Food Without Price

"Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price."- 2 Nephi 26:25

Think this is a fantasy? Think again. Yes, Christ is speaking and yes, he is talking more about salvation than eating in this life, but these resources for free food are legit.

Today I'll be discussing how to supplement and replace part of your family's diet for free. These resources are community-based, not government based and come from the goodness of volunteers, so feel free to add a legitimate resource in the comments below and I'll be sure to add it to the list!

Falling Fruit

A user-edited resource map/database where anyone can add locations where food can be foraged, including dumpsters, but focused more on live plants and trees. I found out that there are hundreds of locations in my city! Including nut trees, fruit trees, blueberry bushes, etc. Always check with the owner first, otherwise, you are stealing, not foraging!

Glean from Farmers

Find farmers in your area, you can start by attending local farmer's markets and by asking around. First, find out if they accept trading work on the farm for food. Some farms may be willing to give away fruit, vegetables, or meat in exchange for labor.

Next, see if they would let you glean (gather and collect) from their fields or orchards after they've finished harvesting.

Despite what the grocery store would lead you to believe, not all fruits and vegetables are perfect. After the harvest of the fruits and vegetables farmers usually sell, bushels and bushels of food are left behind that they can't sell. That's a lot of free fruit for a few hours of work.

Dumpster Diving

Introduction to how to pick up free food from dumpsters, without even needing to climb inside

Food Not Bombs

 

A group of anarchists that collect food from grocery stores and give it out as either groceries or prepared into meals. They're awesome community builders and very friendly. Find a group in your area!

Forage in the wild

If you live near any wild areas, such as deserts, woods, trails, mountains, you may be able to find "organic" produce for free. I recommend first educating yourself by taking a foraging class or reading this book on foraging the most common plants to help your identification skills. Then find an area where you can legally forage. Grapes, service-berries, strawberries, and blueberries are just a few of the fruits that you can find growing in the wild.

Food Not Lawns

Neighbors sharing excess produce by replacing their lawns with gardens and hosting events to swap seeds, etc.

Buy Nothing Project

Local gift economies share things by giving or just borrowing amongst neighbors. You join a Facebook group with your neighbors and can give, request, receive, and build community.

Sometimes food is offered, but usually it's more durable goods and sometimes plants. So far, I've received shredded paper (by asking for compostable cat litter), a scanner/printer, a crock pot, and a Pyrex baking pan (replacing one of my peeling and rusting ones, yuck to yay!)

Community Garden Free Boxes

Our neighborhood community garden has a box hung on the fence for placing free produce for anyone to grab. Look for a community garden near you and see if they are willing to do the same!

Bartering

This ancient technique means you don't have to use money, you just have to offer value. That's what money represents anyway, your time turned into a monetary value. What can you offer legally in exchange for food items? Can you mend clothing, weed yards,  babysit, do oil changes, cook, do their grocery shopping/pick up a grocery order, etc.? I know a massage therapist who traded her massages for cereal.

Find someone who's willing to trade services or goods. A great website for this is U-Exchange.com, where you can trade everything including homes, services, items, and more.

Post an ad for harvesting produce

Post an ad on Freecycle, Craigslist, or local classifieds offering to pick unwanted fruit or vegetables and clean up all the overripe free falls. You may be surprised at how many takers you get. If you plan on preserving the harvest, offer to give the owner of the produce a portion of what you make. Warning: may include more squash than your family enjoys, so good luck!

Grow a garden for free, no yard necessary!

You can use worm bin compost for dirt, get free seeds, free plants, and free seed starting pots to start a garden, but you won't make a big dent in your grocery bill if you don't have a space bigger than a few pots to garden in.

This is where Shared Earth comes in. You create a free account and can search for either a free space to grow produce or list your space and get free produce for no work. If you need the space to garden and someone else doesn't have the time, you can give them half of the produce. It's a win-win scenerio.

Olio app

Get free food from neighbors. OLIO connects neighbors with each other and with local stores so surplus food and other items can be shared, instead of being thrown away. Browse what’s available nearby (all is free), request anything that looks good and message to arrange a pick-up.

Food Can Be Free!

Now we can see how food can be bought without money or price, you just have to open your eyes to the possibilities. Here's to better food without price! Be sure to share this post to help others save money by making eco-friendly choices!

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