Frugal Intuition

Over the course of the year as gas prices began to spiral out of control, we felt it not only at the pump but in every other area as well. The cost of everything went up as a consequence. I noticed the last time I went to the post office that there are no longer prices on their signs. They were changing so fast, they didn’t bother. That’s alarming.

Groceries were no better. I remember the day I saw milk go over $4 a gallon. MILK? Much of the produce I normally purchase went up by as much as 50%. Even the canned green beans I buy (store brand), which had been 30 cents before, have now gone up to 50 cents. Everybody is feeling the pinch.

In a quest to find a way to slash my grocery bill (which went up by about $100 a month), I stumbled across Angel Food Ministries . My immediate thought was that this was some sort of charity for the less fortunate, and that there would be some sort of income cap for participants. Nope. Their website clearly states, “There are no qualifications, minimums, income restrictions, or applications.” According to their mission statement, ” Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and contributing to benevolent outreaches in communities throughout the United States.”

This sounds too good to be true.

No, it’s really not. The food is the same quality you could purchase at your local grocery store. There’s no dented cans, about to expire, day old, almost spoiled anything. Check out the menu available for purchase this month. For $30, you get 1 regular unit, which includes (so they say) enough food to feed a family of 4 for about a week. And there are also other packages available once you’ve bought 1 regular unit, including a fresh veggie/fruit box, or various meat boxes. I haven’t done my comparison shopping yet, but I can tell you right off the bat that the grill box I bought this month for $21 (2 pounds of hamburger meat, 2 pounds of sirloin steaks, 1.5 pounds of baby back ribs, and 1.5 pounds of bone-in pork chops) would have cost me considerably more at the grocery here. I’m not sure about the regular unit (I’m going to compare next time I go to the grocery, and I’ll report back).
Super convenient

Once you find your local site, you can print off the order form and mail in your payment (which saves you gas to go to the grocery). About 2 weeks after, you’ll go to the hosting site to pick up your food. This morning was my first time. I drove up, presented my receipt. They took my box (you bring your own box for the regular unit), and by the time I’d driven around the back of the church, they walked out the other side with my box full of food, and the other grill box I’d ordered, and put it right in my back seat. Fastest grocery shopping ever. As someone who hates wandering around the grocery or Walmart, this convenience cannot be overstated.

There were a couple of things I wasn’t interested in out of the batch (we just don’t like cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots), and a few things I would never buy myself (like pre-made lasagna) but for the price and convenience, we can certainly give those to someone who does like them. The quality of the food looks fine, and the meat actually looks like better quality than what they’re offering at Walmart (which is our local grocery). The only drawback is that I underestimated the amount of freezer space all this stuff would take up (we have an IIIIIIIITY bitty freezer). But a quick clean out of the fridge and freezer took care of that problem. For the two of us, I think the meat between the regular unit and the grill box I bought, will likely last us the entire month, leaving just stuff for lunches and sides. That is not bad at all. I’ll have to check and see how much this slashes my monthly grocery bill and report back. But I’m excited.

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