Keeping the Grocery Bill Down

Shopping for Groceries in 1941 (LOC).

 

Later this morning I will put on my rain boots and walk all over the grounds of this old estate. The rain has made the property soft and wet making it necessary to wear protective shoes.  I will visit all the garden spots throughout the land to see how much work needs to be done to prepare for the coming planting season.  We will have a small kitchen garden, along with the berries and fruit trees that come up on their own each year.  As I walk the grounds I will pray and remember that it is God who blesses our efforts and provides our food.  We do the work and ask for His hand upon our labor.  Knowing this, gives me comfort since I cannot possibly manage things on my own. I must have the help of my Heavenly Father. 

The markets are full of ready-made food, pretty packaging, and inviting goods that can entice one to spend far more money than is reasonable. Sticking to a budget is hard in these days because we often think more about the store as the provider than of the land.  This is especially true for those of us who are limited in our experience and abilities in gardening.  Yet every little bit of effort at growing one's own food will save money on the grocery bill.

I often wonder if the way to spend less on groceries is to have smaller portions and live on less than is commonly recommended (for adults) by experts. Dinner plates used to be much smaller than the ones we have today.  Even cups were smaller. Tea cups were often used for both tea and coffee. Today, many use large mugs.  Everything seems bigger and is more expensive. And while most of the food we do have is happily given to growing children (or grandchildren when they visit), we older ones are learning to manage on less.

To keep costs down at the store, I have to avoid buying snacks.  The chips, cookies, and candy are tempting but not in the budget.  The frozen food section of dinners and desserts have to be avoided. The limited amount of money we have available must be used for basic necessities such as fresh fruit, vegetables, sugar and other baking ingredients, a small portion of meat, coffee, etc.  The pre-made food is far too expensive. I have to make a great deal of effort to avoid buying any of it, especially when I am feeling sick and worn out. 

There is much work to do in the kitchen to eat well and to plan out nutritious meals for the household. I frequently make homemade vegetable soup, which is both cheap and nutritious. This saves us so much money on food. But there are still things we need that cost money. We have to limit our spending to get through each month. 

Many of us think about food for much of the day. We want both meals and snacks. We want to keep eating.  Sometimes I have to get busy. I have to keep my mind on other things so that what we do have available is conserved, so it lasts long enough to the next pay period. Keeping occupied and drinking water will help us get through to the next scheduled meal time. At the table, eating slowly and enjoying the food peacefully will make us feel more content. 

There are many of us on limited incomes who need to be very careful with our provisions. But we want to do this joyfully. We want to be grateful and at peace with a limited amount of resources. I am grateful for our beautiful old house. I am grateful for the land to walk about and have a bit of exercise and quiet times with the Lord.  Most of all I am incredibly grateful that I can go to the Lord in prayer and ask for help for whatever we need. I want to always say with the Psalmist in chapter 23, "I shall not want."  How precious to be cared for as a child of God, knowing that I have help not just in times of trouble, but for every single need, each and every day of my life.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

A Simple Life - How to Stop Buying Things that Clutter up the Home. 

Old Time Frugality - Keeping the Family Homestead. 

 My Mother's Example - Housekeeping All Day.  

 - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

 

 Help for hard times at home - 

House Keeping in Hard Times: Essays and Encouragement from a Christian Housewife

 Paperback, 180 pages

 As you read the entries, you will get a sense of what it is like as a Christian housewife through the ups and downs of life.  Topics include motherhood, marriage, taking care of children, cleaning, living on a low income, saving money, and building up the family with faith as the foundation.

Peace in the Countryside

Church at Plymouth Notch, Vermont.

 

The view of the countryside as I go about each day, here in our rural village, is bringing a great sense of peace.  Our perennial plants have sprung up. Soon flowers will appear. The grass is greener and brighter making the entire grounds of our humble estate look like a park. 

I just returned from a journey that required a great deal of driving. It was a medical trip. It rained for much of the time we were away from home. We walked all over the hospital and were grateful for the good care and helpful service our patient received.  The trip was long and tiring but the view was stunning as we drove along the route.  The scenery out in the countryside is charming and restful.

Back at home, I was grateful to get a ride to church for an evening event. I was able to enjoy being a passenger and resting on the drive.  I attend a weekly rehearsal that I look forward to very much!  I am part of the handbell choir. We play hymns and get to practice and then perform as part of the church service. It is an honor and a blessing to be one of the choir. The sound of the bells has always given me a great sense of peace.

We have another medical trip coming up next week for treatment for our patient. I will bring provisions from home so we can avoid the expense of restaurants. It will be like bringing along picnics from my kitchen.  We will make the best of these medical journeys as we take the time to see the view, enjoy the fresh air, and delight in the goodness of our dear Lord.

The peace and rest and joy that comes each day of our lives is a gift from God. May we always strive to walk very closely, guarded by His precious care. 

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives - 

It is What you Make of it -  The Cultured Society of Home.

A Special Day for Grandbaby - Homemade Birthday Dinner.

Oh, How Much we Need this Blessing - Peace Be Upon This House.


- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Mrs. White's nostalgic book for Mothers:

"Old Fashioned Motherhood: Baby and Child Care Advice from a New England Housewife." 

62 pages, paperback. 

Simplifying Grocery Shopping

Home Delivery of Milk in 1925. (LOC)

I have been feeling overwhelmed the last several weeks. I realized there had to be a way to simplify life.  When one is doing too much, there becomes a burden on one's life making it difficult to remain cheerful, calm, and peaceful.

A few weeks ago, something came up that led me to order groceries online for a home delivery.   Since we live in a rural area, this type of thing has not been common around here.  Delivery from one of the local stores began about a year ago but with an unstable and uncertain time frame. Many orders were delayed or cancelled. I believe this had to do with drivers not being available or enough deliveries to make it sensible for them to send out a few orders on one trip. This seems to have changed, now, for the better!

It has been costing more money than I feel comfortable paying for gas and food this month. The drive to the supermarket from our house is more than 6 miles away. The time and effort involved in the errand of getting supplies and provisions takes its toll on our fragile health and limited pocketbook.  One day, I said to my husband, "why don't we try one of those grocery orders and see what happens?"  This would be an order that included milk, eggs, frozen food, and other perishable items. I have come to understand that this type of order involves a person doing my grocery shopping for me and then bringing it right to my front door.  If this works, I thought, a great deal of stress and worry will be gone from my daily life! 

I chose a time frame for delivery and within a short period of time, all the groceries were carefully placed on my front porch. We were so thankful and relieved! I was incredibly grateful for the shopper who was willing to do this work for us!

Since there is an additional cost to pay the shopper, which they certainly earn, I believe I can only afford to order food twice a month. We will have to be very careful with the shopping list. The food has to last. We will also remember to go without when necessary until it is reasonable to pay the shopper the next time we place an order.

Another incredible blessing is that our local pharmacy delivers. The timing was always off when we thought about using this option. They only deliver one day a week to our town.  A few days ago, our patient needed a prescription refilled. It happened to be on just the right day of the week.  Instead of us having to make an extra trip, a driver came all the way out here (to our rural village) and brought the medicine right to the house. There was no charge for this service! 

I am so relieved to have these options available to us, especially in our rural area.  I now have more moments of peace, rest, and the ability to tend to the duties of home at a relaxed pace.

I am grateful to be here and so very thankful for deliveries!

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives - 

Some ideas - Peaceful Living by Rules. 

Encouragement - Old Fashioned Duty of a Homemaker.  

Old Time Manners - Waiting for the Door to Be Opened.  

Living on a Small Income - Standard of Living. 

  - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

For happiness and cheer in the kitchen:

Mrs. White's old fashioned cookbook focuses on serving meals and setting the table in a humble home.

"Serving in the Kitchen: Cookbook with Recipes, Advice, and Encouragement for the Christian Home"

152 pages, paperback

A Lingering Winter

A snowy April at our house (photograph from last year).

 

I have been looking through seed catalogs and thinking about the upcoming planting season.  While it is still cold outside, I am dreaming about summer gardens and walks on the grounds of our humble estate.

This morning, as I look out the front window, I see snow falling over the landscape. I can hear the sound of the wind blowing through the bare trees while the heat is on inside to help keep us warm.

In the midst of a cold spring, there is much to do this month. There are more medical trips to take, health needs, and the care and keeping of the home and family. 

As time allows, I am slowly working on a new book project. There are certain methods I follow to get started. I set up my card table and put a pretty tablecloth over it. I then stack my research books, notes, and files on the table and keep it by a rocking chair where I will sit and do the work.  Then I do some printing to make it easier for me to do the reading and the writing of notes. The publication is to be a classic reprint of a very special book from more than 100 years ago!   Setting up the pretty table and making the project look nice reminds me of the motivating labor of homemaking. We do our best to keep our surroundings beautiful, so we are able to work with an uplifted heart and attitude.

This cold spring weather is the perfect time to sit by the fire and write and read books. As I work, I take many breaks to clean the house, do the laundry, sweep the floor, and prepare meals. 

I have been listening to the welcome sound of the chirping of birds on the front grounds. It makes me so happy to hear the sounds of spring as I go about the work of homemaking.

Soon we will see the tulips beginning to appear. I will put on my rain boots and walk in the yard to protect my shoes from the challenge of mud season. The fresh, clean air will be so peaceful. I will enjoy the view of the sky and the river, as the snow continues to slowly melt from a long winter.

For now, I will do my best to keep busy on a project by the card table.  I hope I can stay motivated and feel well enough to complete the necessary work within a few weeks. I look forward to seeing it finished.

May our homes be filled with the peace of God, the love of family, and the willingness to serve one another with a precious sense of joy!

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

A little history and encouragement - Occupation - Keeping House.

Good manners and thrift - Adding Loveliness to the Day.

What many of us crave - An Ordinary Life at Home.  

- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

 

 Help for hard times at home - 

House Keeping in Hard Times: Essays and Encouragement from a Christian Housewife

 Paperback, 180 pages

 As you read the entries, you will get a sense of what it is like as a Christian housewife through the ups and downs of life.  Topics include motherhood, marriage, taking care of children, cleaning, living on a low income, saving money, and building up the family with faith as the foundation.

Remain Cheerful in Hard Times

Winter scene at our house (from earlier this year). 

 

It has been snowing here for days. After a short period of nice weather, a chill has settled in our area.  There is a quiet sense of beauty despite the cold. I am grateful for a warm winter coat, and a cozy fire by the couch. 

I have been making a lot of vegetable soup and freezing it in portions. There is homemade bread, brownies, and a little popcorn for an inexpensive treat.  The prices at the grocery store seem to remain stable. I usually buy the basic items we always need on hand.  These include simple ingredients along with fresh fruit and vegetables.  It is important to save money, to conserve, to keep things simple, and to make sure the family has good wholesome food. This often requires extra labor in the kitchen, but as long as I can rest as much as possible, somehow, the work gets done. 

Saving money is on the minds of many. Yet in the midst of this careful sense of prudence with our resources, there has to be time for joy, goals, dreams, and plans. Whenever possible, taking walks in the beauty of nature will bring us rest and refreshment.  The moments we live through will become memories that either cause discouragement or make us smile. I would rather do things that bring smiles.

One night last week, as we were coming home from church, we could see the moonlight shimmering over one of the frozen lakes.  There was a hush over the landscape as there was no traffic and little noise. As we drove around a corner, looking at the snow and ice on the trees, there suddenly appeared, through the darkness, a large deer. It gracefully leapt across the road in front of us. Somehow the driver was able to slow the car down just in time as we watched the deer disappear into the woods on the other side of the road. I was so relieved that I was not the one who had been driving the car that night! We had been protected, watched over, and saved from a possible accident. Instead of worrying, we were able to quickly regain our composure and just gasp at the awe and wonder of the beauty of nature all around. We thought with gratefulness of the majesty of God and creation.

Going out and about through the days and weeks, we enjoy our way of life and are blessed. In the midst of heavy snow and cold weather, we attended a morning church service this past weekend.  The sanctuary was emptier than usual when we took our seats. The service began and more people started to come through the door.  As the first hymn was announced, it was discovered that the music director was outside shoveling snow. Some were arriving late. Soon the congregation was full and a precious service commenced. It was comforting to see the effort it took for many of us to be there.  It was a priority and it was a blessing. 

In these days of uncertainty, it is important to do our very best to keep the joy of living alive in our hearts and minds. We must remain cheerful, especially in hard times. Trips for outings, church, visits, and errands are becoming more and more expensive because of the price of gasoline.  I have seen our local prices rise at least three times in the last couple of weeks. This does not worry me because I remember rougher days we have lived through. I remember a recession where the price of gas was $5 a gallon. In those days we did not have the privilege of driving very often. Errands had to be less often. There were not as many church events or services we could attend since there simply wasn't enough money available to meet the high expense.  

As we face each new day, we must not let the high cost of living cause discouragement. It is important to accept our circumstances and seek direction from the Lord. We are a people of hope and faith. Every morning is a new start with a fresh set of goodness to accomplish. What a wonderful work we have been given! 

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

A Lesson in Beautiful Living - The Quiet Kindness of a Titus 2 Mother.

My Mother's Example - Housekeeping All Day.  

 Unwanted Advice for the Family - Quieting Myself for the Good of Others.

 - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Now Available from The Legacy of Home Press:

Old Fashioned Homemaking: Essays and Encouragement from a New England Housewife by Mrs. White

176 pages, paperback

ISBN: 978-1-956616-38-5