Cohousing-L Mailing List: Paying for common meals, was: Re: [C-L]_Common House Sound Proofing

[S. Kashdan (skashdan]

Here at Jackson Place Cohousing, in the heart of urban Seattle, we have
common meals five times per week, Monday through Thursday dinners, and
either Saturday or Sunday brunches. Occasionally we have a Saturday or
Sunday evening dinner instead of brunch. We have a meals club. We sign up
for the meals we want to eat for the coming month. The cooks and cleaners
also sign up for the coming month in advance. The cooks plan the meals a
month in advance too. There is a sign-up sheet that lists all the meals,
including the date and what will be served. On the sheet we indicate which
meal we will attend, and the cooks can refer to the sign-up sheet when
preparing the meals, so they know how many people will be eating, and what
specific dietary needs and desires they will work to accommodate. That way,
we can save money and  make our purchases from businesses we respect. The
meals team orders our dry and canned food in bulk and buys fruits and
vegetables once a week from local farmers. We pay for our meals in advance,
and the money is put into a fund for purchasing the things needed for the
kitchen. And as we attend meals, the amount for each is taken off our
account. One person keeps track of this. Meals are $3 for adults, and less
for children. That seems to be working so far. We have been doing this since
last May. There is some flexibility--if we invite guests, we try to let the
cooks know a few days in advance, but if we can't do that, we can ask if
there is enough food the evening of the meal anyway. And, if we want to eat
in our homes rather than in the common house for some reason, that's okay
too. Also, if we can't attend a meal, we can usually switch off, so we don't
have to pay for something we don't eat.  We usually have between 30 and 45
people at weekday meals, and between 20 and 30 at weekend meals.

Our meals team has been doing a very good job and everyone here is very
appreciative.
Sylvie Kashdan
Jackson Place Cohousing
800 Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA 98144
www.seattlecohousing.org

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Burgess" <aab [at] cichlid.com>
To: <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 9:05 PM
Subject: Re: [C-L]_Common House Sound Proofing


Rob Sandelin wrote:
>
> Just another note on this topic. There are a few people in my community
(and
> I've heard this from others as well) who do not attend meals because they
> are too loud and too chaotic. So there is this natural selection process
for
> new comers. They come to a dinner as part of their getting to know
> community. If they can tolerate the chaos,noise of community meals
(assuming
> that is how your meals are) they inquire further, those that can't
tolerate
> that environment, don't. So loud, chaotic community meals may become a
> filter for who joins you.

How do you (and other communities) 'bill' for common meals. Does everyone
pay or do you sign up or...
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