Gregg and I have some competing goals for this summer.
Goal Numero Uno: Get work done on the dissertation
Goal Two: Be frugal
Goal Three: Explore Lancaster in particular and northern PA in general
While the first two goals go nicely together, they do not mesh very well with goal three. It is easy to stay at home, cook at home and work on your dissertation. But we like living in Lancaster – it is great to be in a town where you can go to a Barnes and Noble, an Indian restaurant or grocery store or get pizza delivered which is not from Papa John’s. Not that Gregg and I do any of this regularly but it is nice to have this option. So we want to get to know it better. Let me add that I am awful at directions and would never find my way around this town without some practice.
Anyway, Gregg and I understand that some of these goals are in tension and so we have been doing one new thing a week – a new Chinese restaurant, a new farmers’ market etc. (Gregg is trying to make me go to a game of the Lancaster Barnstormers soon – a tiny local baseball team). Anyway, out of all the activities we have done thus far, my favorite is the Central Market – the farmers’ market here in Lancaster. It is a huge building with a wide variety of stands – fruits, vegetables, meats, Amish specialties, even Greek foods, African foods etc. Whenever I enter the building I get hungry. We try to go on Fridays. Though they are open on Saturdays, the place is usually packed and we try to avoid it then.
Anyway, the farmers’ market is awesome for vegetables. My favorite is that they sell bags of peppers for $2. The bags are mixed (3 or 4 peppers in each) – 1 green, 1 red and 2 red for example. I love peppers and they are too expensive at the grocery store. They also have everything fresh which means they keep very well. You can also get a whole bag of tomatoes for $1.50.
The farmers’ market also allows us to fulfill one of Gregg’s favorite goals – support local businesses. Gregg and I have discussed how we should balance our own financial goals with support of local businesses. Obviously consumers have to pay more at small businesses than at stores like Wal-Mart. We hate supporting Wal-Mart but it had become a financial necessity. In Farmville, it was not only a financial necessity but literally our only option. But the Central Market allows us to achieve both goals. Vegetables and sometimes even meat and fish are cheaper at these local stands than at grocery stores. We do not have to buy these from Wal-Mart anymore. We can be both financially responsible and support local businesses.
What about you? What goals do you have that are in tension with each other?
2 comments:
You know I would never go to Walmart unless they were the only place in town. Luckily, that has never happened. I really enjoy the farmers market too. It's not starting here until next weekend. They also have a great array of peppers and wonderful vegetables. There's such a discernible improvement in taste in the veggies that I get there. I really like to support local farmers and businesses too. The hard thing is to balance that with affordability. Like you, I'm trying to be frugal and some things at the farmers market are just too expensive. Some berry fruits can get pretty pricey. I remember last year, they were selling loaves of artisan bread for about $6-8 and that was before inflation! We live close to some great ethnic grocery stores which is another wonderful way to buy high quality, inexpensive food items while still supporting local business.
Farmers markets aren't all that cheap around here either. There are many around this area, however. That is a steal on peppers. I paid $1.60 for one red pepper at the grocery store on Saturday. I'm still a Wal-Mart girl, even though I hate that place. I've saved so much $$ since I started shopping there.
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