Kids Dish

With the economy in it’s current dismal state, times are tough, especially on one teacher’s salary, so I’ve been trying to save money where I can. Buying organic milk, meat and produce, while not bank breaking, isn’t cheap, so for the items I don’t need to buy organic I’ve been trying to get deals where I can get them. I started scouring the circulars for sale items, clipping coupons and printing them online. It turns out that coupons really do add up when you combine them with sales. I also learned that those annoying things that print out with your register receipts at the grocery store aren’t just trash. They’re coupons called Catalinas.

I can’t stand the market that’s closest to my house. I always end up spending more money there than I do at the other market just a mile up the road. But in the circular I saw that if you buy $30 worth of participating items you get $15 back in catalinas. I looked at the items and some of them were things I had coupons for, others were on sale, and others were things I’d end up buying anyway. I started planning my trip at home. A little more research turned up a coupon message board where I learned that the $30 was based on shelf price, not sale price. I knocked a few items off of my list and went to the market ready to shop. For just over $20 I got a ton of pantry staples and $15 back in store coupons.

I stopped shopping at Whole Foods a few years ago when we moved and I was no longer in walking distance. As much as I liked the idea of shopping there I always ended up spending entirely too much money on not enough food so it didn’t seem worth the effort of the ten minute drive. I once spent $12 on grapes because I was too embarrassed to put them back after I saw the price at the register. When I heard people refer to Whole Foods as “Whole Paycheck” I completely understood.

A few weeks ago I learned that the wife of a stay at home dad in the neighborhood works for Whole Foods corporate offices. He told me that all of the pork at Whole Foods is locally raised and pastured. I was intrigued. Today his wife came to tot gymnastics in his place so I asked her a few questions. She told me that the pork is pasture based (which isn’t the same as pastured, but my buying club shorted me my two pounds of bacon this month so I’m willing to experiment), the 365 brand yogurt and dairy products are all local, and that Whole Foods will soon be carrying locally grown beef.

Today, armed with a $5 off of $25 coupon, a short shopping list, two kids who hadn’t napped, and a bunch of reusable bags I gave Whole Foods another shot.

The 365 Brand products are very reasonably priced. The organic milk was close to $.50 cheaper than what I pay at my local supermarket and it’s local. The bread, which is comparable to Arnold’s or Pepperidge Farm is close to $2 cheaper than and only $.20 more than the sale price at my local supermarket. The Cheddar Duckies were less expensive than the Annie’s bunnies, lower in fat and higher in fiber. They were also unfortunately higher in sodium, probably to make up for them being lower in fat. The 365 Brand frozen waffles were cheaper than Earth’s Best and slightly more expensive than Eggo.

The bacon is about the same price as the bacon from my buying club. It’s probably not pasture-finished (though to be honest I didn’t ask) but at least it’s local.

I’d forgotten about the bulk bins at Whole Foods. With my 2 year-old who couldn’t stop himself from opening every bin I didn’t stop to examine prices, but I’m sure it’s cheaper than buying individually packaged items and not much (if at all)more expensive as the bulk bins elsewhere.

The Muir Glen organic tomatoes were slightly more expensive than my local supermarket and much more expensive than the sale prices I’ve seen in circulars the past few weeks. Even though I had a coupon for a dollar off I decided to save it for the next time they’re on sale at a regular supermarket.

Same thing for the Cascadian Farms frozen foods. They weren’t much more expensive than at my supermarket, but since they go on sale somewhat regularly I decided to save my coupon.

Produce prices are pretty reasonable. I didn’t need any produce since my CSA is still delivering through the first week of November, but I wasn’t shocked by either conventional or organic prices. Totes of local apples were on sale for $.99/lb which is less than what we paid for the apples we picked ourselves a few weeks ago.

The most important thing I learned from my trip to Whole Foods is that I’m a much better shopper than I was a few years ago. Instead of buying things because they’re shiny and pretty, I stick to my list and compare prices. There are bargains to be found at Whole Foods, even when you’re buying organic.

My kids aren’t school age and one of them isn’t eating solid foods but that didn’t stop me from buying three Wrap-n-Mats for back to school. The Wrap-n-Mat is a reusable sandwich wrapper. It’s made of cute fabrics lined with food safe plastics to keep sandwiches clean and fresh without having to use and toss a baggie or disposable wrap. They fold easily and stay folded with a hook and loop (like velcro) closure.

The best thing about the Wrap-n-Mat is that it doubles as a place mat. We eat a lot of lunches at the playground or on the go so I pack a lunch almost every day. Then we never have a clean place to eat them. I am not a germ-phobe, but I do get skeeved out by the idea of my kid rubbing his food all over the remains of another kid’s lunch. I know kids and know they pick their noses, sneeze all over things, drool, stick their hands in their pants and wipe them off on any available surface, and engage in all sorts of other unsavory behaviors only acceptable for the youth. So eating lunch at a table at the local children’s museum gives me the chills when I think about it. The Wrap-n-Mat is so appealing that my kid actually uses it as a placemat and insists on returning his half eaten drool covered sandwich to the mat before he takes off.

The prints aren’t sophisticated, but they are cute and appeal to the little ones. My husband, a teacher, doesn’t mind them either and also appreciates that the wraps double as place mats since he eats lunch on tables also touched by children.

I also like the Wrap-n-Mat because it appeals to the do-gooder in me. I’m always trying to reduce the amount of trash we produce, so these mats are great. Now I just need to find some easy to clean, reusable snack bags to house our steady supply of pretzels, raisins and crackers.

Sam has not yet discovered the joy of cooking, though he has become an expert at opening the refrigerator and removing the items he wants. He knows where the cheese is and can open the drawer himself. He also knows how to put things back in the refrigerator, close the drawer and close the door. I fear for the day I find the refrigerator (or freezer) door wide open after returning from an outing, but until then it’s nice to know that when he suddenly realizes he NEEDS CHOCOLATE MILK RIGHT THIS MINUTE that I can ask him to get the milk and the chocolate out for mommy and the task will distract him from the tantrum waiting to happen.

But enough about Sam and his newfound desire to open the fridge repeatedly. Parenthood has made me go crazy over play kitchens. I haven’t indulged my desire since Sam hasn’t shown much interest, but I would love for him to be the proud cook in his own wooden kitchen. The problem is that the kitchens I gravitate to are not of the easy to find on Craigslist plastic variety. They’re mostly European, well made, and visually attractive, i.e. outrageously expensive. And that’s not even counting the pots, pans and play food that would have to go with it.

So when I saw this cardboard kitchen from fortytworoads on Etsy I fell in love. For the very reasonable price of only $7 you can be the proud owner of plans to make your very own kitchen using recycled cardboard, wire hangers from the dry cleaner, and odds and ends you may already have around the house. I love it. I want one.

It’s that time of year again, when the kids are either getting ready to go back to school, or have already started. When I was in grade school I loved getting new lunchboxes to start the school year. My absolute favorite was my Superman lunchbox with my pink Smurfette lunchbox as a close second.

Sam’s not going to school yet, but if he was, these Munchlers lunchboxes from Built NY (at babygeared) are adorable. They insulate food and drink and unzip to a placemat. They have small handles for small hands and are a bargain at just under $10.