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The Poverty Diet

CristalBelle Posts: 1,389 Joined: 2003/06/27	2003/12/09, 10:33 AM Hey guys. It's a slow time right now at my husbands work, and we really have no money for food. For the past couple of days, we have been eating toast and spaghetti. Anyone know any foods that are fairly cheap but will give us the nutrition we need to get through the next few weeks? My husband calls this the poverty diet as he has already lost 5 lbs. I just need some ideas on cheap foods, and creative ideas on how to use canned tuna(seems like we have more of that then we need) Thanks for the help.
mikencharleston Posts: 1,585 Joined: 2002/01/09	2003/12/09, 11:01 AM Take a look at some oriental recipes - you can stretch the budget quite a ways with some 5 spice, brown rice and a few other things. Dried beans can be had pretty cheaply and go a long way.
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2003/12/09, 11:34 AM Are there any discount grocert stores there? We have a chain here called Aldi (spelling) tuna is 30cent a can. Mix 1-2 cans of tuna with on box mac and cheese. tastey! Also pasta and a few egs mixed in and cooked with any kinda of meat is good as well. -------------- LIFT HEAVY! BECOME STRONG, LIKE BULL!
Deby Posts: 333 Joined: 2002/08/05	2003/12/09, 01:50 PM Red beans and rice! Perfect protein. -------------- Gramma
dellafalls Posts: 41 Joined: 2003/09/27	2003/12/16, 02:44 PM Lential, and rice, you can spice it up, and it good and super cheap!!!
Carivan Posts: 8,542 Joined: 2002/01/20	2003/12/16, 05:33 PM Some grocery stores sell turkey frames. They make great turkey soup with peas and lentills, carrotts. -------------- "A will finds a way" Ivan Montreal Canada
rickyshot Posts: 153 Joined: 2003/05/13	2003/12/24, 11:09 AM I suffered real poverty for ten years and lived on beans and rice. Make sure your rice is brown. There are all types of beans. Being from the South I cooked them with hamhocks which added some nice cheap meat to them as well as flavor but you can do many veggie type dishes with them. Two ideas for tuna. (1) take the tuna and mix it with 2 tbsp of low fat or light mayo, pepper, lemon juice, scallion and grated carrot. 2 Take the tuna use the above recepie but add some curry powder and raisons. I made that one up and it tastes good. Canned veggies are cheap and contrary to what you hear are nutritious but of course the flavor is not the same as fresh but hey the budget rules. I know. Big family bags at your grocer of frozen veggies are cheap and tasty too. Search the net for recepies with beans, tuna, salmon (in the can) and different salads on the cheap. Very few people in America are really hungry but it does happen. It happened to me years ago and I went begging for food but most poor people can eat healthy here with some planning. Use coupons I use to save forty dollars each trip with double coupon days and that was the eighties.
CristalBelle Posts: 1,389 Joined: 2003/06/27	2003/12/26, 10:46 AM Thank you all for your suggestions. It has been difficult, especially when I made a concoction using our last box of mac and cheese that was so gross we couldn't eat it. Good news however. For Christmas we recieved a 100$ gift certificate to Winco Foods. I am going to stock up on the basics, chicken breast, cereal, canned soup, rice ect. Hopefully doing this will help ease things if we have another month of very low income.
workingoutgirl Posts: 289 Joined: 2001/11/15	2003/12/26, 02:08 PM We've all been there at one point in time. Do you have children...you never said anything about you working. If not.....I'd make it a point to start anywhere with either retail or restaurant...there always is something available if you put your mind to it and keep on trying. Hope all works out and you two make it! Keep praying and find a good church!
CristalBelle Posts: 1,389 Joined: 2003/06/27	2003/12/26, 02:31 PM We have a child, but she was place into an open adoption, so she does not live with us. My husband and I both work, but the company I work for will be closing down in a month. I intend to go back to school, and when that happens we will be living almost solely on his income. Things will work out, but all of your support really helps. Thanks
agamble Posts: 1,029 Joined: 2003/09/22	2003/12/26, 03:50 PM Hate to hear of your difficulties. Been there and done that and it sucks. If it wasn't for beans, rice, and spaghetti I would have starved. One thing about the lean times-makes you appreciate the fat times. Not to be rude or offensive in any way but have you sought out assistance (county, united way, churches). It amazes me that we can feed the world but have folks struggling to eat right at our own doorstep. Sorry
agamble Posts: 1,029 Joined: 2003/09/22	2003/12/26, 03:51 PM Hate to hear of your difficulties. Been there and done that and it sucks. If it wasn't for beans, rice, and spaghetti I would have starved. One thing about the lean times-makes you appreciate the fat times. Not to be rude or offensive in any way but have you sought out assistance (county, united way, churches). It amazes me that we can feed the world but have folks struggling to eat right at our own doorstep. Sorry
CristalBelle Posts: 1,389 Joined: 2003/06/27	2003/12/26, 04:36 PM We have gotten a lot of assitance simply from our families. The leftovers from Christmas were a huge help. Things will hopefully get better over the spring and summer, but I have looked at the programs for our state, and as far as I can tell, we don't qualify for asstance.
Jdelts Posts: 1,218 Joined: 2003/10/19	2003/12/26, 08:38 PM Its hard to qualify for assistance nowadays with tax money allocated to "other programs" that don't necessarily help those in need. Good luck to you and I hope things work out for the better. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger...cheesy, but true. -------------- May the lift be with you.
shavondec Posts: 340 Joined: 2003/11/26	2004/01/01, 05:51 PM I am sorry to hear of your mmisfortunes. I know someone mentioned it, but discount stores are great. We has one called Sav-a-lot. The canned vegetables were always cheap. So, was the meat. I know chicken breast is healthier for you, but dark meat is cheaper. I used to buy leg quarters, cut them up, and put them in zip lock bags for easy thawing. I hope things get better for you. -------------- It's not what we eat or drink occasionally, but what we consume on a daily basis that determines our ongoing level o health. formerfatguy.com Not sure of author
shavondec Posts: 340 Joined: 2003/11/26	2004/01/01, 07:20 PM Also, you might consider a vegetarian diet. It is cheaper on the budget. Soup is wonderful this time of the year. All you need is tomato sauce, any kind of vegetables, pasta noodles is extra, and any kind of meat you have. Boil the meat until almost done, I like to drain it to get rid of the fat but the broth gives it flavor-your choice. Add the vegetables and tomato sauce cook until done(almost done if using potatoes. Then add pasta noodles until they are cooked through. If you are using a pressure cooker, follow those directions. Boil the noodles on the stove and add after the soup is done. -------------- It's not what we eat or drink occasionally, but what we consume on a daily basis that determines our ongoing level o health. formerfatguy.com Not sure of author
pimple Posts: 490 Joined: 2003/07/08	2004/01/11, 10:27 PM yeah, i'm originally from south america, and all i've had until i was 15 was rice and beans... good thing i've the change of living in america now, where we have an actual change in live... it sucks that even here some people struggle... good luck to you and your husband, though... like jdelts said, what doesn't kill us DOES INDEED makes us stronger! peace out!