Broke and over weight...
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I don't mean to sound confrontational or offensive, I'm just curious if you have a reason to feel so strongly. Just making conversation here.0
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xkit, I sympathize as I have been where you are. Lots of great advice here. I remember when the thought of buying a club membership to save money was beyond my means. So here's another tip. Do some bulk sales buying to save up a little money. Then you are doing more than living paycheque to paycheque. You will have a contingency fund to save even more. Buying staples in bulk while on sale will help a lot.
http://frugalforlife.blogspot.ca/2009/03/amy-dacyczyn-and-tightwad-gazette.html
I don't think the potatoes were the problem. It was the lack of food choices. If potatoes is all you've got, it's more likely you'll overeat them. But if you have rice, beans and tuna in the cupboard, and frozen peas and chicken thighs in the freezer, you can change up your meals to be filling and satisfying.
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Oats are my go-to cheap but healthy food.
Banana oaties
Mash up some ripe bananas. Mix in equal weight of porridge oats. Form into patties, bake for 20 minutes in the oven and voilà, breakfast on the go for a week. I sometimes top with peanut butter or honey or nothing at all, or add in some raisins, cherries or whatever I have in.
Oaty Pancakes
Mix 25g oats per egg (I usually use 2 eggs per person). Fry with spray oil until cooked on both sides. Top with tinned peaches or broken pineapple chunks (or if you are flush it's great with smoked salmon).
I think someone already mentioned it, but http://agirlcalledjack.com/ has some great recipes for those on a budget.0 -
KGRebelRanch wrote: »xkitxkatxkaix wrote: »I know that I can't be the only one here with this problem, or maybe I am and I hoping to have a pity party. Is there anyone else here who lives paycheck to paycheck and barely making ends meet? I've tried more then a few times to buy only the healthiest of options at the grocery store (within reason of my budget of course) fresh veggies, avoided processed/canned anything really, etc., but I swear each time I nearly break my bank in doing so. On top of that I had to give up my gym membership which is sad considering that it's only $10 a month but with my rent going up it's just no longer in my budget anymore (sad I know).a What I'm in search for is someone who is in the same boat I am but somehow makes it work! I want to be able to pick peoples brains on this one. What meals do you plan for during your week? How do you fit in exercise into a busy schedule?
I would really love some feedback. Thanks for your time!
We live on basically minimum wage. I grow a garden and we have livestock-I just put 6 chickens in my freezer yesterday and after doing the math I learned that we get chicken for $0.07/lb. Eggs are $0.32/dozen. Veggies are pretty much free since I only use heirloom and gather the seeds.
Do you have an area you can get pots for plants? Squash, cauliflower, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, broccoli, chard, kale, celery, pineapple, strawberries, etc all grow very eaily in small pots, and one cherry tomato plant gives me enough I can put up ketchup, salsa, spaghetti sauce, soup, and still have enough to eat off the plant.
I wish, but I have a balcony that I have successfully grown oregano, basil and sage! They grew like weeds over the summer which was fabulous! But of course my boyfriend accidentally left the patio door open to allow fresh cool air in (I had brought them inside at this point) and neglected to move them away from the cold. RIP.
But I'm definitely starting over with a fresh batch when I can, that was too fabulous when I had them. I have heard success stories with balcony tomato plants so when it warms up I might just give that a try.
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I'm probably being incredibly controversial here, but if you live in a rural area, you can always glean/forage. I would recommend buying/borrowing a really good book on the subject, as picking the wrong things can be dangerous, but you go for a walk (exercise) and come back with dinner.
Even in semi-urban areas, and depending on your time of year, you could come back with berries, greens, horseradish. Gleaning is a grey area in the law, certainly in the UK. The premis is that once the farmer/landowner has harvested their crops you can then take anything they have rejected, as long as it is only for your household's consumption and not for re-sale and you DON'T do it before harvest. We have got caulflowers, cabbages and potatoes this way, as this is what they grow in our area. Sounds nuts and a bit retro-hippy, but we are talking about a couple of hours on a non-work day for a week's worth of free food. I do however draw the line at roadkill, but some people don't! One word of warning - wash it, wash it, wash it!0 -
Oats are my go-to cheap but healthy food.
Banana oaties
Mash up some ripe bananas. Mix in equal weight of porridge oats. Form into patties, bake for 20 minutes in the oven and voilà, breakfast on the go for a week. I sometimes top with peanut butter or honey or nothing at all, or add in some raisins, cherries or whatever I have in.
Oaty Pancakes
Mix 25g oats per egg (I usually use 2 eggs per person). Fry with spray oil until cooked on both sides. Top with tinned peaches or broken pineapple chunks (or if you are flush it's great with smoked salmon).
I think someone already mentioned it, but http://agirlcalledjack.com/ has some great recipes for those on a budget.
Umm... that sounds delicious!! How smart, I never thought of making little oat patties like that. I'm so trying that!
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xkit, I signed on to a community garden here in town. Lots more veggies than I could grow in my little plot. Might you enjoy that next summer?0
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Oh, and of course, if you have a garden - grow your own food - exercise and food for almost no cost. You can pick up tools at yard sales, and lots of allotments do sees swaps and giveaways0
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MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »JustinAnimal wrote: »MomofOne, could you back your very adamant claims with something other than "I know better"?
yeah, it's called nutrition class in culinary school...that's how I know better. Peace out...
And I want to thank you for not acting like a childish *kitten*. It's been fun having a polite conversation about this.-2 -
Mom deactivated her account and is no doubt making another one. Fun times.
Anyway, it's been cool to see lots of advice. Many of us have been there, being poor and trying to lose weight. I don't think anyone's made this joke, but it's way easier to eat less when you don't have money for food!
Hang in there and use all of this quality advice you've received.0 -
xkitxkatxkaix wrote: »KGRebelRanch wrote: »xkitxkatxkaix wrote: »I know that I can't be the only one here with this problem, or maybe I am and I hoping to have a pity party. Is there anyone else here who lives paycheck to paycheck and barely making ends meet? I've tried more then a few times to buy only the healthiest of options at the grocery store (within reason of my budget of course) fresh veggies, avoided processed/canned anything really, etc., but I swear each time I nearly break my bank in doing so. On top of that I had to give up my gym membership which is sad considering that it's only $10 a month but with my rent going up it's just no longer in my budget anymore (sad I know).a What I'm in search for is someone who is in the same boat I am but somehow makes it work! I want to be able to pick peoples brains on this one. What meals do you plan for during your week? How do you fit in exercise into a busy schedule?
I would really love some feedback. Thanks for your time!
We live on basically minimum wage. I grow a garden and we have livestock-I just put 6 chickens in my freezer yesterday and after doing the math I learned that we get chicken for $0.07/lb. Eggs are $0.32/dozen. Veggies are pretty much free since I only use heirloom and gather the seeds.
Do you have an area you can get pots for plants? Squash, cauliflower, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, broccoli, chard, kale, celery, pineapple, strawberries, etc all grow very eaily in small pots, and one cherry tomato plant gives me enough I can put up ketchup, salsa, spaghetti sauce, soup, and still have enough to eat off the plant.
I wish, but I have a balcony that I have successfully grown oregano, basil and sage! They grew like weeds over the summer which was fabulous! But of course my boyfriend accidentally left the patio door open to allow fresh cool air in (I had brought them inside at this point) and neglected to move them away from the cold. RIP.
But I'm definitely starting over with a fresh batch when I can, that was too fabulous when I had them. I have heard success stories with balcony tomato plants so when it warms up I might just give that a try.
If you can grow herbs, you can grow veggies Trust me-I have a cabbage head in a pot right now that I cant kill, it's about to go to my hogs because I am sick to death of cabbage. You can send me a PM if you want, I can tell you some of the things I have really great success with in pots! 0 -
MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »JustinAnimal wrote: »Frozen foods (as long as they aren't freezer MEALS, but food that has actually been frozen) have much more nutrition than canned and, so I'm told, even more nutrients than fresh veggies in the produce section.
Cheap food options:
Frozen veggies / fruit
Frozen tilapia
Beans
Brown Rice
Lentils (x1000000000000)
Eggs
Cheap Exercise:
Spartacus Workout (menshealth.com)
Insanity
Youtube aerobics and other workouts
Body weight push-ups, squats, dips, tricep push-ups, etc.
Running up and down public stairs
You can do this, you just need to get creative.
that would be a no...sorry.
That would be a per veggie/fruit basis. Some are more nutritious when frozen.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/when-frozen-food-better-fresh-frozen-veggies-fruits-contain-more-nutrients-their-fresh-equivalent
lol...how? Please explain as I would really like to know. I know better but I want to hear what you have to say.
Why don't you click on the linked article then?
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MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »JustinAnimal wrote: »Frozen foods (as long as they aren't freezer MEALS, but food that has actually been frozen) have much more nutrition than canned and, so I'm told, even more nutrients than fresh veggies in the produce section.
Cheap food options:
Frozen veggies / fruit
Frozen tilapia
Beans
Brown Rice
Lentils (x1000000000000)
Eggs
Cheap Exercise:
Spartacus Workout (menshealth.com)
Insanity
Youtube aerobics and other workouts
Body weight push-ups, squats, dips, tricep push-ups, etc.
Running up and down public stairs
You can do this, you just need to get creative.
that would be a no...sorry.
That would be a per veggie/fruit basis. Some are more nutritious when frozen.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/when-frozen-food-better-fresh-frozen-veggies-fruits-contain-more-nutrients-their-fresh-equivalent
lol...how? Please explain as I would really like to know. I know better but I want to hear what you have to say.
Frozen is more nutritious because the fresh produce you buy in the stores are picked green so they won't spoil during shipping. The produce that is frozen, however, is picked ripe and frozen within a few hours.
unfortunately I still know better but thanks.
Well can you enlighten me with why you know better, how you know better. Any proof backing your claim that fresh are better than frozen?0 -
I got chastised too! I felt there was freedom of speech too by *****************
I think there are just some really strong opinionated personalities.
All I know is that I am still living pay check to pay check and just trying to eat better in any way that I can. I do buy certain things that are working for me today and I have to budget them accordingly which may be that I have to eliminate something in the grocery list to have something else!
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When I originally lost 40lbs I did so with ramen, canned soup etc. You can eat "whatever" just within your calorie goal. A couple tips though that wont break you. Pick one thing to eat and buy in bulk. Like this week breakfast is fresh blueberries, blackberries and greek yogurt. I bought 1 pack each of the berries and a huge tub of yogurt. I portioned them out for all week. For lunch I have a spinach salad with cumber and tomato and shredded chicken. I made my salads for the week and bought and cooked the chicken and separated it into portions. My breakfast and lunch for the week cost me around $20 and its all fresh.0
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JustinAnimal wrote: »Mom deactivated her account and is no doubt making another one. Fun times.
Anyway, it's been cool to see lots of advice. Many of us have been there, being poor and trying to lose weight. I don't think anyone's made this joke, but it's way easier to eat less when you don't have money for food!
Hang in there and use all of this quality advice you've received.
Pfffff, no I haven't heard that one yet. But that did give me a bit of a giggle. I'm not sure why she got so defensive all of the sudden, I just wanted to pick brains not start up stuff.
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MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »shannonlmell wrote: »MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »JustinAnimal wrote: »Frozen foods (as long as they aren't freezer MEALS, but food that has actually been frozen) have much more nutrition than canned and, so I'm told, even more nutrients than fresh veggies in the produce section.
Cheap food options:
Frozen veggies / fruit
Frozen tilapia
Beans
Brown Rice
Lentils (x1000000000000)
Eggs
Cheap Exercise:
Spartacus Workout (menshealth.com)
Insanity
Youtube aerobics and other workouts
Body weight push-ups, squats, dips, tricep push-ups, etc.
Running up and down public stairs
You can do this, you just need to get creative.
that would be a no...sorry.
That would be a per veggie/fruit basis. Some are more nutritious when frozen.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/when-frozen-food-better-fresh-frozen-veggies-fruits-contain-more-nutrients-their-fresh-equivalent
lol...how? Please explain as I would really like to know. I know better but I want to hear what you have to say.
Why don't you click on the linked article then?
because I wanted to hear the OP's words...that's why.
Fresh fruit/vegetable is picked before it has ripened, spends time (days/weeks) on a truck to be placed on a shelf where it sits (days/weeks) on a shelf before it is purchased.
Frozen is picked when ripened, frozen within hours.
A fully Ripened fruit/vegetable contains more nutrients than a not fully ripened one.
Being frozen holds the nutrients in longer, staying in a truck/on a shelf lessens the nutrient value as the fruit deteriorates.
Now please if I am wrong would love to see proof0 -
This is a great article about 44 healthy foods under $1 per serving. They even added ways to use the ingredients in recipes in each description!0
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MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »shannonlmell wrote: »MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »JustinAnimal wrote: »Frozen foods (as long as they aren't freezer MEALS, but food that has actually been frozen) have much more nutrition than canned and, so I'm told, even more nutrients than fresh veggies in the produce section.
Cheap food options:
Frozen veggies / fruit
Frozen tilapia
Beans
Brown Rice
Lentils (x1000000000000)
Eggs
Cheap Exercise:
Spartacus Workout (menshealth.com)
Insanity
Youtube aerobics and other workouts
Body weight push-ups, squats, dips, tricep push-ups, etc.
Running up and down public stairs
You can do this, you just need to get creative.
that would be a no...sorry.
That would be a per veggie/fruit basis. Some are more nutritious when frozen.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/when-frozen-food-better-fresh-frozen-veggies-fruits-contain-more-nutrients-their-fresh-equivalent
lol...how? Please explain as I would really like to know. I know better but I want to hear what you have to say.
Why don't you click on the linked article then?
because I wanted to hear the OP's words...that's why.
Fresh fruit/vegetable is picked before it has ripened, spends time (days/weeks) on a truck to be placed on a shelf where it sits (days/weeks) on a shelf before it is purchased.
Frozen is picked when ripened, frozen within hours.
A fully Ripened fruit/vegetable contains more nutrients than a not fully ripened one.
Being frozen holds the nutrients in longer, staying in a truck/on a shelf lessens the nutrient value as the fruit deteriorates.
Now please if I am wrong would love to see proof
ETA - now eating the fruit or veggie you picked from your tree/garden and eaten without the days/weeks of transport, shelf life yes the fresh will have more nutrients.
Most don't have this privelege0
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