Cut Your Grocery Bill AND Eat Real, Nutrient Dense Food | Tips For Saving Money on Organic Food

[@stef4866]

I am so glad I found your channel. You and your husband seems like such down to earth people. Both of you communicate very well. Your both thoughtful in what and how you deliver your knowledge and information. I very much appreciate your time and pray for the best for your channel and homestead journey. Something I thought of while listening to this video is, since you use whole chicken in your menu you might have good advice and direction on cutting up a whole chicken. I’d love to learn how you would butler/cut up a whole chicken. I usually do as you suggested slow cooking a whole chicken in crockpot and use in same ways as you do. I’m just not confident in cutting up a raw chicken for various recipes. Again thank you!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks so much for the kind message!! That’s a great idea about demonstrating cutting up a whole chicken.

[@RenanaF]

i also will love to see such a video!@@FromScratchFarmstead

[@mrsginny]

I live in costal Virginia and I've recently committed to not buying my produce from grocery stores anymore because we have such great farmers markets! I got a bunch of bell peppers just yesterday for like $5 because they were bad looking. I processed them last night and now they're in my freezer❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That’s amazing!!! Keep it up!! 🙌

[@krissycus]

so impressive! we raise fowl for eggs, small pigs for meat, and rabbit for meat, and we still have to buy a majority of our food. our grocery bill is discouragingly huge. really trying to rethink the way we farm and shop.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad this was helpful for you! Storage crops have really been a game changer for us!

[@elizabethscott3048]

Perhaps these ideas are helpful: We live in central Michigan & in the summer we buy from farm stands which is a very inexpensive way to purchase produce & eggs. It’s a nice ride in the countryside & it’s shopping local. Also, there are Amish farms nearby where we can purchase grass-fed animals. My parents used to purchase 4-H cows & pigs during the fair auctions & have them locally butchered. In the past when the kids were home I used to go to the Mall Food Court at the brink of closing and purchase the food that had not been sold. Ex: I would go to the Italian shop & ask if I could purchase the whole lot of it (Calzones, breadsticks, expensive pizza’s, salad) for $5-$9. I was never turned down!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Great ideas! It's definitely nice to have those farm stands and sources of local food close to you!

[@peterpiper487]

I have found that there aren't any coupons on NUTRITIOUS foods. They tend to be on processed unhealthy foods and snacks and sweets.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

They are definitely way harder to come by then coupons for processed foods!

[@zealbell7817]

Where you live… Because there is definitely coupons for those items

[@sathvamp1]

@@zealbell7817 Indeed, it just takes some paying attention sometime (and IGNORING the many on non-nutritious foods).

[@liliaricci9348]

In CT farmers are like the big grocery stores. Because the picking and eating in season is popular, the prices are the same or higher for the novelty.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing! It’s interesting how different it can be depending on location!

[@breezybre2670]

Yes....any and all food from a local farmer costs more because it tastes WAY better and is in limited supply due to our short growing season!

[@annayang1667]

This is a great way to think of foods and eat seasonally.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It's a good question! Honestly, I haven't experimented with making goat's milk soap so I'm not sure how it would do in this recipe. Sorry!! If you try it, please let me know. I'd be so curious to hear!

[@kenfreeman8888]

Great ideas on healthy food budgeting. Thanks very much for sharing. I enjoy my slow cooked stews with whatever is in season or available. And ground meat plus organ meat make very healthy burgers.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome! Those are great meal ideas!

[@sathvamp1]

I can SO relate to the being sad at seeing others waste food. Especially when they complain about how expensive food is. It's like... just EAT what you DO have so you don't need to buy more sooner, lol.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes!! 🙌😊

[@dennisnagel4422]

Very well said - having and following good principles. Darn good advice I think !

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Glad this was helpful!

[@tiffhamill567]

Speaking my language. My health is very very good now due to trips to Natural Grocers and local food. But I am really spending a lot.. I know produce is smart and cheaper and glad to find you!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad this was helpful for you!!

[@kevin2themystic]

Great tips from a practical Mom!

[@surfersup100]

Such a big challenge for me is figuring out how to ease my toddler into a shift like this... I spend so so much on grocery shopping. I find that when I don't meal plan I almost always go over budget, and I shop at 3 grocery stores. It is so stressful. My toddler literally will not eat any veggies except the occasional snap pea, but he does eat a lot of fruit. I have to get really strict on snacks around meal times. He would snack all the time if I let him. I'm trying to slowly shift, but I get stressed from trying and then I go grocery shopping and end up doing what I call stress shopping, where I don't make an adequate plan and don't think through everything, because I'm exhausted, then I go way over budget. I'm trying to figure out how to find balance and save money, without making it this super stressful shift and I am not being successful at it.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That's a lot! I'd start small with one or two adjustments and work your way up from there. Give yourself grace, especially with a toddler. Thanks for watching! :)

[@EmbassySchool-n6e]

Would love to see a video of how you use the “odds and ends” of meat. I love the idea of integrating organ meat into our meals but I’m scared to try and have it not taste good and my family never want to try it again.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for the idea!! We do have a few other videos on using organ meats but we will add that to our list!

[@rockybeachy]

Yes, but what about the cost of energy for the freezer, cost of feed and vet care for your animals, cost to slaughter, etc.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

All things to consider! We are able to keep our costs down and at this point our farm is able to pay for itself through the few things we sell locally and still get to enjoy the fresh food for ourselves. Thanks for watching!

[@Kwitchya]

what about the cost of happiness when moving to a whole food diet and lifestyle instead of the SAD diet and concrete jungle lifestyle.

[@nevermind7253]

I'm so happy I've found your channel! What a wise young woman! I'm 64 BTW I totally agree with you I Love small ethnic type store's! Where we are living right now it doesn't seem to be an option, been here one year, looking into moving. It's a retirement type community and we don't like it at all 😏 I'm looking forward to bingeing here for a few hours... LoL Take care

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Love this comment! Thanks for watching!! ❤️

[@private9013]

Great video! My family of four and I are all autoimmune and have chronic illness that we're trying to heal. With that said, we eat mostly GAPs and Carnivore and our grocery budget is around 4000 dollars a month and it's making it hard to pay the bills. I really needed a way to cut back and I'm looking forward to finding a local farm to pick produce. We just moved to West Texas and it's really hot and dry here and I'm trying to learn to garden. Any advice to someone who's new to gardening? Again, this was a great video. Thank you.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for watching! That's so tough when you are on a healing journey and have to be so restrictive with what you are eating. With gardening, I wouldn't overwhelm yourself. Start with a few things you enjoy eating and once you got that down, add from there. Growing a ton of basil to make a bunch of pesto to freeze was my big gateway into the world of gardening and food preservation. Best of luck to you!

[@meman6964]

Please contact your county extension agent, garden in West Texas is very different than what you'll read or see in most garden books and UTube County agent is government employee, so you already paid their salary with taxes.

[@sathvamp1]

I can't wait to FINALLY have time to make my own KZbin videos lol. You did a great job... my videos would be a combination of "Yeah, what SHE said" and my own [other] tips lol.

[@ekaterinafilatova8883]

very useful tips! thank you ❤️

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!!

[@carolwhisenhunt7504]

Such good info Joelle. Ty so much.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're so welcome!

[@ivylewisdragonsforlife5394]

I'm also an ex extreme couponer that's switched to a more organic based diet.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Love it! Glad to know I’m not alone! Thanks for watching :)

[@leparfait7665]

Hi Joelle! This has been very helpful, thank you! Although our lifestyle here in Europe is somewhat different…some tips I’ll have to tweak here and there😂 But it is well worth being creative as prices of groceries have gone through the roof at the moment 😅 new sub and greetings from the Netherlands

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Hi! Thanks for being here and for this comment! Hope you find some things that work well for you :)

[@saintamerican6105]

i just wanna know how some families of 4-7 spend under $600/m of food but my family of 3 spends $800-900.. and its barely enough IM SO CONFUSED

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It's could depend on where you are, where you are shopping, what you are buying, etc. Shopping sales, buying certain things in bulk, avoiding packaged foods. All of these things have really helped to save us money on our food budget. Thanks for watching!

[@aguadepanelaconlimon4360]

Thank you, thank you ,thank you ❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!!

[@samantharoulston]

This is so helpful, thank you! Do you purchase organic? Where I’m located it’s so hard to find organic produce at our local farms.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I try to, especially for heavily sprayed things (ie apples). Shopping in season and shopping sales helps a ton! Thanks for watching!

[@StockPartyOfficial]

Thank you !

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!

[@beckykarson6306]

What do you use to grind your organ meat? I also need to learn how to carve a chicken better😅 ive been buying them but find im not great at getting the chicken cut up very effectively. But wgatever i dont get off the bones, i put in a freezer bag for making broth.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We blend organs in our vitamix to make pate or for adding to ground beef. I think it's all about figuring out what works well for you that you will actually do, so that sounds like a great system! Thanks for watching!

[@beckykarson6306]

Oh the vitamix! Great idea. I have one of those too. Thanks for the tip.

[@dootersnooter5343]

Does the money in gas from driving to the farms outset the money you save by going?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We find it to be worth it and usually buy things seasonally and in bulk when we go so it’s not like an every weekend sort of thing. Thanks for watching!

[@widowswatch6610]

Good tips

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@cathyhvazda8443]

Where do you buy organic organ meat that is cheaper than regular meat?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Local farms! Thanks for watching!

[@ravnclaw89]

How do you know your local farmer is not spraying their produce with chemicals?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We ask! I've found farmers to be very open and transparent about their practices, especially small local ones. They care so much about what they do and usually love sharing that with others.

[@JJM-GodIsUpToSomething]

#goal = eat like Jesus ❤

[@Lacoux]

Yes, small ethnic food stores do save you money. The majority of ethnic grocery stores don't sell organic.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for watching! Maybe we’ve gotten lucky that a few we’ve shopped at in the past do have a good amount of organic produce.

[@peterpiper487]

If I did that, I'd have to be willing to eat the same foods over and over and over and over because I would not have enough money to buy a large variety of foods.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It’s definitely a bit different then we are used to. Since we started eating seasonally it can feel like you are eating the same things but then the seasons change and it makes you so excited to savor everything that is fresh in that season!

[@joypowlison8127]

Is your strawberry farms organic? we have the we pick also but they are not organic. They spray their strawberries and we don't want that on our strawberries.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Most of the you picks by us spray as well but there is one that doesn't that we are grateful for! Thanks for watching!

[@totenfreight2362]

I need a wife like this 😩

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for watching!

[@peterpiper487]

Find a farmer and talk with THEM? Them who? Who are they? Not understanding who THEM are. Maybe the farmer and his family? That makes sense. A great idea.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes, talking directly to the farmer or farmers :)

[@meman6964]

Do you just go up to the farmers door uninvited? Isn't that rude or intrusive?

[@justinwilson3653]

Just walk out in front of their combine at harvest time. Flag them down and ask, it's that simple.

[@breezybre2670]

​@@meman6964😂😅😂

[@sathvamp1]

Example from my own life: I actually have what is considered a "white collar" job, BUT I am very serious about good health via what I eat, and I respect my healthy food and who grows it. SO... after I had already been buying food from one particular organic farmer at one of the farmer's markets that they attend... for about a YEAR... I finally got some extra weekend time on my hands to offer them the following: During one of my food-buying trips to them, I brought with me a custom-designed resume and cover letter to give them (even though they were NOT advertising any job openings), demonstrating both my self-taught nutrition background as well as my respect and gratefulness for what they do. In the materials I gave them, I included my time-availability and motivation to work for them or even volunteer for them. The next day I got an email from them, saying how impressed they were, and they invited me to work the farmer's markets thereafter! Not only was it "another job" (which I was looking for), but I got amazing perks such as whatever extra complimentary greens that they didn't think they'd be able to sell for future markets. Plus, all the while I'd be working the market organizing all of the food, I was able to take that time to also mentally pick out what I wanted to purchase at the end of the day.