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That chart upthread surprises me. I would think that the amount spent on food outside of the home has increased more dramatically than shown. Interesting that it does not mention beverages but rather just food.
In my experience, growing up in the 1960s and 1970s very few meals were outside of the home. But starting in the 1980s as "cheap casual" places took hold, many more families would eat out regularly.
Your thoughts though align with the graph. They are probably eating out more, but at cheaper places, therefore the percentage remains relatively constant. In the 60s, it was rarer, but more extravagant.
In my experience, growing up in the 1960s and 1970s very few meals were outside of the home. But starting in the 1980s as "cheap casual" places took hold, many more families would eat out regularly.
This is because the cost of food began to decline in the 1970's. Before then, it wasn't possible to have so many inexpensive, casual restaurants because the ingredients were too expensive to allow for that. There is also a lot of research showing that this decline in food costs is what led to the obesity epidemic in the United States.
An important factor fueling the obesity epidemic has been identified by a new review: Americans now have the cheapest food available in history. Today, two in three Americans are overweight or obese, with rates climbing steadily over the past several decades. Many factors have been suggested as causes: snack food, automobiles, television, fast food, computer use, vending machines, suburban housing developments, and portion size. But after examining available evidence, the authors say widespread availability of inexpensive food appears to have the strongest link to obesity.
For the heck of it, I looked at the price of eggs at Target (I go there maybe once a year and I wanted a sponge mop - anyway, a dozen eggs (NOT Eggland's Best or anything) - $5.79!!! Glad I don't use eggs very often at all. (I thought there was a thread somewhere on the price of eggs but not sure where it is).
Yes, part of the cost is I do buy a lot of prepared meals frozen dinners, deli sandwiches stuff like that for something quick and easy.
I do cook but not nearly enough I am trying to cook more and spend less money it is a chore though.
Convenience costs money. Like having staff prepare your meals for you. Or staff vacuuming your house. Or staff dusting your house. Or staff performing any other menial task for you. (Btw~ this is how 7/11 made their billions...)
I woulda said Southland Corp, but you likely have never heard of them, so I chose their subsidiary...
If you prepare the beans yourself soak them overnight. Soaked beans, and im guessing lentils too, seem to produce less gas.
You can also add certain herbs that already said in digestion like fennel or garlic. There are a couple other items you can pair with beans to help with the digestive issues beans alone without prep cause.
That must be what's doing it......I'm a garlic fiend!
Bean wise, started a little experiment today, bought a massive bag (now 18 lbs, down from 25) of pinto beans. I have the capacity to store that much so see how long it lasts, from being in a Gamma container with its own scoop. There will be their use in stews but also........
........I have long since thought about the cheap cans of stews in dollar stores as being more of "Stew Helpers". That is, that I may be able to bring them up to speed by adding beans and the like which I have a great supply of. Maybe now is the time to find out although I may find out that the "Helpers" may be not that great in any capacity and it is better to go entirely from scratch.
Finally, perhaps it is time, with all these pinto beans, to learn to make my own chili.
Otherwise, did my grand tour of food shopping today. Wally World, Big Lots, a Dollar Store, HEB. Only powdered milk at Wally World, they are the only place that sells it big (though I might want to add that to my Big Lots wish list in case they have it on a pass), and I have decided to go back to powdered milk. I only use milk in baking and buying fresh ends up with a whole bunch of waste, so only to make what I need when I need it.
Nothing to buy at Big Lots, it is a hit and miss type store.
Dollar Tree I usually make out like a bandit, being able to get tuna and canned fish at almost half of the main stream stores, other canned goods. It is not the stuff I use right off but looking over my haul today, there was about a month or two of food there for about $60, if leaning to a sparse ration side. Something like split peas or lentils (can't do rice anymore) with cooking oil would make a diet based off that more palatable.
On a side note to that, Dollar Tree was selling a lot of cans of fruit. Again, no longer on the diet but for someone who can eat such, it may be useful.
HEB is my main store and today was "lite" for I had in mind what I needed and stables like eggs were already at home. Still, it was just under $200 but the saving grace there is that it will last me a while......and I shop in the style of in case resupply isn't possible for a while. Shifted away from fresh buttermilk to powder for the same reason as powdered milk. Corn meal is my stable so I got more of that but has flour gone up in price? Fortunately, today, it was not on the list.
Resupplied my canned veggies and fish. I am hip deep in the first, into 3 pantry locations of it, and it is the kind of stuff I like to keep well ahead of. Canned fish goes rapidly, it is a necessity. No great increase in price there.......today.
Scanned the cold meat, turkey is back, brisket is at a reasonable price at $2.99/lb (Packer untrimmed) but my cold storage is rather filled, so didn't bother there and the same with cheese. Another can of coffee for that is something one should never run out of ALTHOUGH I ran into dehydration the other week, so I probably need to cut back on drinking it, especially as Texas summer approaches. Maybe not shopping and buying it, but drinking it.
End of report.
Quote:
Originally Posted by westender
That chart upthread surprises me. I would think that the amount spent on food outside of the home has increased more dramatically than shown. Interesting that it does not mention beverages but rather just food.
In my experience, growing up in the 1960s and 1970s very few meals were outside of the home. But starting in the 1980s as "cheap casual" places took hold, many more families would eat out regularly.
Today, I did eat out, Chinese, while shopping. While my conscience was saying, "You have all that food at home", it was countered with keeping myself fueled on the grand tour and that I had time in the day to eat like that. It also put me in the area to post a letter, something at the back of my mind that needed to be done....but I would have forgotten about it otherwise.
The big thing was, however, I did it before hitting HEB and you know what they say, don't grocery shop hungry.
One thing against eating out, though, is where do you crash after your meal? Today, ambition was driving me to go to HEB afterwards though I was questioning myself before of whether I need to go or not (it is here, it is now, DO IT!). Whether or not it, nap time, had any great influence in how I shopped is unknown but I only had one bag of cold stuff to put away at home.....before I crashed for 3 hours.
Last edited by TamaraSavannah; 04-29-2023 at 08:41 PM..
Prepared meals are big money wasters. You paying for the convenience, and the factory preparation approach and packaging. The heavily-processed "food" is also less healthy and less nutritious.
Deli meats are particularly horrible as to added sodiums and nitrites. It finally sunk in for me when I developed kidney stones.
Factory foods are processed and designed to cost the least to make and make the most profit.
"Added" sodiums and nitrates?
FOOD ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES
<<<>>>
There is a widely held belief that preservatives and additives are evil, wicked, mean and nasty. However, the bugs that they prevent are even more evil, wicked, mean and nasty.
"...There's a nasty bacteria called Clostridium Botulinum that causes botulism (a potent and deadly form of food poisoning). This bacteria lives best in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F. and likes moist, low oxygen conditions... like that found in curing sausages.
Nitrites prevent the growth of the botulism bacteria, and nitrites are made from the natural breakdown of either sodium or potassium nitrate.
Nitrites also give cured meat and sausage it's pink color and distinctive taste.
Our sausage making ancestors used saltpeter, a form of nitrate (sodium or potassium) to cure their meat. We now know that saltpeter is many times stronger than what is needed for a good cure. Don't use saltpeter when curing your sausage. We have much better alternatives."
Re: Kidney stones - - - Possible causes include drinking too little water, exercise (too much or too little), obesity, weight loss surgery, or eating food with too much salt (sodium chloride) or sugar. Infections and family history might be important in some people. Eating too much fructose correlates with increasing risk of developing a kidney stone.
FWIW - I find that I now need to drink electrolyte replacement to offset salt intake, and prevent fluid retention.
Folks who migrated to a Ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate protein, low carb) can switch to high fat (cheap) ground beef; 10 lb bags of chicken quarters (legs & thighs, also higher fat); and other inexpensive low carb items (cabbage, celery, lettuce, etc).
I try to squeeze out every possible use out of the ingredients.
Ex: I save the celery stubs, vegetable cuttings, can liquor, and old shrimp shells, for making stock and gravy.
Chicken quarters get pressure cooked, deboned, skin reserved for "chicken rinds" (microwaved until golden brown and crunchy), and leftover bones tossed back into the stock, and reduced by 33%. I then freeze the strained defatted stock in large silicone ice cube molds (2"x2"). The chicken gets divided into portions and excess is frozen.
From my freezer stock, I can whip up a multitude of menues, soups, stews, sauces, and so on.
The silicone mold has become essential in my quest for saving on food. I use egg bite forms for cooking (ex: round bottom meat balls) & freezing. I have 4" diameter "rainbow cake" molds that are great for hamburger patties, baked in the oven. I can then freeze them, thus saving the renderings with the patty (high fat, remember?). I also use a Dash waffler to make "chaffles" (cheese & egg waffles) to substitute for carb rich breads, and pizza crusts. Also make okonomiyaki (Japanese fritters) in the waffle maker.
I also use xanthan gum for thickening and emulsifying.
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- anyway, a dozen eggs (NOT Eggland's Best or anything) - $5.79!!! Glad I don't use eggs very often at all. (I thought there was a thread somewhere on the price of eggs but not sure where it is).
