August 27, 2009
Yesterday was pretty cool. Heidi McGuire from 9News came by the house to interview me for the Month Without Groceries challenge. She came by for a couple of hours to discuss why I started, how I plan my meals, and even a quick demo of my Pecan Crusted Tilapia. The story aired on Channel 9 last night on the 6pm newscast. For those of you interested in seeing the segment, here is a link to the story:
http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=122078
I told her not to air anything that would make me look like a dork. You be the judge.
The viewer commentary on the story is a bit one sided indicating my lack of budgeting skills, etc. Certainly, everyone is allowed an opinion and I can't fault them for that. That being said, it is it is important to note that the reason we have spent so much on groceries is mainly because I went overseas for 12 weeks on a business trip and overstocked the freezer to ensure the family ate well in my absence. Needless to say, upon my return, there was still a freezer full of food. Now, I want to make sure that food that wasn't consumed when I was away is not wasted. Those poor folks who are spending $300 a month and eating ramen noodles (even for one meal) are really suffering. I am happy to say, we are not. We have pretty darn good meals every night.
Those of you who are questioning the validity of the story should take a look into your freezers and pantries and ask yourself, “Do I waste food?” Maybe this story isn't relatable to everyone, but certainly everyone can take a good hard look at their spending habits and eating habits and determine if there are ways they can reduce waste. I'll bet there is.
For tonight's dinner, I plan to make pizza. I have a package of Italian sausage in the freezer to use for the topping and will add some mushrooms and onions as well.
I saw the Channel 9 story on CNN and thought what you're doing is wonderful. The comments are typical and pretty ignorant of the point you're trying to make.
ReplyDeleteI recently moved and threw away probably hundreds of dollars in frozen and pantry food plus stuff in my freezer that I'd forgotten about. If your efforts prompt people to think more carefully about what they're doing as far as food purchases go, (it certainly has made me think,) then that's fantastic.
Meantime, I hope you keep sharing your meal ideas!
You go!! Never mind ignorant comments on Channel 9...they never add much to any story. We call what you are doing "living off the land" or "Country Buffet week", we have never been able to do it more than about two and half weeks. I read all you entries and everything sounds yummy. Don't feel guilty, think of it as a learning experience!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the news broadcast but read about it on the Web. I'm very interested in how this goes for you. I think I tend to overbuy groceries and have the full pantry to prove it...
ReplyDeleteI have no recollection where I saw this story/blog but I do what you are doing regularly! About every 6-7 weeks I tell my Husband we are playing "Mother Hubbard" and will be eating everything we possibly can from the freezer/pantry to rotate supply and save some cash. After seeing my freezer this afternoon I do believe it is about time to start this again!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog and I totally love the idea and do it from time-to-time also. I am a Muslim and this is our holy month of fasting during the daylight hrs and I'm trying my best not to waste and will not go to the market unless I absolutely need to. Our chest feezer is full and so is our pantry and one of the things about our fasting is that when you feel the discomfort of hunger, it reminds you that many people in the world are not as fortunate to have even half as much and at least we are breaking the fast at sundown, how about ppl who cannot even do that on a daily let alone once a year. I think what you're doing is great and thoughtful and teaching your family some good values to carry in life.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for the positive comments. I certainly had no intentions of having so much food in my pantry and freezer. It just happened and now I am trying to remedy the situation. I love that other people do this with some frequency. I know I can reduce waste in our household with this current challenge and plan to make changes in the future to prevent similar circumstances from happening.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you all for your support! I will be posting on a daily basis though the end of the challenge and beyond to share additional recipes as well as some of the changes our family has made.