Running out of food, no money until 6/5/09 :(

kmworth

Okay, right now...this is the food I have between my husband and I for 3 days. 5 jars of spaghetti sauce, 1 roll of Whole Wheat Ritz crackers, about 3 servings of generic puffed wheat cereal, a very small amount of vanilla soy milk, pickle slices, tea bags, coffee, and 1 toritilla.

I obviously won't be eating very healthy until Friday, so what's your take on exercising right now, with so little calories and nutrition? I aim for at least 4 days a week and at least 400 calories a session, and refuse to do any less. So by the time I get to eat again, am i going to puff up?

We always run out of the healthy, nutritious food first and have to starve for a few days. Anyone have any tips? I have a food budget of about $120, and don't have a choice but to stick within that range right now.

Valtishia

Thats a rough thing to go through but you gotta work with what you have right?
Is the $120 weekly? bi weekly? monthly?

RedHotRunner

Is that food budget per week or per month? I buy a lot of stuff on sale. For instance, boneless skinless chicken is on sale this week for $1.79 a pound. I'll buy a couple of pounds at a time and freeze them. And I use coupons for staples like pasta, marinades, etc. My market doubles so I often get a lot of these items for free.

Can you go buy a pack of spaghetti for a buck to go with the sauce?

missheidi

do you have angel food in your area? it's not food stamps or anything, but you pay about 30.00 at the first of the month, and then at the end of the month you go pick up a BIG box of food, way more than
30$ worth. I know it doesn't help now, but we use it a lot and really like it. it's just a way to help keep grocery bills down. the website is www.angelfoodministries.com.

ivykivy

Dry Beans. They are cheap. You usually can find someone who will give them away. Most churches have food pantries and you can call and ask do they have supplies.

I shop at Aldi for frozen chicken, tuna, frozen veggies and strawberries. They usu are cheaper than Walmart.

Phera

Do you have a friend with a Costco membership? When times were really tough, I'd go for a graze of the food samples they give out. It's not the healthiest but it helps soothe the stomach pangs. Also if you get some cash I'd really suggest buying a rice-cooker. Rice is a very cheap staple and with some beans you can get your carbs and some protein.

Zara11

Grrr.... there's this AMAZING website that shows you what to by in bulk, to prepare large amounts of food in bulk, so you can freeze leftovers to last days. The website is organized, I thnk, based on how much money you can spend. Like, soups, sauces, etc.

If I remember it, I'll tell you!!!

nickelplatedangel

If you have a Grocery Outlet store in your town, shop there. They are super cheap and awesome.

Phoenix_Rising

Okay, right now...this is the food I have between my husband and I for 3 days. 5 jars of spaghetti sauce, 1 roll of Whole Wheat Ritz crackers, about 3 servings of generic puffed wheat cereal, a very small amount of vanilla soy milk, pickle slices, tea bags, coffee, and 1 toritilla.

I obviously won't be eating very healthy until Friday, so what's your take on exercising right now, with so little calories and nutrition? I aim for at least 4 days a week and at least 400 calories a session, and refuse to do any less. So by the time I get to eat again, am i going to puff up?

We always run out of the healthy, nutritious food first and have to starve for a few days. Anyone have any tips? I have a food budget of about $120, and don't have a choice but to stick within that range right now.

Credit Card.
Pay it off Friday.

NurseMisty

Okay, I can't help wih the answer your looking for, but check out this site. It has some great info. This link takes you to a $45 emergency menu for 4 to 6...even has nutrition info. I love this site!

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm

sassiebritches

I would say come to my place for dinner this week......but you live in WA.......Hang in there. I know the feeling, My honey and I were starving for a while when I started before his new job.....also someone here (can't remember who) sent me to this site....check it out....there are alot of recipes that you can make from scratch for cheap......you can substitute some of the ingredients for better for you stuff.....hillbillywife.com

Hang tough!

kmworth

Sorry you guys, it's bi-weekly, and I'm also a vegetarian, lol.

I'm very frugal, it's just that my hubby's got a huuuuge appetite, and I can't deprive him! Plus all of our money is gone within 3 days of being paid because of bills and such, so once we run out of stuff, we're out!

kmworth

Haha, about that credit card thing...it's maxed until Friday. We seriously cannot afford an overdraft!

jlhcrh3

ramen noodles, nix the packet of flavor! SUPER cheap, and you could mix in spaghetti sauce or something...

(i say nix the flavor packet because it is nothing but sodium!)

msujdak

How about fresh zucchini and spaghetti squash in place of noodles. Healthy carbs.

marm1962

If that's all you really have, then you won't be eating unhealthy either. You won't be hardly eating. I would suggest that you take your excercise way down for a couple of days. If your not willing to do that or get some food elsewhere as these kind folks have suggested, then there's not really much else we can tell you.

berkeleygirlforever

Girl, I live on the tightest budget imaginable so here's my thoughts on your question. This will cost you about $10.00 assuming you don't have the items needed.

DAY ONE:

Breakfast
Eggs and Dry Toast

Lunch
Egg Salad on bread

Dinner
Spaghetti

DAY TWO:

Breakfast
Eggs & Dry Toast

Lunch
Tuna Sald with pickles on tortilla shell

Dinner
Left over spaghetti

DAY THREE:

Breakfast
Hard boiled eggs

Lunch
Left over tuna or egg salad

Dinner
Left over spaghetti again

__________________________

(Grocery List)
Dozen Eggs $2.00
Loaf of Bread 2.00
Generic Mayonnaise 2.00
Spaghetti Noodles 2.00
2 cans tuna 2.00



Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter

JoyousMaximus

I obviously won't be eating very healthy until Friday, so what's your take on exercising right now, with so little calories and nutrition? I aim for at least 4 days a week and at least 400 calories a session, and refuse to do any less. So by the time I get to eat again, am i going to puff up?

I would cut the exercise a little bit but I wouldn't worry too much about the "puffing up," I believe it takes 3 days for your body to begin to enter starvation mode. Also, if you have some flour, oil, and baking powder (I don't know what type of staples you have), you can make tortillas. It may not be the healthiest but it's food. here is a link to the recipe:
http://www.mex-recipes.com/tortilla-recipe.html

Best of luck!

kmworth

Girl, I live on the tightest budget imaginable so here's my thoughts on your question. This will cost you about $10.00 assuming you don't have the items needed.

DAY ONE:

Breakfast
Eggs and Dry Toast

Lunch
Egg Salad on bread

Dinner
Spaghetti

DAY TWO:

Breakfast
Eggs & Dry Toast

Lunch
Tuna Sald with pickles on tortilla shell

Dinner
Left over spaghetti

DAY THREE:

Breakfast
Hard boiled eggs

Lunch
Left over tuna or egg salad

Dinner
Left over spaghetti again

__________________________

(Grocery List)
Dozen Eggs $2.00
Loaf of Bread 2.00
Generic Mayonnaise 2.00
Spaghetti Noodles 2.00
2 cans tuna 2.00



Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter

Thank you, but I'm a vegetarian. And I don't have any money right now, and don't have any of the items you have listed

Tofuheart

Okay, right now...this is the food I have between my husband and I for 3 days. 5 jars of spaghetti sauce, 1 roll of Whole Wheat Ritz crackers, about 3 servings of generic puffed wheat cereal, a very small amount of vanilla soy milk, pickle slices, tea bags, coffee, and 1 toritilla.

I obviously won't be eating very healthy until Friday, so what's your take on exercising right now, with so little calories and nutrition? I aim for at least 4 days a week and at least 400 calories a session, and refuse to do any less. So by the time I get to eat again, am i going to puff up?

We always run out of the healthy, nutritious food first and have to starve for a few days. Anyone have any tips? I have a food budget of about $120, and don't have a choice but to stick within that range right now.

I'm also a vegetarian on a very tight food budget. I get by on 85 dollars a month. (just me)

I would cut back the exercise until you have the money to get stocked up on food. The items you listed have very little protein.

Eat your cereal with cold water. I do this sometimes and it doesn't bother me. Drink the soy milk in the morning because it has the most protein of all.

I would drink lots of water and tea, make crackers with pickles on it. Cut the tortilla into slices and bake it in the oven and warm up some sauce and dip it.

It's amazing how creative you can get when you have to. Good luck..

gemiwing

My hubby's vegan and we are tight on money too. We found that buying beans and rice really goes the farthest. When the grocery has frozen veggies on sale for a buck a bag, we buy multiples.

The beans and rice are the true staple in the house. Go to an Asian market to buy the rice, it's cheaper there than at the usual grocery stores. Hubby has a huge appetite and still gets full on less than 10 bucks a week. Having a few spices on hand really helps that too. They can be pricey at the start, but you can go pretty far with just the dollar spice rack.

I would call some churches in your area to get some food for the next few days. If they give you stuff you can't eat, let them know so they can keep it and give it to families who need it too.

kerrilucko

does your community have a food bank? They can give you simple things like canned vegetables and dry pasta if you explain the situation to them. That is what they're there for.

adopt4

We are so with you every other week... but we have kids, so I had to learn NOT to run out of stuff. I set aside some $$ instead of spending it so I can get milk, bread and bananas when we run out. My kids need that stuff, so there's no going without, you know?

Also, why does hubby get to eat and you don't??? If you're both in it together, then he needs to cut down on his eating too...

I agree with previous posters, BIG bags of beans and rice, $20 at Costco (for both) and will last a long time. Get those FIRST. Also, plan your meals so you can budget better. And no, hubby doesn't get to pig out the first few days - when times are tough, everyone (except kids) have to cowboy up. If you plan for 2 weeks worth of food, at 1 cup of rice for dinner, etc. then you can know exactly how long your food will last you. Sure maybe hubby eats 2 cups of rice, but he still has a certain portion to stick to. No chips, no junk food... some fresh fruit and veggies if you can manage to get it in... generic EVERYTHING.. no pop, no beer.

You have to get really serious when you're on such a low budget, and that means planning, planning, planning... shopping the sales, watching the papers, cutting coupons... you can do it. The fact that you don't eat meat means you have to work even harder to get the nutrients you need. I know it's a pain and a hassle - but it seems that it's a necessity for you. I've been known to search the couch cushions for 79 cents to get a box of spaghetti noodles.

If you want help to get started, tell me what you CAN eat and how much your hubby eats at a meal (you can PM me) and I'll put together something for you. I'm not familiar with your diet so if you make me a list it'll be easier for me to put it together. and is hubby on the same diet or can he eat everything? where in wa are you?

And finally, YES, go to a food bank and get a little help if you can. Even call local churches and see if they have an emergency food thing - explain you only can eat certain things so you won't get stuff you can't use...

Momma2four

I am sorry to hear that you are at the end of your food. As others have said there are ways to do this and still have food until payday. I feed a family of 6 on $230 bi-weekly. Our budget is only about double yours and there are 3 times more people to feed. Everyone is amazed that I am able to feed that many people on such a small budget. I save out money that is ONLY to be used for Milk, fruit, and veggies. I make almost not all but almost everything from scratch. I am not a vegetarian so I am not sure how to shop for that type of diet. But I do know the most expensive aspect of my meals are meat. Instead of buying name brand cereal, buy it in the large bags. You can get a raisin bran or a "mini wheat" type cereal for $4 and it should last 2 people 2 weeks or more. Like others have said buy beans in bulk and rice these are foods that will sustain your health and last a long time. I would take adopt's advice and pm her and let her help you make a menu with what your food preferences and budget are . Making a menue enables you to be sure you have enough food for everyday until pay- day. Because my children love to pig out on payday (husband too). I hide some of the "treats" (yes I am able to get treats on my budget) in the garage and bring them out the following week. My children are all very healthy and very healthy weights. They never go hungry and they eat well on a very small budget because of some of these tricks. Boxed foods do not last long and they are a waste of money. When you do make a pot of spaghetti make a large pot, put some in the freezer for the following week. I realize that all this advice does you no good right this minute, but hopefully on friday you will consider some of this. Also, Go to a church or food bank, today. And I will be praying for you this week.

ngwife4life

I would personally cut back on exercise a little bit. It won't kill you for a few days as long as you get back on track when you're eating right again.

As far as learning to save money and preventing this in the future, I signed up for a website called www.thegrocerygame.com for frugal shopping with coupons. I got the hang of matching sales and coupons and don't subscribe to it anymore. The first month is a $1 trial and then you can cancel after that. You can do it on your own but I found it useful to use the website while I figured out how to shop frugally and plan menus all at the same time. I still save 30-50% on each shopping trip. Not sure if you have a Safeway near you but I know you can go on their website before you go to the store and load your coupons on a frequent shopper card and they come off your bill at checkout. You may already use coupons but if you don't, they are like money to me! When I get $5 worth of coupons for items that are staples in my house, I treat it like having $5 in my wallet!

For just my daughter and I , we live off of $300 a month for gas, groceries, diapers, formula, food/entertainment and any needs she has (like sippy cups, occasional outfits, etc). I buy lots of fresh fruit and veggies but try to shop the sales on those. It really helps to look at the sales ads when you're making your menu and I would break up your budget to $60/week to shop once a week. Or maybe $80 for your first week and then save $30 for the second week. Also, I used to only plan out dinners but now I plan out breakfast, lunch and dinner to make sure I have plenty of everything. Shopping at a discount club like Sam's or Costco saves us big when our staple needs aren't on sale anywhere. My daughter's formula is about the same price there as the grocery store but I get TWICE as much.

The angel food ministries is a really good program. If you don't think you'd eat all the stuff in the boxes, see if you have a friend or neighbor that would be willing to split the cost with you and then you can split the goodies! I agree with adopt4. It's alllll about planning!!! Never shop the inside aisles of the store, just the perimeter! All the junk is in the middle. I also agree with previous poster about frozen veggies. If I can catch them on sale and I have a coupon, I have gotten them for FREE before! The Bidseye Steamfresh has a ton of coupons out right now and I've seen them on sale a lot down here.

One last thing. Whenever I cook for my husband and I (when he's home!) I have learned to portion out food. If I cook a meal that should feed four people, I take out at least one portion and put it in the container for either the next day's lunch or for the freezer for a night I'm by myself (or we're broke and we need extra meals for our menu!). He's a really big dude (6'4" and 240lbs!) so he's a really big eater but he's never gone without, even with me doing this.

Sorry if I sound preachy. I say all of this with much respect! It took me a long time of figuring all of this out the hard way to get where I am and I know we can still use some improvement in our own financial situation! Times are rough for a lot of people right now and I don't like knowing that people have to go without so if I can help in some small way of sharing my knowledge, I'm more than happy to do so. Here are a few links that you may find helpful:

http://organizedhome.com/image/view/329/printable - a weekly menu planner you can print (to save on ink, print in black and white and draft/quick print mode and to save on paper, save them & print on the back for the following week - can you tell I'm super cheap?)

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ - a really good money saving blog, whether you have kids or not

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/02/06/little-steps-100-great-tips-for-saving-money-for-those-just-getting-started/ - some good money saving tips and some weird ones, but a decent site none the less!

http://www.5dollardinners.com/ - it's just like it sounds! I'm not sure how much vegetarian she has going on but it seems like you could substitute. Also, I wasn't sure if your hubby eats meat so I thought I'd throw this in there if he did. Meat is one of the most expensive parts of any of my meals that I make.

Good luck and we'll be keeping your family in our prayers!

havingitall

does your community have a food bank? They can give you simple things like canned vegetables and dry pasta if you explain the situation to them. That is what they're there for.

That's what I was going to say, a community food bank or a church may be able to help out for a few days

amymeenieminymo

My grocery budget is $70 for two weeks for my boyfriend and I. Do you have an Aldi near you? That's one of the stores I shop at and it makes a huge difference.

Also planning is key....before I used to just buy what looked good, or mentally plan meals while I shopped which resulted in forgetting the hamburger buns for hamburgers, or buying tuna but forgetting the tuna helper, etc. I also ended up buying stuff that I wouldn't end up eating and it would go to waste.

I now make out a menu for every two weeks and basically just buy the items needed for the menu. The menu is dinner only, so of course I buy a few other things like cereal, milk, eggs, fruit, etc. I also plan to have meals closer to grocery day that requires food that could go bad, leaving stuff like spaghetti or frozen foods for the end of the two weeks.

I don't have much luck with coupons....as far as I know Aldi doesn't take them and I won't use a coupon unless I had already planned to get that item, otherwise you're spending more money to save a little. But it wouldn't hurt to browse the coupon section, you never know what you may find.

Phoenix_Rising

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm

I was really impressed with her line up (not that I'd eat any of it :laugh: ) but did you see the up-to-date costs at the bottom of the page? In 2006, that all cost $45. In 2009, it costs over $70!! Talk about inflation!

kmworth

Lol...well my husband isn't overweight...and he works really long and hard hours for his work, PLUS he works out with me, so the poor guy is always starving. I'd never have him cut back, because he doesn't have a problem, and he's a really healthy eater. But thank you!!! I will definitely be messaging you

We are so with you every other week... but we have kids, so I had to learn NOT to run out of stuff. I set aside some $$ instead of spending it so I can get milk, bread and bananas when we run out. My kids need that stuff, so there's no going without, you know?

Also, why does hubby get to eat and you don't??? If you're both in it together, then he needs to cut down on his eating too...

I agree with previous posters, BIG bags of beans and rice, $20 at Costco (for both) and will last a long time. Get those FIRST. Also, plan your meals so you can budget better. And no, hubby doesn't get to pig out the first few days - when times are tough, everyone (except kids) have to cowboy up. If you plan for 2 weeks worth of food, at 1 cup of rice for dinner, etc. then you can know exactly how long your food will last you. Sure maybe hubby eats 2 cups of rice, but he still has a certain portion to stick to. No chips, no junk food... some fresh fruit and veggies if you can manage to get it in... generic EVERYTHING.. no pop, no beer.

You have to get really serious when you're on such a low budget, and that means planning, planning, planning... shopping the sales, watching the papers, cutting coupons... you can do it. The fact that you don't eat meat means you have to work even harder to get the nutrients you need. I know it's a pain and a hassle - but it seems that it's a necessity for you. I've been known to search the couch cushions for 79 cents to get a box of spaghetti noodles.

If you want help to get started, tell me what you CAN eat and how much your hubby eats at a meal (you can PM me) and I'll put together something for you. I'm not familiar with your diet so if you make me a list it'll be easier for me to put it together. and is hubby on the same diet or can he eat everything? where in wa are you?

And finally, YES, go to a food bank and get a little help if you can. Even call local churches and see if they have an emergency food thing - explain you only can eat certain things so you won't get stuff you can't use...