It's Farmers Market season
The farmers markets opened two weeks ago in Chicago! I haven't had a chance to go yet, but hopefully we'll get out this weekend.
And I can even justify it to myself financially! The last couple summers, we found that we spent about the same amount at farmers markets as we would have at the regular grocery store, and got better food. The trade-off, of course, is that you have to cook for yourself, or at least make salads. Apparently I'm not the only one noticing that if you are a careful shopper, farmers markets are not that much more expensive:
Are Farmers Markets Frugal or a Luxury?
Grocery Store vs. Farmers Market: Which Has the Cheapest Produce?
Of course, buying only things that are reasonable, that you need and are actually going to use up in time, without buying random nifty things that you don't need, is kind of an art form. My biggest Achilles heel is the fancy mushrooms. And yes, they cost more than the cheapest produce around. So if that's what you are shopping for, you probably won't find it at the farmers market. So it is still a luxury--you are buying high quality food. But you are not paying so much more for it that it is an unreasonable luxury.
And I can even justify it to myself financially! The last couple summers, we found that we spent about the same amount at farmers markets as we would have at the regular grocery store, and got better food. The trade-off, of course, is that you have to cook for yourself, or at least make salads. Apparently I'm not the only one noticing that if you are a careful shopper, farmers markets are not that much more expensive:
Are Farmers Markets Frugal or a Luxury?
Grocery Store vs. Farmers Market: Which Has the Cheapest Produce?
Of course, buying only things that are reasonable, that you need and are actually going to use up in time, without buying random nifty things that you don't need, is kind of an art form. My biggest Achilles heel is the fancy mushrooms. And yes, they cost more than the cheapest produce around. So if that's what you are shopping for, you probably won't find it at the farmers market. So it is still a luxury--you are buying high quality food. But you are not paying so much more for it that it is an unreasonable luxury.