Saving is Nice

So! Speaking of foodly items.
I'm just really excited.
Cuz I mentioned, in my previous disaster post, about how we're on a budget correct? Of course we are, everyone is. Woot economy.
But here's the thing. Produce? BEEP THAT. I don't wanna pay $3.69 for a small bunch of measly bananas that have been manhandled by every Walmart hobo that took a second look at 'em. Who needs celery?! Or apples, or any fruits and veggies of any kind???
I suppose people that are conscious of their atrocious eating habits would.
(ahem-hem...that would be me)
But they're just so gosh darn expensive! Okay? It's terrible that it's so hard to justify paying so much for what I know will treat our bodies better than the processed, mashed with extra sugar and syrups and who knows what all else packaged food will. Hello, guilt-trip.
And yet! There is hope (you can snerk, it's ok. I did too). My bestest friend and I went grocery shopping together today and ventured out to a Farmer's Market seriously only a couple minutes drive away from my house.
First of all, that place was LOADED. Not only with food and jars of all sorts, shapes and sizes but as well as people...of all sorts, shapes and sizes. We realized only about 10 minutes into the spree that the immense trail of people winding in and around the barrels, carts and shelves of produce was actually the checkout line. Oh, boy. It was like a ride line at Disneyland. During peak season. Christmas peak season. We ended up sharing a cart and speaking of Christmas, it looked remarkably akin to Santa's sleigh it was so heavily laden.
Lettuce, tomatoes, apples, bananas, zuccini, bell peppers, onions, potatoes. There was no end to the splendor! And the entire time we were practically hysterical at the prices. Those beautiful neon signs of cheap glory.
I ended up buying a head of romaine, a stick of green onions, three bell peppers, four apples, five bananas, five cloves of garlic, two packs of strawberries, one onion, two broccoli florets, one [extremely long] cucumber and probably other things I'm not remembering because I do that. I don't remember things. It's terrible.
But guess how much that cost me.
Go on. Think of a number.
We got back to my apartment and I took the three bulging, heavy plastic bags in to where Mark was pulling apart a very tricky and important piece of car machinery and I asked him the same thing.
"Guess how much this all cost, honey. They're chock full of fresh produce."
He said, "I dunno, maybe thirty dollars?"

$11.77

ELEVEN DOLLARS and SEVENTY-SEVEN CENTS.
The cashier lady probably was concerned for my mental health the way my mouth dropped and considering the sound that came out of my mouth I don't blame her.

We had to go to Fry's to get some other items the market just doesn't carry and the first thing we run across, Allie picks out four packages of raspberries and two of blueberries and already that's half of what she paid at the Farmer's Market and she got six or seven full bags of produce. We were ecstatic.
Funny how the things that get you the most elated change over time.
One day it's getting to ride your bike down the street to go play in a field and the next it's buying food to feed your family.

What a world we live in :)