I lived in Thailand, in China and now live in the US. This article is very one-sided. I especially find your statement below ridiculous and very generalized.
"Eating economically in the United States, where we now live, apparently means shopping for imported produce at Wal-Mart (or, better yet, avoiding produce altogether) and eating plenty of canned and processed foods."
There are certainly better and cheaper places to shop for produce. I dont know where you live in the US, but I can get cheap fruits and vegetables from Indian, Latin and Asian supermarkets. These places also have a variety of meat and seafood at reasonable prices. And also whats so wrong about imported produce. For certain stuff, it just so happens it is cheaper to import. In Asia, they also import plenty of produce from other countries.
Infact, since US is very multi-cultural, I can buy Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Korean, Indian and European ingredients and spices.
Before you write another "Eating healthy is expensive" article, use google and search for supermarkets other than "Wal-Mart".
We are so deathly allergic to this stuff. Have you ever taken a good look at the huge amount of foods that contain nuts, peanuts and peanutbuter? It's so prevelent it's scary and we have to consistently read evry ingredient. If my kids go to grandma's they have to open new butter and jelly jars because lots of people dont use a clean knife when they switch from the pb to the j. we'll take meat and soy thank you.
I'd love some instructions for how to wrap gifts origami-style without tape or glue. Yes, I can hold packages together with ribbons. But isn't there a way to fold the paper around a gift so that it all tucks together without needing anything else to hold it?
I don't understand why so many people are praising UPS over this; it's not like they were the first to think of it. I am a newspaper delivery driver (independent, I use my own vehicle and pay for my own gas). As the price of gas soars you always look for the quickest and easiest way to get done. Ask any delivery driver about the idea of reducing left turns and most will tell you they have been doing this for years.
We're having a big problem with this in Spain too even for food staples that are supposed to be cheap. Milk is at 1.05€ per liter now and eggs at about 1.85€ a dozen. In US dollars, that's like $6 a gallon for milk and $2.75 for eggs. It's insane. We're up to like .85 cents per tomato. And we figured the cauliflower and cabbage is costing us more than .55 cents per serving as well.
Sure, we could live on rice and lentils, but I can't handle many carbohydrates without blowing up like a balloon. It does make things tricky for sure.
I am really sad about the situation because I think the governments should be doing more to regulate the prices so that people can buy produce cheaply. Here in Spain, everyone knows that the large majority of the profit from the produce goes to the distributors. If it was going to the farmer, I'd be fine with it, but why do I have to pay everything to the middle man?
We are lucky to have a wonderful selection of farmers' markets here in southern California. The produce, while not all organic, is fresh, healthy, and inexpensive. Trader Joe's is where I purchase my whole organic milk for under $4 per gallon and other dairy and dry goods. If I plan the weekly menu and leave out treats we can feed a family for around $120 a week. I think that's pretty good for five people...
Just about anything with PB will do it for me but my faves are:
- a cold noodle salad similar to your link above but made with dark sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy sauce, hot pepper flakes, tad of sugar, pb, etc...but no cukes...serve chilled.
- rice krispie treats made with peanut butter
- peanut butter on waffles or pancakes (instead of reg butter) with syrup.
I've been living on and off in the US for the last 7 years and I am still trying to figure out how to eat healthier here. Back in Mexico we got a whole week worth of fruits and vegetables for about 15 dollars in the local markets and that was a lot of produce. I'd be happy to read some of the solutions you come up with.
I enjoy your blog a lot. It is very informative. Thanks for all the effort you put into it.
I think you have hit the nail on the head. Everyone has something to offer others with what they know, whether it is a hobby, or a skill, or perhaps an experience.
Each of these can be turned into an income stream, and it is easier than ever today to do so on the internet. A good number of people have already found this to be true..and more and more people are looking to do the same.
Urban agriculture is one answer to going organic. While an apartment dweller in NYC might not be able to sustain themselves in the winter, they could do well in the summer with lettuce and tomatoes as a start. NoImpactMan (google him) went local and sustainable (nothing in plastic) and actually saved money even though he spent more per item. Granted, just by the strictness of his rules, he had no choice.
As long as you've fermented sugar with yeast, there's not likely to be anything toxic in what you've made. Make sure your still doesn't let the product come into contact with anything--such as solder--that's not food-grade, and you should be fine.
Filtering may improve taste, but shouldn't be necessary for safety. (And I wouldn't count on it for safety. If there's anything in there that shouldn't be--if you've used non-food grade materials in your still--then don't drink it.)
You're right, going organic is not cheap. I've been choosing the majority of my food from organics for a few months. It isn't an easy task. First from a cost stand point and secondly from a selection stand point. Not every store has a large organic food section and even in a large city where I live large scale organic shopping ie whole foods or wild oats is a bit of an extra drive. My realization is that you have to REALLY WANT to do this to be committed to making the transition. The cost of my food shopping and the time I take to make it happen have doubled, and for many that is not affordable. I have begun to research ways to purchase things in bulk online and have joined an organic food club. I hope others will find affordable ways to begin as well.
Phillip,
Well done. You have explained it well.
Im making some apple mooshine.
Ive had it fermenting for two weeks in a new 5 gallon bucket. Apples, Sugar, yeast, and some water.
I will filter it twice through some coffee filters after it is distilled. Should that be enough to get rid of the toxic residue? any other recomendations?
Hi! I just wanted to let you know I thought this blog entry was excellent. We've linked to it from the following page: http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Buy_Refurbished_Electronics
Thanks so much - it's full of useful information!
my friend's parents (he's a business owner...shes a CPA and a CFO of a big corporation) figured out that he would actually bring home more money if he made 60k than if he made 80k a year.
$25 for a present is a LOT for me! I generally spend MUCH less.
** Shop at thrift shops/minor antique stores/yard sales throughout the year for interesting things. No one need know that that vintage 50's bowl cost you $5! Find out what the taste is of your recipient and tailor your gift to them -
**The weirder the gift, the better. Look for real oddities. My brother STILL has the preserved piranha fish I bought for him for something like $2 when I just got out of college. (I mean, who would KNOW what you paid for THAT? Confound them.
**Vintage scarves are a good deal. New ones, especially in silk ones are $40+. Check for stains, and iron nicely.
**Give vintage anything to anyone who has the taste for it! There are actually people who work as antique pickers to get the more valuable/interesting things from thrift shops, yard sales, and so on to RESELL to dealers. And every time an item changes hands, the price goes up. Don't pay for anyone else's taste - go out there and be an antique picker for yourself!
**Vintage costume jewelry, or ethic pieces are good choices if you shop wisely. I can SMELL silver and once bought a blackened silver cuff for $1 - because they didn't know it was real silver. Value? $50+ You can also find semi-precious gem stones - check to see if they are glass or the real thing. I scrape them against a tooth in secret to detect the surface. (Glass is smooth, gem stones not.)
**Never TELL anyone where you got the stuff or how much you PAID for it. I just say I picked things up in my wanderings....The things you will be giving won't be things that they can really price. I mean, how much is a set of vintage Harvard Classics I got in a thrift shop for 50 cents a volume? More than that, I assure you.
Good point, Frank. A job in the field is another way to make your hobby pay, although it's not always so easy to get.
More than one writer has told me this old joke: You can certainly make a living as a writer, as long as you include "writing related" activities like teaching, and waiting tables.
If you can find work either in or close to your field, so much the better.
My lunch most days consists of peanut butter slathered on celery sticks. Usually 2 of these keeps me full for about 4-5 hours! Also, I love to add a couple spoonfulls to vanilla ice cream. I have never checked my peanut butters ingredients though....I will have to do that!
(I admit that the best FOR you peanut butters aren't my first temptation. I also adore skippy.. but I'm trying to inspire others to eat a little better than I would prefer too... I'm a peanut butter hypocrite, I guess!)
I'm so pleased with all the great peanut butter ideas! My son (he's four) likes to peel a carrot, break it up into little pieces with his chubby fingers, and then slather a bunch of creamy peanut butter on a piece of bread. Then he folds it all up into an amazing peanut-butter-carrot sandwich. (I must have done something right...)
I too fall into the desperate college student category. While I know how to cook and even enjoy doing so, I'm still wrestling with balancing a busy schedule and preparing a hot meal.
For a long time I felt guilty about spending $7 per jar of peanut butter when the cheap stuff goes for significantly less. But I've found a brand I like and nothing less will do. Although it's not organic, peanuts and salt are the only ingredients. I can't stomach the hydrogenated stuff unless I'm really hungry.
But recently I discovered that peanut butter and wheat bread combine to form a complete protein. I'm not a vegetarian and I love meat, but I don't eat it much for convenience, health, and environmental reasons. So now I don't feel badly about spending a lot on a staple food. Even at the rate I eat it, a jar lasts about two weeks.
Plus I can reuse the jars to store other staples like coffee, dried beans, nuts, rice, flour, and sugar. Not getting my CRV back from a recycling center is much cheaper than buying glass or ceramic storage containers for $5 a piece.
Recipe I learned in India: peanut butter and jelly on chapathi instead of bread.
If you can thread a needle (or you have an inexpensive sewing machine that will run a straight seam), you can make cool stuffed animals from kits--or at least, back in the Dark Ages you could. Haven't looked on the Web, but it might be worth a quick search: you used to be able to get sock monkey kits, and also Raggedy Ann and Andy kits. The latter were fairly complicated because you had to make their clothes, but sock monkeys are easy to do.
Now that we have electricity, I STILL have those wonderful dolls my great-aunt made for me when I was a little girl.
Another good one is a play mat. Just canvas either stitched around the edges or duct taped if you don't sew.
For the Hot Wheels/cars kid- paint roads, scenery, etc on the mat with acrylic paints (really inexpensive).
For dolly kids- paint images of a bed, a picnic area, etc. Your little one could pretend to put the dolly to bed with a blanket on top, sit at a picnic tea party, etc.
Lots of good ways to rework the play mat. And they roll up and store easy.
I lived in Thailand, in China and now live in the US. This article is very one-sided. I especially find your statement below ridiculous and very generalized.
"Eating economically in the United States, where we now live, apparently means shopping for imported produce at Wal-Mart (or, better yet, avoiding produce altogether) and eating plenty of canned and processed foods."
There are certainly better and cheaper places to shop for produce. I dont know where you live in the US, but I can get cheap fruits and vegetables from Indian, Latin and Asian supermarkets. These places also have a variety of meat and seafood at reasonable prices. And also whats so wrong about imported produce. For certain stuff, it just so happens it is cheaper to import. In Asia, they also import plenty of produce from other countries.
Infact, since US is very multi-cultural, I can buy Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Korean, Indian and European ingredients and spices.
Before you write another "Eating healthy is expensive" article, use google and search for supermarkets other than "Wal-Mart".
We are so deathly allergic to this stuff. Have you ever taken a good look at the huge amount of foods that contain nuts, peanuts and peanutbuter? It's so prevelent it's scary and we have to consistently read evry ingredient. If my kids go to grandma's they have to open new butter and jelly jars because lots of people dont use a clean knife when they switch from the pb to the j. we'll take meat and soy thank you.
I'd love some instructions for how to wrap gifts origami-style without tape or glue. Yes, I can hold packages together with ribbons. But isn't there a way to fold the paper around a gift so that it all tucks together without needing anything else to hold it?
I don't understand why so many people are praising UPS over this; it's not like they were the first to think of it. I am a newspaper delivery driver (independent, I use my own vehicle and pay for my own gas). As the price of gas soars you always look for the quickest and easiest way to get done. Ask any delivery driver about the idea of reducing left turns and most will tell you they have been doing this for years.
We're having a big problem with this in Spain too even for food staples that are supposed to be cheap. Milk is at 1.05€ per liter now and eggs at about 1.85€ a dozen. In US dollars, that's like $6 a gallon for milk and $2.75 for eggs. It's insane. We're up to like .85 cents per tomato. And we figured the cauliflower and cabbage is costing us more than .55 cents per serving as well.
Sure, we could live on rice and lentils, but I can't handle many carbohydrates without blowing up like a balloon. It does make things tricky for sure.
I am really sad about the situation because I think the governments should be doing more to regulate the prices so that people can buy produce cheaply. Here in Spain, everyone knows that the large majority of the profit from the produce goes to the distributors. If it was going to the farmer, I'd be fine with it, but why do I have to pay everything to the middle man?
We are lucky to have a wonderful selection of farmers' markets here in southern California. The produce, while not all organic, is fresh, healthy, and inexpensive. Trader Joe's is where I purchase my whole organic milk for under $4 per gallon and other dairy and dry goods. If I plan the weekly menu and leave out treats we can feed a family for around $120 a week. I think that's pretty good for five people...
Just about anything with PB will do it for me but my faves are:
- a cold noodle salad similar to your link above but made with dark sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy sauce, hot pepper flakes, tad of sugar, pb, etc...but no cukes...serve chilled.
- rice krispie treats made with peanut butter
- peanut butter on waffles or pancakes (instead of reg butter) with syrup.
I've been living on and off in the US for the last 7 years and I am still trying to figure out how to eat healthier here. Back in Mexico we got a whole week worth of fruits and vegetables for about 15 dollars in the local markets and that was a lot of produce. I'd be happy to read some of the solutions you come up with.
I enjoy your blog a lot. It is very informative. Thanks for all the effort you put into it.
Phillip-
I think you have hit the nail on the head. Everyone has something to offer others with what they know, whether it is a hobby, or a skill, or perhaps an experience.
Each of these can be turned into an income stream, and it is easier than ever today to do so on the internet. A good number of people have already found this to be true..and more and more people are looking to do the same.
Frank Kilgore
www.cashinyourideas.com
Urban agriculture is one answer to going organic. While an apartment dweller in NYC might not be able to sustain themselves in the winter, they could do well in the summer with lettuce and tomatoes as a start. NoImpactMan (google him) went local and sustainable (nothing in plastic) and actually saved money even though he spent more per item. Granted, just by the strictness of his rules, he had no choice.
yep,
its all food grade equipment.
As long as you've fermented sugar with yeast, there's not likely to be anything toxic in what you've made. Make sure your still doesn't let the product come into contact with anything--such as solder--that's not food-grade, and you should be fine.
Filtering may improve taste, but shouldn't be necessary for safety. (And I wouldn't count on it for safety. If there's anything in there that shouldn't be--if you've used non-food grade materials in your still--then don't drink it.)
I love these ideas... it is good to know others do it. Sometimes I need to see it to get going and do it myself!
You're right, going organic is not cheap. I've been choosing the majority of my food from organics for a few months. It isn't an easy task. First from a cost stand point and secondly from a selection stand point. Not every store has a large organic food section and even in a large city where I live large scale organic shopping ie whole foods or wild oats is a bit of an extra drive. My realization is that you have to REALLY WANT to do this to be committed to making the transition. The cost of my food shopping and the time I take to make it happen have doubled, and for many that is not affordable. I have begun to research ways to purchase things in bulk online and have joined an organic food club. I hope others will find affordable ways to begin as well.
Phillip,
Well done. You have explained it well.
Im making some apple mooshine.
Ive had it fermenting for two weeks in a new 5 gallon bucket. Apples, Sugar, yeast, and some water.
I will filter it twice through some coffee filters after it is distilled. Should that be enough to get rid of the toxic residue? any other recomendations?
Hi! I just wanted to let you know I thought this blog entry was excellent. We've linked to it from the following page:
http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Buy_Refurbished_Electronics
Thanks so much - it's full of useful information!
my friend's parents (he's a business owner...shes a CPA and a CFO of a big corporation) figured out that he would actually bring home more money if he made 60k than if he made 80k a year.
$25 for a present is a LOT for me! I generally spend MUCH less.
** Shop at thrift shops/minor antique stores/yard sales throughout the year for interesting things. No one need know that that vintage 50's bowl cost you $5! Find out what the taste is of your recipient and tailor your gift to them -
**The weirder the gift, the better. Look for real oddities. My brother STILL has the preserved piranha fish I bought for him for something like $2 when I just got out of college. (I mean, who would KNOW what you paid for THAT? Confound them.
**Vintage scarves are a good deal. New ones, especially in silk ones are $40+. Check for stains, and iron nicely.
**Give vintage anything to anyone who has the taste for it! There are actually people who work as antique pickers to get the more valuable/interesting things from thrift shops, yard sales, and so on to RESELL to dealers. And every time an item changes hands, the price goes up. Don't pay for anyone else's taste - go out there and be an antique picker for yourself!
**Vintage costume jewelry, or ethic pieces are good choices if you shop wisely. I can SMELL silver and once bought a blackened silver cuff for $1 - because they didn't know it was real silver. Value? $50+ You can also find semi-precious gem stones - check to see if they are glass or the real thing. I scrape them against a tooth in secret to detect the surface. (Glass is smooth, gem stones not.)
**Never TELL anyone where you got the stuff or how much you PAID for it. I just say I picked things up in my wanderings....The things you will be giving won't be things that they can really price. I mean, how much is a set of vintage Harvard Classics I got in a thrift shop for 50 cents a volume? More than that, I assure you.
Happy gifting!
For more, read my weird Xmas gift article at www.associatedcontent.com/pamelamunro
Good point, Frank. A job in the field is another way to make your hobby pay, although it's not always so easy to get.
More than one writer has told me this old joke: You can certainly make a living as a writer, as long as you include "writing related" activities like teaching, and waiting tables.
If you can find work either in or close to your field, so much the better.
My lunch most days consists of peanut butter slathered on celery sticks. Usually 2 of these keeps me full for about 4-5 hours! Also, I love to add a couple spoonfulls to vanilla ice cream. I have never checked my peanut butters ingredients though....I will have to do that!
You had me at "Skippy"....
(I admit that the best FOR you peanut butters aren't my first temptation. I also adore skippy.. but I'm trying to inspire others to eat a little better than I would prefer too... I'm a peanut butter hypocrite, I guess!)
I'm so pleased with all the great peanut butter ideas! My son (he's four) likes to peel a carrot, break it up into little pieces with his chubby fingers, and then slather a bunch of creamy peanut butter on a piece of bread. Then he folds it all up into an amazing peanut-butter-carrot sandwich. (I must have done something right...)
and definitely in the spirit of Wrap Art. I think it's that kind of improvisation that John is encouraging, and I applaud it. Nice work!
I too fall into the desperate college student category. While I know how to cook and even enjoy doing so, I'm still wrestling with balancing a busy schedule and preparing a hot meal.
For a long time I felt guilty about spending $7 per jar of peanut butter when the cheap stuff goes for significantly less. But I've found a brand I like and nothing less will do. Although it's not organic, peanuts and salt are the only ingredients. I can't stomach the hydrogenated stuff unless I'm really hungry.
But recently I discovered that peanut butter and wheat bread combine to form a complete protein. I'm not a vegetarian and I love meat, but I don't eat it much for convenience, health, and environmental reasons. So now I don't feel badly about spending a lot on a staple food. Even at the rate I eat it, a jar lasts about two weeks.
Plus I can reuse the jars to store other staples like coffee, dried beans, nuts, rice, flour, and sugar. Not getting my CRV back from a recycling center is much cheaper than buying glass or ceramic storage containers for $5 a piece.
Recipe I learned in India: peanut butter and jelly on chapathi instead of bread.
Wow! What neat ideas!
If you can thread a needle (or you have an inexpensive sewing machine that will run a straight seam), you can make cool stuffed animals from kits--or at least, back in the Dark Ages you could. Haven't looked on the Web, but it might be worth a quick search: you used to be able to get sock monkey kits, and also Raggedy Ann and Andy kits. The latter were fairly complicated because you had to make their clothes, but sock monkeys are easy to do.
Now that we have electricity, I STILL have those wonderful dolls my great-aunt made for me when I was a little girl.
Another good one is a play mat. Just canvas either stitched around the edges or duct taped if you don't sew.
For the Hot Wheels/cars kid- paint roads, scenery, etc on the mat with acrylic paints (really inexpensive).
For dolly kids- paint images of a bed, a picnic area, etc. Your little one could pretend to put the dolly to bed with a blanket on top, sit at a picnic tea party, etc.
Lots of good ways to rework the play mat. And they roll up and store easy.