Food Exchange

Cooperate With Others to Save on Healthy Food Purchases

Food exchange.

Another method of cutting food expenses is participating in a food co-op or exchange.



There are many of these types of groups throughout the country. It's just a matter of looking for one in your local community, or even placing a classified ad to search out those interested.

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Neighborhood Dinner Exchange

This dinner exchange is set up with five neighborhood women.

Each woman gets a specific weekday.

On that weekday, she prepares FIVE entrees,


sides, and desserts and then drops off a meal to each of the other four participants in the food exchange.

This way, moms only have to cook dinner once a week! Plus, like with freezer cooking, since you are buying in bulk, you save money.

Each participant is responsible for the containers they serve the food out of.

For example, if I am making meatloaf one night, I will place the meatloaf for the four other participants into my own containers, and bring them to the other participants' homes.

It is easiest to do this with two sets of containers (8 total). That way when you drop off food for your day, you pick up your containers from last week.

Again, I highly recommend Tupperware Rock N Serve containers for this purpose.

For the best variety, get a selection of:

• Tupperware Rock N Serve Large Deep
• Tupperware Rock N Serve Large Shallow
• Tuppeware Rock N Serve Medium Deep

Find all the Tupperware Rock N Serve items you need for your Freezer Cooking and Neighborhood Food Exchange adventures! Get the absolute best prices, at huge discounts. New and Used products available. Click Here Now! Thank you for supporting Stay a Stay at Home Mom through the Resource Store.

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Organic Co-ops or Buying Clubs

Many of us today have concerns about the foods we put into our bodies, and more importantly, our children's bodies.

We all know that fresh and organic foods are important, but geez they are pricy!


For those of us who regularly shop in the organics departments and at Whole Foods, saving on food expenses can be quite a challenge.

But, there is a way to save on organic food expenses!

Join an organic co-op or buying club in your area. These are great ways to utilize food exchange.

Find them here:

Organic Consumer's Association

Co-op Directory Service

These organizations are a group of individuals who put their buying power together to get wholesale prices on organic and natural items.

They mainly deal in produce, but you can also find things like organic and clean chicken, beef, breads, dairy, grains, honey, and other items.

Some are not for profit, others are established businesses. Some allow you to select what items you would like, others give you a share of whatever items can be found at a good price. (Usually pertaining to produce.)

They can save you a bundle off the organic retail prices!

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Community Supported Agriculture

Sometimes used as another term for Organic Coops, CSA are also available in many areas.

Some CSAs allow you to grow and harvest your own vegetables in a plot of land that you rent. Others will give you a certain share of a harvest.

Some require you to volunteer your time, while others do not.

Find a CSA Near You

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Another way to save on food expenses is to make your own breads.

I did this for about a year and found it a very rewarding experience, not just for the yummy bread I made, but the entire process.

You can buy whole grains and mill them fresh in a tabletop grain mill. Then you can truly make your bread from scratch.

This saves you money in the long run over store bough breads, and is providing your family with an ultra nutritious food.

BreadBeckers sells everything you need to get going, including every type of whole grain you can imagine, honey, yeast, bread mills, and cookbooks. They also have resources for making your own yogurt and sprouted grains, among other things.

They are out of Georgia, and even have a co-op or food exchange in the southern part of the USA.

I have ordered their supplies through co-ops on several occasions. Coops usually get together 2-4 times a year.

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Here are some other ways to save on food expenses.  

Discount Food Providers

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