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Are We All Becoming Indentured Servants? A Warning.

Throughout human history, individuals and groups have exerted control over others, a practice that persists to this very day.  The level of control and ownership has varied. Still, it typically involves some form of power over another’s life, with the expressed purpose of using that individual to serve the needs of the individual who owns them. Often, the individual providing the services is not compensated financially, or if they are compensated, the money is used as a means of control.

Enslaved people are individuals who are “owned” by their masters.  Slavery predates written history, and there are indications that individuals were enslaved by others as early as 11,000 years ago.

Slavery exists in several forms:

-Chattel Slavery is where another human being is considered property that can be bought, sold, and inherited just like any other piece of property.

-Bonded Slavery is where a person agrees to provide labor to pay off their own or a relative’s debt.  However, the agreement is structured in such a way that they are never able to pay off the debt and become enslaved.

-Forced Labor is another form of slavery, where someone is forced to work against their will using the threat of imprisonment, destitution, or punishment.

A particularly horrific form of slavery was the transatlantic slave trade to America that started in the 15th century and continued for hundreds of years.  Africans were forcibly transported, often under horrific conditions, to the Americas to provide labor. These human beings were considered property, and many suffered a heinous life of brutality. 

Some churches supported slavery, using Bible passages as justification. Slave owners did what they could to control their enslaved people.  Many southern states passed anti-literacy laws, which made it a crime to teach an enslaved person to read or write.  Their justification was to prevent an enslaved person from forging documents that would claim their freedom.  However, knowledge is power, and such laws also prevented an enslaved person from gaining knowledge.

At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, slavery was heavily debated.  In 1800, Congress created an Act that made the slave trade illegal between countries.  However, slavery continued in the US.  There are reports of some slave owners creating breeding farms, similar to the way that animals are bred. Enslaved women would be forced to become pregnant to produce offspring who were then taken away and sold.  Just writing this paragraph makes me shudder.

Slavery officially ended with the Civil War, but that doesn’t mean that controlling others came to an end.  Movies like D.W. Griffith’s 1915 “The Birth of a Nation” portrayed blacks as violent, sex crazed monsters and served as a way to promote race distinctions. 

Despite the modern belief that the ownership of another is morally wrong, slavery continues in this country and other countries. The BBC estimates that 45 million human beings live in enslaved conditions, with about 2/3rds of them residing in Asia.  However, forms of slavery exist in Western countries, and I recently read about Poles brought to England with the promise of work, who were functionally enslaved there. Modern-day enslavement involves forced labor,  forced child marriages, bonded labor, child exploitation of many types, and criminal exploitation.  It is believed that over 1 million individuals in the United States are in some form of slavery.  This number included the forced labor of prisoners, forced agricultural labor, and other forms of forced labor.  Forced sexual exploitation of both adults and children is another form of slavery.  I was shocked that eight states support the marriage of girls to adult men.  Most of these girls are between 16 and 17, but there are reports of children as young as 10 being married.  

An indentured servant is an individual who agrees to work without monetary reward to repay a debt.  An example that I remember from my 5th-grade history class was those individuals who secured passage to the Americas and who repaid that passage with 4-7 years of labor.  During that time, they had limited freedoms, and their benefactor owned their labor.  In an ideal situation, these individuals were eventually granted rights and often received additional compensation at the end of their indenture.  However, that was not always the case, as it was possible to use loopholes to enslave the indentured individual. 

Company towns were established in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Company towns helped companies develop a workforce and included the necessary amenities for daily life, such as housing, a company store, and healthcare facilities. On the surface, such an investment is beneficial as a company town offers a better life in a highly structured and planned community. However, there is a dark side to this social experiment. Companies had total control of their towns, giving them the ability to exploit their workers.  For instance, a company could create an imbalance between earnings vs. living expenses. This could push a worker into debt owed to the town’s services and indirectly to the company, preventing the worker from seeking better opportunities and essentially turning them into indentured servants. The company town eventually lost favor with the collapse of the economy during the Great Depression.  An additional factor that contributed to the decline of company towns was the automobile, as it opened up possibilities for workers to shop for better prices and to travel to more desirable jobs. 

It is universally agreed that the ownership of another human being is morally and legally wrong. However, the above examples should make it clear that some form of slavery has existed in this country long after the Civil War.  I wonder if we are moving towards a new type of slavery in 2025.

We live in a society that runs on money.  If you have it, your life can be good.  Without it, your life will likely be terrible. Our country’s economy is fueled by consumer spending, and we are constantly being encouraged to spend more money.  This is traditionally done by creating a problem that is solved by a product. We are told that our lives will be better if we purchase a nicer car, a bigger house, or if our teeth are whiter. We are constantly pushed to spend more money with advanced psychological tricks.  When I was young, I was influenced by radio, TV, and print ads, but it wasn’t a constant barrage of advertisements. Today, sophisticated algorithms monitor our every action and interest.  Every time you do a Google search, buy an item at the grocery store, pick up a prescription, or buy a ticket for an event, it is being recorded. That information can be compiled to form a very accurate picture of your purchasing vulnerabilities. 

Influencers and para-friends.

Shopping channel hosts form para-social relationships with their viewers to encourage them to purchase unnecessary items under the guise of these fake friendships. Websites, like YouTube and TikTok, have become massive selling platforms where influencers gush with orgasmic excitement about a new face cream or piece of luggage. They showcase their fabricated lifestyles, featuring huge mansions, private jets, and luxury cars, implying that we can emulate them if we purchase their products or enroll in their mentoring program. 

Others tell us that we are too fat, too thin, not muscular enough, too old, or not old enough, as they offer the cure with their proprietary supplement or plan.  

Obtaining all of these wants costs money. Often, substantially more money than an individual has at their disposal.  

No Safety Net.

According to Bankrate.com, in a 2025 survey, 59% of American adults don’t have $1000 to cover an emergency expense.  Many emergencies now cost well over $1000, including car repairs. A 59% rate means that we are talking about many levels of earning, not just those who are poor or underemployed.  This means that most Americans have to rely on credit to cover a basic emergency.

Easy Credit.

Credit cards have been around for a long time, but they gained significant popularity with the introduction of bank cards, such as MasterCard and Visa, during the mid-20th century. To attract more users, banks would visit college campuses and register naive young college students, many of whom would start their debt lives uninformed. Approximately 50% of U.S. adults or households have credit card debt, with some surveys indicating that the actual number is closer to 60%. The average interest rate on a credit card is between 20% and 23% with some high-interest cards having an interest rate of around 36%.  One former card offered by First Premier Bank had an astounding interest rate of almost 80%! If you are poor and don’t have a high credit score, you may have to settle for a high-interest-rate card. 

Let’s say you have an average APR on your credit card of 21.5% and you owe $10,000.  Money is tight, and all you can pay is the minimum monthly payment of $200.  However, you are responsible and pay your $200 every single month.  How long will it take to pay off that $10,000 debt?  One hundred and twenty-seven months or ten and a half years!  Wait, it doesn’t stop there, as you will be paying the bank $25,374, which is $15,374 more than the amount that you borrowed. However, most people living paycheck to paycheck, borrow more and more, creating an increasingly impossible financial situation. All it takes is a car repair, an ER visit, or another unexpected bill.  By the way, 65% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. 

There are other predatory lending practices.

In my state, you can get cash via a “payday loan.”  If you are very cash-strapped, you can borrow up to $500, and you are required to repay your loan plus interest within 31 days.  The interest rate is exorbitant, often over 390%.  These loans are used by low-income individuals who lack other financial options.  

A similar scheme is called a cash advance app.  These apps offer short-term loans that withdraw the money directly from your bank account when you receive your next paycheck.  They use a loophole to avoid being classified as a loan, but they are, in fact, loans.  They charge a fee that they deduct, and their calculated APR can sometimes exceed 1000%. The use of these apps can be a chronic and severe problem.  Let’s say you need $200.  When you get your paycheck, the app immediately deducts that $200, plus a fee.  Now you are “short” for the next month, requiring you to use the app again.  This further reduces your next check. The user ends up chronically short of money, and the lender makes a fortune with constant loan fees. 

‘Buy now, pay later’ services.

Another way to increase consumer spending is to encourage “buy now, pay later.” This concept has been around for a long time, but it has gained significant traction with programs like Klarna. That $100 shirt you can’t afford is now only four payments of $25, so why not buy it?  Retailers have discovered that people are likely to spend more if they use buy now, pay later plans.  Even Walmart offers a BNPL program.  The consumer is obligated to repay the loan with interest. How much is that interest?  On the Klarna webpage, it says, “Pay as little as 0% interest.”  Sounds great, what they don’t tell you is that interest can go as high as 35%. NBC News reports that 41% of Klarna users have had late payments. This subjects them to additional late fees.

Additionally, the retailer pays Klarna for the service, so this has the potential to increase prices for everyone, as the retailer must recoup that cost.  All of these things lead to debt and financial insecurity. 

Once again, we are dealing with predatory practices that make the poor poorer and the rich richer.  I know some of you are probably saying, “No one forces them to use the app.”  I would say that desperate people do desperate things, and super-easy credit can be pretty addictive in a world where everyone seems to be going for that next dopamine hit. Don’t judge, unless you want to be judged. 

The insanity of escalating car prices.

Car prices have skyrocketed, with the average car costing nearly $50,000.  When I was on vacation, someone broke off my sideview mirror, and I had to go to a local dealership to get it fixed.  While I was there, I wandered around the dealer’s showroom.  Only one car was $48,000.  The rest were between $60,000 and $100,000.  It used to be that you would take out a car loan for 3 years.  Now, 7-year loans are common, and 8-year loans are becoming increasingly popular.  In 2025, the average length of a car loan is approximately 6 years, and the average monthly payment is around $750, both of which are on the rise. 

Dealerships have convinced us that it isn’t what you pay for a car, but its the monthly payment that counts. In the last 5 years, the average car price has increased by 30%.  That is a massive number, as cars are expensive to begin with.  As loans get longer and longer, the owner now has to deal with continued payments, as well as mechanical repairs.  Some owners can’t deal with an unreliable older car, so they trade it in with negative equity.  In other words, they owe more on the car than it is worth. That balance gets added to the new car payment. This cycle repeats, spiraling the consumer into increasingly debt. 

Let’s say you have a bad credit score (500), but you need a car for work, and you find a vehicle and a lender. Because of your poor credit, the interest rate is 21.58% (per Bankrate.com), and you take a 7-year loan for $50,000. Heck, you deserve a nice car.  That is what the salesperson tells you.  You agree.  The salesperson is happy as he makes a bigger commission. Your monthly payment for the next 7 years will be $1158, and you will pay the bank a total of $97,302.  That’s $50,000 for the car and $47,000 in interest.  Just pray that you can continue to repay your loan; otherwise, the vehicle will be repossessed, and you will still be responsible for any negative equity on it. Holy cow! 

Housing costs are insane.

Want to buy your own home?  For many, that is now a pipedream.  How about renting an apartment? The “Washington Post” says rents have risen by 19% since 2019.  A huge increase.

Gone are the days when each kid “needed” their own bedroom.  Now some families share apartments.  

When I retired, I got into van life as a hobby. Van life is where people live out of a converted van. It is similar to RV life.  I also have a home and have the resources to make this experience an adventure.  That is not the case for many van dwellers who live in their vans and cars because they can’t afford to rent an apartment. This group includes individuals who have a job, and retirees who struggle to make ends meet on their Social Security checks and limited savings. 

Higher education costs are insane.

Society informs us that we need a college education, citing outdated statistics.  When I attended college, the overall tuition costs were quite reasonable; in fact, it was possible to pay tuition costs by working a job. However, tuition costs have skyrocketed well past inflation.  Colleges will cite a variety of reasons ranging from expanded student services to a greater commitment to research.  However, those reasons are only part of the story.  As student loans became more readily available, colleges saw an opportunity to increase tuition.  This also spawned the online for-profit college movement of the late 1990s, where predatory schools encouraged unqualified students to take out loans and enroll despite a very low likelihood of degree completion.

Regular universities also saw an opportunity to increase tuition.  Here are just a few examples based on a Google search of yearly costs for some university undergraduate programs: 

University of Chicago: $85,446-$98,301/year

Northwestern University $76,674-$93,333/year

University of Illinois Urbana $36,930-$65,722/year  (resident/non-resident)

Vanderbilt University $91,299/year 

Indiana University $30,920-60,072/year   (resident/non-resident)

University of Michigan $38,548-$84,164/year  (resident/non-resident)

Of course, a savvy consumer can reduce their college expenses by seeking scholarships and grants, as well as attending less expensive schools. But even lower-cost colleges have become prohibitively expensive. I attempted to look up the yearly costs of a smaller local college, but I faced confusing data pages that listed endless columns of fees and often cited tuition per class hour instead of a yearly rate. They did not list a summarized range of expenses.  I was not willing to spend an extended amount of time trying to decipher all of that mambo-jumbo, and I’m sure many 18-year-old candidates would not either.

There are reports of entry-level jobs, including retail jobs, that require a college degree as well as years of experience. You have got to be kidding.

Being a social worker is a noble and essential profession that often requires not only a Bachelor’s degree, but also a Master’s degree. That is a costly proposition.  The average starting salary for a social worker was challenging for me to determine, as there were numerous different average salaries listed on various financial websites. Let’s assume the average is around $60,000.  However, I am aware of many social workers who began their careers in the $35,000 to $45,000 range. There are jobs for social workers, but after six years of schooling, will they earn enough to live comfortably and pay off their loans?  What if you have a degree in Art History, Archaeology, or Poetry? How many of those expensive degrees have available jobs?  

In the past, monthly school loan repayment was based on income and family size; however, recent changes in the government have removed this option, sometimes doubling or tripling a monthly obligation, making it impossible for people to meet their other financial obligations. YouTube is filled with videos of college graduates with absolutely enormous monthly student loan payments.  It isn’t uncommon to see debts of $75,000, and some folks owe in the $200,000-$300,000 range.  I just saw a Dave Ramsey video of a married couple whose combined student loans were nearly $ 1 million, as they included loans for professional schools. One woman on YouTube had obtained predatory school loans at very high interest rates.  She said she had been paying over $ 1,000 per month for years, only to discover that her loan had not been reduced; instead, she owed substantially more.

Some of you may be saying, “They knew what they were getting into!”  Did they?  How financially savvy is an 18-year-old?  Kids are fed the “college experience” line.  High schools often promote prestigious/expensive schools, as it makes their high school’s statistics look good.  It is easy to sign on a loan without fully understanding what you are doing or what the costs will ultimately be. This happens to seasoned adults too.  Know anyone who has a time share?

Here are some yearly costs for medical school. These costs include fees and living expenses; it is almost impossible to work while attending medical school. Also, note that this is for a first-year medical student, and costs will increase in subsequent years. A 4th-year student has more expenses than a first-year student. Lastly, tuition will always increase every year. Here are some yearly costs:

Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine MD program $115,930/year

Midwestern University DO program $126,357/year

Granted, most doctors are guaranteed a job and a good living.  But imagine having undergraduate plus medical school debt of $500,000 or more!  

Many undergraduate students take more than four years to complete their degrees, increasing their loan debt. According to NBC News, only 45% of college students complete their degree within four years, and fewer than two-thirds finish within six years.  Educationdata.com reports that 39% of those who start college never finish (based on an 8-year timeline).  They have to replay their loan debt, but have nothing to show for it. 

Many students extend their education with a graduate or other degree.  Unlike medical school, there are no guarantees of employment for law school graduates.  Job prospects depend on where you went to school, how you did at that school, what extracurricular activities you participated in, and, most importantly, your connections.  I treated a number of lawyers during my years of practice, and many new graduates were unemployed, underemployed, or in very abusive jobs.  Who seems to do the best (based on my samples)?  Those who had connections.  For instance, if a parent were already a lawyer, their child could join that practice. Law school is typically a 3-year commitment.  Below is the yearly cost for one of our local law schools:  

Loyola University School of Law $92,324/year

Childcare costs.

Per Care.com, the average monthly cost for one child in day care is $1370.  They note that parents report spending 22% of their income on childcare, with the average parent depleting one-third of their savings on childcare. 

According to The New York Times, the US is an outlier among developed countries in terms of child care. For instance, Norway contributes almost $30,000 annually for early child care compared to the US, which contributes around $500. Even tiny Lithuania contributes over $8,000 per year for childcare.  

Of course, child care workers deserve a living wage.  However, most advanced countries heavily subsidize this need. Do you want to argue that parents are aware of what they are getting into when they have children?  As a parent, I would say that you don’t fully know until you do it. However, people are now opting not to have kids as they simply can’t afford them.  This is detrimental to our country, which requires a certain number of births each year to avoid economic collapse. The federal government is proposing to award mothers with the most births, as well as grant new moms a few thousand dollars.  Hardly a compelling solution to this problem. 

No longer owning, now renting.

We are becoming a nation that has to rent everything on a monthly basis.  This applies to streaming services like Netflix and Spotify, software programs, and even subscriptions that enable features to work on our cars.  Those payments add up, and we have nothing to show for them

Utility costs.

Have you noticed that your utility bills are going up?  I have seen increases in just about everything, from internet costs to electricity.  NPR reports that Electricity prices are climbing at a rate over 2 times that of inflation. 

Repair costs.

All repairs are up.  I needed a sump pump replaced.  This is a standard and straightforward (easy) procedure.  I went on a local Facebook page and asked for recommendations. I called a number of plumbers, none of whom would give me a rough estimation of the installation costs.  They all said that they would have to come out and charge me a substantial evaluation fee.  That fee would be deducted from the repair fee, but what if I didn’t want to use them?  This move basically blocks the homeowner from doing comparative price shopping. I have lived in my house for over 30 years and have never had anyone ask for an evaluation fee before.  In the past, a tradesman would say something like, “The cost is typically XXX, but could be more if we encounter problems.” Often, they would come to my house and give me a free estimate for larger jobs.

I had a similar experience with a car repair, but with an additional twist.  Not only do they charge an evaluation fee, but they also add a “service fee” to all the other repair costs.  Again, new for me.  However, it got me to leave the dealership and find less expensive alternatives. 

Here again, I understand that workers need to be paid for their work.  However, this is one more expense that is growing for US consumers. 

Health costs.

We are the only advanced country that doesn’t have universal health care.  Everyone hears about the person who had to wait for a knee surgery in another country.  However, many people in those countries are grateful that they don’t have to worry about their health coverage or whether they will go bankrupt due to medical bills.  

We are very grateful for the Affordable Care Act, as my wife has an individual policy.  I knew of people who were denied health coverage due to pre-existing conditions before the ACA. We pay a very high premium, and that doesn’t include deductibles and other charges. She has a medical condition that requires tests and scans every year, and I estimate we pay out-of-pocket around $30,000 a year just for her healthcare costs.  That does not include my Medicare/supplemental payments, which are thousands more. 

The current administration is eliminating subsidies for the ACA, which benefited lower-income earners.  We currently pay “full freight,” but we will also be impacted as those healthy, younger individuals drop out of insurance plans; costs will increase for everyone else. I’m fortunate that I can afford health insurance, but how many typical, hard-working individuals can’t? 

Expect hospital costs to increase.  People without insurance often go to the hospital instead of the doctor’s office when they are sick, and they usually delay their visit until they are severely ill, which results in more tests and hospitalizations. 

Some hospitals, particularly those in rural areas, rely heavily on federal programs, such as Medicaid, to sustain their operations.  Reduced Medicaid reimbursements, and hospitals close.  Even if you have regular health insurance, you may have to drive to an open distant hospital, which could be hours away. Not great if you’re having a heart attack.

Inflation.

If you are alive, you know that prices for many things have become insane.  Bankrate.com notes that overall prices have increased by over 24% since the year 2000.  That is incredible.  

Between 2000 and 2024, grocery costs increased by 24%. Anyone who has visited the grocery store in 2025 knows that costs are now significantly higher than they were in 2024. Add to increased grocery prices, shrinkflation, and skimpflation, and over 80% of grocery shoppers now experience stress when grocery shopping (according to AP News). Grocery shopping should not be a life stress.  We don’t live in a third-world country.

The Trump tariff taxes.

I don’t get this.  Yes, I understand the “purpose” of these taxes, but they hit the most vulnerable of our society.  Their impact on prices is starting to take hold and will intensify as stockpiles of goods are depleted.  Companies’ loyalties are to their shareholders; they will not absorb the increased costs.  If you think that other countries will pay these costs, please go beyond your biased news source and use your critical thinking skills.  

The end consumer ultimately pays tariffs as a form of tax.  That is economics 101. Tariffs have been tried in the past, and they have been shown to slow the economy and increase inflation. In fact, they lengthened the Great Depression.  

We are in a global economy, and it could take decades for the US to retool, which would then place us at an economic disadvantage compared to other countries that have lower labor costs.  The Trump tariff taxes have the potential to make our lives impossible, especially for those with lower incomes.  Thousands of dollars more for a home or car are certainly possible. You may even have to forgo simple pleasures, like a cup of coffee.  I have no words. The US is no longer the power player it once was.  There are billions of consumers in countries like China and India who are eager to make purchases. Will the US be left out?  What are we thinking? We are no longer in the 1980s when China and India were backward, poverty stricken countries.  They have arrived..

The bottom line.

I know that this is a long post, but I wanted to be clear about the level of devastation that all of the above is having on ordinary Americans. It is becoming a perfect storm of economic disaster where class division is ever more delineated. The rich and the super-rich will always be able to ride out the storm.  They have the inside information to keep their money safe, and an extra thousand spent here or there means little to a billionaire. 

If you are feeling the sting of cost increases, you are not alone. Individuals in the 25-34 age range are typically starting a family, buying a home, and going on vacations. They are reaping the benefits of their hard work and education.  According to Forbes, the average salary for someone aged 25-34 is $58,500. Now, subtract state and federal taxes from that number.  According to Talent.com, the state and federal income tax burden in Illinois (where I live) would be $13,009, leaving the consumer $45,491/year, or $3,790/month.  I understand that there are many variables, such as being single, married, and other deductions.  So this is just an estimate. If you have less than $4,000 a month and need to repay student loans, credit card debt, other loans, a car payment, and other expenses, do you have enough money to get married, buy a house, or start a family?  Can you even afford an apartment and food? Now add an unexpected bill, or an emergency trip to the ER. Life can become impossible quickly.

It is easy to blame the consumer, but that is like blaming a smoker for smoking.  Yes, they are responsible.  But many smokers were encouraged by tobacco companies to start smoking in their early teens (I started to smoke at 13. Thankfully, I quit by my early 20s). Once hooked, stopping an addictive behavior is extremely difficult.

When it comes to spending, consumers are constantly encouraged to do so. It is implied that they are not as good as the next person if they don’t go on luxury trips or drive a new car. 

Children are encouraged to attend expensive colleges.  All they have to do is sign for loans. However, they have a limited understanding of how those loans will affect their lives.  

Cars don’t represent a mode of transportation in our society; they are a symbol of sex appeal and demonstrate our success and social status.  Why not spend a little more every month and extend your repayment for a few more years to gain recognition? The salesperson implies.

Influencers on TikTok often appear to be cool and affluent.  They convince vulnerable individuals that they need a $1,200 purse or a $300 monthly skincare regimen. Can’t pay for it?  Use your credit card, silly!

Some really want a new phone, as theirs is two years old and out of style. Just use Klarna, and now that $1000 phone is only $250, at least for a little while.

The pressure is on to buy. You can always borrow that sweet, sweet cash.  It is so easy until you have to pay it back. Then life becomes hell.  Don’t pay it back?  Expect a poor credit score, debt collector calls, and the inability to perform normal adult activities, like renting an apartment.

Are we becoming the new indentured servants?

In many ways, yes.  Not having enough money leads to debt, and debt means you are beholden to someone or something.  You don’t have the freedom to get married or have a child.  You are stuck working in a job that you hate because you need the cash and the company’s health insurance plan.  You can’t rent an apartment due to a low credit score, so you have to live with your parents.  Every aspect of your life is negatively impacted.  You are being enslaved by debt.

So what can you do?

Times are rough, and for some of the above, you may need to ride out the storm. However, it is critical to make changes in your life if you hope to survive.  Here are some suggestions.

-Are you already in financial trouble?  I have had several of my patients achieve economic stability by enrolling in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.  It is a simple-minded (a good thing) and logical approach to overcoming debt and building financial security.

-Approach all spending thoughtfully.  Most of the things that we buy, we don’t need.  Further, they give us little pleasure in the long run. 

-Are you an online shopper?  Wait at least 24 hours before clicking the ‘Buy’ button. In many cases, that thing that you really needed the day before is no longer desired.

-Avoid influencers, home shopping shows, and even emailed “sales” ads. 

-Use what you already have, adapt it if needed. Do you really need to buy new furniture, or can your ratty couch be made anew with a slipcover? Heck, can you just live with what you have? Can you borrow a needed tool from a friend, or barter services to get a job done?

-Stop using easy credit programs like Klarna, and consider cutting up all of our credit cards except one.  Place that credit card somewhere other than your person so you can’t easily use it.

-Create a budget and try to stick to it. Use cash whenever possible.  If you take $100 to the grocery store, you will spend that, not $150, with a credit card.  You will make better choices, put impulse purchases aside, and really think about what you need instead of what you want. 

-Be thoughtful about your grocery purchases. Why buy crappy Captain Crunh cereal for $6.50 for a 16.8-oz box (around 13 servings) when you can buy 42 ounces of nutritious oatmeal for $7.99 (over 30 servings)?

-Buy the groceries that you need, and use up what you have.  Plan your menus around what is in the fridge and pantry, not what you have a taste for.

-Reduce or eliminate going out to eat, including fast food.

-Develop cost-effective shopping habits.  This goes for everything.  I knew someone who told me that his wife found a great sale, so she bought four dresses instead of the one that she needed.  She wasn’t saving money; she was spending money. 

-Think about limiting your wardrobe.  Honestly, most folks don’t even remember what you wore the day before.

-One effective way to save money is to develop healthy shopping habits for groceries. In brief: use a shopping list, eat before you go shopping, shop the house brands, choose a less expensive store like Aldi, shop sales, and use coupons if possible.  You get the picture.

-Cook your food from scratch.  Yes, this is cheaper. I’m planning on doing an entire series on this topic.

-Change your eating habits.  Beef is too expensive, try a different meat or have a meatless meal.  I’m exploring various ways to reduce food costs.  Use your imagination.

-Review your monthly expenses.  You may have recurring payments for streaming services or other things.  Reduce or eliminate them. Small savings over time amount to big money.  In our area, we can access over 100 over-the-air TV stations with a simple antenna, and our library offers many popular TV series and movies that we can borrow. 

-Do a pro and con list for any significant purchase.  You may want a new fridge, but perhaps you can fix the old one.  The same could be said of a car, or many other major purchases.  

-Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses.  Their observed affluence may be hiding their debt.  No one cares, live your own life.  That little dopamine hit that you may feel from a trip will be offset by the pain of months of repayment.

-Find alternate activities.  There are numerous free and low-cost activities available in almost any community.  Our local high schools and community colleges offer great performances at very low cost.  Our town has free movie nights in the park and free concerts at our bandshell. See what your community offers. 

-Have friends over for a game or movie night.  Organize a potluck supper.  The options are endless. 

-Talk to your kids about money.  This is so important.  Children need to understand money and credit from a young age.  I began discussing college costs when my kids were in middle school. They all graduated college debt-free because of these conversations.  Children need to be aware of the dangers associated with Klarna, credit cards, and similar services. 

-Consider college options and alternatives.  I have bright kids who were able to get merit scholarships.  If that were not the case, we would have taken a long, hard look at other options, like attending a community college for their first two years.  

-Consider non-college options if indicated.  I remain a believer in the value of college, and my degrees have certainly had a profound impact on my life.  However, not everyone is college material, and some who are just don’t want to go.  There are other options, from certificate programs at community colleges to trade schools.  I think it is essential to have a skill that makes a person marketable, but that option doesn’t always require a 4-year college degree. 

-Get estimates for work.  I used to be lazy and didn’t do this.  Now, I get estimates for car repairs and home repairs.  Yes, there are now complications as some want to charge a large fee for their opinion.  I move on and eventually find folks who are willing to give me a general price that I can compare with others. 

-Watch YouTube to learn.  YouTube can teach you just about anything, including finances.  However, watch out for those hucksters who claim to make thousands with little effort, want you to invest in their cryptocurrency, or want ot sell you a course.  Use YouTube for financial 101 training from reliable sources.  

-Use YouTube to learn how to repair things.  Just last month, I fixed a crack in our fridge’s plastic housing using tips I found on YouTube.

-Simplify your life.  Does your kid really need to be in 6 different activities?  Do you have to be involved in multiple clubs?  Probably not.  Do only those things that really benefit you.  Be selective and intentional.

-Simplify your personal routines.  My sister tells me about the extraordinarily high cost of makeup, which manufacturers make for pennies.  There seem to be products for every part of your body.  Do you really need multiple products to wash your face?  Yes, use a gentle cleaner if needed, but do you really need numerous products?  I used to buy an expensive after-shave skin cream, but I realized it was just a diluted version of the product I was already using on my body. I was paying 6 times as much for some added water. I now use a tiny amount of my body cream with some water to achieve the same results. I’m a pretty bald guy, and it is simple for me to cut my hair.  That is a lot better than the $50 my friend pays to have his cut.

-Try to put money away every pay period, even if it is a tiny amount.  Eventually, it will grow.

-Work towards savings and an emergency fund.  

-I guarantee that you have expenses that you can reduce without a significant impact on your lifestyle. 

-If you can’t afford it, don’t do it.  Want that exotic trip but can only afford a day at your local water park?  Be grateful for that.

-Live your life as half-full, not half-empty.  I know so many people who focus on what they don’t have, what they can’t get, and how deprived they are. Actually, they have a lot, but they ignore their blessings.  Consider a gratitude list that you write or read every day.  Focus on the positive.

-Lastly, use the power of your vote to elect people who want to improve the life of all citizens. It will benefit you in the long run.  Evaluate if their election claims have merit or if they are just hollow slogans to get your vote. You have more power than you think.

family, saving money

Basic Ingredients, Better Results

When your kids move away, it is always special when they visit. My daughter called to let me know that she would be coming by on Saturday and would stay for dinner.  Our grill had been out of commission for the last two seasons, but I had hoped to get it up and running with the help of my friend Tom’s expertise.  Alas, that was not to be, but I did my best to throw together a pseudo-barbecue with some pulled pork and traditional sides.

I usually make dinner on one of the weekend days, and this effort fulfilled my obligation.  However, my daughter spent the night, which meant I had to consider dinner plans for Sunday as well.

I grew up in the 1960s, which seemed to be the dawn of the processed food era.  It was common for me to enjoy Campbell’s soups, cake mixes, and frozen pot pies.  Over the years, the concept of convenience has exploded, and when my kids were younger, it wouldn’t be uncommon for all of us to go out to dinner several days a week, with my wife making dinner on the other nights.  

When my wife returned to the paid workforce, something had to give, and suddenly we were eating a lot of frozen pizzas.  My then-middle school-aged kids were up in arms.  I told them that I would start cooking dinners, but only if they were equal participants in the process.  This turned out to be one of my better ideas, as they are all now competent cooks.  Beyond their newfound skills, we had a lot of fun cooking together through the years.

I never had a fear of cooking, as most of it is just edible chemistry, and I imparted that sensibility to my kids.  Once you know the basics of cooking, you see the rationale behind the methods.  

Although I’m no stranger to convenience foods, I prefer having a larder filled with basic staples.  As I have said in previous posts, a box of frozen pancakes gets you pancakes, but a sack of flour can be made into pancakes and a thousand other things. Because of this philosophy, we always have some sort of meat in the freezer as well as a good selection of staples that range from canned tomatoes to herbs and spices.

I had already gone out to buy food for my fake barbeque, and I didn’t feel like going to the store two days in a row.  What to do?  Raid the pantry, of course!  I knew we had some spaghetti and sauce, as well as some fixings for a nice green salad.  I always enjoy having garlic bread with Italian dishes, and I usually keep a frozen loaf in the freezer.  Alas, we were out.  The solution came from the Internet, specifically the website “South Your Mouth,” and Mandy Rivers’ recipe for Cheddar Garlic Muffins.  The ingredients were simple, and with the exception of fresh parsley, we had all the necessary ingredients.  I knew that I could use some dried parsley as a reasonable substitute.

After a quick gathering of ingredients and a light mixing, the muffins were done.  Delicious for today’s dinner (we did sample some as they smelled so good).  

I’m writing this post to encourage people to consider adopting similar habits of utilizing basic foods, as this philosophy will lower your grocery bill while providing you with a higher quality dish.  I can assure you that the longer you make food from scratch, the easier it becomes.  I threw together the muffins in under 10 minutes, and that included washing the bowls and muffin tin.  A basic cookbook, like The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, contains many foolproof and easy recipes, and an internet search will yield thousands more.  For fun, I’ll include the muffin recipe that I made today.  Save money, control what you eat, and learn a creative new skill… start cooking today!

Cheddar Garlic Muffins

1 and ¾ C flour

1 T baking powder

¾ t salt

1.5 t garlic powder

4 oz grated cheddar cheese

2 T fresh parsley (I used dried, about 1 T)

1 egg

1 C milk

¼ C melted butter (in a covered bowl in the microwave for around 15 seconds).

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another.  Then combine the two, mixing only until combined.  Bake for 15-22 minutes at 400°F (205°C). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Don’t over bake.

cooking appliances energy savings., saving money

How To Realistically Save Money On Food

The problem.

Food has always been a large part of most people’s budgets. Inflation is a pain if you have financial resources, but it is devastating if you have been living paycheck to paycheck. As money becomes tight, people rely on other sources of cash, including credit cards, which adds more to their financial woes. 

You can delay purchasing a new TV or pause on updating your wardrobe, but you can’t stop eating. I grew up in a family of seven. My dad worked, but my mom did not work outside the home. We always had food on the table, and because my mom was a great cook, it was always delicious. However, she employed many budget-stretching techniques, some of which seem lost in today’s world of fast food, prepared meals, and restaurant eating.

In the early years of my marriage, I embraced many of the modern eating patterns.  When my kids were young, it was common to go out to dinner once or twice a week, and we frequently went out to breakfast after church on Sundays. Fast food was a big part of our diet and it wasn’t uncommon for us to grill steaks for dinner because we had a “taste for them.”  Much of that has changed in our household, we are economizing but not feeling deprived.  In many ways we are eating better than we did in the past.

How is that possible?  I do most of the grocery shopping and meal preparation at our home (I’m retired) and have employed many techniques I observed while growing up.  Additionally, I was divorced from my first wife and poor during the early years of my career. I developed options to survive on the smallest grocery budget possible.  Lastly, over the last decade I have taught my kids how to cook and in doing so I have refined and simplified that process. In today’s post I aim to show new budgeters some of those techniques.

Teaching my kids has been a joy. We now work as a single unit in the kitchen and have great fun making meals together. Here we are making some chicken fried rice.
My kids have also become accomplished bakers.

What this is not.

Many articles and YouTube videos have titles like: “I survived spending only $1 a day for food,” or “How I fed my family of 4 for only $25 a week.”  God bless those individuals as their methods often combined starvation with monotony.  My goal has never been to eat as cheaply as possible, it was to reduce costs.  We are well fed in our house and still have found ways to economize.

What this post is.

My goal is not to have you incorporate every idea listed.  If you are new to trying to reduce grocery costs, start by emphasizing spending less at the grocery store, and do that by using a method that works for you.  Add other savings options as you become more comfortable, ignore options that I present that make little sense to you, and incorporate things that work for you that I have neglected to list.  This post is intended to be a springboard for your creative process. It is meant to inspire you, not to overwhelm you. 

We eat regular food.

There are always ways to economize no matter what diet you ascribe to, but the more restrictions you place on your eating, the more difficult it becomes to economize.  Can you find multiple ways to reduce food costs if you are vegan, gluten intolerant, or wholly organic? Yes, of course.  However, we are traditional eaters in our home, which gives us more saving options. You may object to some of my methods, citing that we should eat how you eat.  I respect your choice, but you do you and let us do us. 

The simple steps to saving money on food.

Buy cheaper

Buy less

Make from scratch

Keep food making simple

substitute

Be varied

Use it up

How to spend less money on groceries

There are many ways to save at the grocery store, but it is unlikely that you will use all of them. The best approach is to start with options compatible with you and then add or subtract techniques that work, or don’t work, for you.

I have always been fascinated by those who are good at coupon clipping.  However, I am not one of those individuals.  Likewise, I have a niece who is a pro at using a store’s digital grocery coupons, sometimes saving 30% of her bill.  Using an app before or while I shop is a frustrating pain for me.  

Others will shop multiple stores every week to find the best deals and loss leaders.  I admire them, but I’m usually “done” after buying a week’s groceries at a single store.

Choose and become familiar with your main store.

I go to the store with the lowest overall prices to save money on groceries. In my neck of the woods that means Walmart or Aldi. I was a Walmart shopper for many years but slowly abandoned shopping there. Why? for multiple reasons: The store is gigantic, and I would end a shopping trip exhausted. There were so many choices that I would get decision fatigue comparing items and their prices.  The store has so many products that I always bought more than I intended, and I despised self-checkout when I had a cart full of groceries.  

This last reason is why I quit Walmart as my main grocery store.  I had a full cart of groceries and there were no checkers, so I was stuck sorting items on 18” counters.  I had to place things back in my cart and separate them as I checked myself out.  At the same time, I was scanning and looking up fruits and vegetables on the touch screen.  Our Walmart has an employee who stares you down like you are trying to steal something.  It is very uncomfortable.  Naturally, the machine froze, requiring me to wait for that person to release it.  My final straw was when I went through that ordeal only to have the lady at the door want to review my receipt and check every purchase that I made.  Nothing like a store that makes you feel like a criminal.  What did they find when they reviewed my cart?  They found that I paid for every item.  However, that was the final straw for me.

I switched to Aldi and have never looked back.  In our area, Aldi generally offers prices lower than Walmart and much lower than traditional grocery stores.  Aldi has its limitations, but many of them benefit me. Aldi mainly sells house brands, but their quality is good.  If you want a product, like catsup, there is only one brand to choose from. That is fine because I don’t have to ponder which item to buy.  Because they have fewer brands, the stores are small and less fatiguing. Ours has super fast checkers, taking that burden away from me, and large areas to pack groceries. Aldi does run sales, but they are very clearly marked and don’t require coupons or apps. I always spend less (compared to when I shop at any other grocery store) at Aldi.  That is even when I bite the bullet and use another store’s digital coupons.

Aldi stores are much smaller than a typical US grocery store making it much easier to shop there.

Aldi has limitations and eliminates many of the frills that other markets have. You won’t be able to get a decorated cake at Aldi, and there isn’t an on-site butcher. Additionally, Aldi has limited products. You can buy any cake mix, as long as it is chocolate, white, or yellow. Need some spices? Aldi sells them at a great price, but don’t get too exotic. I have never seen the spices as basic as bay leaves or thyme at Aldi. However, stopping at another store to get those things is easy and economical as long as I buy just what I need.

Basic spices are very inexpensive at Aldi and are of good quality. However, you will likely need to go to another grocer if you need anything beyond the basics.

Consider house brands.

When I was a resident physician I made little money.  Additionally, I was paying child support and had to live alone in my own apartment as my daughter stayed with me every other weekend. Money was extremely tight. In those days, grocery stores featured “generic” products, and I bought them because I had no choice.  However, generic was not the same as a house brand.  They were of inferior quality.  One time I opened a can of green beans that contained an entire plant, stem, leaves, and roots! 

I have found that house brands are typically very good quality, and their quality has increased. My kids like Oikos yogurt, and my wife will sometimes buy that brand if she finds it on sale. However, the Adli brand tastes pretty good and is significantly cheaper. When my adult kids said, “Dad, we prefer Oikons,” I said, “Feel free to buy it; if not, I’ll buy you the Adli brand.”  Given the option of buying their own, they happily ate the Aldi yogurt.

Of course, high-end products are likely better than house brands. I read recipes where the writer tells the reader to use a particular canned tomato or mayonnaise brand. However, we are not “high end” here. We are just regular eaters.

Consider making your coffee.

Buying coffee every day is a costly proposition. You can make your own for pennies on the dollar. Making coffee can be extremely simple or very complicated depending on your desire. Instant coffee (trust me, you can get used to it) is incredibly cheap and as easy as adding a teaspoon of the stuff to hot water. There are also a multitude of coffee makers available, from drip to French presses to Keurig style. You can buy a reasonable drip coffee maker for $20-$50.  Using coffee pods is the most expensive way to home brew, but still much cheaper than buying Starbucks. Lastly, making your coffee at home is more convenient than waiting in line at a store. 

We buy whole beans at Costco and grind our coffee for each pot. We have a Bunn coffee maker, which was expensive but has been continuously used for over 10 years. 

Do we ever buy coffeeshop coffee? Yes, but mostly when we are meeting someone at a coffee shop. 

Adjust your diet based on current costs.

Eggs were a mainstay in our house when I could buy a dozen for eighty-eight cents. My daughter would hard boil a bunch for a week’s worth of breakfasts.  I sometimes made them for lunch and occasionally cooked omelets for a family dinner.  However, eggs have gone through the roof, and we eat less of them.  I have gone so far as to purchase “egg replacers.”  Egg replacers can be used in cakes, cookies, pancakes, and other baked goods.  They don’t have the nutritional value of an egg, but they are relatively inexpensive and bind ingredients similarly to eggs.  

I mentioned earlier that we used to eat steak regularly. It is now a “special occasion” food. When we eat steak, we cut it in half, so two steaks feed four people. That amount of meat is still more than US nutritional guidelines. 

Other beef products have also become expensive, so we generally eat less of them. 

Being flexible is key when it comes to saving money.

Limit buying processed foods.

I have an older relative who no longer wishes to make meals from scratch and mostly buys premade individual frozen meals. I completely respect her actions, but her grocery costs for one person are roughly the same as what I spend for four adults. Most will tell you that processed foods are not the best for you. I’m here also to say that they are costly.  

That said, we do buy some processed foods. Every Friday, we make frozen pizzas for dinner.  By the end of the week, no one wanted to cook, and this option worked out for us. We can always find frozen pizzas on sale. Balance and common sense are the key to sustaining a food plan.

Stick with the basics.

Another reason that I love Aldi is that many of their foods are “basic.”  What are basic foods? They are foods that can be utilized in many ways. I can buy premade frozen pancakes or save money using a pancake mix.  Even better is making pancakes from scratch using flour, which can be transformed into thousands of different foods.  

Do I ever buy frozen pancakes?  No.  Do I ever buy pancake mix?  Sometimes.  Do I ever make pancakes from scratch?  Often!

If you have essential ingredients on hand, you can make many foods. If you buy a pizza, you have a pizza. If you purchase a jar of spaghetti sauce, you can make pizza, spaghetti, a manicotti bake, and lasagna. You can do all the above and more if you buy a can of crushed tomatoes. Sometimes I’ll make individual pizzas on a worknight using whatever I can find in the fridge.  The kids love them. 

Be reasonable.

My grandmother made bread for her family every week.  It was delicious!  I occasionally make bread as a treat, but I mostly buy bread.  Convenience is the driving factor.  

I sometimes make bread as a special treat, but I mostly buy it for convenience.

I occasionally buy a pre-made refrigerator meal, and my wife loves diet soda. As I have repeatedly said, balance is key to a successful plan. How many extras you can add will depend on your cash flow.  I know of families that almost exclusively drink water to save costs.  Everyone has to figure out what works best for them.

Fresh, frozen, or canned?

We do buy fresh vegetables and fruit, but we buy them carefully. Certain vegetables, such as onions, potatoes, green onions, carrots, celery, and salad fixings, are reasonably priced. Likewise, bananas and some apples can be good values. Other fruits and vegetables can be bought when purchased in season. However, how fresh is fresh?  Vegetables are transported to stores, often from different countries.  They then sit under bright lights as they get sprayed with water.  This may make them look fresh, but it also promotes mold. 

Frozen vegetables and fruits are picked and processed at the peak of their ripeness. They are often less expensive than their fresh counterparts. They also last a long time in the freezer and are flexible when cooking.  

Many people have negative feelings toward canned fruits and vegetables. However, they are picked similarly to frozen and are highly nutritious. They last a long time while being shelf-stable. I often add them when bulking up something like a stew or serve them as a side after adding a few additions to make them more palatable.  

Cook from scratch when possible.

We do a lot of “scratch” cooking.  If you know some basic cooking skills, you can make almost anything.  My family and I would agree that the food we make from scratch tastes better and is less expensive than prepared foods and even restaurant meals.

Teaching my son to use a pressure cooker.

The more you cook, the easier it gets. The same techniques are used repeatedly in cooking, so when you master a method with one recipe, you can use it in a dozen more.  

Consider buying a general cookbook like those from Better Homes and Gardens or Betty Crocker. They have time-tested recipes that use basic ingredients and are designed to work with inexperienced cooks. You can find hundreds of recipes online if you don’t want to do that. 

Cooking from scratch can save you money.

But I only have a microwave.

I have the benefit of a fully functional kitchen.  However, I know some live in basement and studio apartments and only have a mini-fridge and a microwave. You can make many things in a microwave.  I traveled out of town weekly for many years working until 10 PM.  I didn’t want to leave my hotel then and often made dinner in my room. Additionally, my kids have made many things in the microwave. We have made scrambled eggs, cakes and muffins, fish, BBQ turkey legs, rice, pasta, baked potatoes, bacon, regular oatmeal, tea, and much more.  

Adding one appliance, like a rice cooker or an electric frying pan, will exponentially open up your culinary world. If you live in a studio apartment, you don’t have to eat out every meal.

Clean as you go.

One of the biggest lessons I taught my kids was cleaning up as you go.  When I cook, I constantly wash items.  I may use the same measuring cup three times, and by the time the meal is ready, that cup has already found its way back into the cabinet. Nothing will discourage your cooking more than dealing with a mound of dishes at the end of the meal.  Cleaning up as you cook is a critical part of cooking from scratch.  

Build your supply of staple foods.

I was going to add a link to other authors’ lists of staple foods you should have in your pantry. I decided against it because many of those lists were extraordinarily long and included items I have never used in 50 years of cooking.

Staple foods are basic ingredients that you should always keep in your pantry. However, if you are budgeting, buying all of them at once is not feasible. I suggest reserving a portion of your weekly food budget for staple items.  

Start with the basic:  flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper, cooking oil, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, canned tomatoes, rice, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, frozen ground meat, and the like.  Slowly build up your supplies as you can, watching for sales.

We have many staple items beyond this list, including curry powder, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, hot sauce, powdered sugar, cut-up chicken, jar garlic, soy sauce, coconut milk, and more. However, we have built up those supplies slowly.  Having staple items allows you variety when cooking. There is something you can always make.  

Be flexible when cooking.

This is more of an advanced skill.  I’m not afraid to substitute one ingredient for another or to even omit an ingredient from a recipe.  The result may not be as intended, but it will still be good.  A simple example would be to exchange a can of whole tomatoes for crushed tomatoes.  However, this is just the start of what you can do.  If you don’t have a particular spice, you can often substitute with something similar or leave it out altogether.  Only have 1 pound of ground meat and the recipe calls for 1.5 pounds?  Make up the difference with another filler.  However, if you are just starting to cook, follow recipes as well as you can until you are wholly comfortable switching things around.  I’m usually successful at substituting ingredients but I still make “fatal errors” occasionally, so caution is advised. 

I made a soup/stew from whatever I could find in the fridge. Italian sausage, some wilted spinach, carrots, and this and that. It was delicious and the kids loved it. Cooking ad-lib takes a little practice so don’t be discouraged if your results are less than perfect the first few times.

Buy and eat less meat.

All meat is expensive, but beef takes the prize. Even cheap cuts are now costly.  Sometimes you can substitute one meat wholly or partially in a recipe.  For instance, you can do a 50/50 split of hamburger and ground pork when making meatloaf.  This will result in a tastier product.  We sometimes use ground turkey instead of ground beef with excellent results.

We often make many combination foods that use less meat. Think soups, stews, casseroles, hot dishes, stir fries, loaves, and more. These are delicious, filling, and nutritious and can often be made in a single pot or pan, so cleanup is a breeze. Making combination foods is as important as choosing the right grocery store to save money.

There are so many wonderful ways to use less meat. Here I’m serving a chicken and pepper stir-fry.
I picked up some butternut squash and turned it into a copycat Panera winter squash soup using an on-line recipe and my pressure cooker. I added a protein rich salad and a slice of homemade bread for a pretty darn good meatless dinner.

Consider meatless meals.

If you can go vegan or vegetarian, more power to you.  We are not there yet.  However, we will often have meatless meals that we all love. My kids get excited when we make homemade potato pancakes or mac and cheese, and my wife and I love lentil and bean dishes, which can be made with very little meat or are entirely vegetarian. There are many ways to make delicious foods that don’t require meat.

KISS

Keep it simple, silly.  Basic foods, ingredients, and cooking make a sustainable behavior change.

Do a food inventory and make a list before going to the store. 

Check out what you already have before going grocery shopping.  A time-honored way to save money at the grocer is to create and stick to a list.  Of course, don’t go to the store hungry!

Use it up.

We are good at using meat before it spoils and finishing leftovers (often for the next day’s lunch). However, we need to improve our use of fruits and vegetables. We are trying to do better by taking inventory of what fruits and vegetables are on hand and incorporating them into our meals. Additionally, we pay special attention to those items that are declining. For example, wilting celery is still terrific when used as an aromatic in a soup, stew, or casserole. 

Make what you have, not what you want.

We mostly avoid making meals based on what we have a taste for.  Instead we cook based on what we have on hand.  This eliminates another form of decision fatigue and allows us to use up items that would have gone bad.  My daughter used half of a jar of spaghetti sauce for a spaghetti lunch.  I used the remainder to make an impromptu pizza. 

Consider making a menu.

Another time-honored money-saving tip is to make a weekly menu. Sadly, I have been unable to do this formally. You may be better at this than I am. 

Make less/Eat less.

As a poor medical resident, I made enough food for two meals.  I would immediately separate half of the food into a travel container.  The first half would be my dinner, and the second half would be my lunch the next day.  I ate better than many of my cohorts who bought their food daily. 

I have constantly had to battle with obesity my entire life.  The first time that I lost 100 pounds was in the 7th grade!  I gain weight very quickly. I have adopted a way of eating called “cafeteria style.”  If you have ever bought a meal in a school cafeteria, you know you get a portioned amount of items. That is what you eat, no more.  When I eat at home, I portion out a similar amount of food and try (not always successfully) to only eat that amount.  There is no need for me to go back for seconds and thirds as to do so results in a negative outcome. 

My wife taught me the trick of using a smaller plate when eating dinner. Here I made a chicken paprikash, spaetzle, and some broccoli.

We often have leftovers that the kids take to work, but I try to make only a reasonable amount of food to avoid food waste.

Buy good items that are reaching expiration.

One of our local grocery stores often sold items nearing expiration but still perfectly good. Meats could be found for more than half off. I would buy these in bulk, portion them in vacuum-sealed bags, and then freeze them. However, recently, I have had a few experiences where I had to return meats as they were past their prime and I am no longer practicing that habit.  If you have a reputable store, find out when they re-label items for bargain prices. 

Portion out meals.

I avoid places like Costco as I always spend more than I intend.  However, I still shop there occasionally as the quality is excellent.  This is especially the case with bulk meats. 

When I get home, I divide the bulk package into meal-size portions and then vacuum seal and label each package for the freezer.  Meat can stay fresh with no freezer burn for over a year. 

We had to buy several major appliances last year from Costco, which gave me quite a few Costco bucks. I used them to buy meat that will last us a long time. I like to portion out the meat into vacuum seal bags and then freeze it.

Learn the art of preservation.

There are many ways to preserve food, here are two ways we do it:

The vacuum sealer

I have used a vacuum sealer since the early 1990s and have saved a lot of money in the process. I freeze meal-size portions of meat for main courses and vegetables for soups and stews. I’ll also freeze individual portions of leftovers that I can pop directly in boiling water for a quick lunch. Additionally, I freeze many dry items. For instance, I buy bulk rice, which I portion and vacuum seal in 1-2 pound bags.  

I now use a chamber style vacuum sealer, but a regular (and inexpensive) tray-style vacuum sealer also works well.

Name-brand vacuum sealer bags are excellent but expensive. I use off-brand brands with good results. Over the last few years, I have switched from a standard home vacuum sealer to a chamber-style one. Chamber vacuum bags cost only pennies, often the same price or lower than a Ziploc bag, but they are much stronger and more resistant to freeze burn. 

The freezer

We have owned a separate freezer for over 30 years.  It is a manual defrost model that costs very little to operate, only a few dollars a month.  The freezer allows us to buy cheaper meats in bulk (which I then divide up), buy items on sale, buy items that are good but are reaching their expiration date, and much more.  It is also convenient to have extra freeze space to hold that emergency frozen meal or an extra pizza to serve a friend who makes a surprise visit. 

Consider buying one of these appliances when you can afford to do so.

I am a gadget lover who has been buying small electrics for my entire adult life.  I have just about every gadget that you could imagine.  Some of you are likely attached to a small appliance and may covet your toaster oven, or rice cooker (to name a few)—more power to you.

However, two appliances stand out for working individuals who want to transition from eating out to making food at home. Consider one or the other (or both!).

I purchased a 2.5-quart, very basic slow cooker for $9 as a medical resident, and I used it extensively to make many different meals.  For instance, In the morning I would toss a couple of pork chops in it with a drained can of sauerkraut, a grated apple, a little brown sugar, and some caraway seeds (if I had them).  That evening I would have a delicious dinner (plus a lunch the next day) waiting for me.  

Slow cookers can be purchased for as little as $20 (fancy ones cost more) and are very easy to use. They are great for those who can plan meals in the morning, and they also save energy. I suggest a 4-quart size for an individual or small family and a 6-quart model for a larger family.

The other appliance to consider is a pressure cooker; the most energy-efficient appliance I have ever tested. Pressure cookers sometimes frighten people, but the new ones employ many safety features.  You can buy a stovetop or electric version; both have advantages.  I recommend an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, for the new cook.  If you shop around, you can buy a decent one for $60-$80.  Pressure cookers are great for those who don’t want to bother with morning prep but also don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking when they get home. Pressure cookers can cook food in about ⅓rd of the time compared to traditional cooking methods. You can make a delicious soup from scratch in under 13 minutes of pressure. A 3-quart pressure cooker works well for singles and couples, a 6-quart is best for most others.

A pressure cooker is a welcome addition if you want to make real food really fast.

With both appliances, you have the advantage of one-pot meals, which means less cleanup. It is also easy to make a larger batch for tomorrow’s lunch or to freeze away for a future meal. 

Should you upgrade your cooking gear?

You likely have everything that you need to make, just about anything that you want to make.  However, good equipment makes cooking easier.  I use an inexpensive pull-through knife sharpener every time I cook.  I use small electrics. I like quality cookware, and my Dutch oven is my favorite pot.  However, I have built my cooking gear over 50 years.  All you need is a chef’s knife, a big pot, a saucepan, a frying pan, and some cheap utensils.  You don’t need to spend a ton of money to save money.  Shop second hand or garage sales.  They are great places for cookware and appliances like crock pots.  Request items as gifts,  start a gear fund or shop sales, or do none of the above and work with what you have.  It is all good.

Conclusion.

Remember, progress, not perfection. You will likely fail if you immediately try to implement all of my suggestions. Come up with a solution to save money at the grocery store and then implement a few of my tips. Add and subtract options as indicated. 

We are not deprived in our household.  We eat very well while eating less highly processed food.  Yes, we have snacks and desserts too.  Our goal is to maximize our savings while minimizing deprivation. Try the same.

My kids made me this wonderful Father’s Day cake.
Saving grocery money is not about deprivation, it is about being reasonable. Here I’m having a delicious homemade strawberry shortcake.

Peace

Mike

Addendum: I mention my efforts and my kids a lot in this post. Please note that my wife is also involved in a lot of meal prep!

retirement, save money on groceries, saving money, Uncategorized

How To Instantly Save 20% On Your Grocery Bill

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Monday night, at 8 PM, and I scan the kitchen. There is one, another one over there, I find more in the fridge.

A couple of over-ripe bananas, and a soft tomato on the counter. A few slices of dried out delivery pizza, and a half-filled Tupperware container of homemade soup in the refrigerator. On the fridge’s door, I spy some milk that has gone bad. I take a look in our bread bin and come across a third of a loaf of very stale bread.

I gather my waste together for disposal. The milk carton gets washed out for recycling in mostly an ecologically symbolic gesture. The other items find their way into the garbage. Perfectly good food turned into waste. Do I feel bad or guilty about this waste? Sadly, no. I’m so used to throwing out food that my weekly kitchen purge yields about the same amount of emotion as cleaning the toilets.

On average Americans waste about 20% of all the food that they purchase, or almost a pound of food a day. This is in a world where about 800 million people are chronically hungry. In fact, the amount of food wasted in the US could feed 2 billion. That is a sobering number. Also, wasted food consumes 30 million acres of land and 4.2 trillion gallons of water to produce.

In general, all farming has an impact on the environment. Food waste has increased by 50% since 1974, and in fact, food waste now accounts for 19% of landfills. This organic material decomposes to produce greenhouse gasses that have a direct impact on climate change.

There is no good reason to waste food, yet I do it week in and week out. For me, there are a variety of reasons. Sometimes I will impulse buy an item and not like it. Other times I’ll make too much of something and grow tired of eating it. I’ll leave leftovers in the fridge because I have a taste for something else. I’ll forget that I bought something. The list goes on.

When I was actively working as a doctor, I didn’t really think about the cost of groceries. Now that I’m retired I am trying to change my food behavior. Eliminating food waste would put thousands of dollars back into my pocket every year. Money that could be spent in better ways.

I know that there are many simple things that I can do to achieve this goal. I should think about what food we have in the house to eat, as opposed to what I have a “taste” for. I should break meal stereotypes. Who says I can’t have leftover soup for breakfast or waffles for dinner? A cheese end can be added to a frozen pizza instead of being tossed. Stale bread can be made into French Toast. A soft tomato can be tossed into a pot of chili. These no efforts steps can go a long way in drastically reducing what food I discard.

Altruism can sometimes elicit a change in behavior, but cold hard cash is often a more powerful motivator. I would urge you to consider your food waste. A little planning and a slight change in behavior can help pay for a vacation, start a rainy day fund, or pay down a credit card bill.