A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
Everyone is aware of the drought this past month. With our lawns turning a crisp golden brown, to finding our flower gardens wilted every morning. The drought has hit most of central and eastern United States. This drought has seen extreme to moderate drought conditions, the worst since 1988. Hitting the largest corn growing states of Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky, the average crop of corn yielded 146 bushels per acre, down 20 bushels of 164 per acre. Although farmers had planted the largest crop since 1937 in anticipation of an improved economy and increased demand from developing countries, the drought will undoubtedly affect this year’s crop. The drought has a domino effect starting with the corn crop and moving onto other items before they even reach our kitchen table as a meal. Most corn is sold to feed livestock and the price per bushel is 50% higher than expected. What used to cost $50 to $60 to feed per head of cattle, has seen a 6% increase. And the drought, not playing favorites has affected the soy crop, and its products and by-products go into everything from our cereal, vitamins to our cooking oil. Now is the time to start saving on your food bill for this fall and winter. There are many ways to save, and I’ve compiled a list for you. You may want to clip this list, post it on your fridge or share a copy with a friend or family member.
The best and easiest way to save right now is to visit your local farmers market. Buying fresh local produce, and washing and freezing it, will ensure you and your family get the most nutrients this winter. Canning food is another great way to preserve food, which deserves an entire article on its own.
Make a budget and meal plan for the week. You’ll know what to buy, what you are cooking every night and be less likely to buy take-out.
Make sure you know what you have in your cabinets, cupboards and pantry.
Make sure you know what you have in your freezer.
Buy a freezer, even a used one will give you years of good service.
Buy the Sunday paper and clip coupons.
Visit websites devoted to coupons. This can be time consuming so set aside one hour a week just for this.
Stack store coupons and manufacturer coupons for items.
Check store websites and join their money saving programs.
Keep a price list of what cost more and less in certain stores. Especially big staple items like flours, sugar, rice, milk and bread.
Bring a calculator to add as you go along.
Cook in large batches and freeze extra for other meals.
Cook from scratch
Cut back on meat – try “Meatless Monday”, cooking a meal using tofu or beans as the main dish. This not only saves you money, but is easier on your heart health.
Plant a vegetable garden, while it may be too late this year, plan and look forward to growing your own fresh and pesticide free veggies for next summer.
Hit local food markets.
Always fill out and check rebates.
Pick up extra bags of frozen veggies each time you shop saving them for this winter. Make sure to keep track of how long a veggie can be kept frozen. Buying late in the summer is the best bet for winter use.
Saving money can and should be a family thing, even when your children are not living with you. Family members could buy locally grown and raised sides of beef, bison or deer meat from local farmers and hunters. If buying a freezer seems too big for one or two people in a household, join forces with other family members to save money.
These are the top five coupon websites you may want to check out. There are many, many others you can find as well.
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