Lessons From the Great Depression | With Mary’s Nest

[Music] Hey you guys and welcome to this week's Episode of The Pantry chat Food For Thought today I am here with a really Special guest I am super excited to be Able to welcome Mary from Mary's Nest Here onto the pantry chat and we're Going to be talking about a really I Think it's a really important subject Especially for this year and that is Making the most out of what we have Already in our kitchens or available to Us And specifically looking back in history Learning the lessons that so many people Have learned before us and taking a clue From them and learning from them so that We can cut the grocery budget a little Bit this year maybe but still eat really Really well and great nourishing foods So Mary thank you for being here welcome Oh thank you so much for having me Carolyn I really appreciate it Now I love you guys if you have not Watched Mary's YouTube channel you Really really need to jump over there And watch it she has just the most Amazing videos that are so clear and so Helpful on learning about traditional Cooking really specifically you cover All sorts of things though on there Mary You cover Pantry storage and uh you know The traditional cooking making all sorts Of amazing foods that are so nutrient

Dense and good for your body and Um I I'd like to dive into your history Just a little bit though to start with Uh you know did you learn this from a Mom or where did you learn how to cook In a traditional way Uh for the health of your body I really learned everything pretty much That I know from my mom and my mom is 98 Years old so I always like to say she Knows a thing or two But it was very interesting because Growing up you know as I've shared with You in the past she and my dad were Living through the 1930s Great Depression the rationing of World War II You know gas lines and inflation of the 70s you know she you know lived through The whole gamut of things and both her And my father were exceptionally Thrifty and not in a bad way you know we Always had seemed to have abundance you Know but Everything was you know abundance in Terms of what we were eating but Everything was homemade And she would figure everything out uh There were some things like she knew how To make a sourdough starter and make Sourdough bread but she was using you Know what she could find you know at the Local market and she would have you know Some all-purpose flour bread flour and She'd have her starter and then my

Father was very fond of rye bread so he Managed to search out he worked in New York City I'm from New York and he Searched out uh some source for Rye Flour and then she said okay I'm gonna Figure out how to make rye bread you Know with my sourdough starter and Sal My mother was Italian and sauerkraut was Not something that was common to her but And my father is actually a virus Ancestry but he uh worked in a deli uh Where Mr McGillicuddy I kid you not Mr Mcgillicudding would give him a big Slice of liverwurst and then he he would Go next door to the bakery Where Mrs Linda would misses what he called her Mrs Linda ran the bakery and she was German and she would make rye bread and He would and she always had a barrel of Sauerkraut and so she he would say oh Mrs Linda what can I do around your Bakery to clean up or whatever and so She'd give him a job and then she'd give Him uh the rye bread the sauerkraut and The liverwurst and he would just love That so even though my mother being Italian she knew about fermented Vegetables because she would make you Know what they call her jardiniera it's It's like a cauliflower and the carrots And so you know we had things like that And then she started making sauerkraut And it was a riot because we lived in a Very you know sort of Italian type

Neighborhood and people were like Gloria What are you making We had the sauerkraut and the rye bread And of course just a regular sourdough And my mother would always have me in The kitchen she was very traditional and She was very uh she felt such a Responsibility to teach me the domestic Arts to teach me how to cook so how to Sew to how to clean you know all these Things because in her mind I was going To you know get out of high school or Whatever and get married and I would Need to know how to do these things you Know so it was very important to her So when I was about four years old I had Asked her How do you make toast and she was like Oh wonderful so that was her entree I Had showed some interest so we were Gonna make toast which started with Learning how to make bread Oh and she explained to me you know About the sourdough starter it was all Like a very not very vague memories of This you know but then as time went on She would teach me this she would teach Me you know fermentation how to make Yogurt you know was such a basic thing It uh and I you know it's funny I my Husband I was just reminiscing with him How I would never eat den and yogurt at The grocery store because I was Horrified by the fact that there was

Something I didn't realize it was fruit That there was something on the bottom Because I didn't grow up seeing that you Know everything you know we we made Homemade yogurt all the time and it was Funny because my father was a much more Mainstream kind of person and he would Look at stuff on the counter and he Would say Gloria shouldn't you Refrigerate that and she would and we we Laughed to this day my mom and I because She says oh don't worry it's already Gone bad it's like That's what got going having gone bad Was a good thing it had sour And we had a little farm up the street From us and we had a little we lived in The suburbs basically like what they Would call like rural residential uh There were houses but people had like Say two three acres And there was a little farm up the Street and my mom had a little metal box Out outside of her door front door and The man would put the raw milk in there And so this was very common and this is What I grew up with you know I I will Confess the concept of soaking and Sprouting that was newer to me when I Started reading nourishing traditions And foods like kefir and kombucha yeah Obviously you know we didn't have those Uh but my mother had had a host of other Types of fermented beverages you know

That she would make uh and so it was and It was always everything and this I Think is of being more ethnic Than being American can and this is what My mother would tell me she would say Americans are very concerned about heart Health and not that that's a bad thing And she said when I was growing up my Mother being Italian and although you Know living in the United States was Very concerned about digestion And I think that digestion plays such a Significant role when you talk about Traditional foods because the whole Point is to be able to digest our food So that we can absorb the nutrients from It and that was just so important to my Mom and she had to make sure that I knew How to as she would say properly prepare The evening meal You know you're touching on so much it's So important right here and and tell me Again how old is your mom she's 98. She's 98. I you know it there is just so Much depth of wisdom with this older Generation I was just sharing a story About my grandfather when he was 98 he's Now passed on at 99 but at 98 he would Still wait until the hottest part of the Afternoon in Florida and then he would Go out and mow his lawn at 98 years old And and I don't mean a ride on mower Like a good old push mower and he said Well you have to sweat it's good for you

And so for him that was his physical you Know that was therapy that was health And oh there's just so much knowledge And we really need to be telling these Stories and sharing these stories to Um learn from these things before They're gone because not all of us have Access to 98 year olds in our lives or 99 year olds in our lives you know who Can tell these things and can share them So I absolutely love it that she's here And she's going oh what about your Digestion and we've kind of come full Circle to that haven't we we're starting To realize that everything kind of goes Back to digestion it does you know they Talk about the nerve that runs from the Stomach to the brain to the heart you Know so everything you know the good the Good bacteria the good Pro I always say This word around probiotics you know These things are so important today and We are hearing it and it's sort of funny Because I I'm sure my mother is like the Sweetest lady you ever met and she would Never go around saying oh I've been Vindicated you know she's not like that But I remember in the was it the 70s or The 80s when the low-fat movement kicked In and my father was telling her you Know you really need to stop eating Butter and she would be like Oh okay That's nice and she kept eating her Butter you know and

Not yeah yeah that's right yeah she was In charge of the kitchen so you know and My I would say to my mom yeah do you Think we should buy margarine yeah and She'd be like Mar she would have these Cute terms she would say margarine and Is a prepared food or like packaged food You know now today I think people like Say fake food or whatever and like the The white icing between the Oreo cookies Was glue it's glue don't eat it yeah but She would say no we'll no margarine's Gonna set you on a path of bad health And I I find it so cute about your Grandfather because my mother would be Right there with him my mother was a Firm believer that you had to be out in Fresh air and sunshine the woman never Used sunscreen but she didn't a sunbathe You know she had a hat on and was Working in her garden and yes she would Be very perspired you know and she was Like this is good you know this is Healthy and so it it I I find it so Interesting that so many things we got Off track with unfortunately and much to Our poor health you know 98 years old my Mom's never had an operation I mean that that just is amazing to me And she's sharp and she laughs and you Know we have some fun because she does Wear eyeglasses And my husband will clean them with the Eyeglass wipes you know but this is how

Cute and how sharp she is she'll put the Eyeglasses back on and she'll say to my Husband oh my you look more handsome Than you usually do you know there's Something cute like that more handsome Than yeah But even more handsome yeah 19 years old You know she's sharp and she's laughing And she's making jokes you know and so It all boils down I yes there's the role Of genetics and all of that definitely Everybody in our family lives to be very Old but I think even if your genetics don't lean That way you can help yourself By eating nutrient dense foods and it's It can be a challenge you know I know That that's why I always tell people Do this slowly if you're new to Implementing these types of foods into Your diet and unfortunately sometimes You talk about budgets and whatnot some Of these things have become very very Trendy and are a little more expensive And so we've got to look for options but The good news is I think there are a lot Of options there are a lot of nutrient Dense foods out there we just need to be Open to them and be willing to try them But yeah in the long run I think it's Gonna you know keep us out of the Hospital you know I I will say you know With everything that went through we Went through in 2020

I managed to survive and then in 2021 You know you're out and about what can You do and I caught the virus but I have To tell you my oxygen never went below 95 I never had to be hospitalized I was Taking my bone broth taking my Elderberry syrup I had no medication you Know and after about a week I was doing Good you know so I I credit that and I'm 65 years old so you know I'm in that Category where you heard people passing Away you know it was scary Uh but again I credit it to the fact That we have a nutrient dense foods diet Yeah I think that's so important that Kind of gives you a foundation for Everything doesn't it but you know You're also touching on something else That I think is so key and it's it's a I'm gonna go off on a little bit of a Rabbit Trail here and leave the food for Just a moment because I think it's so Applicable to our time right now and That is the the people from this Generation that we're speaking of this Older generation they had a Um a mindset That was determined to be cheerful and Just figure it out and keep going and I Know we had great grandma Genie living With us before she died she was in her 90s and I remember there was a moment Where Um

You know it just got it got challenging It was challenging already it was the Height of Summer the gardens needed Everything things were starting to be Harvested and then the kids got head Lice Oh goodness I thought I was just gonna Have a connection I was like I don't Know we've never had lice I'd never Dealt with it and she was here and I Remember her saying to me we just do What needs to be done we don't need to Worry about it or get upset about it and It was such this just look this is where We're at don't don't get too alarmed About it just roll with it it's gonna be Okay and that's really spoken to me over The years and I think it says a lot About that generation On the other hand right now we're seeing A lot of fear and I don't know if you're Seeing this Mary but there's a lot of People who are very concerned I think There's good reason to Be watchful of The times right now I think there's Things we need to be aware of and be Responding to but there's also a lot of Fear that's happening and people are Scared you know regarding the Food Supplies they're scared regarding the Economy and the political situation just All these different things that are Happening and yeah there's a lot of Things that are changing right now and

It does make us feel unstable but living In that fear Does not help us solve it it doesn't Help us move forward and it doesn't help Us maintain either a healthy body or a Healthy Spirit by walking in that fear And this is just something we see so Strongly in that older generation that Had to come through so many things is Just we just do what we have to do next And your minds will enjoy today because There's no guarantee that there'll be a Tomorrow And uh did you do you experience that With people in your life oh my goodness I I will say starting you know with my Mom and my father my father lived to be Uh well into his late 80s Uh but and it's cute my mother was Actually six years older than him And so but uh in any event and it's cute Because she got married when I think she Was about 30 so she she was quite a Trendsetter back in the day But I think she probably would have Liked to have gotten married earlier but Uh in any event uh I think the good Lord Was just having to wait till she met my Dad but yes both of them were total Optimists and I will and it's rather Amazing giving how they grew up and my Father was so poor that they used to Have to search out of garbage cans for Food you know and just bring them home

And make the best of it you know he was Really poor he lived in Jersey City my Uh Mother was a little uh was a little Easier for her because she was in more Of a suburban area of New York City uh Which was again that you know this is The 1920s in the 1930s the rural Residential so there might be a little Farm and then houses with little Lots You know like that but my son had the Best description of my parents he said Grandma and Grandpa not only see the Glass you know the expression the glass Is half Fuller the glass is half empty He said Grandma and Grandpa not only see The glasses half full they see it as Overflowing And I thought that's so true and neither Of them had easy lives I mean they had Really hard times my father was in the Korean War he was wounded he spent two Years in a military Hospital trying to Recover you know And coming from such poverty you know And and yet they worked my parents Worked so hard I my mother never sat Down my father had to go back to high School you know when and he was in his 20s you know and then night school for College And my I it's amazing to me even up into Her 80s my mother was up and down all The time and the energy level is just

Shocking to me but something that my Mother would always say like when I was A teenager it's interesting you're Talking about people you know worrying And feeling depressed and it does seem Very Amplified today but it was around You know when we were young too and and I think especially you see it you know Amongst kids in high school and college Because the future seems so uncertain to Them and and there's a lot of emotion And a lot of hormones and you know all These things going on and I remember Something just like your grandmother Talking to you about the lice My eye was going on to my mother about Something I don't even remember what it Was and I was going on and on and on Just some trouble you know on and on and On and on And my mother was always there to listen Always to help with problems she to help All the kids in the neighborhood you Know everybody loved her but I I was Just really going on I was like Spiraling down you know you've heard That expression and my mother looked at Me and she sat me down and she said my Full name is Mary Louise and she said Honey Mary Louise you go on and on and On it's really not necessary sweetheart We just pick ourselves up God's in his Heaven all's right with the world we'll Get through this we gotta work work is

Prayer let's work let's keep busy let's Stop complaining That was a light bulb moment for me you Know and I'm so grateful that our son Was able to know my my father too when He was alive and My and still with knowing my mom and Really helping to always because he's in That exact demographic of young people He's 24 of young people worrying you Know like you said all the different Things the economy you know the Political situation whatever the case May be and they hear all this stuff and They worry but he's very optimistic And he he really got this you know I Think from my mom just always saying oh Everything's going to be if it works out You know just keep busy just work and And I think that we've lost a little bit of That work ethic you know it's I really My parents they're Catholic but they had You hear the expression Puritan work Ethic you know the Yankee can do their East Coasters you know Yankee can do Spirit work work work work And that was the mindset and they never Seemed to fall into like a depression or Or really worried they weren't going Around with rose-colored glasses but They were taking action To at least control what they could Control and not worry so much about what

They couldn't control Now that makes a lot of sense because I Think you know it That the modern advice is to kind of you Know dig into those concerns dig into That anxiety let's explore that let's Think about it maybe Journal about it a Little bit and and you know you find Yourself if you do that and I know I've Had this struggle at different times of You know not getting into necessarily a Depression but boy if you get into a Funk and you start just dwelling in that You can stay there an awful long time Feeling more and more sorry for yourself But if you get up and you go you know There's a people a lot worse than I have It right now what can I go do to help my Family or help somebody else and take Your eyes off yourself for a few minutes Wow it just changes the scenario Completely around and then next thing You know you're going well that wasn't Such a big deal why was I so upset about That so it's so much wisdom and um we we Really face a cultural problem when we Take all of this wisdom from this older Generation and we kind of throw that out And instead we go follow an expert who's Learned some you know something at a College from another expert who's Learning from another experts you know And who knows how many of them have have Lived the life and had to live through

That and just so much wisdom here so I Absolutely love it uh and I think it's It's so important for our time there are Solutions to all of the things that are Hap there are things that you can do Today That yeah they may not change the state Of the world they may not change some of These big things that are happening but There are steps that you can take to Move your family move yourself to a Better place and you know this just kind Of comes full circle right around to the Kitchen idea And eating better it is hard to feel Good in any capacity emotional Spiritual physical anything if you're Not eating well it just it's just a base Principle in life you your brain needs Nutrition it needs it badly in order to Feel well so if there's somebody Mary Who's just getting started maybe they're Kind of used to just eating a standard American diet And they're thinking I want to make some Changes I need to save some money at the Grocery store but I really want to eat Better at the same time Is that even possible or is eating Better relegated to health food stores With you know super high prices I think it's very easy to do and you Know I sort of sound like a broken Record because when I say easy to do

It's easy to do to make the transition To eating healthier and to just shop at A regular grocery store if that's all You have access to if you have access to A farmer's market if you have access to A local Farm or a local Ranch all the Better but if you're just right at the Beginning of your journey from what I Like to say like a processed foods Kitchen to a traditional foods kitchen And you're right at the beginning you Live in the suburbs where you live in The city and all you have access to is Some local grocery store I do feel that It can be done and I think it can be Done easier and for less money than Eating a processed foods diet and I I Know I sound like a broken record Because I say this a lot just start with A roast chicken And I don't care where the chicken came From because if you can buy organic if You can buy pasture raised I think That's wonderful but that's not always In everybody's budget and sometimes People will tell me well you just have To make room you have to make it Possible in your budget And you know sometimes you can't you Know sometimes gas is really high and Sometimes heating oil is really high and Sometimes the your kids need clothes They're growing or whatever the case may Be so I never want to stress people out

And I never want to say to people you Have to buy the most perfect chicken I Said buy any chicken but buy a whole Chicken and even if you can't handle Looking at it you know like with your or Touching it with your plain hands get Some disposable gloves but just put that Chicken into the oven roast that chicken And you can just throw some vegetables Cheap vegetables carrots they're usually Pretty affordable onions maybe you can Get some potatoes and roast it all Together in one pan and now you're on Your journey to a traditional foods Kitchen because number one the good news Is most people like roast chicken you're Not trying to say hey kids I got beef Nuggets come on to you know what do you Call a liver beef nuggets come to the Table you know liver mom really yeah So I but I think everybody pretty much Likes a roast chicken and it makes a Wonderful Aroma in your home and I I and It doesn't need to be perfect you know Nobody needs to be perfect nobody needs To stress their self you know I I may Have shared the story with you once Before I was reading something online And this girl was so upset you could it The the writing just went on and on and On with no paragraphs and just no Capital letters and she was probably Crying you know and it was all Complaining about trying to have a

Traditional foods kitchen And it was one of those forums where Like people can maybe like Facebook or Something where people can you know Comment on what she's saying And I put oh my gosh don't worry about Any of that Roasted chicken yeah don't worry about Sourdough don't worry about ferments That's farther down the journey you know But I think that you just and sometimes You can get a chicken and I know I get a Lot of criticism for this because people Don't like when I say this but you know Just buy any chicken if you can get a Chicken for 99 cents you know a pound I I think it's better than going through a Fast food restaurant even though maybe The chicken wasn't raised perfectly I Totally get that but it's better than Going to a fast food restaurant and Feeding yourself or your children or Whomever some kind of you know Commercially prepared fried thing that You don't really even know if it's Chicken you know I mean I don't and I I Think there's something that's so Important and this goes back to talking About our pair in my case my parents in Your case your grandparents yes sit down At the table If if you're religious you say grace if You're not you just take a breath you Know

And Serve a meal And even if you're alone I was alone for A very long time I was on the verge of Turning 40 when I got married I lived a Single life a really long time but even If you're alone you sit down you take a Minute you take a breath And you enjoy something that you cooked And the nice thing about a roast chicken Is it's really not a lot of work on your Part it's a work on the oven and then if You have a family or if you have friends I often as a single girl I would it was Funny because I would say to my neighbor You know and maybe you know she wasn't Cooking and I'd say you want to come Over and I'm the funniest response I Ever got was she looked at the chicken Dinner and she said oh my God Mary you Live like an adult We were in our late 20s you know and I Was like no we are adults I find that you eat this roast chicken You make conversation with your family Uh if you have some children who may be Making the face you know about this not Looking like maybe what they're used to I always say employ my mother's way of Handling these things when she was Feeding kids was uh Oh and how are you today and how was Your school Linda you know whatever you Know and I'm an only child but my my

Cousin's father died early And her mother had to go back to work And so she was often with us and there Would also sometimes be some Neighborhood kids And if they would be like oh I don't eat This and my mother would be like oh and What what are you kids doing today you Know she would like completely avoid it And eventually people got hungry enough And I'm eating away because I knew That's all that was gonna be on the Table she was not a short order cook you Know But I I think that's how you start you Buy something that's whole a whole food And without having to go to the store by The same name you know your local Grocery store You buy real foods and there are so many Videos with internet today There are so many videos on how to roast A whole chicken you know it's really a Doable thing and after you do it a Couple of times you're really on your Journey now because now you've got the Carcass And now you're making bone broth And now you're taking white rice But instead of water you're using bone Broth maybe you've even been able to Convince yourself to buy a little butter And so you put a little butter in that Rice and maybe you saw some sea salt and

He said okay I'll throw in a few Minerals yeah And little by little by little you're Transitioning to making real food and That's the most important thing that You're just making real food before you Even graduate maybe to the super Nutrient dense foods you're just making Real food and you're trying to make it As nutritious and digestible as possible While staying in your budget roast Chicken bone broth is cheap to make You're using the carcass from the Chicken that you bought and yet and I Always feel I have to give caveats you Know whenever I bring up chicken that Yeah it may not be perfect but I think Even Sally Fallon once was being Interviewed the author of nourishing Traditions and you know she was talking About how Whole Foods regardless not the Store but the food you know real food Regardless of how it was raised you know Is better than processed food that may Have a lot of chemicals things and yes Maybe the chickens you know had this Daddy I think but you know it's still There's still benefit in a chicken There's still benefiting an egg and Often the animal's body his ways I Remember her talking about Sally talking About liver and people were very Concerned about buying liver because it Was going to be full of toxins and she

Talked about the science behind it and How the liver actually processes out all This stuff And you know and I may not be saying This 100 correct but the bottom line was It was okay to buy liver if it wasn't Perfect liver you know it still had so Much nutrients to it And so I think that's the the way to do This in an affordable way and then I Always find this because my friends will Always tell me this And now being on YouTube viewers will Tell me this that when you start cooking At home and making these Foods homemade And you know buying rather than buying The cut up carrots you know today the Grocery stores are amazing everything's Already cut up and washed and bagged and All the work is done for you and Sometimes I think this You miss something there's a little Something about getting you know it Sounds very very 1970s but you know There's something about getting into the Zone like when you're cooking things a Lot of your worries can melt away you Know and your mind gets very focused on What you're doing and it's almost like Uh a form of meditation you know so but Some people say oh Mary you're going a Little far on that I don't like to cut The vegetables but I think that you save The money and you just buy a whole

Carrot you peel it and you save the Shavings in your scrap bag that you then Use you know when you make your bone Broth nothing goes to waste that's a big Thing with me and I can't stand waste And you cut off the tip of the carrot The root of the carrot you put that in Your scrap bag you're going to use that Uh you know as an aromatic when you make Your bone broth and also to put minerals Into your bone broth And it's interesting how you just little By little by little are getting on this Journey of of Food you're cooking real food yeah and And you're keeping it relatively Affordable and then I lost my dreaded a Lot then as you cook more at home and Cook more from scratch where you're Buying the whole carrot and cleaning it Up to cook it as opposed to the bag of The pre-washed and already prepared for You you know if you kind of start can Get used to it of of preparing your Vegetables Then you find over time you have more Money in your grocery budget because You're not buying The prepared foods you're probably Shopping more the perimeter of your Grocery store and you may advance to Where and it doesn't need to be Sourdough if you've never made bread Before and I know you feel this way too

Probably Carolyn trying to tell somebody Who's never made bread okay we're going To get a sourdough starter going and You're going to make sourdough bread oh My gosh they're gonna look at you like Your nuts but you teach somebody how to Make a very basic sandwich bread it Close to like a plastic sleeve sandwich Bread not exactly you know it is Homemade I personally think it's a Little better you know but you know some People will go well it's not exactly Like a sandwich bed and go it's close Enough it's better for you you know even If it's white flour and uh Packaged yeast It still has less chemicals I know my Mother used to read the the ingredient It's on the bread and she used to look At me and she'd go what the heck are Dope conditioners Why do we have to condition our dough You know And then you're like all the Preservatives and so You know you you make a little sandwich Bread you have a little roast chicken or You learn how to make you know some Little dinner rolls which are very easy To do And little by little you say oh wow I Didn't need to buy that dollar 99 bag of Something and I made it for 50 cents so Now I have another dollar 49 and I'm

Gonna move that into my grocery budget And then after time passes then you say Wow I can buy that organic or pastured Chicken or and then you get into it you Know I think it's it's you become a Little bit of a zealot you know when you Get on this journey I'm sure I know I Did you know and then you're like okay Who's raising chickens around where I Live who's got fresh eggs you know okay Oh and you know being in Texas I'm like I know there's a ranch or somewhere Who's got pumpkins yeah Well what you're describing is so much Our journey and our experience and you Know honestly still if I would have to Go to the grocery store I would be Hard-pressed right now today Um to go get an organic chicken they are Expensive and I have a lot of mouths to Feed that just does not multiply out in My favor uh you know so you do you start With what you have access to and I think In a lot of ways we put up a lot of Barriers for ourselves I'll start when I Can afford the organic chicken right Because we think that ah there's that Ideal I like to say there's ideal and Then there's practical we want to know About ideal we want to know what's new For but we need to operate in Practical And sometimes practical is not organic And pasture-raised and you know all of The things we wish it was sometimes

That's just ideal and it's okay it's all Right to start right there and have that Skill of cooking at home I am completely In agreement with you if you do nothing Thing else just by making it at home From in Greek ingredients that don't Have ingredients you know just a carrot And just an onion and just a chicken That alone is going to start changing Your health you will see the changes Over time but it is also going to change Your budget because you are going to Save money by cooking that way it is a Complete lie that these packaged foods Are cheaper because they're not they Really are if you multiply them out unit Cost by what it takes you to have a meal That is filling and satisfying it is not Cheaper for you in fact a lot of times It is extremely expensive one time I Went into the grocery store Thinking uh we we just we're on such a Budget and you know I thought oh well I'll just I'll just grab a box of cheap Ritz crackers or something like that to Give the kids a snack until we can get Home and I actually had the foresight to Do the math for the unit price and you Know what fruit was fresh fruit was Cheaper than the crackers and I was Blown away at that point and I just said It's just not worth it it's not even Worth it on the budget so yeah I love What you're saying start where you're at

And learn the skill of just cooking and It all snowballs your skill gets bigger It starts increasing your budget gets Bigger and uh you know your health gets Better and it a lot of times it's Actually very visible especially if You're just coming out of a standard American diet really quickly you get to See changes in your health so hey we're Gonna have to wrap up in just a moment But before we do You have any really good tips for people Who are looking at their budget right Now and looking at the cost of groceries Which we've all seen has gone up Significantly in this last year Um and how to make those things line up In the grocery store any quick tips or Best tips for shopping in the grocery Store for uh saving money while still Eating really well I think the number one thing is don't be Brand loyal if you're if you're you know So much depends where you are on your Journey if you're making homemade Ketchup you know that's going to and You're fermenting it and that's going to Be less expensive than buying a bottle Of ketchup and homemade mayonnaise and Things like that but if you're a little Earlier you know on your journey and you Are shopping up and down the aisles of The grocery store you got to learn no Longer to be brand loyal I think that

You have to be willing to really price Shop you have to compare the brands with The store brand you have to compare the Ounces I never say don't use coupons a lot of People will say oh coupons make you Spend more I think if you can be very Diligent and control yourself to only Use a store coupon or one that you clip Or you know now they all come online for Something that you really need to buy And if it's the name brand compare the Amount decision you got to do a little Math and compare the ounces and the Price per ounce and at least try it once You if you say oh I don't like that you Know I really like X brand and I didn't Like why brand okay you don't have to Buy it again but today I think most Store brands are really good and so I Think not being brand loyal and I think You also need to be willing to Experiment because sometimes there are Shortages and what you would normally Buy is not available Or what you would normally Buy has just Gotten too expensive And so sometimes I think you really need To be willing to try new things you know Like I always tell people canned kippers Are delicious and and they're very Reasonably priced and if you're on a Really tight budget you make some rice That you cooked in bone broth with a

Little butter and a little sea salt you Have some canned kippers on the side Maybe it's a little bit of vegetables That can even just be pickled vegetables That you quickly pickle at home or even Ones that you buy and that can be a very Good meal very nutritious or nutrient Dense very high in Omega-3 But when I say things like this to People they're like kippers what is even Kippers you know it's smoked Herring That's gross And I always say you have to try it once And so many people will come back to me And they'll say oh my gosh they're Delicious oh I tried sardines I was Raised on sardines but you know I tried Sardines the way you told me to prepare Them and they were delicious and now They have nutrient-dense foods that are Also affordable because I'll say I know We have to wrap up I will tell you that During the Depression food was very Scarce and my grandmother had to feed She had to garden thank goodness for That And my mother said they often just ate a Lot of vegetables but whatever she could Find during the Depression was what she Had to cook with And she had navy beans and she didn't Know she was like okay would I soak them I make a soup what do I do with this and Her American neighbor said you make

Baked beans and she's like baked beans What have baked beans and they said will You cook the beans you soaked them and Then you mix them with molasses and Maybe some mustard whatever they told Her you bake them in the oven well can You imagine my grandmother's five Children when she put bowls of beans Floating in a brown liquid in front of Them foreign To this day and we start laughing Hysterically she said the face is near The weeds around the table And they were horrified but they were Really hungry And they ate them and then they found They were delicious and to this day She's making baked beans you know But that you know you can't be brand Loyal and you got to be open to trying New things because even even if you say You bought canned salmon and you really Liked making salmon patties and canned Salmon you've seen how it's gone up in Price canned chicken has gone up in Price you know you might still be able To you know get some tuna fish that's in Your budget Experiment I'm seeing people share on The internet tuna cakes you know and I Would imagine maybe they're pretty tasty And so there's you just got to have an Open mind and you've got to try Something one time and you may find your

Palette initially you might say it's Okay not great but it's okay and then The second time you're like oh you know Maybe I'm acquiring a taste for this but I think those are the two most important Things and go easy on yourself don't if You before all this inflation if you Were used to buying what you would Consider a higher quality of food don't Stress about it don't be hard on Yourself go easy on yourself buy the the Reasonable chicken you know buy the nut You know also to the whole thing with Organic oh gosh I could go talk forever On this yeah uh organic doesn't mean Pesticide free people don't realize that You know yes you know if you can get the Clean 15 that are not technically Organic but have less pesticides don't Worry about it you know I an article That said that poor people are not Buying fruits and vegetables because We've scared them so into if you can't Buy organic don't eat it you know the Ones are not healthy for you that's Nonsense you know so you know Give up organic you give up your pasture Give up your grass-fed whatever the case May be and just have an open mind do the Best you can and most important because I think you probably feel the same way I Do Carolyn about this you got to stay in The budget because nothing is worse than When you spend money that's too much

Above your budget or money you don't Have and you get yourself into debt then You're under stress and stress isn't Good for digestion it's not good for Anything it doesn't matter what you eat If you're under stress but if you stayed In your budget cook the 99 Cents pound Of chicken And you threw in some non-organic Carrots and non-organic onions Everybody's gonna eat good everybody's Going to be fine your stress is going to Be lowered and life is going to go on And as my mother said God is in his Heaven and all is right with the world That's a good lesson well thank you so Much I think this is such a valuable Discussion and I'm so grateful to have You on here and yeah absolutely to be Friends with you and to know you you're You're such you and Josh is such a Wealth of knowledge I just love you both So much oh you too and uh such a Blessing for all of us you guys take These lessons relax a little bit find The joy in life find a little bit of Gratitude in this time where the world Is Shifting the world is changing and It's making us all feel a little bit Nervous that's okay we just do what we Need to do next and we hold on to the Joy of life and you know it's gonna be Okay you go ahead and do what you can do And that's all that anybody can expect

Of you so thank you Mary thank you so Much for being here if you have not gone Over to Mary's Channel you really need To do it there's so much over there I Know I have learned so much from Mary so Make sure you go check her Channel out And we'll see you guys real soon goodbye Thank you bye bye everyone