"We Were All Skinny"

I sat among my mom, a couple of her brothers and both of her sisters as they reminisced recently about their childhood. Having grown up in rural Oklahoma at a time and place when most families had their own garden, mom and her siblings laughed as they talked about the foods they ate.

My grandma did not buy tomato sauce in cans, boxes of single-serving packs of yogurt and frozen pizzas. She bought gunny sacks of flour, large boxes of non-instant oatmeal and beans. Lots and lots of beans. They got their veggies from their own garden but did little canning, so the greens they ate came from in-season produce only.

"We were all skinny back then," one of my uncles said, and his siblings agreed with hearty laughs.

I couldn't help but be envious of what my grandma's food bill back then must've looked like. She didn't buy foods in convenient packaging. She bought a limited array of staples for cooking. I doubt she ever heard the phrase, "What's for dinner?" and quite likely also never heard "Awwww, beans AGAIN?" because they wouldn't be expecting anything else. And based on how they fondly recalled those dinners, I doubt any of her children ever felt deprived.

The conversation inspires me to take a second look at how much I spend on foods in convenience packaging and to consider starting my own garden. The prospect seems daunting, though, especially knowing how nice it is to be able to pop something into the microwave after working eight hours.

But I feel determined. I doubt I ever get my grocery list down to just the bare staples — that would take far more cooking on my part than I'm willing to commit to — but my husband and daughter, who says beans are "yucky," will likely be seeing legumes and oatmeal on the menu more often. Perhaps with a little more effort, I can find a way to get our monthly grocery bill below $300, which would save us $100 each month, $1,200 a year.