Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you’d like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
Hey Kristen! I’ve never done Julep, but I did try a nearly free trial of Hello Fresh, the produce meal box. Have you ever considered trying one of those? I’d be interested in hearing your opinion of them.
-Danielle
I’ve come across some similar things on the web (like Blue Apron), and at first, I thought it seemed like a reasonable idea…you get to cook a meal, but you don’t have to plan anything or even shop for ingredients.
And I thought $10 for a meal sounded like a good price.
Then I realized the charge was per person.
For my family, each meal would run us $60.
<thud>
We can practically eat at a sit-down restaurant for $60. And I could make many, many dinners for $60, even if I buy local meats.
On average, I spend about $21-$25/day, and that feeds the six of us for three meals.
That means each meal is really costing us around $7-$10, and each serving runs about $1 to $1.50.
I’m sure breakfast is less expensive than dinner, but even if dinner used up $15 of my daily spending, that’s still only a little over $2 per person.
At that rate, a meal delivery service would cost me 5 times what I currently spend.
Maybe this would work out well for small families who mainly subsist on restaurant meals and who really want to spend a little time cooking a few nights a week.
But me? If I’m going to spend $60 on dinner, I would really like to not be cooking. 😉
Kristen,
How do you make fresh bread ahead of time / what do you do when the recipe makes more than you need? My favorite recipe makes two loaves, but at the current time, my family can only eat one before it dries out. I don’t want to half my recipe – what can I do to preserve my dough so I can bake it when we run out? How can I make my recipe the night (or several nights) before (when my kids are in bed), and keep it fresh to bake for dinner during the week?
Michelle
The freezer is your friend! Finished homemade bread freezes very well, so make a big batch and freeze whatever you don’t need right away. That’s what I do all the time.
You can freeze unbaked dough, but it takes a fairly long time to thaw and then once it thaws, it needs time to rise, so I don’t find that to be a super efficient way to bake.
If you want to keep fresh dough around for baking during the week, you could try the popular no-knead artisan bread, which you can store in the fridge and bake throughout the week.
I was hoping you could share other blogs that are somewhat like yours? I follow the minimalist mom as well and both of you are such an amazing inspiration! I would like to find other inspiring people to learn and grow. Thank you! 🙂
Martina
Hmm. There are a LOT of money-saving blogs out there, but a great proportion of them are deal/couponing blogs (I’m assuming that’s not what you’re looking for!)
Give these ones a try:
Katy buys almost nothing new, and her blog obviously focuses on not consuming stuff.
MoneySavingMom (the no deals version)
I like the Money Saving Mom blog except for the deals (which feel like a lot of clutter to me). I recently discovered the link above which gives you her blog minus all the deals. Perfect.
Ruth does blog about coupons to a degree, but mostly her blog is about saving money in a variety of other ways (DIY, cooking, etc.)
I bet my readers will have some good suggestions for you too!
____________________________
You know the drill: the floor is now yours.
Got thoughts about meal delivery services? Or some good blog reads to suggest? Share in the comments!
MM
Tuesday 21st of October 2014
I do not recommend Katy's non-consumerist blog and I don't find that it sends the same message as this blog. I enjoyed it for a couple of posts, and I enjoy that she rarely buys new. But that's where it ends - photos of her home actually make me have anxiety, as it looks cluttered and very much like a hodge-podge from garage sales. Sometimes I worry she's a borderline hoarder.
This blog for me symbolizes non-consumerism, because the author is minimalist in her consumption. Being minimalist in one's consumption leads to a calm life with a calm home and calm interior design. It's also a soft print on our plant. Katy is a huge consumer, even if it is of things from Goodwill, garage sales, and the curb. Katy shops as a habit (at thrift stores). Again, for me part of not being a consumer and not taking more than what I need from the environment around me, involves not treating shopping and acquiring things as a hobby.
Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate
Tuesday 21st of October 2014
I buy the things my family needs when I shop at Goodwill, and I most definitely am *not* buying all the weird things I feature in my Goodwill, Badwill, Questionable-will blog posts. Those are for entertainment value only and for "entertainment value only."
Not a hoarder, thanks.
CarrieP
Tuesday 21st of October 2014
Wow! I can't agree with your evaluation of Kay. It's fine that Katy's blog (Non-consumer advocate) isn't your cup of tea, different strokes for different folks, for sure. But I must defend Katy. She is not a huge consumer. Yes, she does spend time shopping at Goodwill for fun, but also b/c she doesn't buy new things. She's also much more self-disclosing about what she buys and spends than the Frugal Girl (again, neither good nor bad, just a different style).
Kristen
Tuesday 21st of October 2014
Hmmm...are you maybe thinking that she brings home all the stuff she shows in her Goodwill, Badwill, Questionablewill posts? Those are just for entertainment value (she's really not buying all of those Mrs. Butterworths! Ha.)
I think all of us have different home styles...some of us like a more spare look (that'd be me!) but I know some people actually feel physically uncomfortable in a space that is really minimalist. Like it doesn't feel comfortable to them unless there is more...stuff around. I'm the opposite, in that if my home has too much stuff in it, I just can't feel relaxed. I don't necessarily think one style is better than the other, though. They're just different.
And if one does prefer a less sparse home, it is wise to purchase the furnishings and decorations used, you know? Goodwills and thrift stores usually have more than enough stock to go around.
Libby
Monday 20th of October 2014
I also love The Prudent Homemaker - gorgeous photography and so inspiring. Budget Bytes has tasty, easy, and inexpensive recipes - she details the cost of all the ingredients and lists the cost per serving. Mr. Money Mustache has been helpful. Finally I'm really liking Six Figures Under - a young family working their way out of student loans.
Kathy
Monday 20th of October 2014
I think a service like Blue Apron would be a fantastic gift for a newly widowed person, who might not want to "go to the trouble" of cooking for one. Friends could pitch in to buy maybe 4-6 month's worth, preferably adding invitations for dinner also.
Mairsydoats
Tuesday 21st of October 2014
It just occurred to me that the folk who have people in their lives desperate to give them presents could leverage that impulse into either some ready-made meals or a Blue Apron sort of thing. It would be better to receive this sort of thing than to get a thoroughly unneeded tchotcke or kitchen gadget...
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup
Monday 20th of October 2014
I find that my homemade bread freezes very well. Sometimes I freeze the loaf whole and other times, I slice it ahead of time.
SandyH
Monday 20th of October 2014
Yes definitely slice it ahead of time so you can take out however many slices you need. It thaws in a jiffy.
Linda M
Monday 20th of October 2014
I really like the blog....Joyfully Thriving....very down to earth and gives lots of nice advice on how she saves money.