i don't shovel shit, slaughter chickens, mill flour, and birth my own calves for fun. it's about being economically smart and sustained. you are right that eating more fresh food will not save you money, it doesn't. i wouldn't suggest that people "try to work in" more fresh/local/organic foods as a way to save money. but it just so happens if you commit yourself 100% to being self sustained, you do end up saving a huge amount of money. spending 100$ a week at the farmers market while still making your weekly trip to price chopper will never save you money. it's things like having a garden, raising laying hens or meat birds, and making your own yogurt, butter, and cheese etc that really saves you money. some of the most expensive products people buy regularly at grocery stores cost nickels on the dime to make. ntm eating fresh is great but i should have elaborated. buying fresh-in season-in bulk is where you save money. anyone can freeze, can, or dehydrate food at home. buy a bushel of green beans and freeze them yourself you'll have enough to last you a year and i promise it will be cheaper than buying 28 frozen packages of green giant green beans. that is true across the board almost all the time depending on your region. plus you're not throwing your money at corporate america. i visit the grocery story maybe once a month at the most. that is just to supplement and provide what i cannot successfully produce myself (citrus fruits, flax, wheat germ, quinoa, seafood). that amounts to annually less than 500$. the rest of what i eat are fringe benefits that come with running a farm as a business. almost 4 years and i've managed to make money every year. it cost a lot more to eat when i was an undergrad and that was without a mortgage, car payment, student loans, or a huge insurance policy.
ok i'm done. i just had to say my piece because it's what i'm passionate about.
back to unpopular opinions!:
i think eggnog is digusting
smaller penis = better
on a pow day i'd rather snowboard than ski
