Low-income help

BWBTrish wrote: »

hummmm OP wrote she dont get that over were she lives

Food BANKS and food STAMPS are 2 different things. I didn't read that OP didn't have access to food banks.

White rice, brown rice, and quinoa have nearly the same nutritional value, so eat the white rice.
Here is a recipe site that might have some ideas for you.
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/20-favorite-dirt-cheap-meals/

Regarding the non-food portion of your budget, have you looked at changing your cell phone provider? Work out how much you use monthly, and then look online for comparative deals. There's often a significant saving to be made, especially if you are able to keep the same phone and just do a SIM change onto a cheaper contract or tariff. Also, energy providers, are you able to switch, or are your bills wrapped up in your rental payment? Again, there are huge savings that could be made if you can do this. I've saved hundreds on my energy bill this year by switching providers. I'm hanging onto my current mobile phone contract for now, but I'll be looking to get a better deal in the next 3-4 months. The providers count on essentially 'lazy' customers, who don't proactively check their current tariffs against the best deals in the market on a regular basis.

But I can only echo what people have said about the food - buy as much bulk produce as you can afford, invest in freezer bags and containers, and use in-season and local produce as it's always the cheapest. Think soups, stews and big one-pot dishes that can be divided up. Dried pasta and a homemade tomato sauce is way cheaper than a microwave meal - honestly! One little tip, if you're cooking something in the oven for an hour or so, always stick a few potatoes (white or sweet) in at the same time. Saves on energy costs, and you have a couple of lunches or side dishes sorted! And learn to like oatmeal for breakfast - there's nothing cheaper or more filling! I have it every single day!

Finally, you mentioned about Kraft singles being cheaper than real cheese slices - that may well be, but Kraft singles definitely won't be cheaper, pound for pound, compared to a block of cheese that you slice yourself. Use the calculator on your phone to work out the price per pound, and you'll see just how much of a premium you're paying to get the Kraft product!

WBB55 wrote: »

I'm not sure I understand, so someone help me out.

A microwave meal is $1.00 and gives you like 350 calories.

Brown rice is like $1.50 and gives you 2000 calories.

Can someone explain how the microwave meal is cheaper? I'm struggling to understand if there's something different in Canada than here.

Also, the cheapest food per calorie I buy is peanut butter, if that helps. Next cheapest is ramen and store brand kraft dinners, according to my spreadsheets. The cheapest protein sources on my shopping list are milk, frozen ground turkey, wheat germ and TVP. Onions and avocados are the cheapest veggies per calorie for me. Flax seeds and sunflower seeds are cheap per calorie. Rice, barley, whole wheat pretzels, store brand triskets along with potatoes are the cheapest starches I'm my region.

It's not, but if you only have $1 in your pocket, which one can you afford? That's how a microwave meal becomes 'cheaper', when you simply don't have the money to buy something 50% more expensive UP FRONT, even though it would cater for many more meals. Hand to mouth existence is why people can afford the dollar menu at McDonalds, and not a whole basket of fresh food at the grocery store. It's like saying 'don't eat anything today, and tomorrow you'll have $2 to spend on your food'. of course it's false economy to spend that dollar on a single meal, but many people simply were never taught to a) budget or b) cook from scratch.

That's why any time people ask about help with a low income and eating healthily, everyone bangs on about food budget, and meal planning. It's the only way someone on a severely restricted income can see how their money will stretch for a whole week's worth of food. You need to realise that stocking a store cupboard from scratch does take a big chunk of money upfront, and so people have to decide that paying more per pound for the smaller tub of salt makes more sense than buying the big jar, or that having a full range of herbs and spices is out of the budget, and perhaps they have to pick just one. That affects what they can cook - and it's sort of a vicious circle, because they don't have all the ingredients for the things they could cook affordably. I've been there on a poverty income - job seekers allowance - for nearly 6 months this year. It's hard, depressing and not conducive to healthy eating for all the reasons I've stated. Anyone who has no route out of that poverty level, and is still trying to achieve healthy eating AND weight loss has all of my admiration and support!

Hm

dizzieblondeuk wrote: »

WBB55 wrote: »

I'm not sure I understand, so someone help me out.

A microwave meal is $1.00 and gives you like 350 calories.

Brown rice is like $1.50 and gives you 2000 calories.

Can someone explain how the microwave meal is cheaper? I'm struggling to understand if there's something different in Canada than here.

Also, the cheapest food per calorie I buy is peanut butter, if that helps. Next cheapest is ramen and store brand kraft dinners, according to my spreadsheets. The cheapest protein sources on my shopping list are milk, frozen ground turkey, wheat germ and TVP. Onions and avocados are the cheapest veggies per calorie for me. Flax seeds and sunflower seeds are cheap per calorie. Rice, barley, whole wheat pretzels, store brand triskets along with potatoes are the cheapest starches I'm my region.

It's not, but if you only have $1 in your pocket, which one can you afford? That's how a microwave meal becomes 'cheaper', when you simply don't have the money to buy something 50% more expensive UP FRONT, even though it would cater for many more meals. Hand to mouth existence is why people can afford the dollar menu at McDonalds, and not a whole basket of fresh food at the grocery store. It's like saying 'don't eat anything today, and tomorrow you'll have $2 to spend on your food'. of course it's false economy to spend that dollar on a single meal, but many people simply were never taught to a) budget or b) cook from scratch.

That's why any time people ask about help with a low income and eating healthily, everyone bangs on about food budget, and meal planning. It's the only way someone on a severely restricted income can see how their money will stretch for a whole week's worth of food. You need to realise that stocking a store cupboard from scratch does take a big chunk of money upfront, and so people have to decide that paying more per pound for the smaller tub of salt makes more sense than buying the big jar, or that having a full range of herbs and spices is out of the budget, and perhaps they have to pick just one. That affects what they can cook - and it's sort of a vicious circle, because they don't have all the ingredients for the things they could cook affordably. I've been there on a poverty income - job seekers allowance - for nearly 6 months this year. It's hard, depressing and not conducive to healthy eating for all the reasons I've stated. Anyone who has no route out of that poverty level, and is still trying to achieve healthy eating AND weight loss has all of my admiration and support!

hmm. I think I see. But my guess is she has more than $1. Even $5 can get you a bag of white rice, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a pound of frozen ground turkey (at least at Aldis). Which is way more calories than 5 frozen dinners.

But I see your point about some up front costs.

dizzieblondeuk wrote: »

Unless you want plain rice and plain ground turkey, with a PB sandwich for 5 days,

Sounds like college and the period after my divorce. Except I also ate cheese and bologna sandwiches and ramen... I'm not trying to diminish the OP's specific situation, I guess I just have a natural "planning" tendency I forget others don't. When I was feeding two people on $30-35/week a few years ago, I couldn't even DREAM of buying a frozen microwave meal at $1 for 350 calories or less. For just one person that would be at least $40/week. Of course, we did eat a lot of beans. I had to make that $30 add up to 31,500 calories somehow. A dollar HAD to buy at least 1000 calories on average, or we'd be out of food. I didn't mean to vilify frozen meals.

Eat what you always do, only in moderation, to equal a deficit.

Potatoes make very satisfying meals. You can bake, microwave, fry or boil them. Great with just butter, salt and pepper or topped with everything from broccoli, ham and cheese to leftover chili. One meal I like for dinner is to chop up a potato and throw it in a skillet with some diced onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper and a little water. Cover the skillet so the potatoes steam while they cook. Turn a few times until they start to crisp, then crack in a couple of eggs. It's great as is or you can top with cheese and sour cream if you have them.

I know you said you hate legumes, but have you ever tried making dip with them? You can cook your own lentils, black beans, white beans, or chickpeas then add whatever spices you want, some peppers, oil, onion, etc and puree in a blender or food processor. If you don't have either of those, mash them manually. Then scoop up with celery, cucumber, carrot sticks, crackers, etc. or wrap in tortillas with some leftover rice. I make my own tortillas - they are very very easy to make, whether you prefer white flour or corn and the cost is pennies.

Biscuits made from scratch are pretty cheap, you can use water if you don't have milk, and leftovers reheat super easy. You can eat them plain, with butter, make sandwiches, or the gravy mixes you just add water to are usually under a dollar and for just one person you could probably eat that meal at least three times. It isn't the most calorie conscious, but is quick and filling.

I also agree about batch cooking and freezing. One other thing you might try is buying a whole chicken. Roast it, eat your portion for that meal, then divide the rest out. I will pull the meat off the bone and then use it in stir fry (you should be able to get frozen bagged stir fry mix for around $1.00) or I sautee a whole sliced onion with a bell pepper in butter then add a portion of chicken to it. Sometimes I top it with parmesan. There's a lot of flavor but not much meat and it still satisfies.

You can add balsamic vinegar and basil to tuna instead of mayo, toss in a green onion if you like, and wrap in lettuce instead of bread. You can add anything you have on hand and it's usually great (if you like tuna).

Chia seeds can be a little pricey up front, but a serving is only a TBSP, so the bag lasts forever. You can make pudding out of them. I do that for make ahead breakfasts. 1 TBSP chia seeds, 1/2 c. coconut milk (a can should run under a dollar and there are multiple servings in 1 can), 1 tsp vanilla. Stir it up, let it sit for 5 minutes then stir again, cover and refrigerate over night. Eat as is or top with fruit. If the consistency weirds you out, blend it for a couple seconds. You can make it chocolate by adding 1 TBSP cocoa powder, 1 TBSP sugar or stevia in the prep phase. Sometimes I do this and decrease my coconut milk but add coffee. It's mocha magic!

Oatmeal, the plain stuff in a big round container, is super cheap and quick and you can add whatever you want for flavor.

If there are multiple stores in your area, keep track of the sale circulars and plan your meal list from the sale items. Don't be brand loyal, go with least cost store brands. Buy in bulk where you can. You said you buy rice. I will cook a big batch to reheat as necessary and eat it in a bowl with coconut milk and fruit with a little cinnamon on top, but regular milk is good, too.

Good luck to you.

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Eat what you always do, only in moderation, to equal a deficit.

yup. Track what you are eating, stay within the calories allotted, and the weight will come off. cheap non bean protiens- TVP (bobs red mill tvp is 4.00 a pound here) canned tuna, eggs, milk, and peanuts.

bbontheb wrote: »

Sorry, to the people recommending buying frozen bag veggies for a buck, rice for 1.50 etc. Those are not canadian prices. Rice, small bag $5 ish, frozen veggies sometimes on sale for small bag of corn or peas for $2.50 but 3-5$. The prices here are way more than the US.

Also, if you try to find a job while on provincial govt disability I believe they do claw back (take it away) or cancel it. BC keeps you in poverty if you are on assistance.

OP-do you have a bulk barn near you?

Yes, prices are higher here. And she's in BC. Might be even higher there since the standard of living is higher.