This small farm teems with life, and though death is a part of why they are all here, the focus is on the needs of the moment. Ted doesn’t like to discuss too much about slaughter for a couple of reasons: He raises his animals to give them a good life, to connect with them, and to give people a source of healthy and sustainable food. The death is always hard- there is no easy way around it, and it is also the smallest part. As we walk up the steep slope, Ted mumbles something about people needing to eat less meat. There, in the animals’ space this is a clear conclusion. If we are going to eat animals, they should live like this- If they are going to be able to live like this, there will have to be a lot less of them (but, a lot more farmers!). Ted could have more animals but too large a scale compromises his relationship with them.

It is clear that Ted wrestles every day with the difficulty of his task of raising friends for others’ food. He seems to reconcile this with the fact (Ted and I share the view that this fact is not really arguable) that humans are omnivores and if he doesn’t raise animals for food in this way, more animals will be raised in ways deprive them of a good life, one in which they can live out their days using their full instinct and potential.

I didn’t have a chance to really get into a full conversation with Ted about these ideas on this visit, so I don’t want to go further and risk putting words in his mouth. But I know he has a lot more to say and I hope to visit again and share more. Ted is the farmer from whom I buy meat the most often (what little I buy) and I often see him weekly. He is a very thoughtful man and I appreciate how much love he gives to my meals.

It is an emotional thing, seeing the animals you will eat. So forgive me if this post is a little heavier. But I think its important to acknowledge that eating meat isn’t a simple act, nor should it ever really be easy. It isn’t the act of eating per se but the ease we have created that has really made meat consumption a problem. An easy thing in terms of production and an easy thing in terms of what little we experience, and how far we are from the creature living out a life. (That life demands some death is a fact that makes this idea of test-tube meat all the more disturbing and so reductionist, as if we could be nourished on something that didn’t eat, that didn’t live at all)

As with many dilemmas about food, I again come to the conclusion that it is really important to spend more money on food, especially on those products from animals. When weighing price options, consider what corners were cut to provide whatever you might be saving.  It isn’t an easy choice, but I think 1) it is important to be honest that for most of us, spending on food is about choices, and 2) that it is only fair for us to make some sacrifices in return. Ted’s meat is just about the most expensive I could get. Ground beef is $7/lb. So I can’t buy very much, and I think Ted agrees that’s probably for the best.

                          

I have begun working on other print projects since this piece was published, but it is now online and available to share. So share I will. The article is based on an interview with my granddad who grew up in the East Bay (where I currently live) in the Great Depression. We talked about eating, buying food, labor issues, family, and all those issues that come up when you talk about what we eat. Read on in the current issue of Edible East Bay

                          

Consumer spending is close to 70% of our national economy, therefore we should never underestimate the impact our individual choices have on the overall system. We are not individual households engaged in the process of buying goods that is somehow separate from our neighbor’s ability to buy goods and support themselves. The economy is strained because our system operates with a eye only to the bottom line.  This priority has cut out workers and thus reduced the amount of consumers. By making decisions simply based on increasing the difference between spending and incomes, companies have undercut the sustainability of our communities.

Will anything change if households operate in the same way? We have to reassess the standards by which we make our spending choices, thinking beyond simple subtractions. Clearly we only have so much to spend and must make choices within that amount. But the majority of us have been guided to spend our money on as much as possible for as cheap as possible. If we shift the amount of stuff we buy to spend more on goods that support our neighbors, our bodies, and our environment we are taking the power we have as consumers and doing something about the mess the nation (world) faces financially.

Two recent New York Times articles have addressed the high costs of high quality food. In a post titled “When Money Is Tight, and Junk Food Beckons” health writer Tara Parker-Pope asks “How much does it really cost to eat a healthy diet?” She goes on to write about a couple who spent 30 days seeing what they could eat on a dollar a day, an extreme budget that reflects what many impoverished people around the world are able to spend on food including some American families with very limited food stamp allowances. A worthwhile experiment to be sure, but Parker-Pope doesn’t really answer her own question and she could also have asked a better question relevant to most of us with more choices than a dollar a day food budget: How much does it really cost, the nation and world as a whole, for people to eat unhealthy diets?

In “Budgets Squeezed, Some Families Bypass Organics” the decline in spending on organic (mostly processed, packaged) foods is addressed. Unfortunately this article doesn’t compare the decline in all spending compared to the identified slump in organic goods, so its hard to say if this trend really shows a unique change in spending. It also doesn’t looks at spending on organic whole foods (bulk grains, veggies, butcher meats etc) compared with processed or value added foods (which are by far the easiest way to spend too much on food).

Many [vendors of organic goods] are worried that if the economy continues to flounder, consumers — particularly those who only occasionally shop for their products — may decide they can no longer afford to let their conscience dictate their shopping list.

If it’s not values then what does guide us in the grocery aisle?

NPR’s Marketplace had a more encouraging report on the ways in which many people are looking at their tighter budgets and letting values trump. That is to say we may now be taking a broader look at our overall spending, across all areas beyond food, and how we use what we buy to prioritize certain goods that will often be more expensive in unit to unit price comparisons.

Here is what they say in this Marketplace report:

When Whole Foods reports its quarterly earnings on Wednesday, analysts expect to see sales growth between 0 and 1 percent… Which is not to say that consumers are ready to throw in the towel on organic food. What they are doing, is buying in bulk from organic wholesalers or shopping more at Whole Foods’ competition — lower-cost local grocery chains and food co-ops. Barth Anderson is a director at The Wedge food co-op in Minneapolis. He says business is up.

Barth Anderson : It’s wonderful, actually. The downturn in the economy has really brought a lot of people home. They don’t say, “Well, we’re going to order a pizza.” They actually cook.

But, will they keep buying more expensive organic ingredients to do that cooking? Sam Fromartz thinks they will. He’s author of the book “Organic Inc.”

Sam Fromartz: Consumers, if they really believe in the value of organic foods, they’re going to continue to buy it because it’s what they’re putting into their bodies. So, they’re going to cut back in other areas. They’re going to try to get them for as cheap as they can.

Daily reports on the role of slowed spending in the current recession reminds us of our purpose as consumers. As depressing as this fact might be the exchange of goods and services can be something fulfilling and meaningful.

In a simpler world there would be no question if you should buy the cheapest good when you have less money. But these are not simple times and buying cheap food limits others’ ability to support themselves and undercuts our own health. Paying more for better food supports more positive things than you could ever buy with the few dollars and cents you kept individually. I think we are ready for better questions that get to the complexity of the choices we really have in front of us, and if the decisions we make aren’t based in what we think is right, what kind of world are we buying into?

                          

The extent of the global economic crisis has understandably taken the majority of media attention in the last few months, and will likely continue to with the implications of the presidential election and the various decisions coming from the fed, but only in a few cases has the media brought up that everyday people have been having household level economic crises for the last few years. High debt, stagnant wages, more and more uncertainty. So I think its fair to say that while there has been more talk about thrift many of us have been at it for a while. And as more people pay more attention to their spending, and clearly they are cutting back, I think it is crucial that we not get tunnel vision when thinking about our personal economic situation. Now more than ever to we need to prioritize our spending so it supports workers, the environment, and health. These are investments. So while we need to personally cut back we need to be ever more aware of the impact of our consumer choices. Are the choices we make allowing other families to weather the economic issues. Or are we saving personally by undercutting others’ wages? (*cough* *cough* Wal-Mart).

Read the full post on this here

                          

She asked me about essential foods I keep on hand and how to deal with the eating at the rushed times during the day at breakfast and lunch.

Here’s something I know about my friend; she is a good cook. The problems she is having are not ultimately about a lack of skill, but a lack of inspiration from what she has on hand and feeling drained with the rest of life to take the time to cook. It seems like she is in a difficult cycle where her lack of time limits her creativity and ability to think through recipes so she goes out for more expensive food which limits her ability to spend a bit more at the store or market to get inspiring and easy foods to cook. I also know that she doesn’t really enjoy her job, so it’s even more frustrating that by giving so much of her energy to joylessly earning money she doesn’t have the time to live how she should like to live.

Given that many of us are in work that is not ultimately fulfilling it is even more important to make sure those hours we have outside of work are used wisely and towards meaningful, uplifting things. It is crucial to look at what those hours at work are paying for and whether or not the fruits are worth the labor, so to speak. Most of us see the majority of our paycheck go to housing. So unless you are living in a place beyond your means, that cost is going to be constant. There are other constants like insurance and debt payments. But much of our spending is up to us. The category of “non-essentials” can really be expanded to most of our living expenses. Particularly when you frame your expenses as hours working. Are the things we own and use worth this time?

Audit your spending, the things you own, what you do with your time and make sure you’re really getting what you want.

Then you can think about your grocery list. Where is your money going in the products that you buy? On a personal level does the food you buy make you feel good? Are you getting a balanced diet? What did you pay for in that food- packaging, processing, sugar, plastic, advertising? How did that purchase help or hinder a just and healthy community. Did your hard earned dollars go to an international corporation, or stay in your area? Did you help a family make a living?

While it’s easy to get overwhelmed by these questions what you are actually doing is narrowing down your choices and ultimately making choosing food much easier. There are only so many products that get positive answers to these questions of how the food makes us feel, are we being good local consumers by buying it? When I walk into a store I no longer feel bombarded with the infinite choices provided, I know that there are limits to what I will spend my scarce dollars on and I decide between only the products that meet those requirements.

Not only are there limits on the products I will buy, but there is also a clear limit on the money I will spend. Often, but not always, the products I will purchase are going to be more expensive than those I prefer not to support.

You are paying for different things with either choice. For conventional vegetables you pay for long distance transport, with packaged and/or processed foods you are paying for the marketing, transportation, labor.
For local and or organic food you support a family’s livelihood and way of life, clean air and water and soil, happy animals, living wages, healthcare.

Where I save with conventional we all pay eventually elsewhere. Where I spend with organic my community reaps the benefits in a cooler planet, healthier body (cheaper to care for), smaller landfills, a more stable and equal economy. Seems like a bargain now doesn’t it?

Additionally, assess your waste and buy less: waste in packaging, uncooked or un eaten food, how much of what you buy gets thrown away? (If you reflect the national average, that would about 14% of what you buy) and also waste in excess eating (how much of what you eat gets wasted trying to burn it off?)

Americans spend a smaller percentage of their income on food than people in any other country. We have seen food prices rise recently but are paying an historically low amount of what we make on food. In personal budgeting advice you will read that most people underestimate the amount of money they will or do spend on food. People end up overspending their budget because they were not realistic about how much they buy. This is only compounded by the recent increases in the price of food.

Here is how it plays out for us:

We have simplified our budgeting process by laying out the set expenses, the food and other shared items, and then the rest is up to us to spend or save. We have “personal cash” that goes to choices like clothing, getting lunch or dinner out or other treats, yoga, etc. Basically it comes down to those priorities and while we set them as a couple, we have a certain amount of free reign with the non-essentials. You can see we have a lot of our monthly income going to debt, and we didn’t stay exactly on target. It’s a learning process every month

While most Americans spend just under 10% of their income on food, we spend closer to 15%. So in many ways, when I discuss eating well on a tight budget it means looking at your overall spending in a new way.

That said, the one thing about a grocery bill is that most people buy much more at the store than food. So some of what you see in our grocery budget includes paper towels, toothpaste, shampoo etc. So our actual food spending is somewhat less.

Here is an illustration of other ways that we save:

Okay, so now I am at the store, with specific products I will and won’t buy, and a set budget to spend. What do I buy? I start with vegetables. In fact I don’t start at the store at all but the farmer’s market. We bring $20 to the market and we get what we can for the week. This means no meat, cheese, or prepared food just fruits and vegetables. The month of September (and October even more so) required less spending at the market due to the produce from the garden.

I start with in season vegetables and base the meals for the week on what I get. This is a great source of inspiration. I try to make sure these meals will provide enough leftovers to two of us to eat lunch after two have eaten dinner. Examples aplenty.

After the foundation of vegetables I shop in terms of meals. Beans, pasta, rice, other grains, eggs, ingredients for baking, oils and fats, some meats and dairy (yogurt, quart of milk, some cheese), spices and some sauces and broth. Then we get a few things that make life easier like snacks- popcorn, a bag of chips, salsa, rice cakes, peanut butter and jam. So its a progression to make sure the healthiest and most useful items for full meals are bought first and in the most abundance and then up from there until you’re at the set budget.

So, that is our process and what I can share. I think it’s wonderful to be inspired by food, prioritize the process and a way to spend time together. Learn new things, making it easier and easier each time. It’s hard to go wrong with simple and fresh ingredients. It seems to me that the economic situation will make the idea of people thinking of cooking a hobby sort of an absurdity, since we all eat we should all learn to manage that need in a way that is fun, engaging, and within our means.

And Delicious!

                          

The answers to these questions usually lead me to either more whole or bulk foods, which tend to be cheaper (especially with the farmer’s markets) or to something that is more expensive than any of the other choices. This usually happens with dairy products, the best example being the price I pay for milk.

We have chosen to buy only raw milk, which is unpasteurized, from grass-fed cows. The grass-fed milk has Omega three fats and the raw is good for our guts. (see post below)We could decide that because of our budget we could buy twice as much regular organic milk for the price of the raw, and maybe four times as much of the conventional type. But first we prefer to vote with our (few) dollars- I simply can’t support the industry that produces the mass amounts of conventional milk- bad for the land, cows, and me- I don’t really need that much milk that isn’t contributing anything beneficial to me except some protein and added vitamin d (all available elsewhere). We simply buy a half gallon per week. I will also opt for less or none of something else to be able to buy this delicious milk.

This works out for a lot of the products which I choose to pay more for. I can still fit them into my budget by simply buying less. When deciding to put some ground grass-fed beef in some spaghetti sauce I can ask the butcher counter for 1/4 lbs. A whopping buck and a half and plenty of organic meaty sauce for two (Spaghetti sauce is one of the first things I decided I would never buy from a jar)

With nice cheeses I do the same. I ask the cheese counter to cut the cheese down to the price I’m willing to pay- and savor what I get.

This doesn’t mean I just buy smaller amounts more often as we only go to the store once a week. We also only buy one or two non-meal items a week (snacks etc)

If there is hesitation to buy less, and opt for the cheaper less sustainable products, think how much food goes to waste. Is all the food bought actually prepared and eaten? If not, you should buy less regardless of what you buy.

Also, there isn’t much debate on the fact that we eat too much in general. There are more than just personal cost savings in reducing the amount of food we consume.

Cutting down on food waste by using what all you buy and buying less to begin with will save the amount spent on the better food.

                          

The trick now is to know what that money is for. Obviously for “living expenses”. But my cost of living has always just expanded to fit my income.

Once I got to a place where we might not make rent, it became very clear that previously we hadn’t been just covering the basics. We were spending money because we could and then starting again at the same place each month.

Making enough seems to create a mindset of extra money. We feel that in order to maintain a level of normalcy that money should be spent.

The other state of mind that created these habits is the intention/plan that we will someday make more. This is dangerous. These habits just get worse.

Being in a tighter situation it finally occurred to me in a real way, instead of a general philosophical way that I need to re-define my basic expenses. Otherwise, why do I work? Where am I going? It’s one thing to work part time and try to make ends meet and really just be plain poor. And another to make good money and never feel like I have any, and work all the time.

For a while I have tried to keep in mind the concept of satisfaction through rejecting a desire rather than fulfilling it. I promise it’s not so puritanical, and only applies to material goods/desires. The trick for me is applying this to more and more things that seem reasonable given my new income.

GetRichSlowly has a nice discussion on this. The overall issue is “lifestyle inflation” and the real heart of it, is being satisfied with what you have.

I will say that many of the discussions on cutting costs start at a higher level of consumerism that most of us are at. We wouldn’t have bought a new car or any car at all, we can’t really afford brand new things anyway. We already feel like we’ve pared down our consumption relatively far, so how much further could we go? But then we’re still in the place of just working through all our time and spending all our money, so something must change.

This idea of satisfaction really should go hand in hand with understanding our purpose for work. And our enjoyment of work. If we are working too hard, doesn’t it seem good to get to a different level of satisfaction or basic living and then work less…and maybe be happier?

Here’s an interesting source of inspiration for getting creative with our idea of work.

In thinking about purpose, I am working at this full time job to:

• support our little household while one is in school.
• get out of old habits, pay for old mistakes, and build the savings.

I will commit to:

• Redefining our baseline and our priorities of money. The more I spend now, the more I have to work later.
• not indefinitely putting off working less and living that good simple life.

GetRichSlowly has really been a great resource for me in this. From the discussions on budgeting I found this program, Pear Budgeting. I like it for the endless capacity for custom categories and because it makes you enter your receipts. This is going to be the hardest part, because why would you spend your time with this…but how else will you really know where the money goes? And is does all the math etc. Just going through the first step of entering in guesstimates of expenses and seeing how it all adds up was a good start.

A lot of this is common sense passed on through adages over the years, now with some experience and real pressure it’s all sinking in.

                          

Get Rich Slowly has bee great resource for the nuts and bolts on the process for getting out of debt and increasing savings my cutting costs, simplifying spending and getting creative.

For the most part I think many of friends would benefit from the discussions there, specifically the original post on his reviews of books on personal finance. (Which is very well written and much appreciated because I would probably never sit down and read them)

I’ve started on some of the ideas of debt snowball, a high yield savings account, etc. What I felt was missing from the discussion was how to cut spending but ensure that what you do spend your money on is quality (healthy for you, the world, and the people who produce it). Well, it shows it takes a while to get to know a good blog and I found the points I was looking for, both on the general idea of quality and addressing my need to continue to buy expensive organic products while knowing I really can’t afford to (but knowing the world can’t afford not to…that sort of thing)

I have to say that buying organic produce is not the problem. This is does easily and enjoyably at the many farmer’s markets in the area. In fact without my weekly trip to the farmer’s market I would be spending way more on food than I feel like I already do. We take 20 bucks in cash and load up. Last week we made the mistake of spending almost 10 on just wild mushrooms and the rest went to enough veggies to last us just fine.

But all the other stuff, organic shampoo, and local organic butter, and (yes) raw milk. For the most part I think that both living simply by only spending on quality goods will work out to be the easiest, the most effecient, and the most cost saving. The higher quality, non-mass-market products will last longer and keep me healthier. It just seems so obvious. The problem is at the given moment we should be spending the least amount possible. But I just can’t seem to make myself do it. So I’m figuring out how to make it work. With debt, no savings, and barely enough income- when I buy, I’m still going to buy right.