Comments on: United Way’s Hunger Challenge 2010: Freedom to choose

By: Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama

Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 23:31:56 +0000

I’m sorry, but this is…ridiculous. I also eat local, organic, sustainable, etc. almost exclusively. And I spend around $400 per month for a family of 4. We are not deprived, we do not have to make hard choices. I also shop at specialty stores and farmer’s markets, as well as direct from farms. If you are willing to do a little planning (no, I don’t find meal planning and writing a grocery list to be a burden, I consider it to be a normal and required activity of daily living!), you can easily feed your family WELL on this amount. I only buy pastured eggs, raw milk, pastured meats, organic produce. I spend time picking my own (unsprayed) apples and canning them (which doesn’t take as long as you’d think). I freeze extras when prices are good. I could even feed my family this excellent food on LESS money — probably $300 per month if I had to — less than people get for food stamps! We spend less than the U.S. gov’t says for the “thrifty” plan for a family of 4.

Anyone who simply walks into a store and buys whatever looks good BECAUSE THEY CAN needs to be reminded what it means to be poor, because they have terrible money habits. That’s just not how you buy things — anything. You plan, you save, you prepare. You don’t use credit (yeah — did I mention I feed my family and buy everything else WITH CASH?). It’s a little extra work but it is worth it. And it’s really selfish to be otherwise, honestly. It’s how you end up with so many canned goods you know you won’t use that you give away to the poor….

If you’re curious HOW I feed my family so well on so little, you can visit my blog. I’ve written extensively on the subject. I think if your readers are like you, they could really use that.

By: lo

lo — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:37:30 +0000

Thought provoking, isn’t it? It’s a good reminder, for me, to appreciate what I have — and truthfully, to share it.

I think back to the closest I can come to even remotely understanding what some families are going through — and that’s not long after we bought our first house, when DH (our main income) was laid off from his job. Between the house & car payments, my meager income was completely gone. The unemployment checks covered our student loans and utilities, but left next to nothing for groceries and gas. We stripped life down to the bare minimum. With lots of planning, we managed to get by for 6-8 months, but it certainly wasn’t easy. And I absolutely HAD to change where I shopped and how I shopped (no more co-op, specialty shops, no beer or wine). Lots of lessons learned during hard times… though they’re difficult to remember once we’ve moved on and seen better days.
.-= lo´s last blog ..Superbowl Food: Almost GF Buffalo Chicken Spicy Mac =-.

By: Tamar

Tamar — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:05:09 +0000

I’ve seen poor children in Africa eat dirt cookies. They just picked up dirt and ate it. Sometimes they try to sell the cookies to passer byes. Its insane and sad.
During my high school years my mom couldn’t afford much. No furniture, I wore 2nd hand running shoes, and sometimes we didn’t go out because we couldn’t afford the gas for long drives. At the time our pantry was slim pickings. Oatmeal, pasta, beans, and veggies every day. Depressing…

By: Simone (junglefrog)

Simone (junglefrog) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:03:40 +0000

Great post Nurit; and you’re right it is hard to imagine how it would be if you simply have no more money… I have been in that situation once although it was eh… 25 years ago. I had about 30 guilders (and a guilder at the time was about 30/35 dollarcent if I am not mistaken) plus two cats to feed. It came to the situation where I could buy catfood but not feed myself. (ofcourse my parents lived close by so I could go there) It was really only for a couple of weeks due to a financial mess I had gotten myself into so no comparison for people who need to be in this situation for years. We sometimes try and pay attention to costs as well, but it’s hard to do when you really don’t have to!
.-= Simone (junglefrog)´s last blog ..Poffertjes =-.