Is it cheaper to buy chicken at the market or raise it?

[SandraMort]

Nevermind. There will always be people who think that low income families are there because of laziness or lack of will or stupidity and there's no arguing with it. I'll drop the subject.

 

[HFC]

Quote:
i thought i couldn't afford it either....



we have a farm "frobergs" that sells their fresh grown vegetables. they are about 5 miles from me. i'd never been there, thinking they would be expensive. i decided to stop by their yesterday and found that i had been very wrong. their zuccini was $.99 a pound. the only thing more expensive in vegetables was the corn, which was 2 for a $1.00, where walmart had 6 for a $1.00.

so in short, ignorant me found that if i took the time to do my homework, i CAN feed my family with better food.

btw, they had cherry's there and it was so good, i ended up eating too many and made myself sick. lol

Froberg's is pretty awesome! Two weeks ago you could get all the LARGE bell peppers you wanted 5 for $1 and homegrown vine ripe tomatoes for $5 peck (works out to about .35/lb).

When they can grow on the farm there they prices are unbeatable.

 

[blue90292]

i think what happens is, when you're in the low income situation, you're not thinking about what's good for you. you're thinking about surviving and making sure that the lights don't get turned off, and you have a sitter so you can get to your 2nd or 3rd job, etc etc.

it's really a different world. there is no peace, time to think. you're just going and doing because that's what has to be done. and the last thing you're thinking about is should i get what's good for my kids because you're just trying to make ends meet and wondering how many meals you can get out of a single chicken.

there is a wonderful place right outside the city of houston that offers community vegetable gardens. you volunteer and you get to have some of the crop. but if you're working two jobs, the last thing you're thinking is working on a vegetable garden. you can tell them how satisfying it is till it comes out their ears. but you can't beat sleep. you know what i mean?

dont' get me wrong. after a while, it becomes the norm and i think it's very hard to get out of it even if you could. but i'm sure if they were given a nudge of using their creativity, they would.

i went to a catch and release fishing day sponsorded by the texas parks and wildlife out in galevston this past weekend. they had two vanfuls of inner city kids there, some that have never held a rod. some had fishing knowledge and were great at fishing, but they said they don't get to do it enough. most of them had on second hand clothes that were two sizes too big. it was fun to watch them and interact and scream as they would catch the fish. i hope they don't forget times like this when they have to be out there making a living. that they can really enjoy good things, like planting basil in a used tupperware, growing tomatoes in used coffee cans and growing lettuce out of used gallon milk jugs.

 

[mommy9994]

Wow MP! you did great! Low income is a fact of life. Poor is a state of mind.

I also have to be SUPER frugal with our grocery budget. I've found that buying veggies at the farmer's market is less $$ than the store, we also go to "pick your own" type places, pick a lot and freeze.

As far as chickens, I've found that I can raise mine for about $5 each. I sell 1/2 of them for $10 each, and that pays for all of the chickens, and my family is eating free chicken.

For not having any room to grow anything, I think that most people on a chicken website would have a little bit of room for something, I would think that the poster living in a NYC apartment would be the exception here, not the rule.

I had a friend recently that found out that she could buy vegetable/herb seed on food stamps! that's great!!! I think that would be a wonderful way for some of the lower income folks to help themselves move ahead.

My family is certainly not wealthy, we would prob. qualify for some gov. assistance, but choose not to apply-- we don't qualify for fs, but I *think* we would qualify for WIC, and that's mostly fruit juice--which I don't give my children regularly, milk and cheese--I have lactose intolerant and dairy allergic children, and eggs... so wouldn't be much help to my family anyhow LOL

ETA: also, when having to shop frugally, be sure to shop the perimiter of the supermarket. Most of the middle is junk. Real food is less expensive than packaged junk. Buy a pound of green beans instead of cans, buy flour, oil, sugar and yeast instead of a sack of bread etc... your family and your budget will be healthier for it.

 

[MissPrissy]

I have been very low income - the two and a half years following my divorce I raised my childen on just under 10K per year. I drove a school bus, home schooled my kids, never took a hand out, didn't even get child support even though it was ordered and manage to not do without too many things. We survived well. It can be done.

 

[blue90292]

Quote:
i know what you mean about that. i recently decided to stop buying pancake mix and instead bought flour, baking powder, etc, and i had free eggs (lol). in the long run, it's cheaper this way AND, now, my son and i make the pancakes from scratch and we love making breakfast together.

 

[okiemommy]

Our culture is not geared towards producing for yourself anymore. The idea of consumerism has been an ever growing ideal in our country for a long time. This idea of consumerism was heavily pimped to our country after WWII in order to get our country out of the great depression. FDR even made several statements during his fireside chats that use the words we need to be a nation of consumers to build our economy back up. If that didn't get the ball rolling towards consumerism and away from providing for oneself, I don't know what did. yes there are many factors that contributed to this shift in the American culture. But how can it be ignored that the administration of this country; theleadership of it, provided an inroad to the culture of consumerism that we see today. So it is no wonder that people in this country are naturally consumers.

It is now the culture of our country. Producing for ones self has been out dated, replaced with convenient consuming. Rich or Poor, it has permeated our nations existence. Before we start saying that they poor can help themselves, lets remember that they have to know that they can help themselves. How do they know? Education. People need to know that there is a better way. Which is the whole purpose of me starting the thread of the same topic a couple of weeks ago. I want to know a better way. I am in no way poor, and also at this time, I am not low income. But I do have financial concerns for my family. And I really don't think that demonizing some one who asks about the financial impact of a decision, that WILL financially impact them is the way to go. I have felt judged for the mere asking of this question. Not just on this thread, but on another one that I started about raising meat birds. I just left that one b/c I didn't know what to say to the attitude that I received about my questions.

Please stop assuming that everyone who is low income is lazy. I have friends who work for the food stamp services in our state, and they don't complain about how lazy the clients are. Day after day their hearts are broken for these people b/c they see that they don't know any better. They're uneducated...and I don't mean they haven't been to school, and I don't mean that they are stupid. They are unaware of the things available to them to get out of the mess they are in. Yes there are some lazy people, who just don't care. YES there are people who abuse the system. As a former cashier I have seen laziness of the system, and people just wanting a handout. But I have also seen people that desperately want to get out of the situation that they are in and just don't know how, or know that they can

If we want to change the culture of our country, it will happen through education and compassion.

If you teach a man to fish.....

ETA that I mispoke when saying that I started this thread, I meant the one that I started about the same subject.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
Wow! You sound like a great mother!

 

[dangerouschicken]

I grew up in a low income family, but we were suburban. My parents grew a large organic garden every year, and it is now what my brother and I do, too. What we couldn't grow, we purchased from farmers and farm stands. The prices are good if you know where to look.

Yes, low income people are affected by space and by the ability to travel at leisure. I am impressed that most WIC programs now offer coupons for farmers' markets nowdays. That helps!

 

[okiemommy]

Yes, low income people are affected by space and by the ability to travel at leisure. I am impressed that most WIC programs now offer coupons for farmers' markets nowdays.

That is a great idea! I wish they did that here!​