Sustainable Food Budget Challenge - An Eye Opener

Tomorrow will be the mid-way point for the Sustainable food Budget Challenge and I’m $4.00 away from my limit. I didn’t pass this test. But I can pinpoint where the extra costs were and know I could do this. Here’s how: 1) Easter dinner at a restaurant – total failure, it wasn’t organic, it wasn’t vegan, and it wasn’t local, AND it cost me $15.00. We’ll never eat out again, both of us (Rick complained about the prices mostly). 2) Industrialized organics – I’ve learned a lot about organic produce offered at a decent price by the agribusinesses like Earthbound and Cascadia Farms – the only difference with the big companies is they don’t use pesticides, which is a good thing, but all the processing/use of diesel in huge tractors/hiring of migrant workers to work the fields, etc. isn’t any different that commercially produced food. No more industrial organics for me – its better for the environment to simply eat locally. 3) The food from my freezer and storage was absolutely the cheapest way to go – for $1.79 in a pack of seeds, I can grow 9 tomato plants and can about 30 quarts of tomatoes. Each quart costs about $3.00 if I would buy it (28 oz can) – There’s $90.00 I’d save just on tomatoes alone. Hmmmm… I think I hear my backyard calling– there’s money to be saved back there!