Prairie Pa on the Art of Cutting Food Costs

Our very own guest blogger, Prairie Pa, has been musing about saving money in the new year.   This blog has inspired me to take another look at my food budget.  Thanks Prairie Pa for the innovative ways to be cheap . . . um. . . I mean frugal.  -Prairie Eydie

Food bills are a hardship for those of us on fixed incomes.  Here are ten ways for retirees (or college students) to reduce food costs without reducing flavor.

1.  HOTEL BREAKFASTS
How does the tired and harassed desk clerk know if you are a paying guest or not?  I have stayed in hundreds of motels and never saw anyone get kicked out.  I did hear a story about a local professor who for weeks went to the same motel for a free breakfast and was finally confronted and thrown out.  HINT:  Do not go to the same hotel every day for your free breakfast. 

2.  MEALS ON WHEELS
Volunteer for Meals on Wheels and eat a little from each meal.  Your clients will never know.  Better yet, hobble into the Meals on Wheels office and have the meals delivered right to you!

3.  COSTCO SAMPLES
No one does food samples like Costco.  Saturdays and Sundays will offer the most samples variety per aisle.  Graze on Italian meatballs, Skinny Pop, Muscle Milk, and quinoa.  Bring the grandkids and do the loop.  If the grandkids are still hungry, circle around again. 

4.  HOSPITAL COMPLIMENTARY MEALS
I visited my wife in the hospital at mealtime and was offered a free meal.  I bet they charged the insurance company $500.

5.  PLAY THE "ABANDONED" CARD
Give the impression (and hopefully it is just an impression) that you are financially strapped and abandoned by your thankless children.  Hopefully someone will feel sorry for you and invite you over for dinner.  This strategy works especially well around the holidays.  Be selective and only look "abandoned" around interesting conversationalists and good cooks.
 
6.  THE KIDS
Hey!  They owe you!  Time to even the score.  Though you may have to settle for what they feed the grandkids:  mac and cheese and watery apply juice. 

7.  CHURCH
Churches offer a plethora of opportunities for free meals.  Consider showing up after a church dinner, wandering into the kitchen and scarfing up the leftovers.

The answer is A LOT!  Especially if you are eating off of someone else's garden.

8.  BEFRIEND A GARDENER
Gardeners always grow more veggies than they need.  Be bold and ask for those extra zucchini.  Be careful because they might expect you to start weeding their garden.

9.  FARMER'S MARKETS
Go to a farmer's market just before take down.  Do they really want to haul all those unsold vegetables back to the farm?

Why yes, Julia.  Thursday at 7 sounds find.

10.  HOLIDAY SEASON
Accept all those dinner invitations and use the month of December to really bulk up for the lean months of March and April.  Who knows?  You might meet some very interesting people as well.

Prairie "The Rocket" Pa