Financial Challenges Support Group
This community is for people who are struggling to meet financial obligations of any kind. Financial challenges include everything from the day-to-day challenges of making ends meet to managing credit card debt to bankruptcy. Get support from others who are going through similar obstacles on the road back to financial stability.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/352044/snap-theatrics-fall-flat-michael-tanner
For last few months I've been living on dollar cans of Chefboyardee, from nearby 5 & 10. Can also buy a loaf of bread there for $1.29. They also sell 2-litter soda for 89 cents. And a dollar for a small jar of coffee. A dollar for a 6 pack of oatmeal.
Not exactly healthy food, but, the convenience store is a 30 second walk for reclusive me. I pay cash; don't have whatever card.
it's catfood that's expensive---and then there's the cliche of poor people eating cat or dog food?! I don't think so; same place I buy cheap people food has 3 tiny fancy feast cans for astronomical 2 dollars.
I hate being poor---but I also hate politicians who get publicity by patronizingly saying people cant live on $4.50 of food a day.
For last few months I've been living on dollar cans of Chefboyardee, from nearby 5 & 10. Can also buy a loaf of bread there for $1.29. They also sell 2-litter soda for 89 cents. And a dollar for a small jar of coffee. A dollar for a 6 pack of oatmeal.
Not exactly healthy food, but, the convenience store is a 30 second walk for reclusive me. I pay cash; don't have whatever card.
it's catfood that's expensive---and then there's the cliche of poor people eating cat or dog food?! I don't think so; same place I buy cheap people food has 3 tiny fancy feast cans for astronomical 2 dollars.
I hate being poor---but I also hate politicians who get publicity by patronizingly saying people cant live on $4.50 of food a day.
-
-
I invited Bill to have dinner with me last Sunday. He wasn't willing to drive 7 hours to mid Michigan and teased me with his beautiful ribs!!! So, of course I ate alone and had cedar salmon
i got in a few minutes ago from 5 &10, and eckards...splurged on $1.75 ham spread, and stiffed my poor cats, with 55 cents a can friskies cat food. I really pigged out on the $1.75 ham spread and over 6 slices of bread; that was my breakfast.
then through alley behind my apt to go to nearby eckards for amazon card; the idea that a person cant live on $4.50 of food a day "forced' me to buy the $25 amazon card, which i really cant afford.
i also have an un-opened pack of ONE HUNDRED tea bags---for under TWO DOLLARS; walmart, tagless bags. Will start using them tomorrow; just finished a box of such tea.
I figured it out this morning. I eat a light breakfast and lunch and have a mid morning snack. Than a good dinner and a dessert. Right now it is roughly $7 a day.
I'd love to knock another dollar off of that...
Tea is a great drink that is relatively cheap. Walmart has sugar free powder drinks that are also quite cheap. The way you buy soda is the same with me. Only in liter bottles, never by the can.
I get the ham spread and chicken spread occasionally. For both I will boil a couple of eggs ( I do this with tuna too) and grate them and add that to the spread. I than will mix in some mayo and with the ham some pickle relish and make some excellent ham salad sandwiches.
I never buy fresh bread. I always go to the day old store and get a loaf for 60 cents and put it in the fridge... I make a sandwich for every lunch... so it never goes "bad."
There is a lot of creativity with food and I'm still learning everything I can do to eat cheap and yet eat good...
tea is great in bags...I get green tea bags and make sun tea...about ten bags to a gallon jug...it gets scuzzy if it sits too long in fridge...but I clean the jug and make more....
Our sons are both in school and living in apartments except when they are home for breaks. It's amazing how little they get away with spending on groceries when they have to pay for their own food.
water/plain tea
dried bulk rice (preferably brown)
dried bulk beans
frozen spinach
all cheap, all healthy & easy to store for emergencies, so they don't require frequent trips to the store.
Sure, no one would want to eat that for a solid week, much less for a longer-term , but in a dire situation, it could be a lifesaver.
And generic dried pasta and sauce can run about 25 cents per serving (or more like 50 cents a serving if you are like me and don't eat tiny fairy-like portions).
The rest of the time, food is very expensive, I hear you. I try to shop a lot at Aldi's and when I have time/energy, I try to make a lot from scratch.
I buy a lot of vegies because they don't weigh much and you can get large amounts for not much money. Plus it's healthy. I also buy rice in bulk. The last $15 10kg bag lasted over 6 months, and I used to have housemates. So rice is well worth it. I also look for meat that is around $2-$4 and chop it up into stir fries and casseroles and pasta bakes so it goes further. Tuna is great because it's cheap and you can put it in almost everything.
My major expenses are gluten free bread, pasta and cereal. Gluten free bread is about $6 for a tiny loaf! How i miss $1 white bread!
I'd like to see a politician survive on $4.50 of food a day. But that would never happen!