What are you doing about it?

[Spirit Deer]

There's a lot of angst on forums like these, in the news, on Wall Street, and all over about rising prices, especially about the higher costs of food.

So what are you doing about it? Do you just grin and bear it while you fork over the extra cash, or are you stepping up and making real changes that can save you money? Are you increasing your knowledge base? Adding to your self-sufficiency skills? What?

We've built a new garden area this year, and we're taking careful notes of what has worked and not worked. We have never been good gardeners, but we have a renewed interest in gardening and are working harder, doing more research, and taking better care of our garden than ever before, and overall it's been working well. Our plants look beautiful and their production is way up. For the plants that aren't doing so well, we've done more research and now have a better understanding of what went wrong, so that can be corrected next year.

When we remodeled our kitchen last winter, I made sure to include storage areas for canning jars, canners, and all other canning equipment I have. It's no longer buried in the garage where it got so dirty there was a major disincentive to use it. It was so inconvenient, that alone made me resistant to its use. I also got rid of the pressure canner I had that had a gauge in favor of one with a weight, so it does not have to be checked for accuracy annually. I like it much better and so am more inclined to use it. I've been canning stuff I've never canned before, and learning a lot.

We added another apple tree to the roster. It didn't produce anything this year, but in a few years we're hoping to have apples from our own trees to make all kinds of things.

I planted more asparagus, and will be starting even more from seed next spring to plant.

I'm in the process of designing a new garden space for next year, so we can increase yields to the point where we have something to can and freeze.

I'm also planning an indoor winter dirt garden for small scale production of things like green onions and other easy-to-grow produce. I have already started three Aerogardens (hydroponic) with cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes, so we'll have those to eat next winter. I'm considering building a larger hydroponic system as well.

We picked more wild raspberries this year and used them fresh. We started a strawberry patch and planted a currant bush. Somebody who was not us ate all the results of those two experiments, so we're researching how to keep the wild beasties away from our produce.

We experimented with crops we had not grown before, like kohlrabi and ground cherries.

I've been trying a lot of new recipes in an effort to replace processed foods, such as crackers, breads, and other items loaded with fat, calories, and chemicals we don't want, with homemade goods that taste better, cost less, and are healthier for us. I've always been a scratch cook but I'm ramping up my efforts even further lately, mostly for health reasons, but saving money is a very nice side benefit.

We've become perimeter shoppers to a great degree, and skip most of the stuff in the inner aisles of the grocery stores.

I'm also ramping up my writing efforts. I don't expect ever to get rich writing since most writers don't, but I can absolutely bring in a few more dollars even though I live in an economically depressed area with few opportunities for income. I have realistic goals for myself and my career.

I'm the kind of person who, if I encounter a problem, tries to figure out how to fix it. I can't stop prices from rising, but I can darn sure start working on how to cut our own personal costs and improve the quality of our lives in the process.

Sitting around complaining and worrying about it all isn't going to fix anything for any of us.

So what are you doing about it?

[Lady_V]

I'm a condo dweller and what veggies I did manage to plant have grown in to wonderful sticks *sigh*

I've been trying to add to the stockpile bit by bit, although we've also been taking from it more than I am putting in. It's a work in progress and also a sign of things to come. I need to rethink our eating.

Diva and OldMan are omnivores - no getting away from that... but, I am looking more at recipes made with ground meats that I can easily stretch with some oats, ground nuts, whatever I can.

Also working on portion control... been slacking on that a bit. I bought a 1 pound piece of pork, Diva had 4 ounces of it and he gobbled up the rest.

We're working to pay off the HELOC and should have that paid off the first week in December and then we can focus more on things to help prep.

He did say I can have an Excalibur months back, but I wasn't ready to make that sort of commitment yet... now I am.

No real BIG changes here... a grin and bear it situation because there isn't much more we CAN do than try to stock up on the increasing-priced foods before it gets too crazy and save up to replace it later.

[Jayne]

We revived our garden this year after years of it being grassed over. I have been freezing everything that we have been picking. I had canning equipment years ago, but gave it to dd. I plan on getting some for next year a little at a time, when I find used or new marked down.
I want to do a lot of garden planning this winter to make it more productive next year. I would like to add some raspberry bushes. We have plenty of room for additional planting.
I would love to have chickens and we can but I cannot get dh on board. Mainly his complaint is that we would need someone to care for them when we go away.
Also I try desperately to coupon and find deals. The town we live in has not 1 but 2 Giant grocery stores(expensive) less than 3 miles apart , Redner's market(expensive), Aldi, Getting a super walmart( don't like) and a Bottom Dollar is opening soon(never been too). So I mostly shop at Aldi's and Redner's if I have coupons.

[Menifeemom]

I have been stocking up on reduced for quick sale meat to vac. seal and freeze for later. I have increased the amount of food I cook from scratch and am now buying baking supplies in bulk. We have cut out all convenience snack foods and I am now making them. We are eating seasonal foods and I am now dishing up the servings for everyone in the kitchen, so they can't just load up on the main dish. I have also started having at least one soup night and one baked potato night per week.

[nodmicks]

Honestly we are doing nothing different SO far. We already garden, have our own chickens for eggs and have apple trees. We already hunt and fish. We need to leartn how to preserve the bounty better.

However we are going to start stocking up on dry beans etc more than the dozen bags we normally have. We are looking into a pressure canner. We are looking into raising a few cows since we have a 10 acre hayfield and an empty barn.

[shoiji]

I have decided that for the next 15 months I will be going into drastic saving mode. I plan on saving as much money each month that I can. Realize that the economy is going to take awhile before things get atleast stable. Having some sense of financial stability will help ease the bumpy ride.

I do have a pretty good stockpile going on right now. Also have discovered that white beans with fried eggs is quite tasty. So I plan on eating this twice a week. Soon I will plant the spinach seeds. Once fall starts I will go back to eating more greens like kale and collards.

Since being on frugal village I have learned a great deal and am up for learning more ways to stay frugal.

[Ramona]

Not much has changed here. No garden because I have a bad back. One container with two Big Boy plants; one lousy green tomato .

Still shopping marked down meats and produce, pasta sales, making dough in my bread machine. I have instant coffee stockpiled.

So far, so good .

[mh3rdwheel]

I have been stocking up on meat sales and fruit and veggie sales, next year I plan on doing a garden, I will go more to Jebbias right now for cheap veggies, also fruit. Use my bread machine more for bread, and pizza dough.

I will eat less meat, I love mac and cheese with taco meat, yummy.

[Imarachne]

Our garden wasn't the best this year but we managed to freeze alot and I've been clipping coupons a lot more. I had stopped because the sales seemed to be on beer, sodas and chips/smacks. I won't use as many but every bit counts !

[savvy_sniper]

I am constantly looking for new ways to cut corners/save money. I am trying new recipes, cooking in bulk, etc. I am so glad I have my stockpile! I ONLY buy loss leaders, items on sale, items I have a coupon for, etc. I don't spend ANY money on groceries I don't have to! There is a new store with good prices (Joe V's) but it is across town. I have only been once, but they have some really good prices.

So my grocery shopping is now spread between Kroger, HEB, WalMart, Joe V's, Big Lots, salvage store, Amazon.com, honeyvillegrain.com, local fruit and veggie grower, and bread store. It takes more time, but I am definitely keeping my costs down.

I sell online and my sales are still decent. I am contemplating getting a part-time job and using the money to pay off hubby's Harley (mine is paid for), putting more in savings, and then start paying extra on the mortgage. Both of our trucks have been paid for for years. We are contemplating selling them both and buying one new(er) vehicle (paying cash).

I am going to look into buying dog food (dry and canned) in bulk online and/or at a feed store but only if I can save some money. We have three large dogs. I currently stock up when I find sales or find it at the salvage store.

My tomato plants didn't do to well this year (drought and excessive heat). I am planning on expanding my garden a little at a time.

It's work in progress. There is always room for improvement.

[Starlight9803]

we've been getting our garden back into shape after it has sat the past 2 years while I was working full time. Also expanding it. It won't be ready for this year, but will be ready to go for spring planting.

I too am stocking up on reduced meats and sale priced veggies. Putting them in freezer and dehydrating some for the pantry. I got lax about making so much from scratch while I was working, but am now getting back to making things on my own to save money.

We have also started foraging (blackberries, blueberries, persimmons, mulberries, etc) and adding those to the stockpile. Also, I'm really watching our portion sizes and no longer let the kids just graze throughout the day. They get 3 squares and a snack, no bites of this and that all day, since they were wasting a ton of food that way. Drinking more water, or tea sometimes with meals. No more soda. We also have cut out most of our "extras" (chips, fruit snacks, etc).

[alotofgooddeals]

if it is not a necessity than i am not buying it....except for on a really strict budget we re redoing the bedrooms in hopes of selling the house in a couple of years maybe once the house market decides to go up instead of down...and then would like to buy something we can pay cash for...and not have a mortgage payment...we shall see...however during this time i plan on putting away as much money as possible to...and stocking up on good deals...

[khaski]

I have been working on the food/hba stockpiles, which have been growing steadily bit by bit. I am not a big Gardner, attempts at growing corn, tomatoes and peppers last year were rather a waste. But, just last week I tried canning for the first time, with decent results. We now have 8 jars of blackberry jam courtesy of the wild blackberry plants lining our yard. Plan to ask my neighbor about their Apple set-up later this fall...in years past they have gone to a local orchard once the season ends, to get lots of free apples. If I can do the same, I plan to make/store applause. Trying to do more myself. Have already thought ahead to fall, starting next month I plan on 2 crock pot meals a week and ' hodge podge' left overs soup 2xs a month to try to help shrink the grocery bill a bit.

[Spirit Deer]

Lots of great ideas. Thanks, everyone!

I had just about given up on us ever being able to get anything to grow, until we made a bunch of self-watering planters out of cat litter pails two years ago. We sprang for the expensive, pre-fertilized dirt, and our stuff grew like crazy. That gave us hope. We had amazing tomato plants in those planters last year, but no tomatoes. But everyone else had the same problem, so that helped us not feel like failures. But we learned it's entirely possible for us to grow stuff successfully. Finally! My point is, if you're trying and not succeeding, don't give up!

I was looking at my Weight Watchers cookbooks today. I noticed many of the recipes use a lot less meat than other recipe books. Their emphasis is more often on adding lots of veggies instead. I'm starting to really like the idea of eating less meat. We're total carnivores so will never be vegetarian, but for health reasons and to save money, it seems like a good idea to start viewing meat more as a condiment. So once again, it seems our cooking and eating habits are on the verge of changing.

I agree, there's is always something new to learn and always a way to improve what I'm already doing.

[scooby8themall]

Due to a back injury and being let go from my job my income has gone down I was upset at first but then I was thinking I can do this
I have more time to cook ,read and learn new things like I did not know you could freeze tomato's or onions. I am cooking more eating out less I'm not running all my gas out getting to work and back .
I'm not as stressed as I was about getting every thing done .I have time to check all the sales fliers and shop for the best possible deals .
I have a decent stock pile so I just add to it every week , people are giving me free produce and I check the blogs every day for freebies, going to Shaw's because of the double coupons and Save A lot not spending money unless it's a need , shopping thrift stores and yard sales . I also look for berries that I can pick for jams and jellies instead of paying high prices for them . Trying Generic brands instead of brand names . I check Walgreen's 3 times a week they have a clearance section and I can some great bargains there .
I use a lot coupons and I also shop at the commissary they are also coupon friendly , filling the freezers with veggies and fish meat .
I also do the mark down meats and freeze them .
I have learned so much from FV every one of you have bought some really great ideas to the forums I enjoy reading the post because I learn so much it helping through this difficult time in my life thank- you so much .