Under 1000

PMeg819

I think I need to stop reading. I'd liken this to watching a trainwreck, but the wreck has already happened and now I'm just watching mangled bodies. First off, indoor gardening. I have no problem with that, but in their less than 500 sqft house with three kids and two adults, where the feck do you have room? She goes and visits her mom but why the hell not invest some time at mom's and garden there? Then can or freeze that stuff. She's just stupid. And is she taking lettuce with her to McDonald's to put on sandwiches? Um, you can order them with it. ADURR. Because that's what it seemed like.

MinM

Is she trying to live off $1,000/mos or year?

PMeg819

They live off less than $1000 a month.

VarunaTT

What @ her green onions $1.12?  I can get like 5-6 of them for $.50-$.99.  Where the heck is she shopping?I just seriously don't think she shops/meal plans the right way.

GBCK

I'mm sure since they eat at McD's when she secret-shops, she's not allowed to be as special-snowflakey as she'd like and order her mc griddle medium rare with extra processed cheese, garlic, and a pile of lettuce.

baconsmom

So, she swears she's into natural foods and good nutrition, but she won't make salad dressing? Srsly? Lady, it's a little oil and vinegar and spices in the bottom of the salad bowl. It takes two freaking seconds. But of course, that would require her to make salad, which is apparently just too lettuce-intensive. Let's ignore the fact that you can make salad with just about anything, no lettuce necessary. Because the lettuce she does grow, she puts on fast-food sandwiches. I have nothing against fast-food, but for cereal, you can't preach about how evil vaccines and medicine are and then eat McDonald's instead of salads! WTF?

Future Mrs Butterworth

Walmart, because it's as close as it gets to heaven.

baconsmom

V - she only shops for produce that's under $1 PER POUND. Never mind that it takes a shtton of green onions to reach a full pound, and she'd never spend the $1.12 or whatever - No. It has to be under a dollar per pound, or she doesn't buy it.

hmonkey

she ABSOLUTELY does not shop/meal plan the right way, as she has shown time and again.  she is far more interested in cheap food and makes no plans as to whether she actually knows how to cook it or incorporate it into a planned meal.it's all about "this meal was $1.91/serving!"  and not about "this meal was inexpensive AND nutritious AND actually tasted good!" 

MinM

Her kids are going to hate her when they grow up.

AugustPenguin

she also eats acorns. enough said.

GBCK

the under $1 a lb is the stupidity of being cheap rather than frugal.If I buy something for $5 a lb and I get 6 meals out of it, and I buy something for $1 a lb and get 1 meal....hmmmm....*counting on fingers*Yep, that's cheaper.It's like...my one crazy grandfather but without the HILARITY that was his crazy.(this is the man who once, when I was visiting, brought over 45 lb of black bananas because 'they were cheap'.FORTY FIVE POUNDS)

MinM

There was a family that used to come on campus and collect the fallen acorns when I was in TX. Does she live in TX?

fishgirl77

So she's never comparison shopped to realize that green onions should be well under $1 per pound?I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.

Future Mrs Butterworth

I can see it now. They'll be known as the crockpot killers. They will kill people (because a knife costs you $4.99 at Walmart, with your discount because your spouse works there) but if you murder 10 people with that knife then cook them in a crockpot with Great Value peas and carrots in a can you can make a meal go a long way!

GBCK

although this DOES make me miffed that my mother told me the acorns were poison when I was a kid and I wanted to try them.

baconsmom

Fishgirl, in November in Maine, I can see green onions being more expensive. It's not really their season, is it? I mean, I don't eat the things, I think they're vile, but it's not really the season in Maine for green produce. Of course, why she's not stocking up on sweet potatoes, squash, and cranberries in November in New England is a mystery, but hey. She's not logical, is she?

Cant_wait!

Acorns can cause liver damage or something. But you can soak out the "poison" and then they're fine. (I remember this from 5th grade. Multicultural class. Then I tried to eat acorns. Bad news bears, right there.)

VarunaTT

I guess I hadn't truly understood the $1/pound rule then.This is just absurd.

hmonkey

i would love to know her gardening procedure.  i imagine it involves cutting the tops off carrots and then shoving them in dirt packed in cans with no drainage.

fishgirl77

That did occur to me, Bmom.  I know someone through work who lives in Maine, so I may ask him about the produce prices up there when I see him next.

VarunaTT

But really, there isn't anyplace that green onions are in season right now except California and maybe some Southern states, right?I'm just floored.  She says she uses spices, but really what can she be using?  I shop my spices at bulk health store, but it's still around $1 or less/ounce, so how does she make room in her budget?I agree with GBCK, this is just CHEAP, not frugal.  And NASTY.

Cant_wait!

Varuna, she's mentioned her spices before. She buys them at the walmarts for $.50 per container. (Obviously, they're more than $1 per pound, but it's not produce so I guess she doesn't follow the same rule)

VarunaTT

The only ones I've ever seen at Walmart for that price, I did the math on myself back in the day and they're a bit of a ripoff.  They're really small containers (not the 3 oz, but smaller) and usually very common spices with not a huge selection.  So, if that's what she's buying, she's not doing her math very well or her comparison shopping.Which I think most of us agree on anyway.

PMeg819

And they probably taste like powdered sawdust. I hate super cheap spices. I have some super cheap thyme in my cupboard and it tastes wrong. I'm a snob, but I like my Penzey's spices. Worth every damn penny.