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Re: Mm, somewhat. Isaac Send a noteboard - 29/07/2013 11:34:00 PM

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View original postI don't keep a garden, cook from scratch, can excess produce, etc to save money.

View original postI can agree with this partially. I do like thinking of what I save, but that's because I'm more likely to go to a pub and spend £20 on dinner/drinks than go to McDonald's and grab a value meal. I save a lot, and I have fun doing it. So it's mixed for me.

Oh sure, eating out, rather than grabbing the Burger Emperor Mega-saver is definitely more pricey then making it at home, though even then the drinks bill tends to be the real cost slam, same as soda, giving up booze definitely dropped my dining bill. Especially considering my fondness for scotch and dark foreign beer

If you're dining out, home-cooked is very noticeably cheaper. I remember I used to host dinner parties back in grad school and even getting pretty extravagant with the menu I could feed all my friends for about what my own bill out would have been, rise in social standing as skilled cook and generous host, and often have someone pick up my own bill when out in thanks. I'm pretty sure that's what actually got me into real cooking, I've cooked since I was little but before then always more 'make food, eat food' rather than real cuisine. Home cooking saves money compared to a decent restaurant, I don't think gardening does so well compared to the grocery store, I've never really cataloged how much time and money I put in to the garden probably because I'm afraid of the answer.

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I do remind myself that it does save money but I'm well aware there are other activities I could be doing that would net me considerably more money for the same times as whatever I save. It's just self-justification and rationalization, same as my mother quilting or knitting for 'blankets for babies' and so on, its an excuse for a hobby, but spending 20 hours to make a blanket that a machine could spew out for $10 isn't an effective use of time and neither is me breaking out the manual pasta-maker. Its a hobby, like mechanics is a hobby that can be genuinely useful and beneficial, like hunting or fishing, but are motives are typically much the same as someone playing X-box.

View original postI also partially agree, but I think it's an important choice first, and a hobby second. I made the choice to completely change my diet and lifestyle (and have lost 8+ pounds so far this time 'round), because I think I need to do that for my health. I would do that for my children as well, if I had them. That I enjoy it was sort of secondary, but I have fully embraced that, I admit (I had to learn to love it, or I would have quit). I like spending money on interesting foodie things, because people have to eat - food feels like a freebie on the budget, if that makes sense? I know I'm very lucky to be in a position to feel that way.

Oh, health and diet aren't much concerns of mine, I was raised vegetarian so my preferred diet already looks like most healthy eating plans. Not that I don't eat some outrageously unhealthy stuff for time to time but there tends to be a lot more vegetables then starch or meat in meals I make to personal taste.

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View original postBut what are we really saying here? That non-McDonald food is prohibitively less convenient and more expensive? Because honestly, if one has ANY seed money at all, buying rice, pasta or fillers, the occasional sauce, etc can get a person pretty far. If one has stocked up on a few things, one could probably feed multiple people for $1/person, even if one is occasionally splurging on some organic veggies or free-range chicken.

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View original postI think the concept is that a lot of times even if you earn minimum wage you could eat fast food and go work some more and come up ahead on cash. Particularly since a lot of fast food joint sell the burgers at or even below cost and make their money on fries and soda. It's a crap example though. It still takes time to go to a burger joint and wait in line or drive thru, typically more than assembling a PBJ or cold cut sandwich and tossing it the lunch pail. Unless one is either very half assed or very elaborate at such things, or the food joint travel time and wait is virtually nil, I have difficulty imagining pulling two slices of bread out, slapping on the ingredients, and sticking it in the travel rig up, even including time shopping and doing the dishes, would equal out. On the other hand, I am pretty sure the actual cost of having a kitchen in one's house, keeping it heated, keeping the fridge cold, etc all cost more in total for a single person then eating fast food with an eye for Calories per $$$ does.

View original postYeah. And that last bit is true, but we would have fridges anyway. There are plenty of other things to put in there, whether it's crap or not (juice, ice cream, beer...)

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View original postI guess I'm saying that I understand that some people have difficulties with time/money, but I also find it hard to believe this is as hard as the article makes it seem - I was raised in a single-economy household, and I have three siblings. My mother somehow fed all of us home-cooked meals, even if the veg wasn't the best of the best. I can't see how that's not better than McDonald's, and I'm pretty sure most of us exist in the middle ground between non-stop McD's and fully organic.

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View original postAgreed. I don't shoot my own cows or grow and grind my own flour and I could do the latter I'm sure, it holds no interest for me and I really doubt I could do it economically.

View original postWe do add something new each year though. I'm not sure where our stopping point will be.

Right now, we're starting up a more official mini home-brew-boilerthingie. And thinking about getting chickens. And I want an ice cream maker. SEE?!

I know tons of home chicken growers, of course a lot of them are actual farmers, but they're pretty easy to keep from what I've heard so I'd give it go, not me personally though. I've made beer before with some friends for their wedding, hops stink to high hell I've noticed. My breadmaker and my yogurt maker are about the only yeast-based things I do at home. I think every garden and kitchen acquires a couple new plant types and appliances every year, just part of the hobby clutter, totally reasonable and justified.

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
- Albert Einstein
King of Cairhien 20-7-2
Chancellor of the Landsraad, Archduke of Is'Mod

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The greatest food in human history? random thoughts - 28/07/2013 05:13:31 PM 1350 Views

That would've been a rather more useful article... Legolas - 28/07/2013 06:31:01 PM 732 Views

If you are going hungry calories do matter random thoughts - 28/07/2013 09:19:45 PM 658 Views

Maybe it's a bit of repression and projection onto the people who eat there? everynametaken - 29/07/2013 01:36:10 AM 786 Views

He sounds like a nut. *NM* Stephen - 28/07/2013 08:29:29 PM 515 Views

unlike the people who think we should all eat food grown within 100 miles of where we live? random thoughts - 28/07/2013 09:22:07 PM 758 Views

Supply issues of transportation are not entirely unjustified, though often exaggerated Isaac - 28/07/2013 10:38:04 PM 884 Views

population distrubution makes that solution unworkable random thoughts - 28/07/2013 11:34:16 PM 757 Views

Since when? Isaac - 29/07/2013 05:11:52 AM 803 Views

I am all in favor os sensible thigs and try to practice them myself random thoughts - 29/07/2013 01:03:45 PM 780 Views

Re: I am all in favor os sensible thigs and try to practice them myself Isaac - 29/07/2013 08:04:26 PM 868 Views

They are nuts too. Stephen - 29/07/2013 03:30:46 PM 775 Views

My experiences with the whole organic, etc. people. everynametaken - 29/07/2013 01:46:11 AM 765 Views

I thought he was being satirical. At least until I kept reading. Fox and Ravens - 29/07/2013 03:15:12 AM 725 Views

Depends on whether you live in a food desert or not. *NM* Ghavrel - 29/07/2013 01:10:56 PM 393 Views

fast food doesn't make you fat. To much food makes you fat random thoughts - 29/07/2013 01:11:28 PM 819 Views

Too much food definitely makes you fat but in comparing apples to apples... Fox and Ravens - 29/07/2013 01:46:08 PM 822 Views

calories are calories random thoughts - 29/07/2013 03:36:59 PM 830 Views

I don't agree with your subject nossy - 29/07/2013 07:05:50 PM 922 Views

Yeah, I thought the same. Body totally contradicts subject.

*NM* Aemon - 30/07/2013 02:50:59 AM 1006 Views

I was refering to weight gain not general health *NM* random thoughts - 30/07/2013 05:38:15 PM 376 Views

And I still don't agree with you.

nossy - 30/07/2013 06:48:14 PM 713 Views

but you should be used to that by now

*NM* random thoughts - 30/07/2013 08:51:12 PM 475 Views

And I don't really see Sareitha Sedai - 29/07/2013 02:55:41 PM 686 Views

Re: And I don't really see Fox and Ravens - 29/07/2013 05:29:55 PM 690 Views

Well let's keep in mind here you don't *need* vegetables at all, no more than dairy or meat Isaac - 30/07/2013 04:45:28 AM 799 Views

Not to discount the points he makes, but what I find interesting ... Nate - 29/07/2013 03:51:59 AM 753 Views

I don't know if thinks it is OK or just acept the reality of it random thoughts - 29/07/2013 01:05:52 PM 746 Views

I'm sure you could live off them for quite a while. Fox and Ravens - 29/07/2013 01:38:09 PM 806 Views

Super Size me was BS random thoughts - 29/07/2013 06:23:26 PM 652 Views

RT's correct, Super Size Me was at best badly documented and exaggerated *NM* Isaac - 29/07/2013 08:10:58 PM 500 Views

I eat mostly organic, homemade, etc nossy - 29/07/2013 07:23:02 PM 760 Views

I think most of us track costs just as a self-justification though Isaac - 29/07/2013 08:43:09 PM 825 Views

Mm, somewhat. nossy - 29/07/2013 10:38:22 PM 807 Views

Re: Mm, somewhat. Isaac - 29/07/2013 11:34:00 PM 766 Views

I have brown eggs and free rnage chicken in mmy fridge so I am not judging random thoughts - 30/07/2013 01:12:51 PM 895 Views

nossy - 30/07/2013 06:51:11 PM 787 Views

What, you have brown eggs?! jh - 30/07/2013 06:56:28 PM 767 Views

I know! nossy - 30/07/2013 07:13:31 PM 759 Views

well I don't do the shopping just the eating random thoughts - 30/07/2013 08:49:51 PM 674 Views

Well, eating is my favourite part of a meal too... jh - 30/07/2013 10:39:22 PM 626 Views

FYI: Egg shell color is determined by the breed of the hen, not by diet or living conditions. Avendesora - 01/08/2013 05:04:32 PM 764 Views

So I have learned random thoughts - 01/08/2013 05:53:18 PM 911 Views

Re: bird diet Macharius - 02/08/2013 02:51:23 PM 784 Views

Yes! I have two hens. "Raptor" and "Val-ociraptor" She is "Val" for short.

Avendesora - 02/08/2013 03:44:12 PM 806 Views

WTF? Kale is good.

*NM* Avendesora - 01/08/2013 06:31:28 PM 429 Views

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<quote id="278448">
<quote id="278443"><quote id="278438">I don't keep a garden, cook from scratch, can excess produce, etc to save money.</quote></quote>

<quote id="278443">I can agree with this partially. I do like thinking of what I save, but that's because I'm more likely to go to a pub and spend £20 on dinner/drinks than go to McDonald's and grab a value meal. I save a lot, and I have fun doing it. So it's mixed for me. </quote>

<quote id="278443"><quote>I do remind myself that it does save money but I'm well aware there are other activities I could be doing that would net me considerably more money for the same times as whatever I save. It's just self-justification and rationalization, same as my mother quilting or knitting for 'blankets for babies' and so on, its an excuse for a hobby, but spending 20 hours to make a blanket that a machine could spew out for $10 isn't an effective use of time and neither is me breaking out the manual pasta-maker. Its a hobby, like mechanics is a hobby that can be genuinely useful and beneficial, like hunting or fishing, but are motives are typically much the same as someone playing X-box.</quote></quote>

<quote id="278443">I also partially agree, but I think it's an important choice first, and a hobby second. I made the choice to completely change my diet and lifestyle (and have lost 8+ pounds so far this time 'round), because I think I need to do that for my health. I would do that for my children as well, if I had them. That I enjoy it was sort of secondary, but I have fully embraced that, I admit (I had to learn to love it, or I would have quit). I like spending money on interesting foodie things, because people have to eat - food feels like a freebie on the budget, if that makes sense? I know I'm very lucky to be in a position to feel that way. </quote>

<quote id="278443"><quote id="278438"><quote id="278433">But what are we really saying here? That non-McDonald food is prohibitively less convenient and more expensive? Because honestly, if one has ANY seed money at all, buying rice, pasta or fillers, the occasional sauce, etc can get a person pretty far. If one has stocked up on a few things, one could probably feed multiple people for $1/person, even if one is occasionally splurging on some organic veggies or free-range chicken.</quote></quote></quote>

<quote id="278443"><quote id="278438">I think the concept is that a lot of times even if you earn minimum wage you could eat fast food and go work some more and come up ahead on cash. Particularly since a lot of fast food joint sell the burgers at or even below cost and make their money on fries and soda. It's a crap example though. It still takes time to go to a burger joint and wait in line or drive thru, typically more than assembling a PBJ or cold cut sandwich and tossing it the lunch pail. Unless one is either very half assed or very elaborate at such things, or the food joint travel time and wait is virtually nil, I have difficulty imagining pulling two slices of bread out, slapping on the ingredients, and sticking it in the travel rig up, even including time shopping and doing the dishes, would equal out. On the other hand, I am pretty sure the actual cost of having a kitchen in one's house, keeping it heated, keeping the fridge cold, etc all cost more in total for a single person then eating fast food with an eye for Calories per $$$ does.</quote></quote>

<quote id="278443">Yeah. And that last bit is true, but we would have fridges anyway. There are plenty of other things to put in there, whether it's crap or not (juice, ice cream, beer...)</quote>

<quote id="278443"><quote id="278438"><quote id="278433">I guess I'm saying that I understand that some people have difficulties with time/money, but I also find it hard to believe this is as hard as the article makes it seem - I was raised in a single-economy household, and I have three siblings. My mother somehow fed all of us home-cooked meals, even if the veg wasn't the best of the best. I can't see how that's not better than McDonald's, and I'm pretty sure most of us exist in the middle ground between non-stop McD's and fully organic.</quote></quote></quote>

<quote id="278443"><quote id="278438">Agreed. I don't shoot my own cows or grow and grind my own flour and I could do the latter I'm sure, it holds no interest for me and I really doubt I could do it economically.</quote></quote>

<quote id="278443">We do add something new each year though. I'm not sure where our stopping point will be. :P Right now, we're starting up a more official mini home-brew-boilerthingie. And thinking about getting chickens. And I want an ice cream maker. SEE?!</quote>

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