I have $7 for groceries.

daffodilsoup

Beans, rice and a huge container of store brand rolled oats.

MyChocolateDiet

A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of a food bank I can go to tomorrow. Thanks, everyone!
I have never been to one, so I don't know what I will get, but I just want to stretch out my food as long as possible.

And no, this is not a joke. I literally have $7 for a few weeks.

kind of crying a little. if that food bank doesnt' work out keep checking. restaurants know who they donate to and so do churches.

after you see what they give you....try to get bag of beans, bag of rice, and pasta.

when you have money again get these same things again too for times like this.

Good luck hope things get better real soon.

Oh and in the meantime think of ways to earn fast cash. legal ones of course. babysit, mow a lawn, etc.

AliciaC81

Is there a plasma donation center by you? You could go in there, donate some plasma and they give you either cash or a debit type card. It takes about an hour or two and you can do it twice a week. Some places offer like $15 but some offer $50 or so each time. Even if it's on the lower end if you can do it twice a week that's $30 every week that you can put towards food!

Also, as a long term option..start couponing. Even if you can't afford the newspaper maybe someone gets it but doesn't use their coupons. You can get so many things for free...start a stockpile! Then the next time you're in a money bind you can just turn to your stockpile!

SexyPrettyMama

I dunno. If you still need money contact me I'll send you some.

Kmanouchehri90

pb&j and bread

ThomasNMn

Since you are a college student, I'm gonna assume that you are a decent writer. Check out www.textbroker.com, www.odesk.com or www.workplacelikehome.com. They offer varying amounts for small articles that have to use a specific keyword so many times within say 400 words. Even if you only do say 5 400 word articles a day for textbroker, you can earn 20 bucks a day and the money is there right away after the article is approved - you can transfer it to a paypal.com account, which you can connect to your bank account.

wldrose75

Some stores throw out perfectly good food. Don't take this as an insult, some people who _could_ buy food, dumpster dive to supplement their budgets. I didn't read every response here, but if you're interested, some people see it as a very "green" thing to do. http://freegan.info/

I wasn't going to suggest dumpster diving, but I was going to suggest going to your local grocery store and speaking to the manager. Explain your situation. Ask if they have any "almost-out-of date" produce, meat or dairy that they are going to be getting rid of soon. Also, go to local restaurants and most definitely the cafeteria at your school (if its a brick and mortar school vs online). Explain to the manager and see if they would be willing to save leftovers for you. Most places will be glad to help and happy to know that what they would normally just throw away will help someone. And yes, get to that food bank.

nomicat77

I also wanted to echo a previous poster-- if you are a college student, I would suggest that you go to the financial aid office and see if you can get on a meal plan. Even if you need to go to another office, they will know where to point you to.

If you do go to apply for Welfare (food stamps) DON"T TELL THEM YOU ARE IN COLLEGE FULL TIME if you have no kids. You will not be eligible./. I am a caseworker for the Dept. of Welfare. I know the policies.

Post an add on Craigslist. Tell people you have no food. Strangers can surprise you. I'm assuming if you are in college you are intelligent enough to know not to meet that stranger in a private place. You could post a status on Facebook, let people know you have no food. Go see the provost at your school and ball your eyes out. Pan handle. Desperate people will do desperate things.

Maybe post an add on Craigslist saying you will clean house or babysit in trade for food.

Suck it up, and call ALL your family members and friends and let them know you have no food.

Re-evaluate how you budget. Something isn't right to be in this predicament. Maybe Google how to budget.

YuckMoutH28

Whatever you used to post this comment sell it...

Sarah0866

a dozen eggs, dried beans, rice

Ditto!!! And what JiggyGibby says...no shame; then give back. Many blessings to you.

Agreed...best of luck to you

triciab79

Go to a church. Even if it is not your church they will help you.

That_car_is_full_of_balloons

apply for food stamps

Pimpmonkey

call your local church or food shelter. don't let shame stop you. when you are in better $ position, donate in return to place that helped you!

This. Never be ashamed to ask for help.

katmix

That would be gas money to drive to your moms. Is it possible that you can't afford to live on your own and support yourself? If you seriously only have $7 to last almost 3 weeks, you've got some serious challenges going on. If you are in the states, that is what food stamps are for. If you don't qualify, then things are not quite what they seem. (i.e. someone might make too much money but manage it poorly.) I recommend that you get help...whether it be through your church or community welfare services, and be honest with yourself regarding your situation. Not everyone can afford a certain lifestyle on a small budget, and one needs to eat. What will you have to forgo to make sure that you have enough money for food?

Not being mean, just the same things I'd ask my kids before letting them move out...

ps. Just read your profile. You might consider giving up "craft food and beer" if you are a starving college student. I would suspect that many of us ate lots of pb and jelly while going to school (I lived on it for lunch at school, and casseroles of whatever I could throw together for dinners)...many have gone before and lived to tell about it. Giving up extras and gourmet treats in lieu of plain but cheap and nutritious meals is kind of a given (and I also worked full time while at university full time, and still ate simply and cheaply)....

Last edit, promise! Both my children worked part time on campus (in addition to working part time off campus)...go to your dept to hire out for tutoring or any other area that hires (cafeteria, library, landscaping, trash pickup). The pay is lousy (usually minimum wage) but your hours can be flexible to fit between your classes. You definitely need to pick a job or two if you can't afford to feed yourself.

MyChocolateDiet

Some stores throw out perfectly good food. Don't take this as an insult, some people who _could_ buy food, dumpster dive to supplement their budgets. I didn't read every response here, but if you're interested, some people see it as a very "green" thing to do. http://freegan.info/

I wasn't going to suggest dumpster diving, but I was going to suggest going to your local grocery store and speaking to the manager. Explain your situation. Ask if they have any "almost-out-of date" produce, meat or dairy that they are going to be getting rid of soon. Also, go to local restaurants and most definitely the cafeteria at your school (if its a brick and mortar school vs online). Explain to the manager and see if they would be willing to save leftovers for you. Most places will be glad to help and happy to know that what they would normally just throw away will help someone. And yes, get to that food bank.

no dumpster diving please. just pm me and promise me you're not going to do this. HOWEVER I have been dining at a restaurant with a group of friends near the end of the night and we were all offered several loaves of their "peasant bread" to take home since they were going to have to throw it away at the end of the night and said the employees were not allowed to take it home. we accepted and tipped more generously. you could try local restaurants this way but i would not go the other route at all you have too many other smarter more dignified options to choose from here. you are going to be ok. really.

My0WNinspiration

Beans

TheRealParisLove

I've been there. I coped by dating men (no sex, just dates) old enough to be my father, and letting them pick up the tab. Was that a really low thing to do? Sure. But after several days without food it sure did seem like a good idea. One man even took me grocery shopping when he came to pick me up and peeked in my fridge looking for a beer.

I didn't have the internet to turn to for advice. I had no idea what a food bank was and how they worked. Now I know, and I donate regularly.

SuzanneHoy

Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Lentils, Beans, Milk, Chicken Legs (freeze and make into soup), peanut butter, whole grain pasta, brown rice and while grains (barley, Bulgar, ...Bob's Red Mill products). Potatoes. Canned Spinach. Carrots. Ask to borrow $20 from a friend or neighbor until your next pay check and make sure to pay them back.

whierd

Go to Cardenas and buy some veggies that are on sale. They also have lentils on sale right now 2lbs for $1.

merileemeier

been there. rice is the right way to go. if you get the store brand (generic item) it's the exact same thing but cheaper. get a can of store brand "chunky" beef soup (cook rice, heat soup, pour soup over rice) where i'm from that's a $3.01 meal that lasts days. make a veggie soup & add egg noodles, they're cheap (around $1.78). heat frozen veggies in a pot (you can do half broth, half water to make a larger pot of soup) towards the end add the noodles and cook until done. that will last a long time, and you can get creative with any soup, like adding a can of diced tomato. a loaf of bread could provide you toast with your soup too.
I work at a grocery store and if you can get to one early in the morning, (not really at walmart though, try another chain) go to your meat department. they mark chicken & beef down but it's normally cleaned out by 11 AM & freeze any extra meat you get. try to locate the clearance section too. Good luck!!!