In the next week, IRLF will be launching a series called "Frugal Feeds" aimed at providing cost-effective recipes and budget-conscious grocery shopping tips to help you eat well without padding the credit card bill. If you have a recipe you'd like to share,
submit it here with a brief anecdote and we'll be sure to post it.
Before we get underway, though, we'd like to know how the global recession has impacted – if at all – your eating habits. These are not robust times, and with hundreds of thousands of American jobs cut each month, even those with relative financial security have found themselves cutting back where they can. Food, basic as it may be, is no exception.
I know people who have downgraded from rib eyes to rice and beans; people used to eating out five times a week who have suddenly discovered their kitchens; otherwise mindful people who insist that food is the one thing they won't skimp on; and, finally, those who continue to lunch daily on $9 turkey sandwiches like it's 2007 (or 1999, or 1928...).
We'd like to hear your stories, strategies, philosophies, etc., whatever they might be. Have you started taking your lunch to work/school more often? Stocked up on more store brands? Maybe started making your own coffee?
How has the recession affected how you eat?
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Comments (16)
It really has effected my diet, I have to pack my lunch for work now instead of eating out. I like to eat out way to much! I have to cut back because I have to put my money else were. I do however manage to eat out at least once every week.
~Alexx
well, in a way, yes. we don't eat out as much. and i love going out to restaurants.
i just stopped eating all together. if lucky, i will eat once a week
Oh, good idea :)
It seems counter-intuitive, but the Recession actually has me eating Healthier than I used to.
This is because I used to have an insane monthly food budget allocated; and once hard times came I had to cut back a lot -- in doing that, I realized that I needed to go back to cooking 95% of my meals. Not only has it saved me a lot of money, it's also made me a lot Healthier. Now I live on roughly $300 a month for food; yet I'm still eating nicely I think.
LEARN TO COOK! It's not only Love, it saves money too.
Another thing people don't realize a lot of times is that if a dish costs $10-15 dollars in a restaurant, most of the time, assuming you have a relatively standard pantry stock, you can make the same dish at about $2-3 dollars a head, serving 2-4.
I'll be contributing to this series, for sure.
we just stop eating out as much. I cook from scratch more.
At work I now get stuff on Wendy's dollar menu and at home I live off ramen.
I eat at home a lot more than before. I also bring my lunch to work a lot more often as the $6 rolls start to add up after a while. I think it is better for me though as I am learning to really like cooking and foraging the internet for recipes as well. I also frequent farmers markets a lot more often and plan my meals around what is on sale at the supermarket.
I'd like to say the recession stopped my binging and purging... and the 30-40 dollar a day habit I used to spend on food. But they just happened to coincide with each other.
Mostly I just stopped being so picky. "But I have to have Fiber one raisin bran... I HATE KELLOGG'S!" and I stopped buying so much organic. Switched back to regular milk whenever my stomach can withstand it. Went back to regular yogurts/cheese. Learned to deal with chemicals on vegetables and fruits. I have a budget of 200-230 for myself, depending.
it hasnt really affect my diet...maybe cut out a few more expensive things like seafood and replacing them with a less pricey item like more veg and fruits. but its usually down to shopping elsewhere that sells the same thing but at a lower price. i can't imagine how the farmers are doing....
Not really. I've always been on the poor side, so I eat out as little as possible (and when I do it's from a value meal or with an uber coupon).
I’m trying to reduce my weekly grocery shopping from ~$50 to $30. I pay more attention now to what's on sale at the grocery. Some minor things I’ve learned:
Buy canned sardines. High in omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, calcium (if you eat the bones), protein; low in saturated fat and calories. Unlike larger, more expensive predatory fish (e.g., shark, swordfish, and tuna), sardines don’t have much mercury or other pollutants in them. They also don't need to be cooked. I really like eating sardine sandwiches.
Pasta sauce and peanut butter. Cheap and flavorful, with numerous uses. For example, pasta sauce over steamed vegetables; peanut butter to make a peanut sauce to throw over chicken or noodles. I mean, I'm not going to invite my mom over to eat that, but it's easy and cheap and good enough for me...
Don’t buy raisin bran; buy bran and buy raisins.
It’s cheaper, and bran usually is not covered in sugar like raisin bran is.
Some cheap but nutritious foods are oatmeal, whole grain bread, brown rice, black beans, and nonfat plain yogurt. Many things are cheaper if purchased dry or in bulk.
It isn't so much that the recession has impacted how I eat, but the fact that I moved out of my parents' house O_O. I almost always bring my lunch to work/school and I sometimes bail on eating out with friends, which is sad, because socializing around food is the best.
No it hasn't. I hardly went out to eat as it was before the Recession. I always packed my lunch for work b/c it's healthier. Lucky the recession hasn't had an impact on a lot for me. I have great job security and am still working a lot of overtime.
Recession hasn't impacted me. I'm in Australia, and am a full time uni student, and all of my friends are still happy to splurge on food.
I think recession has more impact on families, I know that large supermarket chains are marketing recipes to feed a family of four for under 10 dollars (AUS) a meal. A couple of months ago, only one supermarket had these type of recipes, but now all the supermarkets are following suite. So I think it does have an impact and it's also increasing their sales.
@chow - yeah i can relate to your post because the recession has forced us, me and my family to eat vegetables which we rarely eat at dinner........>>>