July Challenge—Dig Deep for Grocery Savings

by Susan Tiffany, CCUFC

Credit union members continue to come up with practical ways to get more for their money. Melissa, a member of Otis Federal Credit Union living in Jay, Maine, has a family of five. She says her family's grocery bill doubled in the past year and a half—sound familiar? Melissa writes about their solution:

With a growing family of five active members, including a father who is a health teacher and passionate about teaching his kids healthy eating habits, our grocery bill has doubled in the past year and a half. We had little experience growing a garden, but found that the $100 we invested to create a raised boxed garden—built it, filled with organic compost, and bought seedlings—in our back yard was a great investment.

Melissa and her family join an estimated three of 10 households growing vegetables for their families. The New York Times reported in June that George C. Ball Jr., owner of the W. Atlee Burpee Company, Warminster, Pa., said sales of vegetable and herb seeds and plants are up by 40% over 2007, double the annual growth for the past five years. "You don't see this kind of thing but once in a career," he said. Ball cited concerns about food safety, taste, and global warming for the revival. But by far, he said, the recent spike in food prices is the biggest factor.

Gardens are a source of healthy food and healthy physical activity. Growing a garden reconnects you with where food comes from. For a generation that thinks food comes from the golden arches, this can be a revelation. And providing some of your own food by gardening also improves your sense of self-reliance.

Not for everyone

For all its valuable qualities, gardening is not for everyone and is not always a money saver. Consider a few questions:

How much time do you have to garden? Are you willing to spend your time this way? The answers will drive the size of your garden. Remember that once you plant, you also have to weed at least once a week, water during dry spells, and harvest food as it ripens—sometimes all at once.
Are you physically able to manage a garden? You can adapt a garden to suit many disabilities.
What vegetables do you like and how do you plan to use your harvest? The answer will guide you about what to plant and how many seeds or transplants you'll need. You'll eat some produce fresh and also may decide to can, freeze, dry, or store—and share. If you've been the beneficiary of someone else's bounty over the years, this can be your chance to pay back and pay it forward.
How much room do you have? Consider how much area is situated for optimum sun exposure, healthy soil, proper drainage, whether it's close enough to get to but not so close that it interferes with other uses, and so on. If you don't have garden space where you live, you might be able to connect with a community garden.

If this is all new for you, start slow and be realistic about your plans. Do not spend a lot of money on fancy equipment, but do buy a few high-quality tools. Quality pays off in longevity and safety. If you make a big investment in power tools and how-to books and then discover gardening isn't your thing, you won't save the money you were counting on.

Too late for '08?

Yes, it is pretty late to get started on most crops for this summer, but you might think about some cool-weather fall crops. And here are more reasons to think about a garden now:

Summer is the best time to plan next year's garden so you have the fall to prepare the soil and winter to order the seed.
Plan the garden on paper. Draw a map showing the placement and spacing of your crops. To keep the garden growing all season, make a spring, summer, and fall garden plan. (See Intensive Gardening Methods, Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 426-335.)
Plan the garden and order seeds by January or February. You can start some plants indoors as early as mid-February.

Once you dig around in resources from your public library and County Extension office, you might decide to join Melissa's family in the garden. Her takeaway:

We had a blast watching it grow, gathering our crops, and saving money on our grocery bill. In the prime eight weeks of our growing season we saved $150 dollars on "organic" vegetables and were able to freeze vegetables for months after. This year we have added a second garden and plan to eat, freeze, and can the veggies and fruit for well into 2009. We are eating healthy, involving the kids, and saving cash.

2008 Financial Fitness Challenge

For her idea, Melissa wins a $50 Visa card and becomes eligible to win $1,000 at the end of the year for the grand prize. Complete prize rules are here. We'll share another prize-winning idea next month—it could be yours.

ST
Susan Tiffany, CCUFC
askem@cuna.coop