Frugal Living Today

I told people early last year, when the economy was really just beginning to look dire and then president Bush was still claiming that we were not in a recession, that it was a matter of time before people across the country would realize that they needed to return to their roots - literally.

By growing your own vegetable plants at home you not only ensure that you have the best quality produce on the block but you also save a ton of money in the process.  Have you seen how much supermarket hot house tomatoes go for per pound these days?  Last year I got more tomatoes off one of my plants than I could use and ended up making sauces and salsas for my friends and neighbors just to keep up with what the plant was giving me.  What’s more, the tomatoes were so flavorful that I hardly ever had to season them when added to salads or eaten raw!

The best part of all? I spent no money at all on my two tomato plants last year (they were toss aways given to me by a local nursery) and by my calculations, I had over sixty pounds of delicious tomatoes from them by season’s end.  At the current market rate for heirloom tomatoes (about $2.99/lb) I save myself over $175.  Imagine what that’s going to be like for my four tomato plants this year, much less the peppers and other veggies I plan to have feeding me, my family and my neighbors!