What part of your household budget does your SFG money come from?

Some folks try to evaluate the cost effectiveness of vegetable gardening solely by comparing the cost of harvested produce to that of store bought.  Fair enough, but I think the value of gardening is greater than that.

Maybe you have a strict budget for spending, or maybe you itemize expenditures for taxes.  What category(s) do you put your vegetable gardening costs into?

Food
Recreation
Hobby
Exercise
Mental health
Preventative health care
Misc. play money

Some other category?

Maybe you have come up with a fun justification to explain your gardening expenditures to your your spouse?  Share with us, please!

Small inheritance.  Thank you, Mother.  I know, not fair.

Otherwise it would be hobby and preventive mental health!  But I still look for freebies or things that can be re-purposed.  That's part of the fun, plus I think most of use don't like to see everything end up in the land fill.

All of the above Boffer,  plus self education &  enhancing the value of our property by having the fully landscaped gardens with the brick built 36 inch high raised beds.

 One of the realtors reckons it's added about £8,000 to the value of the property as well as making it very very saleable .

 The dosh to do the ANSFG came from various sources ... inheritances ,  gleanings from the weekly budget , ebay sales and savings.

 The self education part has moved on quite a bit to now include the social aspect of being with a decent internet group that sings to a common theme .

plantoid wrote: The self education part has moved on quite a bit to now include the social aspect of being with a decent internet group that sings to a common theme .

Ditto 

I'm fortunate not to have to pinch pennies (been there many a time in the past however). For me, it's as important to my physical well-being as to having healthy food. I am a professional artist and graphic designer. I spend long hours in front of a computer or sitting at a table painting (watercolors). My garden is the only thing that has been able to get me up and walking around 4 or 5 times during the day.

So, with everything they tell us about the danger of sitting, it's my health and life insurance policy -)

Every category above except inheritance. I'm also particularly keen on the educational/research value, and that as it pertains both to learning how to get my food costs down as much as possible, and to getting my Master Gardener's certificate in next year's program without it all being "book learning." Practical experience(however limited), as well as all the reading I've been doing, and the help of this forum, should help a lot with that course and its training requirements.

But why, then, bother with the course in the first place? I've always put a high value on the idea of continuous learning throughout life. This is something I can do now which I never had the opportunity to do much of in the city (small balcony at best). I especially like learning new skills when they make me more well-rounded. So for me, gardening is one way to satisfy my desire to always keep advancing in some small way or another. Besides its practical side (at least when you're growing things you can eat!), it's an investment in self.

I haven't reached the stage at which gardening pays for itself monetarily yet, but accept that, like most other hobbies and so many ventures, it can take a while to balance out the start-up costs. Since I've bought so many things already that I won't have to buy again, year by year, I'm inching ahead. Eventually I'll have a knowledge and experience base such that I don't see why I wouldn't be saving a lot of money on food every year. And probably eating the healthiest and often tastiest food I've ever eaten in my life.

sanderson wrote:

plantoid wrote: The self education part has moved on quite a bit to now include the social aspect of being with a decent internet group that sings to a common theme .

Ditto 

I'm as addicted to the forum as I am to the garden. And all of Boffer's list applies.

Kay

I would say it's a hobby!  But will soon take away from your groceries!

plantoid wrote: The self education part has moved on quite a bit to now include the social aspect of being with a decent internet group that sings to a common theme .

I started this adventure after I stopped 'going out'to work, for health reasons, but doing that caused the money to be sort of tight.
I started out adding up the amount I would have spent on groceries, the 1st yr was a good yr. and I counted $500 + . I finally stopped counting, but, in the last 3 yrs. I have only bought white potatoes, bananas, apples, and grapes. The rest of the fresh food has been SFG. I think that all of the list (except play money!) applies to my garden.
I still look for bargains or for free items, but during the first summer, my neighbor stole my hoe that I used in my regular garden. I will say, 'good for him!' I have never had to replace it.
Jo Ann

sanderson wrote:...I still look for freebies or things that can be re-purposed.  That's part of the fun...

I think so too, and  that allowed me to get into gardening on the cheap.  Also starting small and expanding a little bit each year spread the costs over a long period of time.  At one time or another, I've put my gardening expenses into all the categories I listed.

The only time I hesitate is when I make a large dollar purchase.  Then I remind myself that I could be spending that money by sitting in a boat and drinking beer fishing.  Since I usually get skunked when I fish, spending the money on gardening is a much better deal!

I love how you can reroot trimmings from plants for more "free" plants too! I learned how 2 years ago and get more plants like tomatoes and herbs!

Boffer, are you drinking beer or fishing more

My budget doesn't have all those categories. In fact, all those listed by Boffer come out of my one and only Food Budget. That's from whence comes all extra bits and pieces I need to buy including gifts for others. I have to keep a tight rein on my spending being on a fixed income. What I don't spend of my monthly food money goes into an envlope to add up for other things.
But then, its food, isn't it.

Marc Iverson wrote:Every category above except inheritance.  I'm also particularly keen on the educational/research value, and that as it pertains both to learning how to get my food costs down as much as possible, and to getting my Master Gardener's certificate in next year's program without it all being "book learning."  Practical experience(however limited), as well as all the reading I've been doing, and the help of this forum, should help a lot with that course and its training requirements.

But why, then, bother with the course in the first place?  I've always put a high value on the idea of continuous learning throughout life.  This is something I can do now which I never had the opportunity to do much of in the city (small balcony at best).  I especially like learning new skills when they make me more well-rounded.  So for me, gardening is one way to satisfy my desire to always keep advancing in some small way or another.  Besides its practical side (at least when you're growing things you can eat!), it's an investment in self.

I haven't reached the stage at which gardening pays for itself monetarily yet, but accept that, like most other hobbies and so many ventures, it can take a while to balance out the start-up costs.  Since I've bought so many things already that I won't have to buy again, year by year, I'm inching ahead.  Eventually I'll have a knowledge and experience base such that I don't see why I wouldn't be saving a lot of money on food every year.  And probably eating the healthiest and often tastiest food I've ever eaten in my life.

Marc
I couldn't have described it better.
Just a quick point though, I used to fish a lot, about 20 years of fishing, traveling, collecting, etc.
After it was all over I sat down and drew up an estimate of the cost of fish I caught.
It came to close to $7,000 per lb...yes that was  seven thousand dollars a pound.
This gardening hobby is much better suited to my retirement adjustments.
I love composting

Jimmy Cee, wow, you really spent money on that fishing hobby! At least home-made compost costs approximately zero dollars a pound, to start evening things out.

cheyannarach wrote:...Boffer, are you drinking beer or fishing more

Busted!   I've never owned a boat, and quit drinking beer years ago.  My family and friends  learned long ago not to invite me fishing because when I show up everyone gets skunked!  Truth is, buying toys and tools isn't as important or fun as it used to be, and I've been enjoying putting some of that money into an activity that provides some return on my investment.

I wish I could have gone fishing with jimmy cee.  Sounds like he drank some darn good beer and had a boat to die for!  

I guess it qualifies under all headings.
I expect my garden to more than pay for itself. In the past I kept careful records and was able to support that claim. Now I try to limit my budget to 100$ per spring. I totally blew that this year with a greenhouse.
My family sees the garden as 'Mommies time, best leave her alone' They know they can win mommy points if they haul manure or tell me how delicious the strawberries are etc.  

boffer wrote:[quote=

I wish I could have gone fishing with jimmy cee.  Sounds like he drank some darn good beer and had a boat to die for!  

I did have a boat to die for, never drank a beer while fishing, although I took lots of naps.
I would take 8 rods with me 2 tackle boxes full, spend 3 days getting ready and thinking about my trip.
Get up at 3 am after going to bed at 11pm, had everything all ready from the previous day.
1-2 hour trip, get everything set up on the lake and fall asleep..
When I purchased my first fish finder, I think it took me 3 trips before I finally went back to fishing.
That was so interesting, looking at everything on the bottom of the lake..
NOW, I take my coffee and sit out there with my compost pile.

aaahhhhhhh.... you are stirring up old memories for me Jimmy!  

Ah, fishing.  Summer of 2012 I bought a California fishing license and cheap fishing pole from Target.  (And to think I gave away several rods and reels from my parent's estate!).  DH and I drove 11 minutes up to river below Millerton Dam.  My first mighty throw from the bank landed 2 feet into the water.    A man fishing nearby said "Well, at least you got it into the water."  By the end of a couple hours, I was doing pretty good with my cheap, short rod.  DH read and sat shotgun.  Not a good place for a woman to fish alone.  But I crossed it off my bucket list

Quiet fishing has it's benefits.  Now, I'm prattling and working in the garden.  And watching compost compost.

sanderson wrote:...And watching compost compost.

Take the time to stop and smell the roses.

Take the time to stop and watch compost compost.

Take the time to stop and ... ???

(I'm the OP, and I approve of the derailment direction that this thread is heading!   )

boffer wrote:

sanderson wrote:...And watching compost compost.

Take the time to stop and smell the roses.

Take the time to stop and watch compost compost.

Take the time to stop and ...  ???

(I'm the OP, and I approve of the derailment direction that this thread is heading!   )

Take the time to stop & listen

... smell the compost.

I love the smell of compost in the morning.  It smells like victory!

I would have to say that my SFG is ENTIRELY under the Mental Health category of my budget.  It could be listed under any of the other original list, but its main function is to keep me relatively sane.  Altho' Hubby does not understand the lure of dirt, poop, and sunshine, (ever watched Monk?  Nature - dirty!) he sees it puts me in a better mood, so he is willing to put up with it.  He is also becoming more interested in organic food, so that is a plus for explaining the few expenditures I have now.  The original set-up was done with cheap or free materials, with the peat and vermiculite being the largest expense.  Any additions are done with scavenged materials, which adds to the fun for me.  I love searching for free lumber, manure, compost additives, seeds, etc.  And most of all, I love reading all the posts on this wonderful forum from others who understand the lure of poop and sunshine!

GG

"No dear, I'm NOT talking to myself...I'm talking to my plants."  

(overheard in my garden multiple times!)

boffer wrote:"No dear, I'm NOT talking to myself...I'm talking to my plants."  

(overheard in my garden multiple times!)