Frugal And Fabulous Fare For All

Tip Of The Day:  How to save big time on fruits, veggies and meats.  All it takes is a little forethought and volunteerism.  Of course, the ability to cook the food once you get it home is useful, too.

Tip For The Weekend:  Rent a horror movie or two, or check one out from the library.  This is the perfect time of year to completely freak yourself out, while eating Halloween candy.  Which, by the way, is on sale at Cub Foods and Target.

Further Elucidation Of My Cheap Deal:   Every man, woman and child is worried about money nowadays.  Okay, maybe not children, but they SHOULD BE.  And one main concern is how to put decent, nutritious food on the table without breaking the bank.  Yeah, once again, I doubt this is a concern for most kids.  Moving on.

Speaking of banks, a great place to look for inexpensive food is at a food bank, or more specifically, the Emergency Foodshelf Network (EFN).  Most people, me included, think that food shelves and banks are only for folks on welfare or the homeless.  Not so.  The Minnesota EFN has an amazing grocery program that anyone –working folks, unemployed folks, singles, families, etc. – can benefit from.

It’s called Fare For All, and it can save you 40% to 50% on your monthly food budget.  Here’s how it works (In a nut shell.  For details, go here.):

First, decide if you’re going to purchase the food package either in advance, or at your closest distribution center.  You can order via the phone at any time during the month by calling 763-450-3880 or 1-800-582-4291.  And best of all, you can order as many packages as you need, in whatever combination that you wish.

Second, find the distribution center nearest you, and what date/time you can pick up your order.  Distribution dates are either on Fridays or Saturdays, and centers are located all over the TC and the greater MN area.

Third, choose which package you want to order – they offer ones like the Regular Pack, with 2-3 fresh fruits, 4-5 fresh vegetables, and 4-5 frozen meats for $17; or the Family Pack, with oodles of non-perishable staple items like cooking oil, pasta, and canned fruits and veggies for $20.

Fourth, get your food home and into the freezer/fridge, since the items are perishable.

Note: If you fail to pick up your items, they will not issue you a refund or credit and your food items will be distributed to others.  In other words, don’t do this unless you can commit to your pick-up time.

So what’s the catch, right?  First of all, you don’t get to pick what the items in the packs will be, so if you have super-finicky kids, this may not work for you.  Second, pay attention to this notice on their website:

“Volunteerism is at the heart of the Fare For All program — program participants are asked to pursue 2 hours of volunteer work independently each month they participate in the program.”

Granted, you don’t have to volunteer if you don’t want to, but it is a good idea, and in keeping with EFN’s philosophy.

If you’re worried that you’re not worthy of participating in Fare For All – either because your personal income is too high, or your level of pride is, here’s something else to consider:

“EFN makes this program possible by utilizing its bulk-purchasing power to buy high quality food at prices up to 50% below retail and pass the savings directly on to participants. The more participants that sign up each month, the bigger the savings EFN is able to achieve on their behalf!”

So your participation is actually helping others eat better, while everyone saves money.

I kind of LOVE Fare For All – it combines all my favorite things: helping others, damning the man, frugal shopping, and food.  Throw in Gerard Butler or George Clooney, and this program may just be the greatest thing on Earth.