www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Savin' a buck

Since another thread has had some mention of the struggles to make ends meet we have all had, I thought it might be a good thing to compare notes and share ideas.

I mentioned starting a food buying coop and this might be something a parish might consider. A group of young married couples here used to buy produce, dairy products, bread and baked goods, and even meat together. We'd place our family order with the group a week in advance and then get together to divide up what we'd buy in common. There were meetings of the wives to decide what they could find bargains on and then negotiate with the grocery stores to obtain even greater mark downs by letting them know we'd take a case of something--they didn't have to unpack it; we'd just take the whole thing. Of course there was no buying a "pig in a poke"--they'd make sure the lettuce wasn't rotten or moldy, for example. And people weren't picky. If we were buying cheese, we'd be buying some big block of cheap orange cheese and the group would get together and cut it into equal sized chunks.

Then there is meat. Loretta and I talked to the meat manager of our grocery store and bought the whole chickens he intended to cut up and took them home ourselves to portion. We learned to take apart a chicken like a couple of pros. At that time, we saved enough that we could get twice as much for the same money. We also learned to grind our own beef by buying the cheap cuts whole and grinding them with a hand grinder. Saved a bundle there, too. We also bought when things were on sale.

One of our favorite recipes for kids was a simple one that can be made up in large quantities and is great leftover. It's a takeoff on a school recipe served in our cafeteria.

Ground beef, browned; elbow noodles, boiled; can of stewed tomatoes; jar of tomato sauce; salt and pepper. Put it together so its not dry--there is no wrong way. Our kids couldn't get enough and it was always welcome the second time around.

Homemade pizza: homemade dough stretched or shells in our bread section. Jar of sauce; pound piece of mozzarella; partially steamed vegetables. Garlic powder or fresh garlic; black pepper. Makes three medium pizzas for less than the price of one from the pizzeria.

Homemade vegetable soup: Soup starter, frozen, canned, or fresh vegetables (whatever you can get your hands on the chepest this week); V-8 juice for the broth. Simmer in large pot.

Always thank God you have something to eat, no matter how humble or how leftover.

A Simple Thanksgiving

Thank you, Lord, for making me who I am. Sometimes I wish I had another's talents. Sometimes I wish I had another's seeming luck, or position, or money, or power. But as long as I remember that You love me and walk with me and care for me I will be okay with whatever You send me. Thanks for everything. AMEN.


Keep the heat down in the winter. Plug up all the drafts you can. Wear heavy wool sweaters in the house--it's winter. Keep the drapes closed to stop heat transfer through the glass. (May seem like a cave, but it's a warm cave. )

Then there's the priceless area. Make a regular time for prayer as a family--something that does not stop because one person is not home on time: say 7 p.m. My grandparents said the rosary every night. There is certainly time to teach children the prayers of one's own tradition. Make it 10 minutes and just keep it simple. My grandparents always lit a candle and we competed to see who would blow it out when we were finished. This is the home church teaching period that will last forever in the minds and practice of your children.

Pray for your kids every day. If you want them to be godly, pray for them, instruct them, model behavior for them, and never waiver in what is important--Jesus Christ.

Prayer for one�s children and/or godchildren

Be mindful, O Lord, of my son, (Name), and my daughter, (Name), for whom I humbly pray and commend to Your gracious care and protection. Be, O Lord, their Guide and Guardian in all their endeavors. Lead them into the path of Your Truth. Draw them ever nearer to You. Grant that they may lead a god-fearing and righteous life, always in Your love. Grant that their souls, being helped by Your Grace and sanctified by Your Holy Mysteries, may be prepared for their passage to eternal life by a life that is now temperate, industrious, diligent, devout, and charitable. Have mercy on them and save them that they may finally attain to a Perfect Communion with You, Our God, both in this life and in the life to come. For to You are due all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. AMEN.


That's my contribution for tonight. Let's let others dive in.

Dear BOB,

You just gave a quick version of Italian bolognese sauce! The Greeks make it too. To make it a bit healthier and tastier, both Mediterranean countries saute a chopped onion in some olive oil, and then brown the meat with the onion ...add tomato sauce, as you said, maybe a little tomato paste and/or red wine, some basil, oregano, salt and pepper, toss with any kind of pasta, add some parmesan or romano cheese on top, and voila!

This is a dish that streeeeetches a dollar and a meal (something our parents and/or grandparents were quite adept at doing in the 'golden fifties'), and is really tasty to boot! Just like you said, children as well as adults love it!

Home cooking is definitely much healthier and cheaper than eating out. I even read an article recently that said that it doesn't matter what it is that you are cooking at home, just by the mere fact that you are cooking it at home, it is healthier and easier on the waist line and the scale!

Regards,
Alice

Bob,

Yet another practical and inspiring post ! Thank you, sir !

-- John

ALICE:

My children didn't like onions so I dropped them. Also I put this together so I could come home and put their dinner on the table in an hour when they were starved and Loretta couldn't make dinner for one reason or another. If you get good at it, you can put this together, and get back to work inside of an hour--something I did on many a night when funeral work called.

BOB

JOHN:

Another thing I've learned to do is to shop in second hand stores. I recently bought an almost new pair of jeans in such a place--original price $60.00 and I paid $15.00. And they were washed probably only once.

I also buy flannel shirts for winter wear when they go on sale. Since I wear them with heavy wool sweaters, the pattern doesn't matter and they can be worn until they're thin--who sees them anyway.

I also have been known to accept hand-me-downs from people who've worn these items one season and are throwing them away. I can then get another three to five years out of them.

Brew your coffee at home and take a thermos to work. Starbucks is expensive and your local quick-shopper isn't far behind.

Just some more thoughts this morning.

BOB

I'll add a few of my own . . .

-- good antique stores / markets / dollar stores can offer a wealth of items in good condition and at low prices

-- public libraries and inter-library loans allow me to read books without having to buy them

Just my two cents' worth.

-- John

A.) Brew you own beer (If you're a beer snob such as myself, you can save up to 50% by brewing your own quality craft brew, if you're not a beer snob, you're better off buying Miller High Life or other "budget beers")

B.) Stop drinking beer.

C.) Auctions - It's amazing the deals you can get at an auction! (Disclaimer - I am an auctioneer, but not a household one...)

D.) Garage Sales - I get most of my sons clothes at garage sales. He doesn't care because, well, he's 3.

E.) Find someone or teach yourself to cut hair - I think I've paid for no more then ten haircuts in my lifetime. My mom cuts my hair!

F.) Move your family to the northwoods of Minnesota, stop paying taxes and live off of squirrel, moose, fish, and your small garden and prepare for Peak Oil, supervolcanos, the end times, the crash of the dollar, WW III (US v. China), asteroids hitting the earth, the New World Order, or Hilary Clinton being elected (I'm joking!).

Personally, it is my favorite dish...

...and I like and respect a man that cooks!

All the best,
Alice

I brew my own beer when the budget allows. The heaviest costs are the initial costs, then it's 25-35 for five gallons of beer as long as you have the priming sugar (I use tablets), bottles and caps.

Another thing I would add is to learn how to make sauces. If you know how to make basic sauces, you can combine them with any kind of food you can get and make a delightful dinner out of it.

Terry

How to save a buck:

Use fasting recipes throughout the year! Canned chickpeas and small white beans all make for great pasta dishes, and the good thing about making them when you are not fasting is that you can add chicken broth to make sauces that will be more flavorful and filling, and also, a little cheese on top...and avoiding meat is one of the healthiest lifestyle changes one can make...many cancers have been associated with its consumption.

Alice

That is a good idea.

-- John

Buy powdered milk, mix it up and stretch a half gallon of skim or 1%. Makes the taste of powdered less like the inside of the box and stretches your dollar.

Make your own baby food by buying a simple little food mill for babies--grinds very smooth--and take a teaspoon of what you're eating for the baby. Also, a baby can have regular Cream of Rice cereal--just mix it with a bit more water than is called for.

BOB

There is something about electronics and new found 'necessities' which seems to have added to the financial burden of many families....

Add JUST x amount of dollars per month for cable television, (we can't even get reception on regular television anymore without it),
then JUST x amount of dollars for a cell phone,
and then a computer, and/or an IPod, and/or a blackberry, and/or a DVD, etc., etc., etc., etc., and then they break, or break down, or become obsolete,-----

It then costs a fortune to repair items, so you are told that it is cheaper to make an investment and buy a new one...

And I am told that ALL household items are made to have just 18-20 year life spans: (air conditioning units, heating units, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, garage door openers, etc...and yet, in the old days, electronic items were made to LAST). My mother in law had an awesome toaster from the 1950's that worked perfectly, but every toaster I buy breaks in a few years. This has deliberately become a 'throw away' society...created in such a way that we will continue spending money to replace broken items or to get the newest 'must have' item.

It was much easier to be frugal twenty-five years ago (I remember this vividly), when atleast all this extra electronic stuff (as well as cable tv, etc.) was non-existent, and that includes our beloved computers as well.

I told a young monk who is in charge of having religious books printed for his monastery, that a certain religious book of considerable lenght which my husband and I translated and edited 20 years ago was done without a computer, but was done by long hand and typewriter instead, and he looked at us like we were from the age of the dinosaurs! Those were simpler days and days when it was much easier to 'save a buck'.

Alice

Hey, we were just in Northern MN 2 weeks ago looking for property! (Though we do feel we should continue to pay taxes!)

So true, and it used to be that if you did get a "name brand" item, it was of good quality and would last. Now that seems to be not the case.

We had our house built 3 years ago, and had all new appliances installed. Since then, we have had to replace the dishwasher and the microwave hood, and our stove is broken. It's infuriating.