Shopping for Food

Eating is a beautiful thing and, in fact, one of my very favorite things to do. But food has become kind of complicated and silly. Here are some examples of complications:

Food is becoming less sustainable. This means that the well will eventually run dry.

We consume a lot of grain, which contributes to global food crises. We buy grain at high prices that locals can't afford and remove that resource from the countries who could use it.

We are eating ourselves to death. "In the United States, chronic illnesses and health problems either wholly or partially attributable to diet represent by far the most serious threat to public health. Sixty-five percent of adults aged ≥20 y in the United States are either overweight or obese, and the estimated number of deaths ascribable to obesity is 280184 per year. More than 64 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which represents the leading cause of mortality (38.5% of all deaths) in the United States. [...] Cancer is the second leading cause of death (25% of all deaths) in the United States, and an estimated one-third of all cancer deaths are due to nutritional factors, including obesity." (Cordain, et al.)
 
So, there are many ways that we as Americans can avoid spending too much money on too much food. As a couple, Adam and I could easily spend $400 a month on groceries. (That's about what I spent in college.) That's not including dining out. We decided that's a huge amount of money, and we don't want to spend that anymore. One thing that we did is quit dining out. Here's what we do instead (on special occasions):

Go to grocery store.

Buy steaks.

Buy asparagus.

Buy baking potatoes.

Grill steak.

Sautee asparagus.

Bake potatoes.

Spend $13.

You have a nice quality steak dinner for way less than half the price of a steak dinner for two at any restaurant.

Now what might wind up happening is you might become super boring and no one wants to hang out with you because you never want to go out to eat. Solution: invite people over for dinner and games. It's more fun than you think, especially if it's this game.

We have found that this lifestyle forces us to plan things out a little better, which takes some getting used to, especially if your usual solution to every meal crisis is, "Let's go grab a bite." However, in real numbers, we spend approximately $150 a month on groceries for two people. Now, you also have to take into consideration where we buy our groceries...

...If you have an Aldi Supermarket anywhere near you, go to it. The Wikipedia link will explain the store and why it saves you a ridiculous amount of money. Shopping at an Aldi store does take some getting used to. You have to bring your own bags if you don't want your food rolling around in the back of the car or to carry it under your arms on a bike. If you forget bags, Aldi would be more than happy to give you some - at ten cents for plastic and six cents for paper. You also have to plan your diet and meals around what they have available. I have been known to go to an Aldi store for 90% of my ingredients and to a regular supermarket for the things Aldi doesn't carry. We have easily halved our grocery bill by using Aldi. A weekly trip to Aldi costs about $35. A weekly trip to a supermarket of almost any other variety costs about $60-70.

The other thing we do is eat very little meat. We can stretch a chicken breast between the two of us for a very satisfying meal. The main event is usually the vegetables and grains instead of meat. Think of meat more as a flavoring agent than the actual entree (if you eat meat at all).

 If it had worked, 

this is where 

I would have put 

a picture

of Adam 

cutting 

a frozen chicken 

breast in half 

with a hand saw.

I leave you with this quote from Proverbs 13:22-23:
 "A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away."