Purchase $80 of food each month!

Commentary by Emily Plihal

With a recession on the verge of making times very tough for local consumers, how do we tighten our budgets to make this point in time less stressful? My greatest concern is single parents who run a very strict budget throughout the month. After paying monthly bills (rent, utilities, insurance) they are left with a minimal amount of money to pay for food and other basic needs. Interestingly enough, CFRN-TV in Edmonton just ran a story on a woman who is joining two friends in a bid to only spend $80 each month on food. This woman recognizes individuals who make less than $14 per hour have extraordinarily tight budgets, and are often scrimping money to purchase groceries for their families. How do we reduce our budgets now to ensure more leeway if a major recession impacts northern Alberta? We all know this sector of Alberta is notorious for purchasing divine extravagances. We love our quads, sleds, and big trucks. We would be lost without our motorhomes and boats. How would we react if we had to live off a meagre $80 for food during a month? Now is the time to cut costs at every angle. But how do we do it and still hang on to our toys? Cutting back can be as simple as reducing your temperature dial on your home’s thermostat, buying food in bulk with another family, or car pooling. The $80 per month budget can be achieved, but will you be denying your body fruits, meats, and dairy products? The woman explained she has started to buy in bulk with her two friends as a quick and easy way to cut costs. They purchased an enormous bag of rice for $17, which they split amongst their three families. They search the aisles in discount food stores for bulk bags of apples and potatoes. If you have growing children at home, the Canadian Food Guide requires certain amounts of fruits and veggies, dairy products and meat products each day. On many brands of food, the label will say how many servings of vegetables are in each serving. While shopping, these women can take into consideration the value of food they’re purchasing for a reduced amount of money. Time has to also be considered when grocery shopping. It would be economically-wise to purchase ingredients to bake bread. But will they have the time to make the bread for their families after working a eight to 12-hour day? If they had started this process in summer, they could have planted a large garden. The vegetables harvested could have been blanched and frozen or canned. They could have purchased a half of beef together, shared the butchering costs and had enough meat to freeze and use throughout the winter months. For the majority of consumers, cutting costs at the grocery store would alleviate many of the stresses associated with finances. Instead of eating out each day, consumers could purchase their own groceries and freeze excess food to provide meals for upcoming weeks. A simple hamburger at a restaurant is usually about $6. Think about the price of one pound of ground beef and the number of burgers that can be made from it. Eliminating consumption of pop and alcohol can also save the monthly budget. Stick to water, milk, coffees and teas (which can be purchased in bulk for relatively low cost). Nobody is exempt from a economic recession. Pinch pennies now and reap the rewards in the future.

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