12 February 2008
I'm pretty excited about Anne's new flickr group, 10 Euros. The invite I received today was timely twice over, firstly because I was just about to head out to the supermarket:
Three Pink Lady apples, three Cara Cara oranges, four bananas, a yellow onion, two tomatoes, a red pepper, a grapefruit, two kiwis, three crowns of broccoli, and a loaf of bakery bread.
Secondly, the timing of the invite seemed uncanny because I had just been looking at this the other day. It's a series of photos (on the Time website), which show what a typical family eats each week (in ten different counties). I found it SO interesting -- And there's a book! I want it.* -- that I made both Mo and S look at it with me.
The problem with translating the weekly costs directly to US dollars is that is doesn't give you an idea of what that figure means for the family in question. What I would rather see is 573 Quetzales (for example) as a percentage of the average income for the country. With absolutely no evidence to back me up, I would bet that Americans spend a pretty low percentage on food compared to other countries. Don't you think?
What I also found fascinating was that (with the exception of Mali), the families that spent the least each week ate MUCH more fresh fruit and veg. My own eating trends in that direction, but I definitely don't save money by doing so. My loot from the supermarket today was almost completely comprised of produce (I make several food-shopping trips a week, going to different places depending on what I need), and it cost over $40. And that won't even last me a week.
I guess that makes me sad, because of what it implies about American eating habits (imagine how much crap junk food I could get for $40!). Poor old America. But mostly, poor old me. I guess I'm just a sucker. Sure I'll live a lot longer, but those are just extra years of paying The Man for expensive fruit and veg!
* Stupid Amazon! Making it so easy for me to buy books. I was supposed to start a shopping/spending break yesterday, and it's going. . . uh, not so well.
hi there--you might find this helpful:
http://www.bls.gov/cex/csxann05.pdf
it was a good guide for the pennywise food challenge last year.
lovely, colorful produce!
posted by enthusia at February 13, 2008 02:35 AM
That is very interesting indeed. Thank you for the link to the Time article. I am going to pass it on to others too.
I think that I save a lot of money by being vegetarian! I really hope that I can grow more of my own food this summer so that we can reduce the amount we spend.
posted by alice at February 13, 2008 09:22 AM
Anna, I have often been inspired by your healthy habits. Btw, I am leaving London now for a new job in Singapore, and I'm really hoping that there are lots of healthy and inexpensive fruit and veggies to be had there. It'll be a culinary adventure, eh?!
posted by Jenny at February 13, 2008 12:39 PM
Try living in Manhattan! I only make dinner 3-5 times a week and my grocery bill is anywhere from $92 (a really cheap week for unknown reasons) to $160, for two people.
posted by Alicia at February 15, 2008 01:41 AM
What a gorgeous photo of fruits and vegetables!
I saw the photos that accompany the Time article, it's amazing how different families adapt to the amount of food that's available to them.
posted by Mc at February 15, 2008 02:53 PM