How much do you save?

[Grandpadragon]

Like Alice and Tony I only grow because I like to and to have the odd treat of best tasting veg. I have only one small raised bed A triangle 3m across the base and 10m to the point. Mainly filled with soft fruit with pots and toms in buckets along the path. We are fortunate that our Investment and Pension income allows us to by good food and also being in a rural area can get much from local suppliers and farmers markets. Good job we are in this fortunate position as there is no way I could dig an allotment not sure I could run round one I do understand that some of you have to work damn hard to get decent food on your tables and I salute you

[heebiejeebie]

I'm trying to work towards having all my veg from the allotment and not buying any. I've got a bit of "on-the-job-learning" to do before I get to that state though!

[pigletwillie]

1kg of Jersey royals from tesco £2.99
1 pot of mint from Tesco 79p


A plate of home grown new potatoes with fresh mint, plot to plate in minutes

PRICELESS

[Flummery]

I haven't enough ground to be self sufficient but I agree that the flavour and the satisfaction is beyond price.
You could also factor in the cost of joining a gym!

[newgardengirl]

I'm not entirely sure that I've saved any money yet. I think that expenditure-wise, the thing that really adds up is the cost of compost. This is especially true for me since I don't have a car, so I've been buying 10 or 20 litres at a time which works out quite expensive on a cost-per-litre basis. I really should hire somebody with a car or van who can lift the huge 50 litre packets!

Mind you, like many people have said, the sense of achievement and the personal satisfaction gained, is priceless.

[jaykay]

Hello Newgardengirl

Could you not get a jumbo type open bag delivered to your plot? Or get DIY store to deliver their 75L (heavy) bags?

[Mrs Dobby]

Balance sheet 20th June 07

Total costs for this year to date £465

Total harvested crops value so far this year:-

Rhubarb (at £2 for 3 stalks as currently priced in Tescos) £45
Radish / lettuces / cucumber / cnca salad leaf £18
Herbs £5
Strawbs 5lb (at £2.50 for 400g in Tescos) £15
Garlic / Onions £3
Mange Tout £3
Tomatoes £2
New potatoes £5
Carrots / Parsnips £2

Total edibles monetary value so far £99

Still a long way to go to break even, but its getting better!

Hows everyone elses balance sheets looking?

[Flummery]

I don't cost mine out. I do it for fun. It's my hobby. I don't cost out the quilts I make either - no-one could afford them if I put my time in at £5 an hour anyway!

My balance improved when I started T'ai Chi. I can now dry my feet without sitting down.

Actually - I can't be bothered to work it our because for me, that's not the point. Having had shop strawbs at someone's house and found that they tasted of slightly sweet water I know why I grow my own stuff.

[mrs potato head]

There is no way we would be able to put any kind of price on our plot/veg.
Our allotment is an extention of our home especially as we have no garden.
It is large enough for us to be self-sufficent, be instead we have choosen for 1/3 of our space for growing, extending that slowly with containers. Another 1/3 for wildlife (we plan to add a pond soon) and the kids play area. The remainder is lawn and shed with raised veranda for those evening BBQs.
The only profit we need is the plot it'self.

[wellie]

I've really loved reading everyone's contributions to this thread. It just goes to show how very different we all are, and that's what is so truly wonderful. Some grow, because they love growing their own food, and calculate every penny they've spent, and how much they may be saving....
Others grow, because we love growing our own food. We know how much it costs in the shops, and how much we used to get ripped off when we bought it from them, so now we grow our own, knowing exactly what or what we haven't added to the equation in terms of TLC, pest control, or time taken between harvesting and serving up on the plate.

Either way, it's lovely to hear everyone's 'take' on why they do, in terms of cost, or savings, or chemicals or lifestyle.

I'm definitely of the brigade, rightly or wrongly, who grow for the 'it blows my frock up' because I'm just addicted to growing stuff that tastes like I've just picked it. Largely, of course, because I just have.
When I lose that Trousers, please shoot me.....

[Mrs Dobby]

Balance sheet as of 26th June 07

When we first looked into getting a plot I was told by someone from freecycle not to bother as it was no way cost effective, and that we'd be a large amount of money out of pocket for the small crops we did manage to grow, well, beinbg an onnerary cuss I took that as a challenge, so hence the fact I am out to prove (to oursleves if no-one else) that we can actually break even with our spending and our cropping!

I'm using this thread as an aide memoire to allow me to share our balance sheet with anyone thats interested, if anyone else would like to share theirs, then please go ahead and post!

Total costs for this year to date £465

Total harvested crops value so far this year:-

Rhubarb (at £2 for 3 stalks as currently priced in Tescos) £ 55
Radish / lettuces / cucumber / cnca salad leaf £ 20
Herbs £ 5
Strawbs 7lb (at £2.50 for 400g in Tescos) £ 17.50
Garlic £ 23
Onion £ 8
Mange Tout £ 6
Tomatoes £ 3
New potatoes £ 10
Carrots / Parsnips £ 3

Total edibles monetary value so far £ 150.50

[Sue]

Hi
It is really interesting to see all the different approaches to this question, I keep a record of what I've harvested as a matter of interest, it's only my second year so am also interested in seeing an improvement over last year and am just fascinated by what I can grow and eat from the allotment and how it's changed my cooking and eating.

It's impossible to work out what I save, I've grown 36lbs of strawberries this year, now if I hadn't been growing them, I would never have eaten so many (much as I would have liked to) just couldn't afford it. Looking at Mrs Dobby's figures that's £90. Then there's value added, ie jam and icecream.
And although I would never have bought all these strawberries, I would have been eating some other fruit every day so there is a saving.

What I'm trying to do is eat seasonally, eat from the allotment, and if I can't do that then buy locally produced fruit and veg and if that's not available then buy organic, again British preferred. I've enjoyed the challenge, it took a bit of getting used to cooking from what I've got rather than starting with a recipe and then going shopping. And I have noticed that my food shopping is considerably less at the moment. Just need to get the successional thing going better to see an effect through most of the year. I love too the waiting for that first potato, the first peas, the first strawberries and cherries and it wasn't too hard giving up the supermarket thing of availability all year. I'm growing to like cabbage, never eaten so many carrots or courgettes and squash is growing on me.
So for me it isn't really cost effective, but might be one day and if that happens that's great. I've got chickens and working at eggs v costs reckon the eggs are costing me £6.49 each at the moment...as they started off at £17 they are now quite a bargain. Again it was a decision I made and not based on cost but gaining control over another food source and learning a new skill.
I can't measure what having an allotment has meant to me, it has been the source of a great deal of happiness, hard work and exercise, I've learned so much and have gone from a houseplant killer to a sometimes successful gardener who still has much to learn, I'm so grateful there are allotments.
Sue

[Vegmonkey]

When your veg plot is in your back garden its more like food inches than food miles (read that in a magazine lately - not my own words!)

I love that quote. If i pass my veg through the window i think the distance is no more than three metres for the root bed, and 4 metres for the caulis we are currently harvesting! Anyone get closer?

[Mrs Dobby]

Update for 12th July 2007

Total costs for this year to date £465 (£995 if you add on the new fridge freezer)

Total harvested crops value so far this year:-

Rhubarb (at £2 for 3 stalks as currently priced in Tescos) £ 75
Radish / lettuces / cucumber / cnca salad leaf £ 30
Herbs £ 5
Strawbs 7lb (at £2.50 for 400g in Tescos) £ 25
Garlic £ 23
Onion £ 8
Mange Tout £ 16
Tomatoes £ 5
New potatoes £ 10
Carrots / Parsnips £ 6
Brassicas £ 3
Broad Beans £ 7
Courgettes £ 7
Peppers £ 2

Total edibles monetary value so far £ 222.00

[pigletwillie]

our harvested tomato's have a value of around £30 raw, but the ones converted into chutney and sun dried have a much higher monetary value if I were to buy them. Probably hotching the true value up to £60.