Comments on: When Price Becomes the Only Factor

By: Alline Anderson

Alline Anderson — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:13:03 +0000

Kelly, Gray, Suburban Wife, and all – It’s nice to read your thoughtful posts. Giving up Cheerios and Dr. Pepper was HARD (I occasionally have both, and enjoy ‘em!). But that’s beside the point. Price has always been important to me, but so is eating well. And the more I learn about the US food system, the more I feel empowered by paying “more” for organic, fair trade food. Sure that packaged stuff from Kraft (or Wolfgang Puck, or Stauffers) is convenient, but are you really getting value for your money? You’re paying for advertising, packaging, the CEO’s golden parachute…not for food. That is the cheapest part of the product. Who would you rather support – small organic farmers or corporations? I don’t know about you, but I hate being manipulated. Just for fun, check out a documentary called King Corn ( http://tinyurl.com/5l8o6t). Two guys rent an acre of Iowa corn field and follow their crop. Along the way we learn about corn-fed beef (cattle were never meant to eat corn, but it is cheap, and fattens them up nicely), how the only profit the farmers make after purchasing GMO seed and pesticides is from government subsidies, how corn syrup is in EVERYTHING, and how it is not particularly healthy. Sigh. I love a good steak, I love Stauffer’s Mac & cheese, I even like McDonald’s secret sauce (so much for my green cred!). But I now try to eat only sustainably raised grass-fed beef. I make my own mac n cheese (pretty darned good!). And my secret sauce? Someday McDonald’s will be knocking on MY door asking for the recipe. We try to save money my eating “lower on the food chain” and using meat and dairy as extras, not the main event. Lots of gray areas in living!

Alline Anderson´s last blog post..Boo!

By: Suburban Wife

Suburban Wife — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:24:39 +0000

For me, price is a larger determinant these days than it used to be but I'm not anywhere near having it be the number one factor. In regard to food, I think eating cheap junk food is an incredibly short-sighted decision. You might not feel the repercussions for years to come, and if you're lucky, eating poorly might never catch up with you. But it's a gamble. And if you lose, the cost in terms of health and healthcare costs can be huge. I firmly believe that quality is almost always the frugal choice, in the long run. So cutting back is a question of cutting back on quantity, not quality. To my mind, if I'm considering a purchase but don't feel I can afford or justify the purchase right now, instead of looking for cheaper, lower-quality options, I am more likely to choose to delay the purchase instead. I agree with Grey that cheap products perpetuate the evil cycle of being poor. Cheap food, likewise, perpetuates an evil cycle ill health and poverty. If, as a nation, we moved a little more toward the idea of owning less and owning it longer, we'd all be better off. But it's incredibly difficult to get people to think in terms of "the long run." Suburban Wife´s last blog post..$$: The Day’s Expenses plus Swim Meet Tips

By: Mama K

Mama K — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:37:31 +0000

Nice post. I have been feeling a little overwhelmed as late because I have been trying to find a ballence between all the factors in my head. Still, many healthy foods are also pretty cheap... organic rice and beans is cheaper than conventional meats. And a piece of in-season fruit is usually cheaper than packaged stuff. Mama K´s last blog post..glazed donuts for breakfast?

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By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:19:08 +0000

@Shevy,

I know, that was pretty funny!

By: Shevy

Shevy — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:18:39 +0000

I’m sitting here killing myself laughing at the idea my comment about *kosher* food could be *SPAM* (which, for anyone who lives where it isn’t available, is processed pork)!

Let’s see if this goes through….