Let's Go Grocery Shopping! (A Rambling Novel)

In the name of Keepin' It Real, I decided to document my weekly grocery shopping ritual. Fear not, I won't subject you to this every week. I just thought it would be nice to share in how I save and spend excessively. Some of my excess spending is a result of my desire to live gently on the earth and some of it is pure selfish laziness. In the end, let's hope it all balances out.

Let's start with the farmer's market. I should have taken my camera. The holiday weekend thinned the crowds a bit and it was possible to actually move with ease. The fish guy actually had stuff left at 1pm! Alas, I neglected to take my camera. But here's the bounty I collected!
A mere $15.50 bought me: a motherload of organic red, green and yellow bell peppers (1/3 of the supermarket price); one fat onion; a mess of green beans; a couple of pounds of yellow nectarines; a head of cauliflower (how is that stuff still in season?!); two pounds of delicious fingerling potatoes whose sack will later serve as a dish scrubber; a pound of seedless grapes; and a little more than a pound of tomatoes.

How I could have spent less:
1. Buy conventional foods at a discount supermarket. I could have bought five to ten pounds of russet potatoes for the $3 I paid for the fingerlings, etc. But I choose to support local farmers and my obsessions with particular foods. Like fingerling potatoes, which should be renamed "pats of butter disguised as potatoes."

2. Buy cheaper options at the farmer's market. Back to the fingerlings. I could have bought a couple of pounds of russet potatoes at a different stall for less. I could have bought the "ripe" nectarines and peaches for half the price and eaten or stored them immediately.

3. Buy less. I'm cooking some dishes in bulk this week, but if I were planning on just making it through the week, I could have bought half the amount of bell peppers. I probably didn't need a nectarine for each day of the week. But it's summer and they are divine!

I didn't include the bison rump roast I purchased at the farmer's market in the above photo, because I wanted to highlight all the pretty veg. The bison cost me $23 and some change. Shocking, isn't it? But it's worth every single penny.

After the farmer's market, I whisked off to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, bringing my total for the day to just under $100. Which for one person is kind of ridiculous. But, that's how I roll.

I purchase very little at Whole Foods because they are ridiculously expensive. However, they have local dairy products, decent deals on wines and a bulk foods section. Everything else is ridiculously overpriced convenience food.

Here's a photo of the day's loot.


The remaining $84 purchased: three bottles of wine; a pint of milk (includes a $1.60 bottle deposit which is refunded when you return the bottle. The milk is from a small, local dairy that reuses bottles. I buy bottles with Christmas wishes in April. Sometimes the labels are nearly worn off. Talk about old school!); the world's most delicious bison rump roast; a dozen eggs; a frozen pizza; andouille chicken sausage; habenero lime salsa; aioli garlic mustard sauce; turkey bacon; Real Simple magazine; a pound o' frozen corn; and two pounds of black beans (I put in an order for 25 pounds at a 10% discount but went ahead and bought the beans for this week's recipes).

How I could have done it cheaper:

1. Cut out the convenience and specialty foods. I can make four pizzas for the $2.99 I spent on the bbq chicken pizza. I don't need the andouille sausage (or the fancy mustard). I don't know how they source their chicken, which more than likely means it's from a crappy megafarm. Baby steps, people!

I keep inexpensive bad-for-you convenience items (do you know they have "organic" TV dinners now? For crying out loud...) on hand when I am running late, too tired or too lazy to cook from scratch. Laziness is the most frequent reason.

2. Stop buying Real Simple magazine or cave in and get a subscription. I have a love/hate relationship with this magazine. It used to actually address living a simple life. Now, it's just a product pushing rag that speaks to people who think throwing money at life makes everything better. It also prays at the Altar of Organization. But, it's so pretty. I will have a verbal war with myself over this purchase and will not buy it again for six months. I have a friend who has a subscription, but she won't share it with me or swap magazines. She has some hard core poverty mentality issues. I get it.

3. Less or no booze. Did I need three bottles of wine? Of course not. Would you like a glass?

4. Purchased a conventional roast from a supermarket. But then I would have supported feedlot agriculture (yuck!) and wouldn't have had the awesome conversation with Ken Lindner of Lindner Bison. You see, the Lindners have ruined me. I can no longer eat regular grocery store beef. Seriously. It's absolute crap. I'm soon to visit a local farm which will probably do the same thing with me and chicken. If you don't believe me, swing by tomorrow. I'm having some of the roast. It's amazing.

On the plus side, I can make at least eight meals out of that one roast. Eight delicious dinners, people! Can I get a witness?

5. Buy a cheaper cut of meat from the Lindner Bison. Their ground bison is about $2 cheaper per pound. Again, food obsession.

6. Get regular milk from a mega farm that uses antibiotics and hormones and doesn't recycle or reuse its containers. Um, no thanks.

So, there you have it. I spend more in some ways to support sustainable food systems. When it comes to vegetables, it's actually cheaper for me to support local farmers at the market than to support mega "organic" farms in the supermarket. Most of the time, I practice tried and true savings techniques of buying in bulk when items are on sale and choosing cheaper options. But let's not forget that I also do some downright stupid stuff. Expensive magazines. Lots of booze. Convenience foods.

Most weeks, I spend considerably less than this. But with bulk purchases and my love of sustainably sourced meats and red wine, it averages to around $90 a week, which is a lot of money for one person. When my beloved is in town (c'mon November!), it bumps up to $100. How does an entire additional human being only cost $10 more? Well, I cook 99.9% of everything from scratch, which makes things much cheaper, because he whines that my homemade stuff tastes better than store bought. I hate whining. Cooking from scratch shuts him up. It's a win-win. He also doesn't eat that much (he is Scottish, after all. Unlike this fat American).

Could I eat for less money and still support local farms? Absolutely. My goal is to continue on that path. I've managed to reduce my veg costs by half while still eating well. Baby steps, baby steps. I'd love to hear your grocery shopping adventures! Feel free to share.

Get Ready! Reality on the Horizon

Recently, I was nearly beaten by a gaggle of women when I expressed some disappointment over discovering that one of my favorite bloggers is a wealthy woman. Before you get up in arms, I don't have a problem with wealthy people blogging. I was simply disheartened to see a representation of "the simple, rural life" through the eyes of someone who is not having a typical experience. Most of us aren't rich. (Ok, ok. Yes, I realize that in comparison to third world populations, even many low-income American families seem rich.) Yet we rarely see images depicting how most of us live.

I've read articles by journalists who note that advertising is the engine behind most media, including news. Advertisers don't want ordinary images, because their bread and butter depends on selling the stuff of dreams--luxury, wealth, perfection. We are bombarded daily with images of how life could and should be, which can leave us feeling inadequate, leading to impulse spending and increased debt.

Once upon a time, we had the Roseanne show, with its old furniture and frequent story lines of the common experience of living paycheck to paycheck. But today's shows are a little different. Another program depicting a blue collar family, the George Lopez show, has the family living in a large, gorgeous home in Los Angeles, complete with brilliantly colorful, expensive art and furnishings. It doesn't even remotely resemble homes of factory workers in Los Angeles that I've visited, although it does resemble homes of people I know who are drowning in debt. And don't even get me started on Sex & the City when it comes to realistic depictions. Oy.

So, I've decided that I'm going to create the images we lack on my blog. Granted, this little corner of the world isn't a major network television show, but I'm a big believer that we need constant reinforcement. (Lawd knows advertisers agree with me on that point!) I'm going to start sharing images, via my crappy digital camera, of my daily world. My salary firmly plants me in the land o' the middle class, but my home in no way reflects the images I see that are supposed to represent the middle class. I'll share photos of friends' homes, which cross the spectrum of the socio-economic landscape. My hope is that by seeing images of how real folks live, some of you gorgeous readers out there might begin to feel better about where you are in life. There will be no Photoshop or other tricks, so get ready! Reality is on the horizon.

Get Yer Free Credit Scores!

You probably already know this, but since I am the last to figure anything out, I just discovered this lovely bit of news.

Thanks to a class action lawsuit against TransUnion, one of the credit reporting giants, anyone who has had a credit card within the past 20 years can receive a free credit report and score for free. In fact, you can get a copy of your report as often as you'd like for six months through their credit monitoring service, which usually costs around $60.

This differs from the usual free annual report we can all get from FreeCreditReport.com in that it offers a credit score and you can get multiple copies. Plus, it's nice to take part in shaming these folks (although they admit no wrong doing, they illegally sold customer profiles to third parties) who routinely make mistakes on our credit reports, causing all manner of headaches.

To register, go to listclassaction.com (click HERE) or call 866-416-3470. But be sure to do it before September 24th, because that's when the door on this freebie ends. Most importantly, check for errors and take action to correct them. A neighbor of mine was recently fired from a brand new job because of his low credit score. Loans, rental agreements and now employment (wrong, wrong, wrong!) all use your credit score to determine your fate. Make sure they have an accurate file on hand.

Schizo Thrift Stores

Does anyone else experience the oddity of a schizo thrift store? You walk in, take a look around, and find the most outrageously priced stuff sitting next to ridiculously good deals. Like some crazy person just ran in and randomly stuck price stickers on everything.

Take my most recent trip while in Alaska. I found a pair of "Highlights" shoes for $7.50. Um, Highlights is a Payless brand, which means you can get them new for nearly free during their sales. Yet my sister found a bowl in perfect condition from one of Anchorage's most expensive stores that retailed for nearly $40 selling for $2.75. How is it that cheap, crappy Payless shoes outshine a hand painted Italian bowl? Only in thrift land.

Before I left on vacation, I found a purse and a matching wallet (in perfect condition, decent brands and just the color and shape I wanted! Oh! The thrill of a deal!) for $1.25. Yet a fake silver, uber crappy coffee pitcher was more than $10. Schizo!

The point, beyond sharing my killer good deals, is that you have to hunt while thrift shopping. Most thrift shops are run by volunteers who take their particular world views into account while pricing items. It took me years to figure this little trick out. I used to walk out the door after witnessing the first few outrageously priced items. Now I know to hunt awhile before giving up. (This is not to suggest that I've gained the fine art of patience. I'm still trying to figure that trick out.)

Which reminds me of another thrift trick I've learned: "Vintage" shops tend to re-sell things at outrageous prices, whereas charitable thrift shops (those that donate proceeds to a cause) have some of the best deals I've found. Although it may be different in your area, when in doubt, go the charitable hunting route.

Shoulding & Wanting

Forgive the absent posts. I was off visiting family in Alaska, the country's most gorgeous and expensive state. Thankfully, the view was free and there isn't a more amazing vista to be had! But, back to our regularly scheduled program...

I work with folks who should themselves too much. Perhaps you know these types? Heck, maybe you should yourself! It usually sounds a little something like this, "I shouldn't eat that...I shouldn't buy that...I shouldn't be so ungrateful..." In the financial realm, people often chatter about how they shouldn't buy things or even want. I say, hogwash. Tell that should to take a long hike off a short, steep cliff.

It's perfectly fine to want things (yes, even if you're poor or in deep financial distress). Wanting doesn't mean you don't appreciate what you have. What I encourage people to do is focus on the feeling. Does their want inspire dread, shame or depression? Does it make them feel as if they are lacking? Or does it signal hope of what is to come? The vision and excitement of a better life?

If you constantly tell yourself that you shouldn't want something, you'll only inspire unpleasant feelings. What good comes of misery? If you want to own a home, yet every time you think of that desire, you're left feeling like a broke failure, how can you positively pursue home ownership? If you feel like you can't buy anything EVAH, how long do you think you'll be able to sustain a savings program that will help you achieve your dreams?

What if you were to change your perspective and drop the shoulds from your vocabulary? How would it feel to respect all the things you want, both material and not, while holding the belief that those things will come to you? And how would you feel if those things look different than what you expect?

Here's an exercise I like to use:

1. Write down all those lovely things you want in life. Yes, the house. Yes, the fabulous partner. Yes, the world's most divine dress. Write it all down.

2. Next to each item, explain why you want it. Then explain again. And again. Let's take that house for instance. Why do you want it? Because you want your own place. Ok, great. Why do you want your own place? Because you want to build equity and have a place to live when you retire. Fabulous. Why do you want to build equity and have a place to live when you retire? Um, to have security. Duh.

So, what you really want is a sense of security. And at this point in your life, security has taken the shape of a house. You may even find that some of what you want has a shaky or silly foundation and has no real place on your list.

3. After you've dug deep enough to find the foundation of your desire, create a new list. You may find that as time marches on, the foundation of your desires build new structures. Last year, you wanted a house. This year, you may want a larger nest egg--both for the sake of security. The point is what you want doesn't necessarily have to be the house. Security can take on many forms (but it's perfectly ok if the shape stays the same!).

4. Keep both lists in a place where you can see them daily. Reinforce that goodness!

5. Get all hippie about it. Spend some time visualizing your desires coming to fruition. Imagine soup boiling on the stove in your home. Hear the sound of that fabulous partner talking to you from the next room. Sense the joy of having your desire for security, love, (whatever) made tangible.

6. Take concrete action to make the goodness happen. I am not a big believer in the model of ACHIEVE! ACHIEVE! ACHIEVE! But action creates motivation and forward movement. Simple acts count as well. Want a bigger savings? Track spending, develop a budget, slowly shave one percent off your spending per month and place the savings in a House Down Payment Account. Want to feel loved and appreciated? Take a long bath and play your favorite music. Do something, anything, that moves you closer to the foundation of your desires. God will do the rest (for the Atheists out there, just ignore that last line).

Shoulds tend to diminish us. Shaming ourselves for wanting perpetuates the false belief that desire is inherently wrong. But if we can change our perception and understand that our wants have deeper roots and those roots nourish our lives, creating new possibilities, we can experience joy instead of a sense of lack.

Speaking of getting all hippie about it, let's not forget what my favorite hippie (a psychologist, no less!) once said, "Your desires are holy." What is sacred is not shameful, and what is holy will surely come to pass.

Tricks to Tracking Spending

The first step I tell anyone who's trying to get a grip on his or her financial lives is to track spending--honestly. Yes, that means if you spend $500 a month on bongs, baseball cards or bingo, it needs to be written down.

The point of tracking spending isn't to create a list of bad behavior. It's simply a tool to learn where your money is going and how you can funnel funds more efficiently. Well, I shouldn't say it's simple. There are multiple layers unveiled when we finally get honest about our spending. When I first started tracking spending, I was convinced I gave generously to charity. In reality, I gave generously to clothing stores and my favorite restaurants. Charity was an afterthought, at best. I could have spent days beating myself over the head for being so selfish. Instead, I decided to learn to spend according to my values. Needless to say, I'm still learning.

At first, I kept track of my spending in a little notebook. But as my awareness has grown over the years, I realized that I needed more information than just "$15.00 lunch with Jamie" scribbled on a random sheet. I found that I tended to spend more when upset, more when with certain friends and more in certain situations. I also found it cumbersome to sift through months of little sheets or taking the time to enter every expense in a computer program to find out when I last bought dog food or when tuna goes on sale (such info is great for a price book, so that you know how frequently you purchase items and when they go on sale, so you can get the best possible deal and buy in bulk).

To simplify things, I began tracking my spending in a date book I keep in my purse. It's relatively small and has both monthly and weekly calendars. I note detailed spending on the weekly portions and make a note on the monthly calendar when I make a major purchase or when a particular item goes on sale. I also use the "notes" portion in the back as a price book. Since the majority of the foods I buy are locally grown and I frequent thrift shops, my price book is pretty small.

Using the date book also helps me become more aware of how and when I spend. For instance, if I notice that I spend on average of $40 more while out with Sarah because we bitch about work and drink too much where with Jill, I spend nothing because we lay on the beach, I can choose to change my approach with Sarah--try brunch instead or bitching at the beach, for instance.

If you're prone to compulsive spending, find a way to track spending that also allows you to note what was going on that day. Using a date book/calendar works best for me. After tracking spending over a period of weeks or months, you'll begin to note patterns that you can tweak, saving thousands of dollars in the long run.