The Basket Case: The Savings

Let's take the January 7th conventional basket as an example and see exactly how much we are saving! For this basket, I contributed $15.00. 

Using myfridgefood.com and its wonderful grocery store list builder gives me an estimated price of what the items would cost if I just went to Homeland or Walmart and picked these items up.

Want to take a guess....?

1- Romaine lettuce

1- Spinach

1- bunch Radish

1- Broccoli

2- English Cucumbers

2- Avocados

5- Tomatoes

8- Bananas

1- Bag of black Grapes

6- Clementines (mandarins)

1- 6oz container Blackberries

3- Asian Pears

6- Fuji Apples

_______________________________

TOTAL: $45.00

For all you matheletes out there that's a grand total savings of $30.00*!

I'd like to see a Homeland reward card save you that much. 

I will also add - myfridgefood.com didn't have the option of radishes or clementines (so I priced regular oranges) so really you are saving WAY more than just $30.00!

Interesting in participating?--this is a pretty good selling point if you ask me! 

The Basket Case: Bountiful Baskets 411

I have mentioned how I started a site but haven't really clarified what Bountiful Baskets is exactly.


Bountiful Baskets is a food cooperative.  Bountiful Basket Food Co-op (BBFC) provides produce baskets, organic produce baskets, artisan bread and sandwich bread every other week. If you like eating healthy and also saving money you might want to consider this food co-op. BBFC is entirely volunteer-run. Did I mention it also operates in 19 states? How awesome is that! I think its so refreshing to see so many people active and willing to eat healthy and provide healthy options for their families! I also love that it is so affordable. I'm just a single gal and can afford this basket on a small budget. I try to live on just my basket and a few other items meats and dairy as much as I can. So I'm looking at a grocery bill of under $50 for the MONTH! WOWZA folks - that's a lotta savings - imagine what a family could save.


Not only am I able to save money but I feel so much better because I am eating good, REAL foods. I've currently been on a quest to wean myself off of processed foods until I realized how much I love M&M's and Oreos (and the list could go on!) but I really do try to eat real foods as much as I can and BBFC has helped with that! 


Alrighty - back to BBFC stuff:


What is a food co-op?
Food Co-ops take advantage of the buying power of the group to get better prices on food, typically locally-grown produce or organic food products.
There are no long-term committments.
Try it once and if you think it's not for you - you never have to participate again (but I doubt you'll feel that way!)
How much does it cost?
A conventional basket is $15 for returning participants. The first time you participate there is a one time fee of $3.00 making the total cost $18.00. Each week there are also extra items available such as breads and seasoncal cases of fruits and vegetables. 
An organic basket is also available for a $10 upgrade fee. ($25.00)
What's in a basket?
Produce baskets are 50% fruit and 50% veggies and 100% delicious!
How do I participate?
Follow this link to get step-by-step directions!


The Shawnee site is located at 1414 N Kennedy, Shawnee, OK 74804 inside the Doctor's Building/Gateway to Prevention and Recovery. This location is located off Hwy 177 taking the Kickapoo Spur to North Kennedy. If you have any questions about the BBFC - contact me! Our pick-up is this upcoming Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 11:45am. See ya then!


-Jennifer  

The Basket Case: Starting a site

A few months ago, I was home visiting my parents and went with my mom to pick up her "Bountiful Basket". For months I had heard my mom excitedly (and maybe a bit obsessively) rave about Bountiful Basket Food Co-op. While picking up my basket that Saturday, I met Stefani the Oklahoma volunteer area coordinator. I casually mentioned what a great thing this was and how I’d love it if there was one in Shawnee. I gave her a business card and we hit the ground running. By the time I got to my office Monday morning, Stefani had e-mailed me and was working on getting a Shawnee site started.

I was more than overwhelmed, at first.

There was a guidebook, training, conference calls. I was looking at my schedule and all the paperwork and thought – is this really do-able?

Once I volunteered, I realized this can be done and I want it for my community. We just had to train, find a location and get people interested! Finding a location was our hardest obstacle to overcome. Training was easily done (Thanks to my mom who trained under the Altus site then drove up here for 3 weeks to train me!) A location finally came through at the first of the year and we had a start date. We have been an active site since January 21. With a background in marketing, getting people involved - was the easiest and most fun for me!

Our first week we had 18 participants, then 32, then 50. Overall, around 65 people have participated. I now see why my mom was so excited (and obsessed) with this co-op. It’s such an amazing opportunity for families to eat healthy and on a budget. I am so hooked on my produce baskets and love telling other people about it.

Today marks the 4^th week of participation. I love “Bountiful Basket” weeks. I cannot wait to see how many people will participate! Then I cannot wait until Saturday morning to find out what produce we will receive! (I love that surprise – I think everyone else does too)

Want to know more about Bountiful Baskets? I would love to tell you about it. Just ask.

www.bountifulbaskets.org

Mini Makeover

I had a little work done.

Okay, not me personally-- but I found this adorable site: The Cutest Blog on the Block. They offer free blog designs. I LOVE IT.

Enjoy.

How you doin?

Wow, it has been forever since I logged on to this thing. My ol' laptop had been running on the slow side for awhile now. Finally, this weekend it got a little makeover. A little open heart surgery, one might say. Okay, I'm the only "one" who would probably use that analogy - and I just did. It is now running quite a bit faster...which means I'm actually going to start blogging again. Which means my parents and grandparents will have something to read. (Hello to each of you!)

My lack of blogging has not just been due to a slow computer but a mixture of that with no time which leads to no crafts or cooking - which means NOTHING to blog about.

Today after work I decided to clean up my "office space" just a bit. I live in a rent house with two other girls - we don't have a ton of free space. So my "office" is just the other side of my bedroom, but nonetheless I spruced it up just a bit! My mom and I have been working on starting this wonderful food co-op in Shawnee (Bountiful Baskets - I will share more on this whole thing tomorrow) and the need for a work space at home will be pretty important when I have to start flying solo( - after this weekend YIKES)
Excuse the crummy iPhone pictures - but you get the point.
SO before:

AFTER: