Ways to Save

[FourTortoise]

Hey everyone,

My wife and I were at the grocery store buying food for our torts and were wondering if there is a cheaper way. We would really appreciate any ideas anyone has.

Thanks

 

[dmmj]

Grow your own food

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Buy in bulk at farmers markets.

 

[adsum]

Growing your own is probably the cheapest. I find that beyond that, Trader Joes an costco are our cheapest options for organic greens.

 

[jackrat]

I get overripe fruit for the redfoots for free at our local grocery

 

[ascott]

You can try your hand at growing your own....also you can check with your local market and find out if you can show up and collect their toss outs (not bad stuff just getting to the off the shelf stage ).

 

[Laura]

have yards and let them graze.
see if you can make 'friends' with grocery produce guys, farmers markets, backyard farmers.. and get all thier day old stuff..
you may have to take stuff you cant use and toss it.. but worth a try.

 

[Len B]

We have a Great Value Market (i think they used to be Grand Union) in town that is locally owned,during the cold months of the year they give me the fruits and veggies that are damaged and going out of sale date. In the warm season I grow enough to feed everyone. Just ask, Some stores would rather give it away than throw it away.

 

[Tony the tank]

We have a produce hub here in Boston ...literally a hundred produce distributors all in a 4 block area... I buy in bulk.. But they would sell me individual's or half cases..

You would be surprised at the savings..compared to supermarket...

 

[ripper7777777]

How BIG is your yard? You've got quite a collection of Torts to feed.

I'd do like others suggest, find a smaller grocery store and talk to the produce guy or manager of the store, may be a job for the wife, female charms can still get you a lot.

Also talk to friends and people at work, people always buy veggies and don't eat them, don't think of it as donations, think of it as less wasted food and turtle compost.

By the time your Torts are really big and eating everything you may have enough connections to keep them fed off of scraps.

Also growing food is a great plan, My wife gardens in a small 8x8 area, just for fun, and we always have a ton of extra. A little space, compost water and time goes a long way.

 

[dmarcus]

Grow your own or a farmers market...

 

[Jacqui]

, may be a job for the wife, female charms can still get you a lot.

As a female, I do find this remark to be degrading and sexist. Sorta made me skip over your other comments, which might have been good ones but are now mentally trashed by this statement. I do sincerely hope this was said meaning to be funny.

---

I think everybody has covered the main ideas:
*grow your own inside and out. Also inside their enclosures and out, too. Keep seeds from the foods you feed to replant. Or if you give a slice of melon just leave the seeds and they normally will be left behind and replant themselves. I also buy up the 10-20 cent seed packets places like WalMart sell. Best yet is when they go on clearance.

*find the best deal in town. This may be making friends with the produce folks and getting their older items, buying in bulk from them, or just talking them into giving you a cheaper going rate. As they get bigger buying in bulk (example a case of turnip greens is usually the way to go).

*ask friends and neighbors for their leftovers. My friends will also call me with good sales they see and spread the word to their friends and so on. This also works for using people's yard's to collect food (plants, leaves, blooms).

* keep your eyes open for things being tossed. For instance early this fall, somebody dumped about a dozen large watermelon as trash. (I also had a friend call and tell me about it, but I had them by then. )

* Place an ad in the freecycle/craig's list/whatever you have offering to take in extra produce during harvest times. Also works good to get starter plants and even building supplies. This also can be done with putting out index cards wherever public bulletin boards are offered.

 

[ripper7777777]

, may be a job for the wife, female charms can still get you a lot.

As a female, I do find this remark to be degrading and sexist. Sorta made me skip over your other comments, which might have been good ones but are now mentally trashed by this statement. I do sincerely hope this was said meaning to be funny.

It was meant to be funny, but unfortunately it's still true at least down here in the south.


Example: I go into auto parts buy windshield wipers and ask "How do you install them?" I hear the instructions are on the pack, thanks as the clerk walks away.

My wife goes and asks the same question and they go out and install them for her, this has worked for batteries, head lights. Maybe it's just southern courtesy or maybe it's the fact she's a female.

But on the flip side, she has me deal with woman, we are looking at land and I'm seem to have an easier time talking with the woman realtors, not sure why, but she leaves saying they are rude so n so's and has me talk to them and find them very nice and helpful.

Of course down here the mentality is Men do the Buying and Man stuff and Woman just stay home and don't make the decisions so don't bother me girl.

We don't try to change the way, we just go with the flow especially when we are trying to get something for nothing. We are equal partners and I wouldn't want nor have it any other way.

and for the record I'm a stay home father who takes care of 3 kids and works from the house, I take a lot flak for it down here but I feel my kids are getting the best care this way and my job did not offer insurance.



Sorry to get off topic, but I had to defend myself.

 

[GBtortoises]

In the late summer and early fall I have a deal with a local farm stand. Once a week I buy two bushels of produce that they can't sell for $5.00 a bushel basket. It's vegetables (and some fruits) that are becoming over ripe, might have a bad spot on them or whatever. I pay $5 a bushel and take whatever is in it. I sort through it once home, pick out the stuff the tortoises can eat and throw the rest into my compost pile.

 

[Shelly]

 

[Neal]

This might be a long shot...but if you own your own business you would qualify for a free membership to restaurant depot. Looks like they have one in Miami. You can get produce at wholesale prices there, but it only comes in bulk so if you have a lot of tortoises it might be worth it.

The one we got to has 3lb's of spring mix for $5 and 12 heads of romaine for $12.

 

[Jacqui]

How did you get a picture of my son?

 

[FourTortoise]

LOL...

I like the last idea!

 

[Madkins007]

Besides the other ideas listed...

1. Check places convenient to you that have salad bars or other use a lot of produce themselves about getting their discards.

2. Learn to freeze or dry excess. Greens are not as nice when they are dried or frozen, but using them to stretch the fresh stuff can really help.

3. Enter into a partnership with someone else to help with gardening or bulk buying.

4. Use more pelleted foods in the diet. At roughly $1-2/lb in bulk, this is a cost effective solution and one reason zoos, etc. do it.

5. Reduce the overall size of the herd. I know this is nothing anyone here wants to hear, but it is a real option. Keeping animals should be a joyful responsibility. If you are having troubles affording the time or cost of them then you owe it to yourself, them, and your family to cut back so they are not stretching you. Certainly we all have cash flow issues once in a while, but if it is an on-going or (worse yet) a growing concern, you may need to think about cutting back.