Don't Get Robbed at the Supermarket
Ablang
Judy Walker
The Times-Picayune
Sticker shock! That’s what you face every time you go to the
supermarket these days.
So, what’s a consumer to do? Here’s how to keep your grocery bills as
low as possible...
PLAN YOUR TRIPS
1. Take a shopping list. To keep the list to a minimum, plan your
meals for the week and then list the ingredients you need to buy.
Stick to your list -- but be flexible. Take advantage of store
specials you come across.
2. Pay attention to what you have on hand -- especially perishables.
That way, you won’t have to throw away unused food.
3. Learn the layout of your grocery store. Sneaky secret: Stores put
dairy products and meat in the back of the store to force you to walk
through aisles of temptation -- processed foods sold at higher markups
-- to get there. If you’re making a quick trip for milk, keep this in
mind and be resolute -- buy only milk.
4. Eat first. This tried-and-true tactic bears repeating. Going to the
grocery store hungry is one reason we buy on impulse.
SKIP NONESSENTIALS
5. Drink tap water. Almost all municipal water in America is so good
that nobody ever needs to drink water from Italy or France (or Maine,
for that matter). Getting the recommended eight glasses a day from
bottled water costs as much as $1,400 annually. If you don’t like the
taste of your local water, buy a faucet filter or filtering pitcher.
6. Don’t buy processed foods. They cost more than meals you put
together yourself from basic ingredients and generally are not as
nutritious.
7. Grate your own. Like processed foods, pre-grated carrots, cheese,
etc., cost more -- and often don’t taste as fresh.
8. Skip the precuts. Cut meat and produce yourself, rather than buying
individual servings or pieces.
9. Clean your own fish. It’s cheaper per pound of edible fish to buy
whole fish (the smaller varieties, of course) at the market and then
remove the head, tail, etc., at home.
10. Don’t buy toiletries at the grocery store. Make a separate list of
toiletries and paper products for the discount stores, such as Costco,
BJ’s and Sam’s Club, where they’ll cost 20% to 40% less.
SHOPPING STRATEGIES
11. Don’t be fooled by phony sales. Sneaky secret: Items displayed on
the ends of aisles aren’t necessarily on sale. Manufacturers of those
items pay for those prime display locations. Better: Compare prices in
the main aisles, where products compete against each other.
12. Know when to buy in bulk. Only buy groceries you know that you’ll
use before they go bad. Nonperishables are the safest to buy in bulk.
Also: Just because an item is available in a larger size doesn’t mean
it’s cheaper. Take a calculator to the supermarket to check "unit
prices" by dividing price by quantity.
13. Buy generic. You can almost always save money by choosing a store
label or little-known brand instead of a well-known brand. In some
cases, particularly with items such as orange juice and condiments,
the savings can be tremendous.
14. Stoop and reach. Sneaky secret: Food manufacturers pay for prime,
eye-level shelf space at grocery stores -- and their prices reflect
it. So, look high and low, literally, for comparable items on other
shelves.
15. Buy "must go" foods. Bypass the more expensive fresh-baked bread
and reach for the day-old selection. Keep it in the freezer for
toasting. Also, most bakery departments will discount fresh items
drastically as the end of the day nears -- you may just have to ask.
Stores routinely discount dairy, baked goods, produce and meat as
these items approach their "sell-by" dates or become less attractive
(think slightly bruised apples or crushed bread). These items are
tasty and perfectly safe to eat, even several days after purchase. Ask
the staff at your supermarket when they mark items down. Time your
shopping accordingly.
16. Shop less often. Shoppers making "quick trips" to the store
usually purchase more than they planned. If you go to the store three
times a week and spend $10 on impulse buys each trip, that adds up to
$120 extra per month. But if you go only once a week and spend the
same $10 on impulse buys each time, you’ll spend $40 per month on
impulse buys. That saves you $80 per month, or $960 per year.
17. Use the buddy system. Save money by sharing costs with someone
else.
Examples: Split two-for-one offers... the contents of large, well-
priced packages, such as a bag of potatoes... share the price of gas
to the supermarket.
MAXIMIZE COUPONS
18. Check all sources for coupons. Americans saved an estimated $30
billion with manufacturers’ coupons last year. Most of the 278 billion
coupons redeemed came from Sunday papers. But it can really pay to
check manufacturers’ Web sites, as well as specialty Internet coupon
sites, such as DealCatcher (www.dealcatcher.com) and CoolSavings
(www.coolsavings.com).
Also: Take advantage of double- and triple-coupon policies at local
supermarkets.
BE CHECKOUT SAVVY
You’ve come to the finish line -- don’t blow it now...
19. Fight checkout temptation. The candy, gadgets and magazines right
around the cash registers are high-profit items for the store -- and
the least useful to you. Resist!
20. Keep a close eye on the scanner. Americans lose from $1 billion to
$3 billion a year on scanning discrepancies. Scanners are not always
reset with current sale prices, so your chance of being charged the
full price on a sale item is high.
Bottom Line/Retirment interviewed Judy Walker, the food editor of The
Times-Picayune, New Orleans, www.timespicayune.com. She is a member of
the Association of Food Journalists, Southern Foodways Alliance and
the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame.
Joe Negron
>
>5. Drink tap water. Almost all municipal water in America is so good
>that nobody ever needs to drink water from Italy or France (or Maine,
>for that matter). Getting the recommended eight glasses a day from
This is a myth. Google "eight glasses water daily myth" or check
snopes.com.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always rise from the table with an appetite, and you will never sit down
without one.
--William Penn
�
When a group of Oxford undergraduates heard that Rudyard Kipling
received ten shillings for every word he wrote, they sent him ten
shillings by telegram during their meeting: 'Please send us one of your
very best words.' Back came the word a few minutes later: 'Thanks.'
--Marshall McLuhan, 'Understanding Media'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Negron from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Napoleon
<balve...@invalid.net> wrote:
> Joy; just what we need: Another self-appointed "expert" repeating
>obsolete and inaccurate "advice" from a WWII-era pamphlet she found in a
>Friends of the Library store. Much of it is purely mis-information and
>simply incorrect. Other of it is directed toward those benighted souls
>who place greater value on pinching a few pennies than they do on
>qualitative and sensory factors.
Actually all that information should be common sense and used by
anyone who has a brain. Apparently grocery shopping now has to be
taught to people (like cooking, cleaning and checkbook writing). If
you have a wee bit of sense though, there is no reason you can't buy
groceries for $175 a month (for two people), like I do. That's not
pinching a few pennies in my book.
Rod Speed
> 20 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bills
> Judy Walker
> The Times-Picayune
> Sticker shock! That�s what you face every time you go to the supermarket these days.
Nope, some prices are dropping.
> So, what�s a consumer to do? Here�s how to
> keep your grocery bills as low as possible...
Nope, you fucked up very comprehensively indeed.
> PLAN YOUR TRIPS
> 1. Take a shopping list. To keep the list to a minimum,
Thats mad. It makes a hell of a lot more sense to keep the
list as complete as possible, so you wont have to make an
extra trip for something you didnt get in the previous trip.
> plan your meals for the week
No thanks, it makes a hell of a lot more sense to have more
supplys on hand and be able to eat what you feel like instead.
> and then list the ingredients you need to buy.
Makes a hell of a lot more sense to keep a decent stock
of ingredients that were bought on special instead.
> Stick to your list -- but be flexible. Take advantage of store specials you come across.
Makes a hell of a lot more sense to keep a decent stock of the ingredients
you use much and only ever buy those when they are on special and get the
specials from the flyers or the online versions of the flyers so that you hardly
ever buy stuff that is not on special if you want to make maximum savings.
> 2. Pay attention to what you have on hand -- especially perishables.
> That way, you won�t have to throw away unused food.
> 3. Learn the layout of your grocery store.
That doesnt save you a damned thing. And I prefer to do a lot less
than one shopping run a week for all but fruit and veg and then it
makes more sense to go down every aisle in turn with list in hand etc.
> Sneaky secret: Stores put dairy products and meat in the
> back of the store to force you to walk through aisles of
> temptation -- processed foods sold at higher markups
> -- to get there. If you�re making a quick trip for milk,
> keep this in mind and be resolute -- buy only milk.
Thats wrong too, most obviously with specials.
> 4. Eat first. This tried-and-true tactic bears repeating. Going
> to the grocery store hungry is one reason we buy on impulse.
> SKIP NONESSENTIALS
> 5. Drink tap water. Almost all municipal water in America is so good
> that nobody ever needs to drink water from Italy or France (or Maine,
> for that matter). Getting the recommended eight glasses a day
Only fools recommend anything like that, particularly in winter.
> from bottled water costs as much as $1,400 annually. If you don�t
> like the taste of your local water, buy a faucet filter or filtering pitcher.
Makes a hell of a lot more sense to get used to the taste.
> 6. Don�t buy processed foods.
That is just plain wrong with some food, most obviously
with bread if you are happy to eat the cheapest shit.
> They cost more than meals you put together yourself from basic ingredients
Wrong with the cheapest bread.
> and generally are not as nutritious.
Thats a lie too, some are more nutritious than what most make from basic ingredients.
> 7. Grate your own. Like processed foods, pre-grated carrots,
> cheese, etc., cost more -- and often don�t taste as fresh.
> 8. Skip the precuts. Cut meat and produce yourself,
> rather than buying individual servings or pieces.
> 9. Clean your own fish. It�s cheaper per pound of edible
> fish to buy whole fish (the smaller varieties, of course)
> at the market and then remove the head, tail, etc., at home.
> 10. Don�t buy toiletries at the grocery store. Make a separate list
> of toiletries and paper products for the discount stores, such as
> Costco, BJ�s and Sam�s Club, where they�ll cost 20% to 40% less.
> SHOPPING STRATEGIES
> 11. Don�t be fooled by phony sales. Sneaky secret: Items displayed
> on the ends of aisles aren�t necessarily on sale. Manufacturers of those
> items pay for those prime display locations. Better: Compare prices in
> the main aisles, where products compete against each other.
Plenty of stores put the best specials in those end of aisle postitions.
> 12. Know when to buy in bulk. Only buy groceries you know that you�ll
> use before they go bad. Nonperishables are the safest to buy in bulk.
> Also: Just because an item is available in a larger size doesn�t mean
> it�s cheaper. Take a calculator to the supermarket to check "unit
> prices" by dividing price by quantity.
Plenty of stores list the unit pricing on the shelf label now.
> well-priced packages, such as a bag of potatoes... share
Don Klipstein
>obsolete and inaccurate "advice" from a WWII-era pamphlet she found in a
>Friends of the Library store. Much of it is purely mis-information and
>simply incorrect. Other of it is directed toward those benighted souls
>who place greater value on pinching a few pennies than they do on
>qualitative and sensory factors.
I have found it largely true, and they mention scanners and calculators
- which weren't around in WWII.
I have one more: Watch for "New Lower Price!"
The store could raise the "everyday price" of item XXX from $1.39 to
$1.79 for one week, then lower the "everyday price" to $1.59. I have
seen this happen.
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
clams_casino
>On 2010-01-07, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>20 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bills
>>
>>[...]
>>
>>5. Drink tap water. Almost all municipal water in America is so good
>>that nobody ever needs to drink water from Italy or France (or Maine,
>>for that matter). Getting the recommended eight glasses a day from
>>
>>
> -------------------------------------------
>This is a myth. Google "eight glasses water daily myth" or check
>snopes.com.
>
>
>
It should really be six to eight equivalent glasses of liquids (drinks,
vegetables, fruits, etc).
clams_casino
>
>
>Actually all that information should be common sense and used by
>anyone who has a brain. Apparently grocery shopping now has to be
>taught to people (like cooking, cleaning and checkbook writing). If
>you have a wee bit of sense though, there is no reason you can't buy
>groceries for $175 a month (for two people), like I do. That's not
>pinching a few pennies in my book.
>
>
You should be commended. We spent that just on paper products, cleaning
supplies, over-the-counter medicines (vitamins, aspirin, etc), personal
products (toothpaste, shaving stuff, etc)& all other non food items
typical at a grocer from the grocer (although typically purchased at
Walmart). Factor in food and we average just under $100 / week for the
two of us (similar for the past five years)..
Lou
"clams_casino" <PeterG...@DrunkinClam.com> wrote in message
news:iMt1n.2659$ZB2....@newsfe13.iad...
It's hard sometimes to know what people mean, because so many people use
words loosely and common usage varies over time, but "groceries" means food,
not paper products, soaps, etc.
For a family of two in the 19-50 year old bracket, the USDA estimates food
costs fell between $79.50 and $158.20 for November of 2009 for a nutritious
diet where all meals and snacks are prepared at home.
I don't know what Napolean's definition of groceries is, but at $175/month
for two people, it seems doubtful that non-food items are included.
Lou
"clams_casino" <PeterG...@DrunkinClam.com> wrote in message
Since suffering through my third kidney stone a few weeks ago, I've been
seeing a urologist. He recommends 96 ounces (3 US quarts) of fluid a day,
and recommends it be mostly, if not all, water. But it's really just a rule
of thumb, how much fluid a person needs varies with circumstance - someone
running a marathon on a hot summer day requires more water than those
watching TV on a cold winter night. A possibly better rule of thumb is to
produce 3 quarts of urine a day - again, that will require drinking more
fluids on hot active days than on cool, inactive ones.
The "eight glasses" a day standard means next to nothing - a "glass" isn't a
standard unit of measure, and beverage glasses in my kitchen cupboard run
from four to sixteen ounces apiece.
Napoleon
>I don't know what Napolean's definition of groceries is, but at $175/month
>for two people, it seems doubtful that non-food items are included.
It includes non-food items. But I will add an extra 20 a month for
additional milk, bread, or cat food at times. So that is about $195 a
month, including all non-food items. I only go to the grocery store
every 3 weeks (trying to stretch it to 4 since I hate grocery
shopping) and at that time we spend $125 max. Add another $45 for the
4th week, plus MAYBE another $20 if I run out of milk, bread, or cat
food as stated above, and you have $175-195.
The key is common sense, planning, a freezer, lots of leftovers, and
knowing how to use products frugally. That's it, it can be done.
Brian Elfert
>For a family of two in the 19-50 year old bracket, the USDA estimates food
>costs fell between $79.50 and $158.20 for November of 2009 for a nutritious
>diet where all meals and snacks are prepared at home.
This must be per week, as there it would be pretty hard to have a
nutritious diet for two for $80 a month or under $3 a day. Fresh produce
is not cheap.
One can certainly find food for a month for $80 if one just wants
calories at any price, but it not likely to be nutritious.
My mother cooks everything from scratch for herself and my dad and she
still spends at least $50 a week on groceries. They are not eating
anything exotic.
Bob F
>> It should really be six to eight equivalent glasses of liquids
>> (drinks, vegetables, fruits, etc).
>
> Since suffering through my third kidney stone a few weeks ago, I've
> been seeing a urologist. He recommends 96 ounces (3 US quarts) of
> fluid a day, and recommends it be mostly, if not all, water. But
> it's really just a rule of thumb, how much fluid a person needs
> varies with circumstance - someone running a marathon on a hot summer
> day requires more water than those watching TV on a cold winter
> night. A possibly better rule of thumb is to produce 3 quarts of
> urine a day - again, that will require drinking more fluids on hot
> active days than on cool, inactive ones.
Since a large part of the water you consume is lost as perspiration and moisture
in exhaled air, I seriously doubt the the "3 quarts of urine" is good advise.
h
"Napoleon" <ana...@666yes.net> wrote in message
news:7seek51a0s9qkoe6h...@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 7 Jan 2010 20:26:18 -0500, "Lou" <lpo...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>I don't know what Napolean's definition of groceries is, but at $175/month
>>for two people, it seems doubtful that non-food items are included.
>
> It includes non-food items. But I will add an extra 20 a month for
> additional milk, bread, or cat food at times. So that is about $195 a
> month, including all non-food items.
The two of us spend almost exactly $200/month on food, toiletries, and paper
products, etc. combined, including food, treats, and litter for our three
cats. We low carb, so we buy practically no prepared foods. We eat meat,
dairy, and vegetables with some fruit as dessert and not much else. We make
most things from scratch including mustard, salad dressing, etc., but mayo
is one of the few "prepared" foods I buy. I'm always shocked when I see how
much a small amount of prepared carbs costs. The other day I saw someone go
through the express lane with 3 items of prepared junk (frozen dove bars,
canned breadsticks, frozen pizza) and she paid nearly 3 times what I paid
for my 10 items of produce. My produce will feed us for days while her packs
of junk won't make it past one meal. I'm always amazed by what some people
will eat!
3877
Still wrong in winter without house heating.
Rod Speed
> "clams_casino" <PeterG...@DrunkinClam.com> wrote in message
> news:1It1n.2658$ZB2...@newsfe13.iad...
>> Joe Negron wrote:
>>
>>> On 2010-01-07, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> 20 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bills
>>>>
>>>> [...]
>>>>
>>>> 5. Drink tap water. Almost all municipal water in America is so
>>>> good that nobody ever needs to drink water from Italy or France
>>>> (or Maine, for that matter). Getting the recommended eight glasses
>>>> a day from
>>>>
>>>>
>>> -------------------------------------------
>>> This is a myth. Google "eight glasses water daily myth" or
>>> check snopes.com.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> It should really be six to eight equivalent glasses of liquids
>> (drinks, vegetables, fruits, etc).
>
> Since suffering through my third kidney stone a few weeks ago, I've
> been seeing a urologist. He recommends 96 ounces (3 US quarts) of
> fluid a day, and recommends it be mostly, if not all, water. But
> it's really just a rule of thumb, how much fluid a person needs
> varies with circumstance - someone running a marathon on a hot summer
> day requires more water than those watching TV on a cold winter
> night. A possibly better rule of thumb is to produce 3 quarts of urine a day
I dont produce anything like that, not even half that and have
never ever had a kidney stone in well over half a century now.
Lou
"Bob F" <bobn...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:hi7pjc$eeh$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Well, my doctor advised on input, not output. But it was clear from the
conversation that what he was aiming for was a lot of throughput for the
kidneys - the less concentrated the urine, the lower the likelihood of
forming another stone. Also, I had to take a 24 hour urine test, and one of
the things measured is volume. Mine was slightly over 3 liters (which is
more than 3 quarts) and he pronounced that good. He also said that there's
a kidney stone season - basically more people have more stones during the
summer because it's more difficult to drink enough to compensate for
increased perspiration. Lastly, one author (Piers Anthony) wrote that he
had a kidney stone, and his doctor prescribed a gallon of urine a day -
drink however much water was necessary to p*** a gallon a day, regardless of
how much water vapor you exhale and how much you sweat.
I'll grant that this is a small sample (only two adults) and both are male,
and somewhat past 30 (in my case, I've been a little past 30 for somewhat
longer than 360 months), and everyone's an individual. For all I know, you
could be a smaller than average female in her teens. But please pardon me
if I doubt your doubts.
Lou
"h" <tmc...@searchmachine.com> wrote in message
news:hi7sn5$euh$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
>
> "Napoleon" <ana...@666yes.net> wrote in message
> news:7seek51a0s9qkoe6h...@4ax.com...
> > On Thu, 7 Jan 2010 20:26:18 -0500, "Lou" <lpo...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I don't know what Napolean's definition of groceries is, but at
$175/month
> >>for two people, it seems doubtful that non-food items are included.
> >
> > It includes non-food items. But I will add an extra 20 a month for
> > additional milk, bread, or cat food at times. So that is about $195 a
> > month, including all non-food items.
>
> The two of us spend almost exactly $200/month on food, toiletries, and
paper
> products, etc. combined, including food, treats, and litter for our three
> cats. We low carb, so we buy practically no prepared foods. We eat meat,
> dairy, and vegetables with some fruit as dessert and not much else. We
make
> most things from scratch including mustard, salad dressing, etc., but mayo
> is one of the few "prepared" foods I buy.
Since you're "into" cooking, I'm a little surprised that you buy mayo - it's
extremely simple to make with a blender and takes maybe 5 minutes. It's
maybe a little longer with an electric mixer, but not much.
Rod Speed
> Bob F <bobn...@gmail.com> wrote
>> Lou wrote
It certainly does make sense to work on the piss volume
if you are trying to avoid kidney stones, because thats
what matters as far as the more diluted piss is concerned.
The very fundamental problem with that sort of doctor's recommendation
tho is that they only see those that get kidney stones. They dont see those
who piss a lot less than they recommend and dont get kidney stones anyway.
> I'll grant that this is a small sample (only two adults) and both are
> male, and somewhat past 30 (in my case, I've been a little past 30
> for somewhat longer than 360 months), and everyone's an individual.
> For all I know, you could be a smaller than average female in her
> teens. But please pardon me if I doubt your doubts.
I'm a male more than twice as old as you and I dont piss anything like that
much, not even half that much and have never ever had a kidney stone.
And none of my relatives have ever had one either.
Lou
"Brian Elfert" <bel...@visi.com> wrote in message
news:J8GdnUY9kvJ3_9rW...@posted.visi...
> "Lou" <lpo...@hotmail.com> writes:
>
> >For a family of two in the 19-50 year old bracket, the USDA estimates
food
> >costs fell between $79.50 and $158.20 for November of 2009 for a
nutritious
> >diet where all meals and snacks are prepared at home.
>
> This must be per week, as there it would be pretty hard to have a
> nutritious diet for two for $80 a month or under $3 a day. Fresh produce
> is not cheap.
That's right, this is the estimated weekly cost during the month of November
in the year 2009. The monthly cost comes to $344.50 to $685.50. My
reference is
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2009/CostofFoodNov09.pdf
Sorry for the omission.
h
"Lou" <lpo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hi8o4i$lgb$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
I've found that homemade mayo doesn't keep as long, and I hate making really
tiny batches of anything.
clams_casino
any cites? or just your opinion?
clams_casino
>"Lou" <lpo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:hi8o4i$lgb$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
>>
>>Since you're "into" cooking, I'm a little surprised that you buy mayo -
>>it's
>>extremely simple to make with a blender and takes maybe 5 minutes. It's
>>maybe a little longer with an electric mixer, but not much.
>>
>>
>>
>
>I've found that homemade mayo doesn't keep as long, and I hate making really
>tiny batches of anything.
>
>
>
>
Bingo - a $2 (frequent sale price) jar (30 oz) of mayo (only Cains will
do for us) will last us at least 6 months.
clams_casino
"To replace daily losses of water, an average-sized adult with healthy
kidneys sitting in a temperate climate needs no more than one liter of
fluid...the equivalent of about four 8-ounce (250 ml) glasses."
"Determine how much water you need. You've probably heard the "8 by 8"
rule - drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (2 quarts, 1.8
liters) - but the amount of water a person needs varies depending on his
or her weight, activity level and climate. Another way to determine your
specific recommended water intake is to divide your weight (in pounds)
by two. The resulting number is the number of ounces of water you need
each day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., strive to drink 75 ounces
of water daily. For those who use the Metric system, divide your weight
(in kilograms) by 30 (ex. somebody weighing 70 kg is going to need 2.3
liters per day). Keep in mind that these recommended intake numbers are
controversial and some experts believe they are a gross exaggeration."
Obviously, everyone's optimum intake depends on a number of variables
including weight, environment and one's activities. Nevertheless, the
liquid can be from sources other than simply straight water.
Michael Black
An important factor is that there seems division, some who make
everything, no matter what, while others who buy readymade, no matter
what.
The reality is it's a variable. Some things look really hard to make,
but in reality are easy to make, and get you that thing far cheaper than
buying. Other things have some sort of fallout, and the cost of buying
manufactured isn't that high.
I made tofu for about 2 years a quarter century ago. I stopped not so
much because the tofu making was difficult, but that it required an awful
lot of cleaning up, made harder because soy milk seemed to require a
higher level of scrubbing than many other things. Another factor was that
in order to have a decent amount of tofu, I was using the largest pot
around, and that took quite some time to get up to the proper temperature.
If I wanted more tofu, I would have needed a much larger pot (and it
already seemed quite large). Making more tofu on that scale pretty much
required doing the process twice, which did mean twice as much work.
Meanwhile, tofu was fairly cheap in stores, and having made it myself, I
could appreciate the price at the store.
Then about five years later, I finally tried making Seitan, which is
flavored wheat gluten. You take water and flour, and make a mix, then
basically wash out the starch and bran. Before I tried it, all the
instructions I saw made it look very complicated, likely because the
instructions were very step by step. When I finally tried it, it was
far easier than the instructions made it seem. It was fun to make, not
unlike kneeding bread dough, and I came up with a decent amount of
"product" for the effort. Seitan carried a higher price than tofu at
the store, and you got less for the money. It seemed like a reasonable
thing to make myself.
The trick is, it often is well worth trying to make something once, and
using that experience to evaluate whether to do it. You learn from the
experience, even if what you learn is that you never want to make it
again, you then have decided that paying for the item is worth the cost.
Michael
3877
Do not need a cite for something as basic as what is needed varying significantly between summer and winter.
That is obviously not just opinion, it is trivially establishable fact.