"Those of ordinary talent will remain ordinary whether or not he travels; those of superior talent will fall to pieces if they stay in one place."
-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Come in, Make yourself at home.
//tarot, art and alchemy blog run by meta, who is over 18 years of age
//background art by bobrobon on devart
//!!SEMI-ACTIVE!!
The other day, I was helping out @thesocialjusticecourier with her predicament in the only way I currently can (I’m broke as fuck due to visa fees) but I thought it’d be a cool thing to do to elaborate on the tips, tricks, and good stuff while on a severe budget.
Before you shop….
Get to know the stores in your area. Some of the stores I list won’t be available in all areas, unfortunately, but you might have something similar!
Clip Coupons! Print them online!
Sign up for store cards, like Safeway, etc. They’re free, usually!
Eat something. Don’t shop on an empty stomach.
Make an inventory of what you have and what you need!
Where to shop….
I live in a small, rural town. We have an IGA, a Wal-Mart, a Grocery Outlet, a Safeway, and a Dollar Store and Dollar General where we can get groceries. There’s also a local butcher, but I haven’t been in there yet - though today they had an offer for 10 lb bag of potatoes for just a dollar each.
Grocery Outlet - This is my go-to store for pantry essentials. They often have super-sales, where you can get cans of progresso soup for 20 cents each. Last time I was there, I got 10 cans of Jellied Cranberry for 6 cents a can. My husband just bought an entire gallon of Miracle Whip (disgusting, ew, gross) for just a dollar. It usually costs 13. They also sell a lot of organic and gluten-free food for very, very, very low prices. Also great place for buying frozen meat. Can get
You can easily find canned veggies, fruits, juices, sauces, pastas, etc for under a dollar - sometimes for amazing prices! The key is to really just look. Try not to get anything perishable here, though, unless you plan to cook it that day. A lot of stuff they sell is close to the expiration date. BUT. Many things nearing expiration date can be frozen and saved! More on that later.
Dollar Stores - Different ones offer different things. Ours is pretty small, but we can get more pantry essentials and juices there, as well as frozen veggies for a dollar per bag. Why spend 1-2$ on one bellpepper or 4 bucks for a bag of minis when you can spend 1$ on a bad of pre-cut strips?
Dollar General - Another great place for pantry stuffs and milk is a pretty good price here.
Other places - if you wanna shop elsewhere, look for what’s on sale only. Look for bargain bins. Our local safeway where I used to live had a discount meat area where you could get up to 75% off of meat that was about to go, but was still perfectly fine. Great for freezing!
What food to buy…
These are the foods best for their money, nutrition, and versatility.
Potatoes - 2-5$ for 5 lb bag. The humble potato, while being carb rich, is actually extremely healthy and nutritious. Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stickem in a stew. Usually run around 2-5$ for a 5 lb bag of russets. Sometimes you can get them cheaper. Don’t buy the individual potatoes - get the ones in the big bags! Always cheaper.
Rice - 1-4$ a bag, depending on the kind. Cheapest seems to be simple white long grain here. I recommend that you buy them from wholesale barrels that some stores have, as it seems to be a much better deal. Make sure to check and compare how many cents per ounce to get the best deal! Rice is extremely versatile and can be eaten as is or made into soups, stews, congee, sushi, etc.
EGGS 1.50-2.50 a dozen. Eggs are very nutritious and very cheap and full of protein! Also very versatile! Usually, it’s cheaper to buy the big crate of eggs that sell for 7-10$, and sometimes stores have big sales. We had one just recently for two cartons of 18 large eggs for 1.70$. Check your paper and look for ads!
Lentils, beans, split peas - about 1$ a bag- all very nutritious and all very very cheap! You can add them to salads, soups, stews, rice, potatoes, or eat alone.
Pasta - 1$ a box. Very cheap, though not very nutritionally good for you. If you wanna rely on pasta, make sure you are also including a lot of veggies with it!
Frozen Vegetables - 1-3$ a bag. Don’t worry. They still have all the nutrition and taste of fresh, and are much cheaper than buying fresh veggies! Look for broccoli, veggie mixes, and spinach and whatever else tickles your fancy. Becareful, though - some stores like Safeway sell small bags of them for like 3 bucks each, and you can do much better at discount stores like Grocery Outlet or Winco or the Dollar Store.
Canned Vegetables and fruits 60 cents - 1 $- Again, cheaper than fresh and still good! Especially get canned tomatoes over fresh. Sooo much cheaper.
Apples - A lot of stores will have bags for sale for about 2.70-3.50 for apples. Try to compare prices! Grocery outlet seems to sell a 5 lb bag for about 2.70$. You can also combine them with some meats in cooking.
Canned Tuna - 65 cents. Aim for the cheapest kind. Very versatile, good source of protein. You can make a lot of stuff out of them, including use in sandwiches, wraps, make them into tuna cakes, etc.
Flour - 1-3$ a bag. Flour is a great thing to have, IF you are going to use it. You can easily make your own cheaper, fresh pasta with flour, salt, and water. You can make pancakes, you can make your own bread if you like.
Cabbage - a head of cabbage will average about 1-2$ and will last you a long time, and is very healthy. You can make coleslaw, cabbage rolls, use it in stews and soups and salads.
Frozen Chicken Breast - 6-10$ for about 3-5 or so lbs. You can make them last quite a long time and they’re very versatile.
Organ meats - 1-3$. You might be thinking “Ew” about eating chicken livers, hearts and gizzards or beef livers, but they can be made very delicious and they’re VERY good for you!
Frozen Salmon - 8-11$ Very versatile and healthy, can last you a while.
Frozen Tilapia - 6-8$ for about 4-5 lbs. Very versatile, healthy, lasts a while.
Tofu - 1-2$ a block. Versatile in soups, fried, salads, etc!
Oatmeal - 1-2$ for a big cannister. Oats are very healthy for you and very calorie-filled! You can also eat them like cereal or use them in savory porridge.
Bananas - 1-2$ a bunch. Potassium and lots of healthy!
Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melons - sometimes you can get them a dollar each at some stores, including dollar store. Otherwise don’t bother. Still yummy.
Onions 2-3$ a bag- Cheap, healthy, versatile! Use in soups, pastas, meat dishes, or make onion rings!
Carrots - 1-2$ a bag - Soo cheap and so versatile! Can be sweet, savory, spicy, anything! Boil them, roast them, fry them, shave them and throw them in your pasta sauce - anything! Or just eat them raw. Omnom.
If I bought all of the above with average prices and multiples of some (like the canned veggies) my bill would be about 65$. I think these ingredients would easily last a month.
There are, of course, less healthier and cheaper things to buy, but try to avoid those. Even if you’re REAAAALLY scraping by, buy potatoes, eggs, frozen veggies and tuna over anything bad, like fishsticks and stuff. You’ll get bored, but if you’re reaaally scraping by, you’ll appreciate the nutrition.
Likewise, there are some unhealthy things that are very cheap which can be made healthier. Ramen is a great example, and my sin. I still love it. It’s so good. Just, whenever you make something like that, give it healthy things! For Ramen, I like to include some protein, half a hardboiled egg, and greens of some sort.
Tips for making things last….
Buy discount and freeze it! Especially with meats and some vegetables!
Some fresh vegetables can be partially re-grown, thus giving you another free serving. I do this with green onions a lot! Use what you like, and then stick them in a vase of water and let them regrow.
With fresh ingredients, buy only what you plan to use within the next two days to avoid it spoiling and wasting your money.
If your area has them, hit up your local farmer’s markets! Much cheaper, much better!
Don’t eat out.
If you really crave something like pizza or burger, make it yourself! Much cheaper, and much more delicious!
Don’t throw out that odd piece of onion or those chicken bones or those carrot stumps. Collect them up and toss them in a pot with some water and seasoning and make your own healthy broth! You can freeze it after to it’s always handy. Much better than buying in cans and boxes, too.
Research! There’s a lot of posts and blogs out there that talk about these things further. I am only one humble derp on the internet.
“FAT is not determined by it’s negative connotation, it is simply a descriptive word.”
I created this personal zine to celebrate all women of ethnicity, race, sexuality, age, culture and diversity that are fat, and to honour those who have never felt self worth, love and acceptance, who are currently processing it, who have and currently are - for being fat.
How many fucking places do you need to get drunk?!?!
As many as possible
“why aren’t that many in the top of Scotland?” those are mountains fam nobody’s that desperate
most villages i know have way more pubs than all their shops combined
The thing is, pubs are not just places to get drunk.
In many small towns they are the only place to get a meal that is not fast food without cooking it yourself. Even in larger towns they can have the best food.
They’re where you go to play darts, sing karaoke, play trivia.
They’re where you go to meet people to talk to - and no, not just people you might want to hook up with. When I was in college, regular department lunches, students and professors alike, happened…in the back room of a nearby pub. We’d get pies, one beer, and discuss the stuff we didn’t get to in class.
Pubs are places where the bartender knows your name, and where exchanges like “We’re out.” “I’ll have the other one.” are fully understood. Seriously, some people will walk into their “local” and their drink will be poured and on the bar before they get to it.
Yes, there’s alcohol, and absolutely some people go to the pub to get drunk. But a pub is not the same thing as a bar.
Pubs fall into the “third space” that is neither home nor work. In America, we had this little thing happen called Prohibition.
Alcohol became something you had to sneak.
A place to get a drink became a place to get a drink. It was the speakeasy. It was the den of vice.
The role of the pub was taken over by the coffee house.
So, Americans, don’t think of the British pub as a sports bar (where you go to watch a game), or as a regular bar (where you go to get drunk), or a bar and grill (a restaurant with good beer).
Think of it as a coffee shop that sells alcohol. As that vital third place.
And then you might understand why Britain has so many of them. (Britain does have coffee shops too, mind, but they don’t get turned into the third place in the same way as here, although Costa still way beats Starbucks).
(This is your PSA from the person who has lived in both countries).
Third spaces in America are actually exceedingly rare, even coffee houses are more business than social space.
