Food budget for one

[GoingNorth]

Aldi's has to be taken on an individual basis. The one near me in Greenfield is really nice.

The one in Rhinelander was filthy, veggies and fruit rotting, obviously thawed and refrozen food, etc.

In Chicago, it varied store by store.

In Germany, where I first discovered Aldi's, and where the chain originated, the stores for the most part were OK, but unlike here, only sold seasonal produce, and the meat available varied depending on what was locally raised. Living on the border with Bavaria, we got mostly pork and rabbit at Aldi's.

 

[AppleCori]

Do you live near any Amish communities?

My hubby goes near one for work occasionally, which has a store they run. I get all my spices there and some other things as well.

Just for example, I have:

Ground basil .13 lb for 90 cents
Basil leaves .07 lb for 58 cents
Ground Oregano .13 lb for 61 cents
Rosemary .10 lb for 60 cents
Italian seasoning .08 lb for 40 cents

Fills about a half cup measure.

Fresh, local and much better than anything found in most grocery stores.

 

[Nomad]

I don't live near an Amish community. There is one perhaps an hour away and I've lost track, but during certain times of the year, they sell their baked goods and when the kids were little we would go once in awhile.
There is an Aldi's not too far away. It opened perhaps nine months ago. I went a few weeks after it opened on a Sat. to check it out. Well, that was a mistake. It was very crowded. And they had only one cashier! On a Sat.! Well, I didn't stay long, but I took a look at the paper products and could see they were good prices. I noticed a lot of nice looking vegetables, but I didn't get a chance to check out the prices. I'm sure the store is quieter now and will check it out with Difficult Child one day during the week. I think she should see how it might work out for her (I ll look for myself too) and how far it is on the busway, etc.

 

[GoingNorth]

Another good source for inexpensive spices, and more varieties of peppers than you thought possible, is a Hispanic grocery store or bodega.

The spices and peppers are sold in glassine bags, so you will need to repackage them, but they are cheap and of very high quality. Asian groceries are another option to check out.

Both of these are places to investigate if you live in or near a major metro area, like I do.

I also have access to Penzey's spices, who carry everything darned near, but they are pricey. I use them for seasoning blends. Penzey's has an online presence, but since they have a store in Milwaukee, I usually just drive down to the store. I have to go to the website and make up a list, and shop from the list.

Otherwise, I wind up spending a fortune.

 

[InsaneCdn]

it's not a good idea to microwave food in plastic containers. Apparently toxins from the plastic leach into the food

To clarify...
The studies I have seen say it is not a good idea to HEAT food in plastic containers in the microwave. The heat can leach toxins from the plastic into the food. However, there doesn't appear to be a problem with thawing to the point of being able to remove the food from the plastic - and then heat it in something glass (in micro) or metal (stove-top).

 

[GoingNorth]

True. The articles I read were talking about re-heating or cooking food, not thawing food enough to transfer it from plastic freezer container to cooking vessel.

I just use the pyrex containers because it's one step from fridge or freezer to nuker to table.

 

[InsaneCdn]

I just use the pyrex containers because it's one step from fridge or freezer to nuker to table

And as for me...
If it's made of anything that can remotely be broken... and it goes in the freezer... I will break it.

We all have different challenges. I break the plastic containers too, but they don't cost so much to replace.

 

[GoingNorth]

I don't usually have that problem, but due to Reynaud's Syndrome, the feeling lost in my fingers from taking the bowl out of the freezer and carrying it over the nuker has usually worn off by the time I'm done eating.

Usually, if I drop something and break it, the dishwasher's involved somehow.