Saving Money on Groceries

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June 5, 2025

The news is full of high grocery prices these days.

Of course, Americans are still paying only half their per capita expenditure on groceries as 50 years ago, as a percentage of earnings.

In other words, 50 years ago we spent 18 percent, on average, of our income on food; today it's 9 percent.

Think about what we DIDN'T spend money on 50 years ago. No computers, Netflix subscriptions, streaming services, smart phones, digital wearables, flat screen TVs, and conveniences like eating out, DoorDash, UberEATS, and Lunchables.

Did you know Lunchables are $14 a pound at our local grocery store?

That’s more than a pound of Polyface unvaccinated, unmedicated, compost-fertilized beyond organic grass finished ground beef for that price, with probably 10 times the nutrient density. And without the toxins? All you have to do is cook it.

Isn't it interesting what we've done with all that money we've saved on food? We've bought convenience and luxuries unheard of just 50 years ago.

When I was a kid, you couldn't go to the store and buy chicken breasts. You had to buy a whole chicken, take it home, get a knife and cutting board, and cut out the breast. Imagine that.

Right now, you can buy a whole Polyface broiler for the same price per pound as the cheapest Tyson boneless skinless breast at Wal-Mart. How much of the alleged high cost of food is for convenience?

The interesting thing about this topic is that it's never been easier to cook from scratch, with single-ingredient items.

By single-ingredient, I mean "potato." "Squash." "Eggs." As soon as you start multi-ingredient buying, the cost goes through the roof because a roomful of people and machines somewhere manipulated, reconstituted, and mixed together, to do what folks not too long ago did in their kitchens.

Our techno-gadgetized sophisticated kitchens would make Great Grandma swoon.

We don't have to go fetch water from the spring, light a fire in the wood stove at 4 a.m. so it'll be hot enough to cook flapjacks when Pa comes in from milking the cow.

No, we have hot and cold running water, timed bake, refrigerators to reduce spoilage. We have bread makers, ice cream makers, InstantPots, crockpots, blenders, and every other appliance you can imagine.

This ain't grandma's kitchen. Never in human history has it been easier to cook from scratch, but never in history has a civilization been more nonchalant about it.

With our modern hurried, harried, frantic, frenetic lives, eating on the run creates unique logistical problems. Goodness, more than 30 percent of all food consumed in America is now eaten in cars. Can you imagine? But scratch cooking doesn't mean you have to eliminate convenience.

You can make your own convenience.

For example, we put several stewing hens (old hens no longer laying eggs) in a large roaster pan and cook at 350 for 4 hours. You can do this while you're at work on timed bake; I suggest having them finish at 2 p.m. so they can cool off before you get home. In short order, you can pick off all that wonderful meat, cut it into chunks with scissors, and put it in bags or quart freezer containers; precooked, read-to-go for casseroles, meat salad, or whatever.

Did you know you can home can meat? Yes, buy in bulk, chunk it, stick it in a canning jar, and can it just like you would green beans or tomatoes. Now you have gleaming quarts of precooked beef, pork, chicken that will keep for years without freezing or refrigeration. How about that for a prepper larder? You can eat it cold or add it to a stew or casserole in minutes.

We're hearing a lot about ultra-processed food these days.

Some 75 percent of what Americans eat is ultra-processed. It's not cheap, which my $14 a pound Lunchables figure illustrates. Take any ultra-processed food and make it in your kitchen with single ingredients and you'll save half the price. That's how expensive subcontracting out all your domestic culinary responsibilities costs.

From day one, we've eaten homemade granola. Teresa goes to an Amish bulk foods store and buys all the ingredients--single ingredients. Sunflower seeds, rolled oats, etc. She mixes them together and bakes them in the oven. Her recipe makes about a gallon and a half of granola that we keep in a Tupperware cannister in a kitchen cabinet.

And then there's soft drinks. Oh my. You can get juice and add carbonated water to make your own bubbly beverages.

Perhaps my favorite home-made anything is applesauce. Each fall we buy several bushels of unsprayed apples and make applesauce. Everybody can join in to cut the apples, cook them, crank the food mill, and fill jars. We usually make about 80 quarts for the year. Once you've had the real thing, all the store bought--and expensive--stuff is tasteless and inedible.

The old saying "there's no free lunch" really applies here. We'd like to think our lives are richer by letting others prepare our food. The fact is our lives are poorer, not only financially but nutritionally.

I'm reminded of one of the most memorable meals I ever enjoyed at Chez Panisse with food guru Alice Waters. Dessert was a clementine. Yes, not cake or ice cream, but a simple clementine at this world-renowned restaurant.

How could she top off a Michelin meal with a simple clementine?

Well, they were from Michael Ableman's nearby farm. He put compost around his trees and the clementines were divine. Indeed, they were good enough to be served as dessert at one of the world's most renowned restaurants. That's real value. Alice invested in the best provenance and, in the end, it probably saved money because it didn't require expensive adorning.

In a time of burgeoning complexity, real connection requires returning to some simple things.

Marrying our kitchen gadgetry with unadorned, single-ingredient food inputs offers royalty-quality at commoners' costs.

Putting money in the best provenance and then investing with personal culinary finesse helps our bank account and our microbiome. That's a winning synergy, don't you think?

Joel

Why Good Food Costs More - and Why It Matters

Many people wonder why foods grown with care for the land, animals, and farmers often cost more than the industrial options that line grocery store shelves. It’s an important and honest question, and it deserves a thoughtful answer. Let’s start with the basics: food affects everything. Our health, our communities, and the land that sustains us are all tied to how food is produced. Unfortunately, problems begin when the cheapest foods tend to be the most processed, the most subsidized, and the most aggressively marketed. It's easy to feel boxed into these choices, especially when you look at the price tag. But sometimes, and for lots of folks, it's easy to forget that those cheap foods come with a much higher price tag later on, whether it's just how we feel as processed foods affect our bodies, or the bills that stack up after doctor's visits. I know that after I eat ultra-processed foods (often full of unspecified additives, dyes, stabilizing ingredients, etc.), I don't feel great. I'm so thankful to say that I grew up eating mostly grass-fed beef. As a child, I remember wondering why "grocery store" beef was so different and "yucky". (I just thought only my grandpa could raise good beef.) As I've spent the last decade and a half eating mostly pastured chicken and pork, too, I can tell a definite difference when I do eat less "expensive", commercially raised foods. My grandpa definitely raised good beef, but I've realized now that it was his methods that made all the difference. Sustainably raised, grass-fed, pastured meat is meat that is being raised as it was intended to be, and therefore, it can do for our bodies what it was intended to do: nourish, fill, and bless. When I make better choices with my meals, I'm less tired, experience fewer mood swings, don't get hungry again as soon, experience less brain fog, and have fewer stomach and digestive issues. I've realized that the true price of food is how it affects my body and makes me feel. I can choose foods that come with a 'price tag,' and will help me to feel my best, or I can choose food with a hidden cost later on, as it takes a toll on my body.At Polyface, we have a simple belief: when animals live the way they’re designed to live, they, the land, and the people who eat from it thrive. Compared to conventional, industrially raised meat, regeneratively raised, grass-fed meat offers: Healthier fat profiles — Cattle and poultry raised on diverse pastures often contain more omega-3s and fewer inflammatory omega-6 fats than animals fed grain in confinement. Higher micronutrient density — Pasture-raised meats and eggs contain more vitamins A, D, and E, along with minerals like iron and selenium—thanks to clean sunlight, fresh grasses, and good exercise. Cleaner food with fewer inputs — Animals raised on pasture don’t require routine antibiotics, growth promotants, or chemical inputs that are standard in confinement systems. Food that nourishes more with less — Nutrient-dense food tends to be more satisfying, meaning people often feel full sooner and stay full longer. These aren’t abstract ideals. They’re real, biological outcomes from raising animals on living landscapes rather than in industrial warehouses. At Polyface, we consciously invest in people and animals—not gadgets, not chemicals, not complex machinery that distances the farmer from the land. Instead of giant tractors, Polyface invests in skilled team members who know how to read the land, interpret animal behavior, and respond with nuance and care. Human eyes, human hands, and human intuition cannot be replaced by equipment if the goal is health and regeneration. Instead of confinement buildings that require ventilation systems, antibiotics, and elaborate waste-handling equipment, Polyface invests in animals raised outdoors in fresh air and sunshine, rotated across pasture so they can express their natural design (while fertilizing the soil). Instead of relying on chemical crutches, Polyface invests in biological solutions like rest periods for grass, multi-species grazing, composting systems, and portable shelters. These things help us follow natural patterns rather than fight them. This kind of farming is people-intensive. It’s observation-intensive. It’s relationship-intensive. It's a very different type of farming than what is most often seen or illustrated. So, why does this matter? You don’t have to raise chickens or move cattle across pastures to be part of this work. Honest, regenerative farming is a partnership between the growers and the eaters. Every time you choose food raised with care and transparency, you cast a vote for the kind of world you want: A world where animals live in a way that honors their design. A world where farmers can make a living without compromising their values. A world where the land becomes healthier, more fertile, and more resilient each year. A world where food strengthens bodies instead of breaking them down. When you choose Polyface, you become part of this regenerative story. You help restore soils, revive rural communities, and support a type of agriculture that heals instead of harms. You help build a food system rooted in transparency, nutrition, stewardship, and hope. I've heard it said that the path forward begins with honest conversation and mutual learning. The same holds true for moving toward better food and better farming. Thank you for asking hard questions and caring enough to look deeper. We want to stay accountable, curious, and committed to improving what we do. Whenever you’re able, the Salatins welcome you to the farm so you can see these principles in action for yourself. I always tell people that there’s nothing quite like walking the pastures, watching the animals, and witnessing regeneration firsthand. Together as farmers, families, and communities, we can cultivate a future where food nourishes everything it touches: the land beneath our feet, the animals in our care, and the people around our tables. I like the sound of that future, don't you? Hannah

Saving Money on Groceries

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