Before shopping I spent some time at the USDA's website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/. The new MyPlate graphic showed me that for a well-balanced meal I needed to have the following: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. Time for a little food math. Consider the following equation: If you take five food groups and you multiply them by three well-balanced meals, and then divide the product by three dollars, what does it equal? Answer: Impossible. Even with a calculator I couldn't stretch my three dollars to cover everything the USDA recommended. Since dairy is expensive, and I don't drink milk, I decided to forgo dairy products.
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| Shopping the bulk bins at Fred Meyer |
The fact that I wanted to buy organic definitely limited my buying power, and except for my veggie soup mix, my lone source of protein, I did stay organic.
One of the things I noticed during my shopping experience was how much I couldn't afford. Initially, I planned on buying an apple and having apple slices with my meals, but Granny Smiths (my favorite) were $1.99 a pound. This would have busted my budget, so instead, I bought two bananas, which were only 78 cents a pound.
My first thought around protein called for a trip to the deli to buy a couple of slices of cheese, but when I got there, and saw the price of cheese, I knew I needed a new plan. Hope suggested sunflower seeds, but the bulk container was empty. My dietician then suggested that I consider split peas or lentils. While I debated between the two, Hope pointed out a veggie soup mix containing both; I measured out a half cup and bagged it.
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| 3 meals in a basket |
Overall, I enjoyed the challenge of finding an assortment of grains (brown rice, oatmeal), fruits (raisins, bananas), vegetables (zucchini squash), and protein (vegetable soup mix). However, I did feel some angst about whether I was staying within my budget. I poured back some of the oats I had back into their bin, afraid that I had more than I needed and could afford. I really thought about all three hundred of my pennies. Organic vegetables were expensive, and that really limited my choices. The zucchini squash was $2.49 a pound. The first zucchini I picked weighed almost a half pound. I couldn't spend almost half of my budget on a single squash, so I put it back and searched for a smaller one that would fit my budget.
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| 9 cents to spare |
When I reached the checkout I found myself really concerned that I had gone over my budget. I felt anxious at the idea that I would have to tell the cashier that I couldn't pay for my groceries. This was something I hadn't thought about, the stigma of poverty. How it brings with it the constant worry of making ends meet, and of being ashamed because of how much money you don't have.
This brought an Idea to mind. We have migrant workers in the fields so that we can have food at artificially low prices. However, even those prices are too high for some people. Is there anything to be done about this? I can't think of anything that would change the current situation, but something has to be done.
ReplyDeleteIf there are people who are barely able to survive, someone is doing something wrong.
Drumkesky,
ReplyDeleteI so agree! Maybe people who work in the fields should also be paid in produce in addition to their wages.
I am proud to have a teacher who is so dedicated to going the extra mile (or 241 of them) to really immerse themselves in their teaching and teaching by example.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with a single mother and six siblings. I remember my mom trying so hard to keep all of us fed and provide us with the best birthdays, holidays, and entertainment she could afford--and though I appreciated everything so very much and knew I had a wonderful life the feelings that came along with waiting in line for food boxes, using WIC cards, and not letting my friends raid my fridge made me ashamed. I agree with you that not only is fear for survival a huge part of poverty, but so is guilt and shame. The inequities in this country place friends against friends, classmates against classmates, and communities against communities. As one person or group of people watch one another fall to hard times, jumping to judgement is the only way we know how to hide our own discomfort. We may feel empathy for the person, but to distinguish ourselves to the rest of society from the "poor" we push blame and shame on them. I believe the only way to change this is to acknowledge these inequities instead of hide from them. Only then can we come together as a community to support one another. Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge "the other side" and come to terms with the bubble that we try to hide in. You're awesome!
I've felt that pressure of overbuying. It's hard when you have to look some people in your family in the eye and tell them you just can't do it even though you want to; There's just no money left. Buying food is harder still when you live in a rural area far out of the Eugene/Springfield area and have to drive in to get anything. The price of gas has greatly limited the ability to do that.It's a weird mix of embarrassment and shame when you can't afford what you need and you try to explain that (especially when you hate it when people feel sorry for you.) {Rosella}
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you Scott, and I know what it's like to live like that. When I was little, my mother was raising me by herself, while also going back to college. We pretty much lived on financial aid. While we weren't completely impoverished, we did live a life of frugality. I never went hungry, and we always had a place of our own, but we didn't have much other than the essentials. All of our furniture was given to us by friends and family, and even the car we had was sold to us by a family friend. I had almost nothing aside from what I needed to live, but I was always happy. At our worst financial state, I was totally content. Now, we have a house, a real family, as many cars as people, and we're a lot better off than before. Although we're doing better now, I feel as if I was happier when we didn't have much. I guess it was a lot simpler then. There wasn't something coming out every other week that I felt I needed to buy. Sometimes, I look around and see all the stuff I have, but don't need, and I feel almost ashamed. Of course I'm glad that we're in a better place now, but at the same time, I feel like I could be helping other people get to where I am. As a child who grew up with next to no disposable income, I can relate to the experience of not being able to pay for something extra, and to deal with what I could get.
ReplyDeleteIn todays economy it seems to be very hard for a lot of people to find healthy options. Many blame their lack of nutritional foods on the fact that they cannot afford anything better. In this post you prove that one can stay within their budget while still finding these options. There are a lot of people I think could benefit from seeing this.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most confusing parts of this "eating healthy, local, or organic is to expensive" issue, is that a farmer that grows all organic cost very little more than using pesticides. So why are the products more expensive? The answer to this question lies in the hands of Supply and Demand. When there is very little demand for a product suppliers have to raise their prices to keep form going under. I believe that this is the big reason that organic is always more expensive. It is a constant circle of the demand is low so the price goes up. the prices go up so their are less customers. To beak this cycle we must change the way our consumers approach their buying and I think it can be done. Each shopping trip see how you can change.