Anchorage family gardens to cut grocery costs as Alaska household expenses rise

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A two-person household in Alaska is expected to spend about $420 more this year on essentials such as gas, groceries, energy, medical care and housing compared with last year, according to Inflation Estimator’s Alaska tracker.

For some families, saving money has meant spending more time at home and growing food.

Stephanie Ellis brings her children, Asher and Eliana, to their community garden plot about once a week. She said gardening helps her family stretch its grocery budget while giving the kids a low-cost way to be outside.

“It’s self-sufficient, it’s beneficial, it can help you in the long run,” Ellis said. “It may be difficult sometimes, but you still get some sort of produce out of it.”

Ellis said she estimates her garden will save her family about $200 to $300 over the summer, money that can go toward other costs, including diapers.

“It helps with diapers, a lot, because diapers are getting really expensive,” she said.

Ellis said her family also has been trying to cut down on driving as fuel costs remain high. Since moving back to Anchorage, she said she has not had to fill up her gas tank for about two weeks.

Anchorage family gardens to cut grocery costs as Alaska household expenses rise(Courtesy Stephanie Ellis)

“It’s low, but I’m not filling it up every four days, or every two days anymore,” Ellis said.

Ellis said the cost of renting a community plot for the summer is far less than what some private gardeners charge. She estimated her community garden plot cost her about $40 for the season, compared with about $150 she said she was quoted elsewhere.

She also saves by starting plants from seed and saving seeds for future years.

“That saves you a whole ton of money when you go to germinate your own seeds,” Ellis said, describing a simple method using a plastic bag and a damp paper towel.

For Ellis, the garden is also about teaching self-sufficiency and supporting her mental health. She said she started gardening while dealing with postpartum depression and found it helped lower her stress.

“I feel less stressed because I know I can grow the food that we need,” she said.

Asher, her “number one helper,” spends much of the visit watering plants and checking on what’s growing, including peas, lettuce, cabbage and onions. He is not always a fan of the bugs that come with the work.

Anchorage family gardens to cut grocery costs as Alaska household expenses rise(Courtesy Stephanie Ellis)

The family also makes the most of nearby, free food options at the garden’s “food forest,” where Ellis said anyone can pick some native berries. Last week, she said they picked about 20 wild strawberries.

“Look at this one,” Asher said while spotting another ripe berry.

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