Here's my initial response to Rita as cut and pasted from elsewhere, and includes my opinion of the variety Delicious as well. %%%%%%% (Rita, I've grown: Moneymaker and wouldn't grow it again. It's an English variety, that was bred in England for greenhouse growing many years ago and has that aggressive somewhat tart taste that almost all of the English like. There are other varieties, all English ones, that are about the same. http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=les;&gs_nf=1&cp=12&gs_id... I'd prefer to link to Tania's page but right now it seems down, so this general Google search will have to suffice. Delicious, which I don't find to be delicious, is still the current world record holder for weight at at 7 # 12 oz, which I think is its main claim to fame. However, folks growing it without using the tricks that those who grow for competitions seldom get over a pound. Market Wonder I've not grown. ( see correction in my above post here) Just my opinion but I think there are many hundreds of large red beefsteak varieties I'd grow before I'd ever grow Delicious or ANY of the English varieties again. Carolyn ( who deleted here something she wrote about trading seeds vs buying them since trading seeds had been discussed in the thread)

Most personal financial advisors suggest having 3 - 6 mos. level of income available immediately in case of emergencies, lay-off, etc. I routinely recommended that, as well - but I haven't followed that course, myself, a good bit of the time, even in my earning years, when income was dependent on turning up for work. And usually told my clients the following story, in case they chose to use it. Now that I'm retired, all that I have to do to qualify to have my monthly pension amount deposited into my bank account is ... ... stay alive. I may have a back so decrepit that I can hardly walk, be sick abed, travelling in Mongolia, or whatever - it still gets deposited. Which means that I am less at risk of needing emergency money than when employed, with less assurance of continuing income. Sometimes I've had a substantial balance on hand, usually mostly in stockbroker account, often mainly in money market funds, especially when the stock market seemed too high. But I have drawn a number of certificates for my equity-based mutual funds (no fee), and paid to have certificates issued for a number of my stocks, then have used them as collateral underlying a fully secured Letter of Credit at the bank (lower interest rate than borrowing from broker), currently 6%. I think that setting up a Home Equity LOC often requires some fees, and there were none asociated with mine, based on easily saleable securities. Some charge a fee to let it lie unused, but mine does not, and it lies unused a good portion of the time. Sometimes I use it when in need of unexpected purchase, e.g. buying a car (but bought two older models within the past year and a half, for - under $3,000. - cheque). I have a "credit" (really "debt") card, which I don't use much, but I could use it for immediate emergency, drawing on the LOC to pay the balance before the due date, so no interest. One problem with this system is that one usually needs about $20,000. of asset value in order to qualify for a $10,000. loan. And I would recommend that one not draw full value of that credit available - for if the value of the underlying stocks decreases by 20% ... the amount of loan allowed will decrease by 10%. If a larger amount has been borrowed, the lender will require cash or more securities - today ... or tomorrow, at the latest. I've never borrowed so close to my credit limit that I suffered a margin call - don't ever want to, either. If I borrow for emergency use, the interest that I pay on the loan is not deductible (but the underlying mutual funds and stocks continue to earn - and grow, most of the time). If I use the LOC to borrow to invest, the interest is deductible. I wrote a post starting a thread here a few week s ago telling how I thought that I can make such a loan at almost no net cost. Which makes it wise for me to have two letters of credit, one for emergency use, one to use for investment loans, when I choose to make them. (I should have made some of the latter about three or four years ago - but didn't). Over a substantial period, the mutual funds pay me a variable current rate of return. The dividend rates on the stocks tends to grow, over time. Usually lower than the interest that I could earn, I agree, but that's fine - I don't need the money now. Most of those earnings come to me at a much lower rate of tax than I'd have to pay on interest income, which is taxed at top rate. When I put my money into a CD, GIC, bond or other instrument where the number of base dollars is guaranteed not to shrink, there's another guarantee that the bank never mentions - it can't grow, either. The only earning that I can obtain from that money is the interest. And interest income is all earned now. And it's taxed at top rate - I like to avoid that, when possible. Most of my equity-based mutual funds, and stocks, increase in value over time. I don't receive any of that value now. So I'm not taxed on it now. I only have to realize that increased value when I sell them - or die - which gives me a good deal of the value obtained in tax-deferred retirement accounts, which defer tax liability until withdrawals are made. But those with retirement accounts have every dollar withdrawn added to income and taxed at regular rate. When I cash my investments, I usually pay tax at a much reduced rate. I like that system better than having my invested dollars earn all that they'll ever earn relative to this year, right now, and taxed now, plus taxed at top rate. I'd prefer to defer part of the income - and pay tax then ... at a reduced rate. Such a system might work for some of you, should you so choose. ole joyful

Anne- Thank you for your kind words; and I hope you don't find my answer discouraging. Even though I'm certified to teach home canning, I no longer use canning as a method for food preservation for a number of reasons. Cost of utilities. Not only the heat processing for the canning, but also the air conditioning necessary to cool the house off because you are talking about peak summer months are also peak canning months. I don't have enough produce from our small garden to have the quantity needed at any one time to fill a canner. If you can't process a whole canner full of jars, it's not cost effective. If you have to purchase the produce you can, you are losing money. I doubt that you can compete with the prices of canned goods at Aldi and finding good sales and stocking up. I find home canned foods nutritionally inferior for the time and money you invest to prepare them. By the time people harvest and process produce, nearly half of the vitamins may be lost within a few days unless the fresh produce is cooled or preserved a.s.a.p. Do you have an extra refrigerator for keeping produce while you get enough accumulated to process a whole canner full? The cost of the extra refrigerator and the utilities to run it should also be factored in. The heating process during canning destroys from 1/3 to 1/2 of vitamin A and C, thiamin, and riboflavin. Once canned, additional losses of these sensitive vitamins are from 5 to 20% each year. Do you have a stove you can safely do canning on? Some of the smooth glass-top stoves are not capable of canning (check the user's manual or the manufacturer). In some cases the canners have fused to the surface. Article: Home food preservation may be more expensive than expected. http://apps.caes.uga.edu/gafaces/index.cfm?public=viewStory&pk_id=3499 Article: Cost of Preserving and Storing Food http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/cost-of-preserving-and-storing-food-8-704/ Article: What You Should Know About Preserving Food at Home http://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/FSFCS02.pdf --- I'd like to suggest you take the Self-Study Coarse for home canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation - http://nchfp.uga.edu/  This will help you get a better idea of what you are needing to do for successful and safe home canning. --- I currently do a lot of dehydrating for food storage, which is inexpensive. There is a learning curve for making and using dehydrated foods, and it doesn't appeal to everyone. ---What I would suggest, and what I'm going to do, is to save money and purchase a home-style freeze-dryer like a Harvest Right: https://harvestright.com/#sthash.ENrByuNZ.dpbs I'm hoping there are more companies entering the market and the prices go down. Until then.... I'm saving my money, and these are the ways I save my cash: The 52-week savings plan where you save $1 the first week of the year, $2 the second week, $3, the third week, etc. At the end of the year you have $1,378. If you Google - 52-week savings plans - you will find charts you can copy and follow. I save my $1 bills. I've always saved at least $500 and as much as $1,000 each year. We are "cash" people when it comes to day-to-day spending, and this plan works best if you are. I cut my own hair, and so I REALLY save the money, I budget and pay myself $20 a month - so that's $240 a year added to the Christmas/Emergency Savings Account where my savings are deposited once a month. I'm up for more discussion or questions, so fire away. ;-) -Grainlady

I have a $125 per month food budget for two people, but that's possible because I have room for food storage, grow a portion of our food - indoors and out; and I live where food is "relatively" inexpensive. We also have a much larger list of foods we use than your restricted dietary choices and that's helpful with the bottom line. I lean towards whole foods, raw foods and use meat sparingly. -You can also make rice milk and nut milks in your diet, which would be less expensive than goat milk. Kefir is better for you than yogurt, can be used like yogurt, plus kefir is less expensive to make. -Make and use more pre-digested foods. Rejuvelac is a good source for enzymes that helps friendly bacteria grow and is cheap and easy to make with water and different grains. Even if you can't digest grains, you will probably be able to enjoy Rejuvelac made with it. Make your own sauerkraut and other fermented foods. Check your local library for books by Ann Wigmore. How to Make Rejuvelac: For approximately 3 cups, you�ll need: - 1 cup organic whole grains (soft wheat berries, millet, rye, brown rice, barley, etc.) - 3 cups pure water (preferably distilled) - a container, e.g., a wide-mouthed glass jar, a ceramic or stainless steel bowl Soak the grains in the water for 48 hours. (You can place a plate or towel over the top of the jar or bowl.) After 48 hours, pour off the rejuvelac. Drink for that day or store in a jar. It doesn�t have to be refrigerated, but if it is, it will keep several days. Pour another 2 cups water over the grains. Allow to ferment only 24 hours before pouring off. Repeat another 24 hour cycle, so that the grains are soaked a total of 3 times. A dark quiet place is ideal for setting your jar or bowl. The temperature of the fermenting environment is important. Warmer temperatures will shorten fermenting times. In the summer, try soaking the seed 36 hours to start, then 16 hours instead of 24. Let ferment to your taste. It should be tart, not sour. Adapted from Recipes for Longer Life by Ann Wigmore. -You should be able to grow something - indoors (if you have a sunny south window) or out (if you have the space). Sprouting is a good example of a garden-in-a-jar you can grow fresh food anywhere. In the winter when "fresh" food is literally unavailable because it's been shipped in from who-knows-where, I don't purchase much produce but depend on sprouts and herbs I grow indoors as my source for REAL fresh food options. Living in the middle of nowhere, local produce is only available in the summer. I use frozen food (commercial as well as frozen produce from the garden) as a better option to so-called "fresh" food. Frozen food is high in nutrition and can be less expensive. I also dehydrate a lot of produce as another method for preservation. I also grow micro-greens and wheatgrass as other sources for fresh food. Hope there's some new...