Last night I posted about another woman who was boasting about her cheap shopping trip to a local box store,having gotten over $75.00 worth of stuff for less than $3.00....
Not too long in the past I was what some would consider a coupon queen,meaning I lived for coupons and deals,stocking up on things whenever I could get them for cheap or free.
Then,I started reading labels....that can be a very dangerous thing for some one like me.Have you ever read the ingredient list on a loaf of store bought bread?
It can be scary....I started learning about what was going into all these things I was buying at bargain prices.After realizing that most of what's in them has nothing to do with food or nutrition,I quit buying them...bye bye Betty Crocker....so long Wonder Bread....
When we purchased our house,one of the first things we did was decide where the garden was going.We now have four raised garden beds,and last season grew well over 400 pounds of food,nutritious,all natural,chemical free food....
I learned to can and preserve foods while we were living in the mobile home,and learned to container garden.If you like tomatoes,there is no taste in the world better than that first vine ripened tomato from your own tomato plants....
I know that when i open a jar of strawberry jam,that the only ingredients in it are strawberries and sweetener if I added any.This week I made several batches of jelly from berries that I grew myself or picked locally,we now have blackberry,raspberry and blueberry jellies to put on our morning toast.
I know that when I make a loaf of home mead bread,be it plain or cinnamon swirl,I know that all that's in there,is what I put in it....there are no preservatives,no flavor enhancers,etc,etc,etc....no fake colors either....
I know when I get a package of frozen carrots out of the freezer,that all that's in there is carrots...no salt,no sugar,no anything...just carrots...
While I still use coupons for a few things,I find that less and less are there any for items that I will buy.Once I learn to make things like shampoo and toothpaste,those will be off the shopping list as well.
So,to all the coupon queens out there who spend countless hours and days clipping,sorting,making lists, and running from one store to another....GET REAL..come spend a day with me in the summer,watering,weeding,feeding,harvesting,preserving,and see what real food is,where it comes from and what it's supposed to taste like.
My next post will probably be about meat....where it comes from and what goes into that package of store bought hamburger....so be warned,it may be graphic.
Found your blog through another; I rarely use coupons either, never could understand why someone would buy all that junk just to save money, don't buy it and save even more! This year will be my first for putting in a garden and I'm looking forward to it. Lots of work, good fresh food!
ReplyDeleteHello rozy,and welcome!
ReplyDeleteYes gardens are a lot of work,but it's so fulfilling at the end of the season to have all that wonderful food put up in the pantry and in the freezer. :)
Lee, I like what you are doing here. I too, am learning to do more things from scratch, and garden as well. I hope to grow enough tomatoes this year to can at least 52 quarts! I wonder how many tomato plants I'll need? I stay home, so I have a lot of time to cook and can and such. I too, hope to live on more acreage one day, as my hubby would like to have cows. We have chickens, ducks and geese now, and I think I might like milk goats. We'll see! Blessings from Bama!
ReplyDeleteWelcome Bama Girl,and thank you for the nice compliments. :)
ReplyDeleteLast year we planted 65 tomato plants,and had enough for 3-4 households to can all they needed.We put up more than enough for ourselves,plus some to share,and still were giving tomatoes away by the bushel.
This year we are only going to plant about 1/2 that many,and plant more of other things like beans,beets,etc.Foods we didn't grow enough of last year.
We're not allowed to have chickens in town,otherwise I would have some for sure.As it is we are somewhat stretching around the local laws with our rabbits.Although they are not considered livestock,if you have more than a couple then they might cause us some grief....but it's a risk we're willing to take.
Again,welcome,and feel free to comment or join in any conversation here. :)