About Me & The Penny Pantry

glass canisters above my oven with chalkboard labels

I have been vegan non-stop for the past 8 years and have never looked back! I’ve also been vegetarian for nearly 30 years. I was vegan (and stopped) for two years about 17 years ago. So, I guess you could say collectively, I have been vegan for 10 years. 🙂

I love to cook, and am passionate about cooking healthy vegan food for friends and family. I started cooking at an early age, and by age 10 I was cooking full dinners for my family, complete with lemon, orange or lime meringue pies for dessert. I enjoy a lot of the old fashioned ways of doing things. Although my feet are planted in the suburbs, I am a pioneer girl at heart.

Photos of me at age 5 holding a mixer and making cupcakes and holding a tray of cupcakes with flower decorations
Cupcakes my Mom and I made to take to my Kindergarten class. I was shaking inside holding that mixer!

I live in a suburb about 20 miles outside San Francisco, CA. I am a Bay Area Native, and third generation in my family to call these parts home. I have always loved the Bay Area with our mild climate and cultural diversity.

I grew up on a hill in an A-Frame house, surrounded by large oak trees and animals of various sizes. I attended Quaker Church as a child, we milked our goats to make goat cheese, and grew our tomatoes to can marinara sauce. We rarely watched T.V. Our days were spent doing chores, reading, or playing outside. My Mom had her own Montessori School on our property, and the “city kids” loved to spend time with our animals, especially the cuddly rabbits.

My household today consists of my 18 year old vegan daughter (vegetarian since birth, vegan by choice for 8 years), my husband (of 26 years) who is a self proclaimed vegetarian but vegan at home, and our two adored rescued fur babies: a fluffy cat and a greyhound. My daughter’s friends make regular appearances (especially at mealtime! 🙂 ) and feel like family, too!

Twenty years ago, I stumbled onto a way of saving money on my groceries that reduced my grocery expenses by 90%! We have used this system ever since.

I started this website in hopes to help other people reduce their monthly grocery expenses as dramatically as I have. We have never felt deprived; actually the opposite is true! We eat better, healthier, and our pantry and freezer are always well stocked.

With the money we save on groceries and frugality in other areas, we have been able to make lifestyle choices that we wouldn’t have been afforded otherwise.

I am so glad you are here! Whatever your own lifestyle goals, saving money on your grocery expenses can help you achieve these goals. 🙂

Amy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Penny Pantry

The Penny Pantry