#aldi's grocery list

[aldi-official-australia]

Monosodium glutamate. It's used to make things more umami, like sugar or salt. It's rumoured to be 'very bad for you' for Stupid, Racist Reasons; because it's used a lot in East Asian food, because it tastes nice.

It's also in tomato sauce. And tomatoes. And cheese. Naturally.

Genuinely, I don’t know how else to get the word out, but I feel like if your home-cooked dinners don’t taste right, you're missing either paprika, sugar, butter, or chicken bouillon.

[chronicowboy]

traitor joe's x what if i (the grocery store song), molly grace

[emotionalsupportdman]

the aldi giveth (raw ginger root) and the aldi taketh away (no canned green chiles)

[tightwadspoonies]

How to Shop at an Asian (or other ethnic) Grocery Store

Do you live in or near a city in the US?

Need to save some money on groceries?

Might I introduce you to... shopping at the local Asian grocery?

Asian grocery stores aimed at an Asian-American customer base almost always beat the prices of their western (or for-western) counterparts. Often by a significant amount, especially in categories like produce, meat, rice, and spices. Plus in addition to lower prices, you get the satisfaction of supporting a small, local business instead of a larger chain store.

(Note that a lot of this information applies to other ethnic grocery stores as well, but we're using Asian because they're common in many cities, and have particularly good prices on produce.)

But it can be a little bit of a learning curve when you first start to shop at them. This post will give you the information you need to navigate them.

So how do you find a good Asian grocery store?

First, go on google maps and search "grocery".

Note that you are NOT googling "Asian Grocery" or "Cheap Grocery". If you search "Asian Grocery" you will get results for Asian stores marketing toward a western audience, and because of this, will be neat, shiny, and very pricey. If you search "Cheap Grocery" you will get stores marketing themselves as cheap, which generally are only slightly less expensive than their "expensive" counterparts (think Aldi). Okay in a pinch, but you can do better.

Second, look at the pictures of all the stores you can easily get to.

Here's what you want: not a lot of printed ads, pictures of hand-written signs (especially in languages other than English), food in cardboard bins, and you want it to look kind of "junky". Bonus points if you can see prices listed in the pictures or the people shopping there are mostly older, ethnic women.

Third, If you couldn't find anything like this, go on your city's subreddit.

Search "cheap", "cheap grocery" and "expensive grocery". Why "expensive grocery"? Because you want to find people complaining about grocery prices, and you want to see the advice they get. Many times, that advice is Asian or ethnic grocery stores.

If you're still not getting anything, google "[city name] cheap grocery" and "[city name] expensive grocery" (see above). Scroll until you get to FORUMS discussing groceries in your city. You DO NOT want blogs or articles. Again, you're looking at the advice people are given when they complain about grocery prices.

One of the first questions people ask upon walking into an Asian grocery store of the type discussed in this post is:

"Is the food I'm getting here safe to eat?"

The answer is just as safe as anywhere else you might shop.

You're probably used to very clean, pretty, well-lit, well-organized stores. This will probably not be that, but it will be regulated by the same health department that regulates those stores. They are held to the same standards.

It's a lot of work to keep a store looking like a western consumer expects. It's a lot less work (and thus less money) to keep a store looking like an ethnic career housewife or grandmother expects. That is largely where the savings comes from.

What's a good deal at an Asian grocery?

Produce. You're probably used to things like onions and carrots being the cheapest per pound. Here it's going to be greens, apples, pears, radish, cabbage and maybe squash and sweet potatoes. Check unit prices and prepare to try some new things. Also a pound of greens is a LOT of greens. Keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that you might see a few pieces of produce that are bruised or have mold on them. That's okay. Just don't buy those pieces. The rest of the batch is probably fine. Wash produce when you get home if you're concerned, though you should be doing that anyway.

Rice and dry beans. If you like to buy in bulk, you're in luck. Don't expect to walk away with a pound or two of these. They come in 40lb packages. But if you tailor most of your meals around them, those meals will be cheap af. There are also lots of different types of specialty rice if you want to make your own sushi or mochi. Learn how to soak and sprout beans.

Tofu. Tofu is expensive when you buy it at a health food store. It is not when you buy it at an Asian grocery. It probably won't be in pretty packages, but again, cheap is not going to be super pretty.

Meat and fish. Meat is generally going to be cheaper here, though maybe not by as much as the produce is. Pork will probably be your cheapest option. You may also see cuts you don't normally see, like tongue, intestine, liver, kidneys, blood, etc... "Weird," however, does not automatically mean cheap in this context. Check unit prices and prepare to be adventurous. If you don't know what else to do with them, dried fish and animal organs make fantastic stock when boiled.

Spices. Again with the extremely large quantities here. But very inexpensive compared with their western counterparts.

Candy. This makes a great inexpensive gift if you need one, since the candy sold at these stores is fairly exotic for a western audience.

What isn't a good deal at an Asian grocery?

Dairy. This includes fresh milk, butter, cheese, etc... If they have it, it will be very expensive. Consider buying elsewhere.

Eggs. Again, this will probably be as expensive or more than the eggs you could get at a western supermarket.

Snacks. Pre-made items will be expensive in general, even though they may be tempting because they are different from what you are used to and you don't need to learn to cook a new thing. Do your best to avoid these and make your own if you can. If you can't, frozen pork or vegetable dumplings are probably your best bet for a quick meal.

Bread. It's pricey. A lot of Asian cuisines use rice, noodles, or buns for their starch instead of western-style bread. So if you can find it it will often be a novelty item.

What else do I need to know?

It's okay to be overwhelmed by new ingredients. Look up some YouTube videos on how to cook certain ingredients if you're not familiar with them.

These are not supermarkets. They sell food and sometimes the kitchenware (steamers, woks, chopsticks, etc...) needed to cook it. You will probably need to get your soap and household items somewhere else.

Pay in cash if you can. Most of these are very small businesses and paying them cash makes it so they don't need to pay credit card fees. At the very least, make the minimum purchase before paying with a card.

[ms-demeanor]

So due to food allergies and other nonsense, the standard "we're out of..." grocery store pads aren't helpful for me - they have a ton of stuff if them that nobody in my house consumes and because I have to do my shopping at 3 stores the organization of the pads isn't terribly useful.

So I made my own as a whiteboard and stuck it on the fridge.

It's divided into 3 main categories: perishable foods, shelf-stable foods, and foods for specific individuals in the house.

All of us eat veggies and eggs and peanut butter, but large bastard is the only one who eats frozen pizza and sandwich rolls. All of us eat tofu and carrots, but I'm the only one who needs bread from a specific store and eats lunch meat.

This makes it easy for me to tell at a glance where shopping needs to be done (if I need a bunch of stuff then we have to go to trader Joe's, but if all we need are staples we can go to aldi; if we're low on a lot of pantry items but don't need any produce we can go to walmart).

The way that I put together the board is by figuring out the stuff that had most often necessitated a trip to the grocery store for just that one item. I can't tell you how many times I have started getting ready to cook and then had to run out and get onions because I forgot that we were out of onions.

Now if I'm down to one or two onions i put a dot on the board and the next time i go shopping i get onions. When i open the last bottle of tamari or bag of coffee, i put a dot on the board.

It's also a really handy list to have while getting ready to shop because we can stand in front of it and use it as a reminder to *check* what we're low on. Do we need milk? Open the fridge and figure out if we'll run out before the next time we go shopping. Does tiny bastard need more peas to reward her for taking her insulin? Open the freezer before we gather up the shopping bags to find out.

Then it's super easy to take a photo and go shopping, and when we get back to erase the dots for stuff we got but leave the dots for stuff from another store or that was out of stock.

I've been using system for a few months now and it has been very helpful for preventing food waste and for reducing the number of trips we take to the grocery store, both of which save us money.

It's made out of a small whiteboard (about 9x14 inches) that i glued magnets to. The list items are written in permanent marker and the dots are dry erase marker. I put dots in the center of the boxes because if you overlap permanent marker with dry erase, it will wear away the permanent marker.

Anyway. This system has helped me, maybe it will be helpful for other folks as well.

[tgirlwithreverb]

I saw that post about what to do if you're homeless again (the one that starts by telling you to spend all of your money on motel rooms lmao) anyway, here's a few thoughts, specifically for trans girls, cuz I don't really care otherwise tbh:

1) plan ahead, most trans girls are in precarious housing situations, you will have a much easier time when it falls apart if you already have a pack with most of the gear you need in it. Also, if you find yourself in a situation where you cant make rent, dont pay part of it, spend that money on gear, pocket the rest and leave, youll have a much nicer time. Look up your local eviction laws, you have plenty of time. (Gear list at the end)

2) travel! If you're in Arizona in May, leave. it's about to be hot as hell. If you're in Michigan in October, leave. It's about to be cold as hell. If you're in a big city, leave. It's way easier to be homeless pretty much anywhere else. Amtrak is cheaper and more comfortable than greyhound, hitchhiking is free and easy, if you're alone it's not that much slower than the previous two, and it's more fun, and sometimes people buy you food or whatever or give you money. I promise it's not scary and you're entirely capable of doing it, no matter who you are. 95+% of people who will pick you up are very nice. All you have to do is take the bus out of town, as far down the highway you can, to an exit with a truck stop if possible, then just stand on the side of the road with your thumb out until someone picks you up. You can stand at the bottom of the ramp(on the highway) near where the merge lane ends or at the top of the ramp(where there's usually a traffic light), the former is more likely to lead to cop interactions but will maybe get you a ride faster, check on hitchwiki for how the cops are in the area. don't be afraid to take a commuter bus or Amtrak to get out of a shitty cop area

3) skip shelters if you can (they are very occasionally a decent place to get stuff from) and encampments, good places to sleep include the trees near railroad tracks or highways, wooded areas behind shopping centers, sections of parks without paths, overgrown empty lots. Hang a tarp above you if there's an appreciable chance of rain, there's tons of YouTube tutorials on how to do this, maybe I'll make a post about what I usually do some day. There are many habits more fun than motel rooms, save your money for them lmao.

4) get on food stamps. This is easier in some places than others, but it makes the whole thing a lot easier. Just tell them you're homeless, if they don't give you a card the same day, you can probably ask to pick it up from that office, alternatively some drop in centers/day shelters can receive mail for you, or you can have it sent to general delivery(USPS service, look it up)

7) libraries are great for charging your phone and using wifi, but also keep an eye out, plenty of random outlets on the outsides of buildings are also powered

5) dumpster. sidewalk trash cans, Aldi, Einstein's, trader Joe's, pizza places, etc. You need to develop a bit of a sense for it but it's an easy way to get cooked food or travelling food or expensive food without spending resources. Also it's fun.

6) water is free, go into the bathroom of any gas station or grocery store in America(offer not valid in most big cities or on the west coast, but in that case just go to the library) and fill up your water bottle

8) hygiene notes: truckers get free showers from chain truck stops(loves, pilot/flying j) go there and ask them. convenient if you're hitchhiking, also you don't need to shower 3 times a day, really, you'll survive. Ditto with deodorant. Take care of your teeth though. Take your socks off every. day. Change them consistently. Safety razors give a good shave, work well without adequate water pressure, and the replacement blades are very stealable, they're kind of heavy though. Walmart makes these electric razors for women that take AA batteries and are pretty light but give a worse shave, also they kinda go through batteries, pick whatever works for you(cartridge razors suck)

9) traveling food notes: peanut butter is great, tortillas and bagels travel pretty well, tuna packets are pretty good protein for traveling(the ones with rice and beans or whatever are nice since theyre often the same price as the regular), condiment packets are free, hot sauce makes everything better, and mayo goes well with tuna and has a bunch of calories in it, salad dressing packets are free from truck stops and work well turning the Walmart shredded vegetable packages (labeled for making into slaw, next to the bagged salads) into a salad with real vegetables(not iceberg lettuce) in it or mixing in with tuna packets for even more calories than mayo

Gear world:

Necessary items(in order of importance): a gallon of water carrying capacity(an Arizona jug or other twist top jug is conventional, but a bladder+arizona bottles also works), a tarp(larger than 6'x9', not brightly colored), a hank of parachord, a sleeping bag (20° rated, synthetic insulation), a backpack with a padded hip belt(at least 50L, no more than 75), rain gear(a rain poncho might cover your pack too, a rain jacket can help with wind when its cold, a trash bag inside or outside your pack can keep it dry, a plan to watch the weather and not get caught also works), a z-fold foam sleeping pad, three pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear (at least one pair of boxer breifs strongly recommended if you arent incredibly skinny), a decent pair of shoes with good arch support, a functional jacket(skip if you got a rain jacket before), a base layer(wool or poly, absolutely no cotton)

Convenient items: a sleeping bag liner(cotton free, keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer), gallon zip locks to pack your stuff in(helps keep it dry and organized), no more than one change of clothes(as light as possible), a multi-tool(can opener, pliers, wire cutter), lighter(burning rope ends etc), spoon, floss and needles for patching

[drdemonprince]

Could you reshare your shoplifting tips

I can't find it so here's a new list for you:

Identify appropriate targets. The ideal store to shoplift from will generally be a large, understaffed, moderately failing business. Walgreens right now is experiencing a huge uptick in shoplifting because its prices are too high and it doesn't have enough staff. Most of the time when I walk into my local Walgreens they don't even have enough staff to have anybody at the registers, let alone to keep an eye on the door. Usually I'm more subtle than this, but at some moments you can literally just walk out the door. Other good shoplifting targets are places like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, CVS, Aldi, non-fancy grocery stores, Meijer, places like that. Be more careful with small businesses. Be more careful with Target, or anywhere with security at the front. Neighborhoods matter too. Wealthy white neighborhoods are more heavily policed and if you stand out as visibly poor in an area where most aren't, you'll have more eyes on you.

Stake out the place. Visit the shoplifting target a variety of times, under a variety of conditions. Notice the ebb and flow of the space -- when does it get busy, when are there are a lot of staff on the floor, when are the lines really long. Check out the exits and the flow of human traffic. Pay some attention to security cameras, but don't assume that they're all even real, or being watched by an actual human. Many stores have fake cameras or only check the footage after there's been an Event. With experience, you will get better at sensing when is a good time to lift, and when not.

Steal at busy times. It's easiest to slip in and out unnoticed, especially without having bought anything, if you go at a time when there's a large traffic flow. You generally don't have to worry about customers ratting you out, unless you're in a very Karen-y neighborhood.

Carry or wear something you can subtly slip items into. I prefer using a tote bag that I act like I'm shopping into. It's very easy and casual to just place items in the bag, readjust the bag so that nothing can be seen poking out of the top, and then stroll out. (Sometimes after buying a few items, sometimes not). I have also used the side pockets on a backpack, or just my pockets. The key is to put items away in a relaxed manner, and to not obviously overstuff yourself. Don't bring TOO big of a bag, don't fill up your pockets TOO much. Keep it very light and subtle.

Avoid being sus. Don't spend a full hour in the grocery store. Don't circle the same two aisles over and over again visibly holding an item you're looking to take. Don't look around suspiciously at the cameras or the staff.

Act bored. This is my NUMBER ONE TIP to avoid being told you're not supposed to do something, whether it's tresspassing on a property, shoplifting, vandalizing, or just using the restroom you wanna use as a trans person. ACT BORED. Act tired and vaguely annoyed and like this is your last errand at the end of a long day and that you've been to this shop a million times before. People are far more likely to ignore you if you seem both relaxed and like you're too weary and over it to be even worth looking at. You can move at a decent pace, still, so long as you treat it like an errand you're just trying to Get Over With so you can get home and chill out.

have fun!!

[copperbadge]

Because we are a lung-related nonprofit, my office is still generally confined to remote work; most of us only come into the office for special events. Last time I was in-office I got to chatting with a colleague about groceries and cooking -- specifically about how I have gotten really good at making pizzas, but I'm going to have to find a new sauce recipe since Trader Joe's stopped stocking their pesto rosso. (One jar of TJ's pesto rosso, a can of plain tomato sauce, and a hearty helping of penzey's salt-free italian seasoning was my previous recipe.)

She and I are both in the office again today and she surprised me by dropping by and handing me two jars of pesto rosso -- she'd found it at Aldi (which is owned by the same family that owns Trader Joe's) and thought of me. It's visibly a different recipe but looking at the ingredients list it's not that different, and it looks like it's got some nice texture to it, so I'm excited to try it out. Kind of her to think of me!

Making a mental note, everyone's going to be in-office in about two weeks for the all staff, I should bring her a loaf of bread. I'd make her a pizza but they're a bit harder to transport...

[all-things-are-nothing-to-me]

Can u lend advice on dumpster diving

Yeah. I usually go at least an hour after the store has closed. Sometimes during the day before shopping lol. Like I'll check the dumpster before going inside to buy stuff, to save money lol.

Anyways. Tools that come in handy. Headlamp, latex gloves (or similar if you're allergic to latex), something to carry the food. That's pretty much it. So I have like specific stores i dumpster around here and all but two are grocery stores. You can use google maps to check if they have a compactor or a dumpster. Or just go in person. You can't dumpster compactors, well you can but it's sketchy so best to avoid them. This is a compactor, it squishes the garbage. That's why it's dangerous, don't wanna get squished.

Wear jeans and boots if ya can. You might get liquids on you so don't wear something you don't wanna get dirty. It's easier with two people. With two people typically, I will go in the dumpster with my headlamp on. Find a box and hand it to the person outside. And then hand them food to put in the box. Check if it looks good beforehand but also if it's like there's a bad orange in the bag but the rest are fine. Just take it out when you get home. You don't wanna spend too much time in there, in case someone comes to kick you out. I go an hour after closing to avoid workers still being around. If you do get kickec out don't let them scare you into putting the food back into the dumpster. Just take it. Doing it alone is pretty much the same except I leave the box outside of the dumpster and just drop things into it. For dumpsters that have less things in them, I just bring my own bags.

Aldi is almost always good. If ya have them. Publix, trader joes and whole foods too. Oh and don't make a mess. It blows up the spot. If you take trash out to better move around, put it back in when you're done. Sorry I know this is kinda rambly. Here's a zine lol. Just scroll past all the anti monogamy zines til you find the dumpster diving one. It was written by friends who I've dumpstered with so, I vouch for it. Oh and one more thing. If it's empty don't be discouraged, try again on another day. If it's consistently bad, just scrap that one from your list of dumpsters.

[prettyboykatsuki]

Having post notifs on while trying to check my grocery list is insane work. Read your asks and caught myself doing kegels in the Aldi 😟

SJEJFNGNAMDBFNSNFHJDJ KEGELS IN ALDI PLEASEEEE . people who have my notifs on are gods strongest soldiers

[chicago-geniza]

Slept fitfully for 10 hours and woke up with a migraine aura, prayer circle for accomplishing Tasks today. We refilled pills yesterday and set ourselves up with energy drink and Adderall on our bedside table (ty Westlin for inspiration). Here are some tasks:

Meds

Vitamins ✅

Inhalers ✅

Wash face ✅

Moisturize face, hands ✅

Adderall ✅

Mucinex ✅

Drink Rockstar

Watch Star Trek until Adderall kicks in

Make breakfast (scramble eggs with "power greens" & gochugaru, serve with kimchi)

Eat breakfast while watching Star Trek

Brush teeth

Change into day clothes (put t-shirt on under hoodie, black cargo pants)

Collate grocery lists but keep them discrete (Notes app)

Empty storage stuff out of roller grocery cart because it will be used for its intended purpose

Retrieve headphones from charging dock

Walk to bus stop

Bus to Aldi

Grocery shop

If Aldi has bowls buy a really big salad bowl, you've been wanting one of those for awhile

Bus to apartment

Drop off groceries, say hi

Take bus back

Take 82 to Korean grocery store

Buy soup kits, vegan kimbap, tofu, soup bowls, and more hand lotion

For dinner eat that giant salad before it goes bad but put a cut-up hot dog in it

Shower before bed if you're nasty

[follow-up-news]

A recall of hundreds of frozen waffle products and other toaster foods sold in many U.S. grocery stores has expanded because they may be contaminated with dangerous listeria bacteria, the manufacturer said Tuesday. TreeHouse Foods Inc., of Oak Brook, Illinois, said the updated recall includes all products made at a factory in Ontario, Canada, and sold at stores including Albertson’s, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and others. The recall includes frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles and pancakes, the company said. No illnesses linked to the recall have been confirmed. The company is working with the U.S. and Canadian food safety regulators to resolve the problem. The recalled waffles are sold under a variety of names including Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Good & Gather. A complete list of the affected products can be found on the TreeHouse website. Consumers should throw away the products or return them to stores for a refund. TreeHouse officials issued a limited recall on Oct. 18 after routine testing found listeria at the Brantford, Ontario, factory. Additional testing indicated that more manufacturing lines at the plant could be contaminated with the bacteria, the company said. Production was halted and the company said it intends to restart production after taking steps that include “deep cleaning, sanitation, hygienic restoration” and other procedures. The company operates 26 sites in the U.S. and Canada that make private brand foods and beverages, according to its website. No other plants were affected, officials said.

[jup1ter-moon]

hello tumblr here is a list of where me and my girlfriend think magnus archives characters would grocery shop (with notes from my dear mother) jonathon sims - doesn't shop (sometimes goes to waitrose specifically for the sourdough rolls) martin - mainly aldi but loves a tesco meal deal sasha - lidl tim - boots or sainsburys gertrude - waitrose elias - refuses to shop and makes peter do it peter - iceland or sometimes heron foods (hate sainsburys because his mum would take him shopping with her as a child) michael shelly - asda gerry - co-op jared hopworth - farm foods (also, he would buy condensed milk in a tin from a corner shop and drink it while walking around. based on some horrors i witnessed from my friends boyfriend) georgie - asda melanie - co-op but she doesn't go shopping without georgie because she ends up getting into fights (she's banned from one stop) daisy - matalan food hall (or just stealing animals directly from farmers fields) basira - heron foods helen richardson - waitrose simon fairchild - costco, specifically the hot dogs mike crew - tesco express jude perry - greggs (she likes putting her hands in the shelves with the hot to go food. once brought agnes there for a date but agnes wanted to sit outside in the wind and so they went home.) oliver banks - sainsburys annabelle cane - costa coffee. for all groceries rosie - co-op (because she has short lunch breaks) or lidl ("when she finally escapes" according to my girlfriend) not!sasha - farm food but she only buys seeds and eats them in store mary - waitrose. she used to shop at asda but thought she was too high class for their self service jurgen leitner - tescos (specifically for the wine) or sometimes greggs if he's feeling brave jane prentiss - co-op or boots (my mum staunchly disagrees with this and i dont know why) john amherst - tesco but only the grimy ones

[terezillustrations]

Edon's Wish List

I’m a black disabled trans artist trying to survive in Florida, and I’ve been offering comms for a while bc I need money to afford things like rent and groceries and food for my emotional support animals, but it hasn’t been going well so far. I’m hoping to find people who root for me as a person as well as like my work as an artist. So if you’re interested and have the funds to spend, please buy me something I could really use (in the list below the images) in exchange for some fabulous art of whatever you want or artist's choice! Ask for my paypal/venmo/cashapp in dm.

$5-15 - you get a sketch

$16-30 - you get multi of above or one line art

$50-100 you get multi of above or one rendered illustration, no bg

$101+ you get multi of above or one rendered illustration with bg

If you want anything unique like custom clothing, character design sheets, or traditional art, etc, you'll have to pay for cost of materials, shipping, as well as a min of $60 towards any of the following (below images). I don’t do mecha or hate/bigoted art.

Critical Needs

Vet appointment for Darla - $200 Unfortunately, Darla passed in 2024 from her conditions and age.

Recurring Purchases

Testosterone - $20 for 3-month supply + syringes, $15 per doctor’s visit

Jersey’s (cat) food and treats (up to a month’s worth) - $30

Darla’s (dog) food and treats (up to a month’s worth) - $15-70

Anubis’s (dog) food and treats (up to a month’s worth) - $50

Cat litter - $10 (y’all check out Aldi for basic pet supplies. It’s good quality for very affordable prices!)

Darla’s Meds (monthly) - $40

Weekly groceries - $40-50

Subscriptions (monthly) - $10-30

Gas - $90-120

One-Time Purchases

Shelving - $25-50

Cat Tree - $120-150

Furniture - $100-200

Misc - $10-50

Business

Art Supplies - $15-50

Inventory - $100-300

Subscriptions - $5-30

Camcorder - $100-150

Sewing Machine - $100-150

Ring light - $20

Art Venues - $80-100 monthly

Don@ions toward 🍉, Sudan, and Congo relief efforts (will provide receipts) - $15-100

Extra

Get myself something nice - $20-50

Go to a con - $150-200

Buy something extra for my fur-babies - $10-30

(Things that will be coming up in the near future: trip to Canada to see my gf, professional service dog training lessons, ADHD meds (possibly), I’m turning 26 next year so I will be kicked off my parents health insurance by April 2026! Possibly moving out of the country after I finish my degree, so looking within the next 1-2 years. Anything else, I’ll keep y’all updated! Ty!❤️)

[stevishabitat]

Was on Pinterest (I know, I do sometimes cheat on Tumblr with the Pretty Plagiarism Hellsite, I'm not proud of it)

Anyway, I saw this and just about threw my phone...

(I didn't throw my phone because I have to use it to sign into the work VPN so I can keep my job)

But I literally saw red for a brief second.

My fridge, freezer, and pantry currently consist of about 20 eggs, half a loaf of bread (gift from my mother), several servings of cooked black beans, some cooked white rice, a bag of frozen peas, about five frozen chicken nuggets, a pound of dry white rice, a small jar of dried lentils, a small jar of split peas, a slightly larger jar of pinto beans, two packets of minute rice, two packets of ramen (another gift from my mother at kiddo's request), several cans of spaghettios, several cans of tomato paste, two tins of tuna, a few packets of instant oatmeal, a tin of hopefully not stale steel cut oats, and some bisquick for pancakes & waffles.

I do have a little less than a pound of flour, and things like sugar, baking soda, baking powder, some spices, some condiment packets, vinegar, and some boullion. Oh, and some coconut oil that's been in the freezer for awhile, meant for making hand cream, but isn't rancid so it's getting used for coating the electric skillet and waffle maker once we'd run out of olive oil and butter.

This is what we'll be cooking with until the next pay day/grocery day in two weeks.

So, I'm not quite at the level of food insecure, but I'm pretty damn broke.

And the pictures on that pin are just nothing like what we're able to eat. Ever. For at least the last 10 years. I don't even remember the last time I was able to buy meat on a regular basis.

Canned chili with meat instead of beans and chicken nuggets are like Special Occasion foods for kiddo and I rarely have any (because I can easily sub beans, kiddo has sensory issues with most beans).

I might get myself a single chicken pot pie from time to time, especially in the winter. But I can't afford to buy like cuts of chicken to make my own. It's too much money to spend at once on just one thing. My $35 grocery shops twice a month have to cover a LOT.

Plus when we moved in (2021), the stove/oven was broken, so we had a scrapper haul it away for the recycling value. So we've been using a toaster oven and small electric skillet since then.

I had a little remorse at my knee-jerk reaction to the cover photo, so I clicked into the blog to see what the actual list was like. Title of the blog is Boss Single Mama, so maybe she knows what she's talking about. Maybe she's been there for real.

Nope. Chicken, beef, ham, almost every dish has meat. Cheeses and other dairy, a variety of vegetables, all things that we get very sparingly and use in small amounts on many meals, not as a main ingredient.

And even thinking back to my childhood it wasn't much different. We shopped at Aldi before it was cool and their selection was far more limited. Most of our meals were rice or pasta based, with meat only appearing as ground beef, tuna, and sometimes bologna.

Hot dogs were a special treat and even those weren't used on a bun. They were cut up in a pasta salad or casserole. Sometimes if we had a few leftover we would eat them the next day fried in a pan and wrapped in bread or a tortilla and that was a good day! We bought the cheap cheese in blocks and had to grate it because Aldi didn't even carry shredded cheese back then.

This is the kind of thing that makes me feel like when most people talk about being broke, or living frugally, or thrifty, or struggle meals, or whatever the trendy phrase is... They're talking about something vastly different than my daily life.

And it just makes me feel crappier about how I'm raising my kiddo, and it seems like there's so few resources to help people who are actually struggling. Whose lives don't look like a Boss Single Mama blog.

Anyway, if you ever feel the same way, you aren't alone. I raise my bowl of bean & tomato sauce rice to you! We are survivors, in spite of it all.

[sybaritick]

"I'm good at remembering numerical information, but really bad at remembering what I need at the grocery store. Like yesterday I asked Omii what was it again I was supposed to buy from Aldi and it was a single obvious item (bread). What if I assign every item I regularly buy at the grocery store a number, then remember my shopping list as the list of numbers? Would I remember it more easily?" -- real 'statements dreamed up by the utterly deranged' situation this morning