Finishing up our January budget. Here's January food...
Groceries (just food):
$251
(Eaters: 2 adults, 3 children--14, 12, 6)
add $43/month for meat (we buy chicken/beef once a year, so adding a monthly amount)
Total for January food at home: $294
Eating out total, January: $53
We also just made a final payment on half a pig. "Happy Pig." (Not sure how happy he is now, in the freezer.) I'm not sure how to include that in our monthly budget as I'm quite sure it's going to last us more than a year. Perhaps even two? We paid $411.25 for 104 lbs of meat: hamhock, hams, sausage, bacon, etc... This week I cooked a 1 lb package of sausage and used it in about 4 dishes--two of scrambled eggs and 2 of spaghetti sauce. Maybe I should just raise our "meat allotment" for the month by an additional $20? That would bring our monthly total to $314. As a side note, this sausage is heavenly! I don't know if I'll buy farm pork in bulk again (due to the expense) but we sure are enjoying it.
As a postnote, can I just say that this is a conundrum for me? I want to buy local. I want to buy from the farmer. I want to buy meat that I know has been raised in "happy" conditions. But...at least in this instance...it's expensive. I know it doesn't always have to be expensive. But this, to me, is.
It was good for me to hear about the reality of the farming year. We anticipated paying $3.60/lb for pork. We ended up paying $4/lb. Why? Transportation and feed costs. The farmer told me directly. I like that. Don't like paying more. But like being able to talk to the farmer.
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1 comment:
I hear you. My daughter's best friend raises pigs (Caw Caw Creek), he feeds them no drugs, and lets them run around happily, until they are humanely butchered. The meat is not cheap, but it is reasonable, and tastes fantastic. At this point I'd rather cut back to more bean meals than eat the "other" bacon again.
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