Poverty Food

[AlittleSalt]

It's when you cannot afford many ingredients, and you can't afford to cook things in the oven because it heats up the house too much, and utility bills are insane. There is so much to it, but money is a huge part. How many you are cooking for is another factor. Then there is the homeless. I don't know this part of life. Somehow they eat.

Tonight was chili dogs. I have no clue about tomorrow.

[worth1]

Eggs pinto beans rice and the likes are all still affordable for the most past.
Flour and cornmeal.
Pasta is another one.
Mackerel.
Potatoes.

Its really hard to go to the store these days without breaking the bank.
Another idea is to buy whole chicken.
This way you can make a broth with the bones and skin.
I normally spend a little for good ingredients and make stuff that I can eat on for the week.
If there's anyone in the house that doesn't like something they can go hungry.
I see way too much money in the checkout line being spent on prepared and processed food.

[Tormato]

Eggs pinto beans rice and the likes are all still affordable for the most past.
Flour and cornmeal.
Pasta is another one.
Mackerel.
Potatoes.

Its really hard to go to the store these days without breaking the bank.
Another idea is to buy whole chicken.
This way you can make a broth with the bones and skin.
I normally spend a little for good ingredients and make stuff that I can eat on for the week.
If there's anyone in the house that doesn't like something they can go hungry.
I see way too much money in the checkout line being spent on prepared and processed food.

At another forum that I visit, I mentioned foods, here, that are still under $1/lb. Flour, corn meal, rice, yellow and green split peas, lentils, Great Northern beans (all other dry beans have skyrocketed in price, $1.50 to almost $3.00 a pound), pasta, perhaps oatmeal (which I haven't priced yet this year), fresh carrots, potatoes, cabbages, onions, etc..., whole chickens, chicken leg quarters and chicken thighs. There are probably some canned goods that come in at under $1/lb, too.

I put about 40 pounds of "anacondas" (whole pork loins) in the freezer several months back. I bought them at .99/lb, and they now go for $3.99, or more, a pound.

Luckily for the homeless, or extremely poor, there is a good support system for food (but not shelter), around here. There are multiple "soup" kitchens and food banks in the area, so as long as people can get out and travel a mile or two, there is no reason for anyone to go hungry. There has always been enough infant formula to go around, too. The horror stories that I've heard about are in the large cities, where people wait in line for 6 to 8 hours, and sometimes more, for food. Online, I know someone who gets up at 3:30 AM, to get in line at 4:30 AM, for a food bank that opens at 9:00 AM. Otherwise, his wait in line would be twice as long, with the possibility of many food items running out.

There is one "trendy" city in the area, that I visit 1 or 2 times a year, that basically all of the panhandlers (and the fake homeless) flock to. They have their own specific areas on the sidewalks where they can conduct "business", according to city ordinances. They have mostly disappeared, as the wealthy downtown strollers seemed to have stopped giving to them.

I try not to think about the rumored shortages for 2023.

[brownrexx]

Cooking from scratch and not eating much beef or processed foods saves us so much money. I also save a ton of money by my gardening efforts. I grow almost all of the veggies that we eat.

[bower]

I hear you about not cooking because of the heat (let alone the utility bills). This summer has been really punishing for me, because not able to cook as usual, therefore can't eat as usual either.... it is tough. I actually bought bread instead of making my own, and I was so sick of that after a few weeks - even the expensive brand that I bought which I think of as 'good enough', must contain some additive to keep it dry and prevent spoilage... whatever that is, it does not agree with me at all.
The only thing I can think of as a work around for that, unless you get a cooler day forecasted and plan to massively cook stuff that day, would be to cook what you must for your suppers either late at night or early in the morning when it's coolest. And secondly, cook bulk when you do and into the fridge or freezer for meals on other days. Things you can eat cold, like cooked meat or chicken, potato salad, pasta salad are great for hot days.
Also if meat is too expensive, there are lots of dishes where you can combine meat and legumes, use a smaller amount of meat for the same satisfaction. I noticed that prepared meats like sausage, bacon or ham are way more expensive than a plain meat, so use them sparingly.
Can't say much about vegetables because we grow most of what we eat all year round, but the price to buy things is shocking. Saw a $16 pricetag on a watermelon this summer. Guess I don't eat watermelon if I can't grow it. Down the aisle though, a special on canteloupe, 4.99. Have that as a treat. It certainly makes growing food worthwhile from the pocketbook pov.
Hot weather aside, the only way I can save a dollar on groceries and utilities is to buy in bulk and cook in bulk too, things you can freeze and reheat or just thaw. I still have the toaster oven for things that don't reheat on stovetop. It is bearable for items that only take 10-15 minutes to heat.

[karstopography]

I love chicken and chicken is still pretty inexpensive here. I generally pick up a whole chicken or chicken thighs about once a week. Throw some onion, celery, and maybe some carrots in a pot with the chicken and a little rice or noodles and you have an inexpensive and delicious healthy soup you can eat for days. We do this pretty frequently.

Dried Lentils cook pretty quickly and are healthy and not expensive. Throw in some onion and a little sausage and it’s a cheap dinner.

Stir fries are good for stretching a dollar. They cook quickly and don’t use much meat. Throw in whatever veggies that are in season and relatively inexpensive at the moment. Soy sauce goes a long way and adds some flavor.

Hamburgers can be an inexpensive complete meal that includes beef. Thin patties quickly pan broiled on hot cast iron trump big thick patties in my book for flavor. No one really needs a 1/2 pound of beef or more at a sitting. 1/4 pound is much better on the wallet and the digestion. Get the cheap buns or just use bread and toast those. Toasting tends to turn mediocre bread into something much better. Add any vegetable or topping you like and that fits the budget. We are making hamburgers tonight. I bought fancy grass fed beef on sale and still the meal won’t cost over $2 per person.

My son works at a food bank. We have a few around and there’s not more than 65,000 people in our immediate area. His food bank is reserved for students at the JC he attends. But, people take one continuing education class and they are then qualified to get 70 pounds, x amount of protein, canned good, produce, etc., of free food from the food pantry on campus twice a month. Any student is eligible, including the staff, all students, that work at the pantry. He’ll bring home stuff that’s about to be thrown out and it is great. I’ve got a pile of limes he brought home that aren’t quite green enough for most folks, but are otherwise perfectly delicious. He brought home a 40# watermelon that nobody would take. It was wonderful.

[Sue_CT]

If you have a Costco near you, the whole roasted chickens will feed a family for about 5.00 if used well. By used well, I mean take the meat off, make a good amount of chicken salad with it for sandwiches, or put it in a casserole with maybe some spices and whatever you have to add from the pantry, maybe some noodles or other type pasta, etc., heated on the stove top and mixed or layered into a dish and no cooking required except maybe under the broiler after a little cheese to the top of the casserole. I would probably buy 2 or 3 and use them in dfferent ways throughout the week. Simply sliced meat with fixing you like would make a good sandwich. Use the bones for soup. If you don't have a place like Costco to get a good price on Rotisserie Chickens, I would cook several chickens or pans of chicken parts, legs, thighs, etc., whenever you can in the evening and use them for the week but do them all in one evening so you only use the oven once. Same with pork if that is what is on sale. What about grilling? You can cook almost anything on a grill and if you don't have propane or charcoal there is always wood if you can get your hands on that.

We have food banks also, and a local church has so much food to give away once a week that they were encouraging people to please take as much as they could use so it wouldn't go bad. So you have never mentioned that I recall, Salt, if there is anything like that around you or if you have looked into it. Even if you had to travel once a week or once a month to a larger town or city it might be worth it to get a weeks or months worth of staples and food.

[Tormato]

I hear you about not cooking because of the heat (let alone the utility bills). This summer has been really punishing for me, because not able to cook as usual, therefore can't eat as usual either.... it is tough. I actually bought bread instead of making my own, and I was so sick of that after a few weeks - even the expensive brand that I bought which I think of as 'good enough', must contain some additive to keep it dry and prevent spoilage... whatever that is, it does not agree with me at all.
The only thing I can think of as a work around for that, unless you get a cooler day forecasted and plan to massively cook stuff that day, would be to cook what you must for your suppers either late at night or early in the morning when it's coolest. And secondly, cook bulk when you do and into the fridge or freezer for meals on other days. Things you can eat cold, like cooked meat or chicken, potato salad, pasta salad are great for hot days.
Also if meat is too expensive, there are lots of dishes where you can combine meat and legumes, use a smaller amount of meat for the same satisfaction. I noticed that prepared meats like sausage, bacon or ham are way more expensive than a plain meat, so use them sparingly.
Can't say much about vegetables because we grow most of what we eat all year round, but the price to buy things is shocking. Saw a $16 pricetag on a watermelon this summer. Guess I don't eat watermelon if I can't grow it. Down the aisle though, a special on canteloupe, 4.99. Have that as a treat. It certainly makes growing food worthwhile from the pocketbook pov.
Hot weather aside, the only way I can save a dollar on groceries and utilities is to buy in bulk and cook in bulk too, things you can freeze and reheat or just thaw. I still have the toaster oven for things that don't reheat on stovetop. It is bearable for items that only take 10-15 minutes to heat.

I wonder how you would do if you had REAL heat.

[bower]

I wonder how you would do would you do if you had REAL heat.

Probably dead.

[brownrexx]

I don't use the oven much in the summer. I either cook on the stovetop or outside on the gas grill. I don't use it much but I also have a slow cooker and an Instant Pot. Both of these are good cooking methods that do not generate much heat.

I have central AC but it seems so wasteful to generate heat in the kitchen and then cool it with the AC. Not making the AC work as hard is easier on the electric bill too.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are still $2.29 / lb around here and I usually only use one chicken breast for a meal for the 2 of us. That is about $1 per person for the meat and I grow the veggies so dinners are relatively cheap at my house.

I am lucky in that we do not really like beef so I never spend money on that although we do eat burgers on the grill a couple of times during the summer.

[rxkeith]

dave ramsey says rice and beans, and beans and rice until you get yourself out of debt. that, and
sell the truck. get a reliable beater.

for no or limited cooking, summer heat is a time for salads. most of the vegetable ingredients should be affordable,
and will keep in the fridge. core ingredients are cabbage, carrots, broccoli, onion and/or garlic, lettuce or spinach or baby kale greens.
some type of protein such as sun flower seeds (cheapest), nuts, canned bean of your choice. you can add canned salmon, tuna, or something else.
a small piece of chicken or steak can be used in several salads at once. add some dressing or olive oil, and vinegar. i like to add dried cranberries
you can make whatever variation you want with the ingredients you have on hand without breaking the bank.

chicken, and pork are the least expensive meats in the grocery store here. we don't eat steak that often although we treat ourselves to
chuck eye steak now, and then. we shop the sales for pork chops or roast or some type of beef roast that we will throw in the crock pot.
it is usually cheaper to buy a beef roast, and cut it up for stew meat than it is to buy stew meat already cut up.
add a bunch of vegetable to the slow cooker with the roast, and you have a one pot meal with left overs depending on the size of the crock pot
or the size of the family.

try to stay away from processed food. it shortens longevity.
do what you can with what you have where you are.


keith

[Sue_CT]

If nothing has changed, I believe Salt may be cooking for 5-6 people per meal on a very limited budget. That is a little a harder than cooking for 1 or 2 people for sure. So "stretchers" like pasta, rice and beans are important to stretch any meat, and beans are good protein sources. What will be enough for a child or someone in their 60s or 70s or above will likely not be enough to sustain an adult male in his 20s, 30s or 40s, who might or might not also go for salads as a main meal. Of course a male of that age should absolutely be working and contributing as much as possible to feeding his own kids and family. So there is that.

[MissS]

Tuna salad is quick and easy. Add some macaroni noodles, celery, onions and whatever else you wish. The same goes for chicken/turkey/ham salad. There are lots' of recipes for cold soups. Wrap sandwiches are easy and filling as well as fun to eat. I had one today with cream cheese and a green onion for my lunch.

[AlittleSalt]

If nothing has changed, I believe Salt may be cooking for 5-6 people per meal on a very limited budget. That is a little a harder than cooking for 1 or 2 people for sure. So "stretchers" like pasta, rice and beans are important to stretch any meat, and beans are good protein sources. What will be enough for a child or someone in their 60s or 70s or above will likely not be enough to sustain an adult male in his 20s, 30s or 40s, who might or might not also go for salads as a main meal. Of course a male of that age should absolutely be working and contributing as much as possible to feeding his own kids and family. So there is that.

You nailed it. Cooking for two is easy and cheap compared to cooking for 6 - the other 4 being 10, 13, and two 34 year olds. I see how much they eat, remember how much my children ate, and how much I ate from the age of 10 to 35 or so. All you can eat buffets beware - I was a brick/stone mason, and I ate an unbelievable amount.

[AlittleSalt]

I do hope the thread continues because there are many of us that need ideas and people understanding that we're not alone. We are different though. I haven't been off of my property in 6 weeks exactly. No I didn't turn into a recluse, I was taking care of grandchildren while their mother lost her mind. Stuff happens.

Worth, this isn't a copycat of Cheap Eatin. The title says it all.

[Danny]

Yep, hot here in Texas, too. We try to cook things ahead or in the cooler hours, use the crock pot a lot too to keep the bill and heat down. An extension cord will let you use an electric skillet or crock pot outside on a porch or patio, use a grill, too. Many a home made biscuit came from the embers of a fire and a dutch oven- cheaper to make your own from scratch than buy them, better tasting too. Ditto on the cornbread in or on a grill or campfire ( watch the fire though). A pot of beans, stretched with rice or lentils and rice, add a big whatever you got in the garden salad and make sure everyone does eat the salad first, that'll stick with 'em. Spaghetti with canned sauce ( walmart has on sale at ninety two cents each here, 24 ounce use 1/2 of a can and finish cooking the noodles in the sauce), nother big salad and a biscuit with some garlic spread on it. Either one of them will feed 4 bigs and 2 young ones for under 6 bucks a meal. Water to drink or koolaid type with less sugar.

Gravy and biscuits will go a long ways too. Broccoli is cheapish now, 1.31 lb, get 3 pounds, some cheap chicken stock , great value is 1.98 for 32 ounces, really chop up the broccoli fine in a food processor or blender stalks and all, add broth, add rice and 4 to 6 cups water, herbs to taste, at the end use up any bits of cheese you got and mix it well, you got a good soup either hot or cold.

Fried rice is a cheaper dish, add lots of veggies and maybe 4 scarmbled eggs for 6 people, filling, quick, uses bits and bobs.

Save all your bones and veggie left overs, even a few tablespoons, freeze and make a soup with em later. A couple tablespoons of peas or corn, a half cup pinto beans left over, a sad carrot and the last wilted but still good celery stalks, any sweet potatoes or potatoews and onions, all will make a good nourishing stew or soup.

PIC and I routinely save scraps for soup in the freezer and veg "trash" - the tops and root ends of onions & skins, garlic clove papers and any stalk or base part, bits of celery cut off the stalks, tomato skins, carrot peelings and butts, and whatever else we get from cooking here, into a container in the freezer. When there is enough, we make stock out of it.

[worth1]

Years ago people weren't inundated with constant reminders of all the food to eat on TV and along the road.
Radio advertising prime beef from some ranch.
Youtube videos where someone cooks a thousand dollar brisket.
People ate whatever they could get their hands on.
And for the most part we're happy to go to bed on a full stomach.
Now young children see food they could only dream of ever eating.
It must be hard to explain to them that a person can't afford it.
Food waste in this country is horrible.
There was a documentary where a young couple ate like kings on food that was thrown away.

[worth1]

Years ago in the 80's I think they lowered the poverty level per income.
All the while the price of everything was going up.

I have no idea but I don't think this has changed in years.
Now with everything going up more and more people are finding themselves living in true poverty.
Almost all their money goes towards rent bills fuel insurance and car payments.
More than just a few talk to me about it in the grocery store.
Yesterday after work I put two cups of pinto beans on the soak.
I never eat pinto beans but they cost less than the other beans.
I'll probably make refried beans with them.
My mom made a lot of chilie beans growing up.
No meat.

[karstopography]

My best friend’s dad always had a pot of beans going. Beans and rice. He’d put a capful of vinegar in the water to cook the rice, but I can’t remember why. He was at least 1/2 Louisiana Creole, not Cajun, not all the French ancestry people in Louisiana are Cajuns. Might have been a bit of pork at times in those beans, too. They raised rabbits for food. Had a garden. Scraps from the kitchen and garden fed the rabbits. Rabbit pellets fed the vegetables. Might have been some chickens also and ducks. Lots of fish consumed. Ducks, deer, oysters, crabs, whatever could be scrounged up.

[brownrexx]

Yes, it costs a bit more to feed 6 people than 2 people HOWEVER if 4 of those people are adults then there should be more income than 2 people have so it should be proportional.

I still say that anyone can eat decent food economically by purchasing the less expensive meats like chicken or even tuna and not purchasing prepared foods and snacks. Pastas, rice or beans can also be economical and filling. Fruits and vegetables can be grown or purchased at farm markets instead of regular stores where they are more expensive. I also save quite a bit on my grocery bill by using the online coupons offered by my store.