In 2012, I’ve decided to make myself a bit healthier through habits, as well as more sustainable through my practices. As most of you know I set a goal to myself to eat a vegetarian dinner 3 times per week. So far, this has been going well and honestly, I dont think I’ve had a dinner that I’ve cooked at home with meat in it (though I think I’ve had dinner out 1 or 2 times). I’ve started doing most of the food shopping/menu planning, and it’s just easier if H and I both eat the same thing.
Knowing that goal though, you may be curious as to why I went hunting for elk all those days then. One of the reasons is that I still enjoy the occasional meat related item, and that I really like knowing where my food comes from and all of that. As I detailed in the Cost of Getting your Own food post, I was able to get elk for about 5 bucks a pound, and that included all types of cuts, from (what will be) ground, to stew and steaks as well. I’ve got a lot of meat from the elk obviously, so I figured it would be a good time to set up a fun activity. A no meat buying challenge.
Right now, most of the stuff in the freezer is from when H used to eat meat (mostly a few pork loins and some chicken sausage), things that I’ve gone out and gotten for myself (halibut, duck and elk), or things that are not meat (like kringle).
I got to thinking about it, and the more I did I realized a few things:
- That’s a lot of meat for 1 person
- That’s a lot of meat for someone who eats meat as infrequently as I do
There will be a couple hurdles to this plan though. I’ll be bringing quite a bit of elk meat to the bachelor party in june, so that can have a huge affect on my current stock, as well as the amount of fish that H and I will eat throughout the year. Obviously I wont be able to get more halibut myself very easily, so I’ll need to make sure that I dont over do it any week or month. Other than that though, hopefully it will be smooth sailing. I’ve laid out a few rules that I think will help out, and here they are:
- I cant buy any more meat (obviously)
- Whatever I can bring in that I get myself is acceptable. Right now, it’s looking like this will be fish. Hunting season will start again in october, so hopefully if I’m running low by then, I’ll be able to fill up again.
Good luck with the challenge Jeff. Being a vegetarian myself I am rooting for you. 3 days a week will still allow you to indulge in your cravings which makes sticking to the plan easier. It sounds like you have enough in your freezer already.
Thanks Miss T – Hopefully everything will come out good. The only thing that I think could be a problem is that I eat rice and beans with some chicken sausage a lot, and I dont have much of that in the freezer.
I think it would be interesting to do this. I don’t eat a ton of meat right now, but I don’t think I could give it up anymore than I already have.
that’s basically why I’m trying this (and to clear out some space in the freezer). I dont eat meat that often, but I dont really feel like I have to give it up, either.
I’m planning on doing something similar once I get my share of a cow. Generally, I buy about 3 months worth of chicken at a time and once I get the beef my goal is to only buy fruits, vegetables, eggs, and milk at the store. We don’t eat pasta and I make my own bread so this should lower our food bill quite a bit especially since I’m good at making meals in bulk and freezing them.
THat’s an awesome plan emily – a share of a cow is huge! Are you getting a quarter share or more than that? That will be a great way to lower your food budget. Is there any specific reason you dont eat pasta?
We’re getting a quarter share! its our first time and i’m very excited about it. the process of finding a farm and trying to organize it is a bit overwhelming but it will be worth it once its done. We don’t eat pasta or rice because of issues it causes to my gastrointestinal system. And since my kids are very young(2 and 3 years old) its easy just to not make it at all since they don’t know what they are missing.
that’s cool – i’ve never gotten a side of beef before but quite a few people that I know have – they seem to like it alright. I’m glad that you’ve got someplace to buy from – for a lot of people that would be pretty hard (not around here, but I’m not sure where abouts you’re from)
I usually eat vegetarian, but it is not out of ideals, it is out of convenience. As someone who only eats Kosher meat, when I eat at restaurants I always eat vegetarian. When I cook at home, I find dairy takes a lot less work, so that is the lazy route and I usually take it.
Have you found any big benefits to eating more vegetarian meals so far?
Awesome eric – is there any kosher places nearby where you live, or do you just stick to vegetarian when you go out? I havent found any big benefits to eating vegetarian – I feel about the same (though sometimes hungrier, but I’m thinking that’s because I’m working out 2x/day instead of 1 now).
That’s a good challenge. I think we eat meat a bit too often and really should cut down. We cook vegetarian about once every two weeks. The good thing is we don’t eat a large amount of meat so it doesn’t affect our weight and we are still healthy.
That’s good – I think my staff writer is working on a post of some of her fav vegetarian meals joe, so you may want to check back for those!
The title of this post sounds daunting, but it definitely sounds doable with your plan.
I would like to challenge my husband to spend less on fast food, but then he would probably turn around and challenge me to use coupons or something, so we’ll just leave it at that.
try challenging him to stick to a fast food budget of 75% of what he’s spending now, then make him a dream purchase savings account with the rest
I already have one vegetarian meal a week. I don’t think it would be that difficult to add 2 more.
it really isnt kc – there are TONS of great recipes out there!
I think you have a workable plan. If you can get the meat you eat via hunting or fishing, it is a certain money saver.
yea, you just have to hope the fish are biting!
We typically eat 3 – 4 vegetarian meals per week simply based on cost. We usually limit ourselves to meat 2 – 3 meals per week (almost always chicken). That sounds like it would be a sacrifice but my wife and I really love to cook, and so meals at our house are always exciting. This is an awesome challenge though!
Doesnt sound like a sacrifice at all – you can make some GREAT meals vegetarian!
Im glad you cleared things up as related to the elk. I was just about to ask you why you spent so much time and effort hunting. I love meat but 3 days a week is really doable. What gets me is just not the fact the people eat meat but just how much is consumed. Good luck! Don’t think I would become a vegetarian I enjoy meat too much.
No problem thomas – I dont know if I put the weight up in my old post, but I came away with probably 50 pounds which if this challenge is successful, should last me until the fall.
I’m not currently a vegetarian, but could easily be one and I wouldn’t miss it. A bad chicken nugget when I was younger was the catalyst for a 9-year vegetarian streak. I loved it.
I think a lot of my readers feel similar – they could be vegetarian rather easily, but dont really want to be for whatever reason.
I don’t think I could become a sustainable meat eater, but I definitely applaud you! I don’t eat much meat, but I do like chicken and fish, both which would be difficult for me to raise or catch on my own (being a city girl and all — the city would frown on a chicken coop in my tiny backyard!). Good luck in your meat challenge, though!
thanks christa – as for the chickens, you’d be shocked -some cities actually allow them.
My challenge for this month is to go 30 days without any grain, so basically my diet is meat, beans and vegetables. I thought it would be harder, but so far, so good.
We eliminated red meat from our diet completely about 3 months ago and don’t miss it.
(Thanks for your recent note, by the way).
thats a pretty solid challenge – any reason?
That sounds like a good challenge, and for great reasons. Using up the food in your freezer is always a good thing. I’m pretty sure I still have a few things in the freezer that I put there in August.
I’ve got stuff in the freezer from 09! after this challenge is over, i’ll probably toss out quite a bit of stuff in the freezer
I don’t eat too much meat, and love beans, rice, veggies, and nuts. Of course I top it off with a little chocolate or ice cream. don’t want to over do it
sounds like a great diet!
I don’t eat beef very often (occasionally if I’m really craving a decent steak or a meatloaf but it’s rare). I try to stick to chicken. I do not know if I could do without poultry and fish but I can certainly eat less of it.
I have to eat gluten free and so I end up eating a lot of stir fries and similar meals. I like being able to add some meat but the health & financial benefit is that I can add less w/o really noticing.
Using up what you have is one of the best ways to save money. You could use the money you save to put toward your debt or the wedding expense. Good luck!
That’s a great idea – i’ll be keeping record of my bill at the grocery store and will put the saved money probably to debt!
Hello Jeff,
Nice Blog, I am also in the “Sustainable Living” niche, but from a totally different angle. I see your trying to cut down on food expenses, Well that’s my kinda topic, If you ever think about growing your own food, just come on over to my site, and let me tell you all about it.
I know of ways that you can set up an organic garden Once, set and forget it with only 8 hours of work a Year required. and no digging
Seems to go right in line with your cut down on meat thing.
Or you can go the new route where I can show you how to grow, fish, shrimp along with delicious vegies all in your own back yard
I just heard on the news last night that due to increased gas prices Shrimp will be going Up $3.00 a Pound ! and I’m sure fish are soon to follow.
Btw, I hope you consider imitation a form of flattery.
Not gonna copy you angle on the Niche, but I love the Idea of having a tab for advertising, so, well, I copied it
I hope you are flattered