Two weeks ago, someone {anonymously} left me a comment on the post I wrote about how I had scored several boxes of reclaimed food.
“Gee, are things really that tight after coming back from France?”
I didn’t notice it until yesterday when I checked my spam folder. Somehow the comment had been marked as spam from the computer wizards rather than a regular comment.
It was meant to sting. To hurt me.
But instead, it made me laugh. Out loud.
Just because someone has the ability to pay full price for their food, or anything for that matter, doesn’t mean they should.
Whatever happened to be resourceful? Shopping around? Getting the best price? Working to find a better deal? After all, time is money right? And if I want to spend my time going to a local grocery store and asking the simple question “Hey, do you ever throw out food? Would you mind if I took it home instead of it going to the landfill?”
If that makes me low class in your eyes. Than so be it.
Because I don’t see it that way.
Everyday we all get up and make choices.
I choose to feed my family for one hundred dollars a month.
And no one in this house it complaining about it either.
Here are just a few of the meals I prepared for my family last week:
Life is good. Go forth and be frugal with your money.
Because let me tell you. Saving money, tastes oh so good.
♥ Mavis
Brandi says
I had very different thoughts than the naysayer when I read your blog. I was excited and inspired; I can’t wait to go talk to a few places and load up my boyfriend’s truck, and subsequently our fridge and freezer. The kind of thinking that contributed to the spam-folder-worthy comment does not bother me – like you, it makes me laugh to think, because my interpretation is that this person would prefer to give more of their money away on the necessity of food when they don’t have to, more money spent on necessities equates to less money spent on wonderful things like going to France, which it sounds like the commenter did not get to do, because s/he thinks it so much better to pay out the @$$ for essentials and have nothing left over. ohhhhkay!
So fortunate I found your blog via facebook. I look forward to following!
Lisa Dale says
Hi all i can say is well done you, All that food looks great and very Tasty. Looks healthy too, at least your not feeding your family highly processed crap. Good for you i say x x
Andrea says
You’re an inspiration. Haters are gonna hate!
sara says
I couldn’t agree with you more. Love the response and your good logic!!! I am envious of the effort and time you put in to feeding your family on $100 a month. Keep doing it and sharing your ideas. I can say I’ve “swiped” a few of your ideas…
Heather S. says
Fabulous Post! Nothing more to be said 🙂
Heather S. says
Oh, except maybe that I’m a little jealous and would LOVE to eat at your house and have your grocery bill and your garden and your grocery store leftovers 🙂 Love your blog!!!
Sarah says
Jealousy is pretty ugly. Personally I have been trying to get up the nerve to ask “scraps” for my compost from a local store but I am kinda afraid they will say yes, wholly produce! You are proud to you and that shows
Heather says
How rude, I say!
I love your blog and your postings. You have saved me a lot more than money from your site…you have giving me ideas to stretch our dollars, healthy meals to prepare on the cheap, provided with tips to the new gardener (that would be me!) and being fearless in the way you think about how to make your money/food work for you. Bravo, Bravo!
Kellie Kerr says
Your response to “anonymously” made me think of this saying–>The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones.
Your reply above is perfect and your meals look delicious!!! I commend you for all your work trying to help people live more frugally by sharing your experiences. living better for less and Living frugally offers much peace of mind. Thank you for all the wonderful ideas you share with so many.
Huey says
You do not owe an explanation to anybody…
Carin says
Jealousy is a bitter pill for people to swallow. Instead of looking at you as in inspiration to be creative with their budget and live more frugally so they can do things like go to France at the last minute, they try to cut you down with snide remarks. Kudos to you for not letting them affect who you are!
Mike says
Well said Mavis!
Holly says
I love your tips and hints. My grandfather was a big believer in “waste not, want not” and I completely agree.
Yesterday I made a pint of mixed-berry jam, a pint of strawberry jam, a quart of roasted tomato sauce, dried my fourth batch of apples, baked an fresh orange cake, and had a lovely salad with supper all with foods the supermarket deemed to be too unattractive for their displays.
In this time, when everything needs to be perfect (from produce to people) is nice to be reminded that good enough is just fine. Thanks
Alysa says
I think it’s AWESOME that you save so much money and still can make obviously AMAZING meals with your budget!! I have a LONG ways to go to get even CLOSE to being where you are at, Mavis, but I am grateful for all the help you have given to so many of us! So sad that there’s people out there who have nothing better to do than leave lame snide remarks, when they are just plainly jealous of your awesome-ness.
So….after seeing your pictures of the meals you made for your family…WHEN can we expect a cookbook out from you??? I seriously think you’d do AMAZING…..I’d buy it in a heartbeat!! You should think about it 🙂
Kari says
You just keep laughing all the way to France. 🙂 Feel free to send any leftovers my way…. Yummy. You are a huge inspiration. I planted my first blueberry bush this weekend. I’ve doubled my garden space this year after drooling over your garden. Keep the recipes coming I’m gonna need help with all my garden fruits and veggies.
Lissa says
Yours is my new favorite blog and I love your overall approach and outside the garden box thinking. I am constantly inspired! I’m looking towards buying a house this year and I am currently lusting over the idea of a garden! Looking at one tomorrow that has a huge backyard just waiting for raised beds…..oh and tomorrow I will be looking through the “compost” bins at my local grocery store for produce discards…..and eating some more romaine salad from last week’s “discards”. 😀
Kim says
All I can say is Yum! Well done!
Misty Hill says
So sorry that you had the rude comment…Looking forward to reading more of your blog post… 🙂
Mary Ann says
Some people just have to be rude. I’m glad you don’t let negativity like that get to you, Mavis, because you are inspirational!!!
I’m with Lissa — your blog is my new favorite. 🙂
jody says
I also love how you share all of your travels with compost treasures or to France! I watched “Dive” last night on netflix from your recommendation a while back. I was shocked by what grocery stores throw into dumpsters. If we could even get a portion of that food out of the landfills and to organizations that could use it tonight, imagine the good it could do for others instead of rotting in landfills.
karen says
Hi Mavis! I love your creativity and how you use your resources, from getting free tickets to France and getting free produce. I read your blog every day for inspiration and a smile. After reading your post, I did go to my local Mother’s Market and ask if I could have their produce waste for my compost, but they already do the right thing and give it to the mission.
I especially LOVE the photos of your wonderful meals using your pantry and garden. That’s where I really need inspiration…”what to make for dinner?” Keep ’em comin’!!!
Sarah says
Wow, what a bitch. You go Mavis, ignore the haters.
Michele says
What a “Negative Nancy” Anonymous must be. Instead of getting agnry with people like him/her we should be empathetic, as they have such a miserable life they must try and hurt others. My goal this year was to find the “Fun” in life and try and make people feel happier by doing or saying nice things.
Mavis, you do this for me every day when you post your fun creative ideas. I don’t think I ever want to raise chickens but I might have talked my husband into a goat. LOL
Michelle says
Sounds like a bit of jealousy to me…and in that case, maybe she should just stop “visiting” your blog.
Gloria says
Gotta love people who criticize a blog that they are reading for FREE and of their own free will. Personally, I have you to thank for teaching me (through your tutorials) how to coupon and to think creatively about providing food for my family. In 2010 I was spending between $175 and $225 a WEEK for my family of two (plus two cats). Now I spend $45 a week and we are eating better quality food with almost no waste. And once a month we donate a large bag of food to the local food bank and a bag of toiletries to the nursing home. So, thank you, Mavis and God bless you. You are touching the lives of needy people in southwest Virginia.
Christine says
You go girl! It took a snarky, bitter and jealous person to send you that comment. Your blog and saving are an inspiration!
Susan says
My sentiments, too!
(I don’t understand why someone would visit a blog that they obviously have no common connection or interest with it’s content)
Holli says
Ehhhh I don’t find fault with her comment. It is just an example of something coming from the model of her world. A projection of her values and beliefs.
The difference she is expressing is the difference between her map and Mavis’s map.
Same thing with Mavis expressing her values and beliefs.
What I like about Mavis’s strategy is she was direct in her response and didn’t hide behind a comment, cower down, etc.
It does take a lot of work and time to do what you do Mavis.
Leanna says
Um, didn’t you get to go to France for FREE? Glad you are here to help me. Keep up the good work.
susan says
Two Words. You Rock
Keri says
We are here for you! Hurtful words always seem to sting more and last longer than they should…You are doing wonderful things for not only your family but also for MY family and lots of others I am sure 🙂 Keep up the amazing work!
Kim says
I would have laughed at the comment too! So glad that I found your site. I have boycotted “that other site I refuse to speak of”, no longer any fun without you! Keep doing EXACTLY what you are doing!
Rachel says
I have to agree with Sarah a few comments above me! Ha! I LOVE reading your blog daily. You have inspired me to save money, be thrifty, use coupons, and my dear hubby just finished my raised bed garden! YAY! We also did a pallet garden with herbs, it is so cute. I think you are amazing and impressive myself. You rock Mavis!
Elizabeth e says
I love your blog!!! But I would like to respectfully suggest that you be careful of cut cantelope. I saw it in one of your boxes and am finally getting around to posting. In cooking school I learned it can have salmonella or other bad things on the rind. Other than that happy eating and a big thank you for sharing your tips.
Krista says
Dang woman….you make some tasty looking food! Rock on, Mavis. You don’t have to answer to anyone…keep on doing what you do. We <3 your blog and all the wisdom you have to share.
Robin in SoCal says
Mavis you never have to feel like you are anything less than the Rock Star you are! Haters r haters can’t change that!
Tali says
Mavis, hater have to hate…..and people that pay little or nothing to feed their family pay their debt off faster and get to go places (like France). I almost fainted when I looked at my stock pile the other day (it is under my house in a nice cool dark crawl space that is 500sf and about 5 feet high) I do not need to go grocery shopping for months now and will use that money to pay off debt! I have learned so much from you….and you are my favorite blog/email of the day….I save those for last (like dessert).
I have already asked grocery stores managers about produce (I do have chickens and sheep) but they said they are not allowed to give anything away….no produce stand in my little town…so I am left to ‘live’ through you….:)
Can’t wait to see what you get today!
Melannie says
Its funny you know, what people find important.
In my house we budget tightly so we could pay off our house, Then it was to buy a NEW car & go to a fancy dinner now and again, so I can indulge my love of shoes & flowers, or so my DH can indulge in his hobby.
So I do not apologize when I get my pasta for free or my milk at $1.18 a gallon. Accepting free apples from my neighbor or trading eggs for coupons.
I am not afraid to ask for the plants in the bin at the nursery, or claim leftovers of packs of buns at the company cook-out.
We are frugally enjoying life.
Lynn says
Thank you for sharing your insight…I have learned so much from you and look forward to reading your blog each day. Please keep posting because with every post you write…you are sharing your wisdom and teaching many of us along the way.
Helen in Meridian says
Your photos of your meals are exquisite. I was worried you were going to give your hens all the corn. Your corn chowder or whatever that was looks good. What was the mushroom dish, a stroganoff? Cathy and Monica scored 8 pgs of the New York Times today and were on the Today Show Friday. I didn’t know about the Today Show, so I missed it. Hope you can read the article, I bought the NYT at Albertsons today. It is in the Magazine section. You always make my week. BTW the New York Times Sunday edition is $6.00. They have got to be kidding.
Heather says
Just like a garden – in life there are weeds. I say, pluck ’em!
Mavis, you just keep on truckin’ – or trekking to France. Because life is too short to spend mounds of cash on food that you can grow or get for close to free.
Hope your little anonymous commenter finds a little joy and acceptance, because that’s FREE and as much a personal choice as how you spend your money.
Desi says
Mavis, I have to say you inspire others. Those who wish to pay more for their food can if they want, I on the other hand will be attempting to stay on the “Mavis Path”, Frugal living and honest giving while being awesome at the same time!
Jane says
I can’t wait till I save enough money on groceries to spend it on fun stuff like trips to Europe. Thank you for inspiring me to garden again and use my nefound frugality to feed my family healthy food on a budget. Yours seems to be the only blog I follow that looks at the healthy side of thrifty. Thank you Mavis:)
Angela says
Amen!! 🙂
Aurelie says
For sure the best blog I have ever visited, so proud the way you handled the comment. Can’t wait to follow your garden all summer long.
Jessica says
MAVIS! Your food looks AMAZING as always! I think you are a confident and inspiring woman thoughtfull enough to share all of this with everyone. I love that you don’t care what others think, more people should be the same way. Props to feeding your family on $100 a month with reclaimed fruits and veggies! Keep the gardening/frugal goodness coming!
Bible Babe says
All I got to say is…
YOU ROCK, MAVIS!
I too have had folks try to make me feel bad for the way I save money on food for my family, and I just shake my head and move on.