#eating on a Budget

[icequeen1371]

You can tell people that grew up, or are still middle income, or being taken care of by middle income, parents, or grew up in a house where there’s money. But they didn’t consider themselves rich or are rich. Just saw someone post something supposedly helpful. A list of 13 things people “usually have in their kitchen“ but can’t think of what to make for a meal. Meanwhile, no, not everyone has avocados and green bread or eggs let alone, fruits and vegetables in their fridge. Do you want to talk about making a meal? How about you? Talk about the bread, the ketchup, the mustard, no eggs, pasta, and maybe a can of pasta sauce, and a leftover container of butter in the fridge. Make some pasta, put a little bit of margarine on that to loosen up the noodles, a splash of sauce, couple of cheese slices to melt within the pasta stirred up at salt and pepper a bit of garlic powder some Parsley, because those are all found at the dollar store. And you have yourself a meal. If you do have eggs, you could put those on toast and make a toasted egg sandwich. If you’re lucky enough to have peanut butter in the house call me you can make a toasted peanut butter sandwich. A lot of it depends on bread. If you have no bread, depends on pasta. Pasta is really cheap but the dollar store. There’s not much room in a freezer when you’re low income because you deal with the freezer that you have in the apartment that you’re renting. So bread has to be a weekly thing, make sure you have $10 on top of the fridge or in the cupboard put away specifically to go buy bread every week. Because a lot of times if you don’t have bread, you can’t eat. Bags from the dollar store are a good thing, makes you feel like you actually have something to drink besides water from the tap. Get a bag of sugar and use it sparingly don’t have super sweet tea. Otherwise she’ll run out fast. Milk always runs out. That’s why I always kept a can of carnation milk in the cupboard just in case. You can always water it down for cereal if you’re desperate. If it’s cold, you can’t really tell. Canned vegetables, canned fruit. They can last along time you don’t have to worry about them. Going to waste in the fridge. Ramen noodles, there’s 1 million recipes for those out now. Get all your spices at the dollar store. Eggs and tuna are always great protein but don’t spoil fast. Learn how to love drinking water from the tap. Buy a case and refill the water bottles but don’t forget to clean the lids and the rims at least once a week and if the bottles get cloudy? Throw them out and save for another case. Yes, I said save because some people don’t have a three dollars to spend on a case of water or don’t want to spend the money on non-reusable plastic. You can always pick up some water bottles from the dollar store that are reusable and fill those up in your fridge. Just don’t forget to wash them with the dishes at least once a week. Can’t exactly offer those people when your mouth has been all over them. Lol so always make sure you at least have a couple bottles put away for guests. Get to love no name brand soda. When you have money to treat yourself get namebrand. But not like a case of it or something. And a case is always cheaper in the long run than just one 2 L bottle, so you can afford it ration it out. It’s not actually that bad. Cinnamon sugar on toast, a can of tuna mixed with a Lipton sidekick creamy Parmesan with half a can of peas, mix that up well with a little salt and pepper and you’ve got tuna casserole for two people. Three people if you have a little salad on the side. or you can make garlic bread. Even if you’re using slices of bread. Toast them, then butter them, add a little bit of garlic and herb seasoning to each one with a little handful of cheese, or even just some Parmesan cheese shaken on top. Let that toast, got some real cheap and garlic bread. Pretty tasty if you’re in a pinch. And you’re not bougie like people are now. I’ve had to put ketchup in hot water with half a can of mixed vegetables to make myself some soup before. Cheap eating is a skill.

[foodandfolklore]

Loblaws Boycott. How to get affordable food?

Today is May 1st; which means it is the start of the Loblaws Boycott across Canada. For those unfamiliar with the situation, food prices in Canada have been climbing to astronomical sums. Our main chain Grocery Stores keep increasing prices beyond what is normal inflation. Because they know as Mortals, we need to eat. And the further north you go, the worse it gets. They have already been caught artificially raising Bread prices a few years back, and blaming the price hike on the War in Ukraine. They set a price, We pay for it, and then they keep the price cause clearly people are willing to pay /s

So a boycott has been organized by people of Canada through social media and has even been talked about by TV News Outlets. The idea being to speak with your wallet and pressure change. The problem for many, however, is...Loblaws is just so massive, they don't see other alternatives. They own No Frills, Great Canadian Superstore, Shoppers Drugmart, and a ton more. For many Canadians, it seems like Loblaws is their only option in their area.

So I want to provide a list of some options for people to still get fed. Or even if you don't want to engage in the boycott, you just wanna find affordable food.

Costco and Walmart If a friend of family member has a Costco Membership and is willing to take you with them, do it. The workers there don't police who has the membership, so long as someone has one. You can bulk buy a bunch of staples like Meat, Cheese, Toilet Paper and Coffee for much cheaper in the long run. However, Buying in bulk is not always feasible for everyone. They either don't have the space or they can't afford to drop a few hundred dollars on a single shop. Walmart is a controversial suggestion because they have some....history. And your values may require you to not shop at Walmart. But if you need some accessible groceries for reasonable prices, Walmart actually has a very good selection.

2) International/Local Stores This is not really an option if you live more rural. But if you can find a nearby Asian Grocer or Halal Store you can get a lot of stuff. And not just rice. Legumes, Beans, Meat, Seafood; you'd be surprised how much you can get. You may also find a gem of a bakery or butcher.

3) Farmers Markets It's getting to growing season in Canada. Be Sure to check your near by Farmers Markets. You'll mostly find Fruits and Veggies, but may also be some local honey and eggs if you're lucky. This is also a great option for people who feel eating Organic food is important.

4) Food Waste Apps There is a surprising amount of apps dedicated to preventing food waste by selling you food that is about to be thrown away. The food is still good, and the reason for Discarding varies, but commonly it's because it's approaching it's best before date or Expiration date. Food can still be consumed after it's best before date, so long as it's not spoilt. Different areas will have different Levels of Activity on Different apps. A store needs to opt in before you can buy anything. So check out a few different ones. Flash Foods, Food Hero, and Too Good to Go are popular.

5) Ugly Food Boxes A lot of food gets chucked cause it doesn't conform to our expectation of how that food should look. It grew in a weird way and despite being totally fine to eat; Stores don't want to sell them. So you can get Subscription Boxes of Ugly Produce. Which I think is kinda fun. I remember being younger and my mom pointing out the funny shaped peppers. This isn't entirely a new concept, and many people would of probably heard of Imperfect Foods. However, this is a USA only service; useless to us Canadians. But we can try Odd Bunch or Eat Impact. The bonus with this is it's delivered directly to you. Great for people like myself who can't Drive but love to cook.

6) Meal Kits You see it all the time on Youtube: Try Hello Fresh and get so many meals free, yada yada. Well....it might be worth a try. You can cancel these kits at any time, and them hop back on them later. Like a streaming service. A friend of mine apparently does this. Ordering a box when the value of what they're offering is worth the price to her. Not a great option if you tend to forget to cancel subscriptions *cough* (Hi) but it can be a really smart way to get exactly what you want for a good price. Plus if you use a sponsor code, or a coupon in the mail.... Hello Fresh and Make Good Food are the two more well known meal kits available in Canada.

[pumpkinsplicelatte]

LMAO this is such BULLSHIT. Every single item in the "healthy" cart is the in-store brand while almost every single item in the "junk food" cart is like the MOST expensive name brand. You can get TWICE the amount of generic brand ice cream for a full dollar less than that price. And mac and cheese goes for like, less than fifty cents a box, the cups are just for convenience. Not to mention the "healthy" options from Walmart are going to be measly, watered down proportions because that's how they cut costs. Also what meal are you going to make with all of those random frozen veggies? I'd love to know.

I'd also like to add that the Tai Pei in the "junk food" cart is by no means junk food; it is a fine premade meal with rice, veggies, and meat that can be made at home or on the go and just because it was a pricier item in the freezer aisle when our ill-informed OP was doing their shopping it is by no means an unhealthy "junk food" meal.

Just because I love talking about food and finance so much, here's what you can get for $20 ($21ish but still) at Walmart.

Shopping for junk food: 6 items

And shopping for healthy foods: 15 items (even decided to splurge a bit on meat!)

See the difference? You can feed a family for at least a few days with $20 shopping healthy while you can maybe feed a single person for a couple days while shopping for junk food.

Now I'll admit, I'm not an expert at shopping for junk. There's a fair chance that there are some foods I could have exchanged to boost the junk numbers. But honestly? I really tried. Aside from great value ice cream instead of hägen dass and ramen instead of the Velveeta cups, I can't think of how to stretch a buck further (and mind you, I work at Walmart so it's not like I'm unfamiliar with the store). But even if I did do that, it still wouldn't compare. Junk food is expensive!

[800-dick-pics]

Help Disabled Lesbians of Color Eat!!!

My partner and I have food allergies and digestive/immune issues, and due to my partner only finding this out recently we havent been able to buy all the food we both need to eat! My partner is basically loosing a lot of weight and starving at work because we dont have any food shes not allergic to for her to eat. I just need $200 to get us some foods that dont make us sick, it has been really hard for my partner so if you can pls show us some support.

$200 Goal

CA: $sleepyhen

VN: wildwotko

DM for Paypl

[mimikyuno]

NO WAYYY!! 🫨🙏🏻

[foldingfittedsheets]

I’m in the little store today and every time I think I’m gonna have downtime I pull out my laptop and every time I pull out my laptop we get a bunch of customers.

I feel like I’m just gonna post up on a bed with my kindle instead of chancing fate a third time.

[faelapis]

journey to bethlehem SLAPS. it is so fucking extra. its so "high school musical but 5% more religious" that i genuinely had to double-check to make sure kenny ortega had nothing to do with it.

[gentrychild]

Does All Might think Anyone is taking advantage of the thief?

All Might thinks they are working together, as Anyone is a good way for a vigilante to make some money, but he doesn't think one is taking advantage of the other. More exactly, he doesn't want to assume anything when it comes to their relationship.

[transmutationisms]

i do not understand why so many people would prefer to pay extra money to waste resources importing bland bruised offseason fruit than just eat something else... theres literally other foods in the world

[meet-the-courier]

Dear B:

I saved you a plate of meatloaf and potatoes. It's in the microwave whenever you're ready. Be careful out there.

Lots of luck,

~Cook xo

Brodie: "Ahh meatloaf. Just like Momma used to make. Thanks, C! Hopefully the microwave wont explode again."

shout out to mickmundane for jack of all trades note, vacueye for hazards note and @arts-of-gjb for the actual handdrawn doodle done by her oc, Agatha!!! We LOOOVE using the fridge as a bulletin display board

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

i couldn’t live in a world without seafood … couldn’t live without salmon and tuna and sushi and shrimp and crab. surimi even . i need them to Live

[tojisun]

[push. pushpush. steals puck. skates away.]

[myloveismineallmine]

i think the problem about the watcher situation is they literally only produce like 1-2 videos a week. if you have a channel like GMM or smosh that produce 5-6 videos a week, maybe the monthly paid subscription would be feasible? but even those channels put the vast majority of their content out for free and just offer an optional paid membership to get exclusive content. paying anywhere from $1.50 to $0.75 for one 20-40 minute video when actual streaming services offer you hours of content for around the same price just does not feel equal at all.

[asleepinawell]

ffxiv team: and of course 85% of the budget will be going to food effects

[daftpatience]

I WANNA SAY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHOS GOTTEN ME THINGS FROM MY TOPSURGERY RECOVERY LIST!!!

theres only a coupla things left on it and im so overjoyed ;w; yall have been angels 2 me

[swagging-back-to]

it should be a cut and dry case if you go to a restaurant and get glutened by them. and by case i mean criminal. not just suing for damages and distress.