Two of us and on a budget
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40192)
Canada
July 3, 2009 9:10am CST
I cook a lot of stuff from scratch and I do not have a garden. I have some strawberries and raspberries and starting a couple of blueberry patches, and I can get fruit on sale and that we can freeze, or eat out of hand, but then it comes to salads. When it comes to lettuce there is the problem. You see, if I buy a head of Romaine, it only has a short life so I have to use it in a week. Spinach I can cook part and save enough to eat, but then next week, will have to have some more. The trouble is that what do you do when the lettuce only lasts a week and with leaf lettuce it is much worse so you are forever taking off the bad leaves?
What do couples and retired couples who do not have a garden do about salads? You cannot go to a restaurant all the time and although I can get garden soil, it does not come in packages I can carry in a shopping bag and take home.
4 people like this
13 responses
@Grandmaof2 (7578)
• Canada
3 Jul 09
Leaf and head lettuce lasts for nothing less than two weeks in my Tupperware lettuce bowl. I place a folded piece of paper towel in the bottom of the bowl which absorbs the moisture and I make sure the lid is sealed down properly and the lettuce lasts a real long time that way.
2 people like this
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
3 Jul 09
Thanks for the tip Grandmaof2. Yes a good tupperware lettuce bowl will extend the life of lettuce.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Jul 09
I was thinking of getting it, but my husband said "it is cheaper to get a head of lettuce," of course he means the head lettuce not the Romaine or Leaf lettuce, but then it does not last a week.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
8 Jul 09
I am thinking of the health aspect, but really the head lettuce does not last longer. It does go brown and that is as bad as going wilted and slimey.
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
4 Jul 09
I'm the only one in my family that eats salad fixing so I get those that are already cut up and have a variety of lettuces and other vegetables in them. They keep for over a week in the original bag if I squeeze all the air out of the bag. Some thing my grandkids taught me is take the bag from the very back so it is fresher than those in the front. They both work in a grocery store.
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
4 Jul 09
We live so far away from most stores. We do not have a store where we can buy that stuff from daily or weekly unless we travel for miles for it. We only eat salads occasionally because it will go bad before we can get back to the store for more. We are growing a few things this year because of it.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
3 Jul 09
My lettuce can last up to two weeks. I take it out of its wrapping and put it in a plastic bag--a plastic grocery bag will to the trick as long as you twist it to keep out the air. Every few days I add a couple drops of water to the portion I haven't eaten and it lasts a lot longer than storing it in a covered bowl or the bag it came in.
The other alternative is the prepared bagged salads but they smell funny and probably have chemicals and stuff we don't want to eat. Also, they spoil a lot quicker than a head of lettuce even with the bag method!
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
3 Jul 09
Thanks. I will try that. I do not have that many plastic grocery bags, but will look for some. I do not like the prepared salads because once you open them, they go pretty quick.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
4 Jul 09
I usually buy the iceberg lettuce it last longer. So maybe buy the Romaine for the first week of the month and then use the iceberg for the second week if you like that kind that is..iceberg can last 2 weeks or longer sometimes. Two bad you can't have a friend or family drop some off for you when it is needed. You could grow lettuce in a flower pot it does well that way.. and takes barely any room and if you pick it right it will continue to produce leaves and you could have lettuce all summer.
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
3 Jul 09
I can sympathize with you suspensful as I'm in much the same situation as you. One thing I have noticed since returning to Australia is the supermarkets sell cheap fruit and vegetables on Thursdays, so we go early to buy the bargains. However the lettuce and salad is a problen, and I love my salads.
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
3 Jul 09
I would grow my own lettuce - even a flower box could provide a nice selection of leaf lettuce for the table, you don't need to plant all at once, just a small amount and plant more seeds as the first is used. As for buying it maybe there's friends or neighbors that would be willing to share - split the bag or head of lettuce each week.
@carolscash (9491)
• United States
8 Jul 09
I would try to plant some lettuce in a flower pot or window box and try to have it myself, then just pick what you want to use and keep the rest. I have never had a problem with lettuce going bad as we normally use it when we buy it. If you can't do that, see if you have another neighbor who might be willing to share with you as others have suggested. I would also recommend that you try the Green Bags mentioned here as I hear that they are good ones.
@sid556 (30953)
• United States
4 Jul 09
I have the same problem, suspenseful. My daughter and I are both big salad lovers this time of year. It is just her and I so cooking itself took me a bit to adjust to as I have 4 kids and I've always until the past couple years, cooked for 5 of us plus their friends etc. There was no problem in wasting food here. 
Lettuce does start to go bad fairly quick. We do our best not to waste it but do usually end up throwing some out. We not only eat it in salads but also have it on sandwhiches and still don't finish it. I'll be curious to the answers you get here. At least it isn't overly expensive.
Lettuce does start to go bad fairly quick. We do our best not to waste it but do usually end up throwing some out. We not only eat it in salads but also have it on sandwhiches and still don't finish it. I'll be curious to the answers you get here. At least it isn't overly expensive.1 person likes this
@chrislotz (8136)
• Canada
10 Jul 09
I don't know, maybe go to the store more often. And if you can't afford to buy it more often then eat other things that are healthy, like canned or frozen vegetables. I know you are on a budget but groceries don't have to cost a fortune if you are frugal and imaginative.
My adult daughter of 26 and myself of 52 live together and we only spend about $160.00 to $200.00 a month of groceries. We have a store here in Calgary called No Frills which is owned by Superstore. There it is so cheap to shop. It works out to be about 1/3 of the price of other grocery stores. I know you live in Winnipeg and so maybe they have a No Frills store there too. You could check it out.
We also go online and print coupons and save even more.
@joyceshookery (2057)
• United States
3 Jul 09
I haven't tried them yet, but they're called "Debbie's Green Bags." Putting your lettuce and other veggies in them supposedly makes them last longer. Maybe someone else who responds to this discussion has actually used them and can verify whether they're effective or not.
