Saving Money - Part II

Today on this little series of saving money I'm going to present a few ideas about food.

The biggest savings of food out there is growing a garden. Yes it has some up front costs, but after that in the middle of summer you are eating fresh herbs/veggies/fruit for nearly free and depending on what you grow you can also freeze some for the winter.

Even if you are in an apartment and have at least one sunny spot by a window you can grow herbs and save a boatload of cash compared to buying them. I currently have a basil and chives plant in my living room. I'm not very good at growing anything, but if I can manage it, it isn't all that difficult. Another option is to grow herbs in a pot outside if you have a balcony or any sunny spot in your yard.

If your lucky enough to have somewhere in your yard where you can grow a small garden, then I suggest growing things you like to eat (in my case carrots, beans, lettuce and strawberries). Start small and you can always rip up lawn to make it bigger. If your clueless about growing anything, head down to your library and ask for help finding a book about what grows in your area. Another great resource is talking to your neighbours with gardens, which also might prove useful if you over plant something and can trade it off to someone for some other produce.

After growing a garden my next food suggestion is simple: avoid eating out and prefabricated foods. If you cook at home from scratch, you will also be saving money. Obviously this can't be done all the time, so don't worry about the rare fast food run or deciding that you make horrible pies and you buy one from the store. It's the habit of eating out all the time and using prefabricated food all the time that costs a lot.

So those are my suggestions around food. I like to keep this simple and eat well. If you have any other ideas please share.