getting used to the heat–I've been living in the tropics for years.
Additionally, while it's true that many families could do as you have done, many cannot choose to avoid going out at the hottest times of the day or find shady trees nearby. Everyone sleeping in the living room is not a viable option for every family, and I think it's common knowledge by now that people do not get good sleep when they're hot–even when they do sleep fine they dream harder and get lest quality rest. Not everyone can choose that kind of lifestyle every summer.
I appreciate your thoughts–but it's not something everyone can do with a little cooperation and dedication.
I still believe the "grains" portion is too large. It should be right in the same category as dairy (which is also too large). The obesity, heart disease, and diabetes problems will remain unless we transition away from these two categories and more towards fruits and vegetables for the main sources of "carbs". Fill the gap in caloric intake with sprouted beans, seeds, nuts, etc.
That's the second time I've read about this site. I will say that there are good penny auction sites out there for obtaining good deals. Don't let your experience with this one taint your feelings for all of them. Just be smart about what you bid on and when. I think you might be surprised by what you can get.
NPR's Cartalk guys also have a great listing provided by listeners.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html
Your article is so refreshing. As much as people try, you just can't beat economic forces. Like any fad in the short term this will be great, but the things that aren't considered in this equation are: supply and demand is absolute, manufacturers aren't stupid (i work in CPG and I can guarantee you that this is not being overlooked by manufacturers and they're getting rid of crap they don't want), and as you mentioned - people are not accounting for the value of their time.
The funniest/saddest evidence to me is that two people I know have jumped on the bandwagon and take delight in posting their "treasures" on facebook. I see the same crap from each of them (tubes upon tubes of John Freida Full Repair permeate almost every photo).
Nothing wrong with using coupons and deals smartly, but again, as you pointed out, if it was easy and valuable, everyone would do it. But it's not, they won't, and those that do are feeding a machine. You have a show that's gaining ratings which equal dollars for advertisers, you have websites and classes (?!?!?!) to help people learn it that are also going to feed resources to one or more people, and then you have the manufacturers who are banking on this trend to help them meet their goals.
So, anyway, thanks for taking your position on this. I applaud you :-)
Your article is full of sensible advice. You asked if it works for us. As our food budget is $21.25 per person per week, (teens through adult), it's near impossible to implement Mrs. Obama's plate. I do all the things you suggest and keep a small garden as well. Sadly, starches are still cheaper than vegetables. Somehow Michelle Obama's endorsement, though well intentioned, rings kind of hollow. Her husband earned 5 million dollars his first year in office. That changes people. She cannot possibly remain objective or remember what it's like for regular folk. Maybe her ideas are doable for others. Now if we could legally keep chickens....
I liked on Facebook! (Amy Garrett Metherell)
We have a very small emergency fund right now. We have had to use it once but were able to replenish it within 2 months. One of our goals is to make this fund bigger in case of a lost job or something like that.
The fund we have is labeled more like "Vacation Fund". Now which is more important?!
Emergency fund...yes, need to work on it!
Liked Wise Bread on FB!