Food scarcity is a concern and reached just over 12 percent in July 2020. States like California and Florida were among the top states where people were having a hard time affording food. While the pandemic plays a big part in this, people with fixed incomes or who are living on Social Security often have a hard time affording healthier meal options.
What can you do to make sure your parents have food on the table? If they have a limited budget due to prescription costs, medical insurance, and household expenses, how do you help out?
Buy In Bulk
When you go grocery shopping, purchase items in bulk. This saves money. When you get home, you can split a large back of boneless chicken breast into multiple packages. If milk is cheaper when you buy a box of two gallons, purchase the box.
Once you’ve divided the bulk purchases at home, you can give your parents their portion. They’ll pay you for their share. They’ve saved money, and you have taken care of two grocery shopping trips at once.
Shop Sales
Shop sales as often as possible. Using the same steps as you’d use when buying in bulk, split the purchases you make using sales. You could also freeze the excess for other weeks.
For example, corn on the cob is in season. You can get a dozen ears of corn for a few dollars. Blanche the extra and wrap it in freezer paper and foil. Later in the winter, there’s plenty of fresh corn available for dinners.
Watch meat sales, too. You spot a sale on 10-pound bags of boneless chicken breasts. Each bag is $10. Purchase a couple of bags and come home and freeze the breasts individually in foil or freezer bags and store in a chest freezer. That 20 pounds of chicken breast will last your parents for several months.
Plant a Garden
Throughout the spring and summer, plant crops in a backyard garden. Items that need longer to grow need to be started in the spring to have enough time to grow. Other crops that take a month or two can be started in August.
This gives your parents a steady supply of vegetables throughout the summer and fall. Excess produce can be turned into sauces and frozen, blanched and frozen, or grated and saved for soups and bread.
If your parents struggle with grocery shopping, it could be time to hire caregivers. Caregivers can help them plan menus, create a shopping list, and place an online order. The caregivers can pick up orders the next day they stop by and save your parents from having to go to the store.
If you, or an aging loved-one, are considering hiring Senior Care in La Jolla, CA, or the Surrounding San Diego Area, please contact the caring staff at GoldenCare today. Call us at (760) 828-5201 today.
Source:
https://www.census.gov/
