So the bottom line is that an unforseen bill last month has eaten into my budget VERY much this month. I have $13 left in my food budget and I was only able to spend $30 to last us until I get some money. A friend owes me $300 and says he'll have it to my by Friday, but you know how that can be in this economy. So I might have to stretch my food until the 14th of the month when I get paid. All the bills are paid, so no worries there. I have a half a tank of gas, but get 40 mpg and work ten minutes away, so that should be fine too.
I have the basics in my panty. Pasta, burger, milk, eggs, cheese, bread, cereal, top ramen, crackers, hot dogs, lunch meat, two cans of tuna, two cans of chicken, canned corn, canned green beans, canned pork and beans, and some flour tortillas. Plus a few more things I'm probably not thinking of.
Can any of you ladies think of how I can stretch what I have as long as I can? I've pretty much been winging it so far. Ideas? What do you keep on hand in case money gets tight?
Also, in case of dire need, I actually have a big tub of emergency food (freeze dried and dehydrated packets). So we're not going to starve, I'd just prefer to save this until after the fresh stuff is exhausted. But I suppose I could use it too. I also have a BIG box of the good powdered milk...so recipes requiring milk are not a problem.
Thanks in advance!
**EDIT!**
Oh, ladies, you are all just wonderful! In thinking about it, I probably have plenty to be able to make it until next week. It's not that far off. I can also go through the change jars and find a few bucks for rice and potatoes, which will definitely supplement our diets. I can't tell you how it depressed me to have to walk right past the fresh veggies and fruits in order to buy those staples!
PLEASE, keep em coming. I haven't yet done the food pantry thing, because I think I make too much and am humiliated to have not budgeted in the money for such unforseen circumstances...but I was a student all last year (still military part time) and had just gone back to work in July, so I had no savings built in! It seems that the old adage is true; when it rains, it pours!!
Ladies, you are the BEST!
So I ended up getting an email from the friend who owes me that $300. Which I had loaned him prior to the whole unforseen bill fiasco. He lives 5 hours away and had intended on getting it to me this weekend. Well, it turns out that the class he was supposed to come into Jeff City for was not on THIS weekend, but NEXT weekend! Argh!
So, instead of being my silently stoic self, I told him that I was really in need of that money.
And, as real friends do when you're in trouble, he came through. He's coming up tomorrow morning with the cash.
So, thank you ladies for all your help and advice. You're the best. It looks like we'll be very much okay! But I'll be eating a bit cheaper from here on out so I can pad my saving account in case of emergency!
Thank you all so much!!
When things get tight like that, we just love fried potatoes and ketchup. It's easy and the kids like it. We wash them good and keep the skins on since the best vitamins are in the skins.
Sometimes you can get some big heads of cabbage for next to nothing. We like cabbage soup. So that can help.
It sounds like you have it well in hand and it's so nice that the bills are paid :)
Growing up we lived on things on toast... egg on toast (scrambled or boiled), spaghetti O's on toast, cheese on toast, pork n beans beans on toast. Toast is a marvelous thing.
Spuds - you gotta get potatoes, apart from bulking up the other stuff, you can use the bigger ones and have jacket potatoes as a meal with a topping of tuna or cheese or pork n beans.
One of my fave cheap and easy''s is shepherds pie - in a skillet cook up about a pound of ground beef with an onion & garlic (if you have), drain off any excess fat, add in some veggies (the corn and green beans will be great) add some gravy powder & water to a thickish consistancy. Boil up a couple of pounds of potatoes and mash them. If you like having extra dishes to wash you can transfer the meat to a casserole dish and then add the mash on top, sprinkle some cheese on the top and broil for a couple of minutes. I don't do this as I hate to wash dishes and it all tastes quite fabulous if you skip the broiling and cheese step.
If you run out of cereal or if the kids are bored with it - make some french toast (there's that toast again).
Good luck and hang in there - this too shall pass.
So glad things worked out for you! We have been in that situation several times and have been for the last two weeks...not fun!
If it ever happens again, though, one piece of advice would be to only use one or two items with each meal. For example-make a tuna sandwich with tuna and bread. Don't make it with tuna, bread, pickles and eggs. Pickles and eggs could be used for another meals.
Seems to me you have more than enough food to last for only 7 more days until you get paid. How old are your kids? They can have cereal for breakfast and toast. How much burger do you have? Have hot dogs for dinner a few nights, we do.
Make quesadillas with your tortillas, do you have cheese slices and butter? Butter one side like you would grilled cheese. My kids love them. We also make pb&j tortillas, they are super yummy, I even like these. Cook them in the pan also, the peanut butter gets warm and melty.
In a pinch we have had buttered pasta, just noodles and butter. If you want sprinkle some cheese on it. I think you will be okay, iIt happpens to all of us at one point or another!
Getting a $1 bag of rice could stretch what you have even further -- It would go with the pork/beans (spread over bed of rice), hamburger (hamburgers w/o buns with rice and tomato sauce are a hit in my house), and even in ramen "juice." Our kids LOVE eating raw Ramen noodles for a snack -- just give them the whole square of noodles and let them chomp away. Then use the spice packet in water to boil rice or other pasta for another meal. Try other combos like adding corn to your soup or chicken salad to balance nutrition.
Will there be enough cereal to last for breakfasts?
Or eggs and toast.
Dinners:
Hot dogs and pork & beans
Chicken salad sandwiches
tuna noodle cheat casserole-Buy (2) $1 pouches of butter noddles
Pasta (meatless) or Pasta & meatballs
Ramen Soup
Chicken/corn/beans in tortillas?
Hopefully, the person that owes you $300 will at least be able to cough up $100 which should last you til the 14th.
Do your kids get free/reduced lunches at school?
I would do an inventory of what you have, and make a menu to best utilize what you have. That way, you don't accidentally "blow" a key ingredient that could better be spent in a different meal. Does that make sense? For example: if you had 2 chicken breasts, that might be 1 dinner (with sides). But if you cook it, shred it, and put it with rice and a few other things, it's now a casserole that could be 2 dinners and 1 lunch, no sides really needed.
Potatoes and brown rice can be your friend when there's no money---they can bulk up any meat or soup to fill you up.
I've made it a month on less for 2 adults, an 8yr old & a 3yr old.
My dad left when I was 12 and was one of 5 kids. We had many meals of scrambled eggs, egg salad sandwiches, pasta with tuna, pasta with chopped meat, pasta with chicken, pasta with cheese. You can make a quiche or frittata with any leftovers (basically an omelette that you put under the broiler instead of folding up). I fyou have hot dogs you can add them to mac & cheese - you can add a can of beans to the chopped meat and make chili. I think most of us could live out of our cabinets for a week or two (or more) if needed. Just go with the inexpensive forms or protein like eggs, cheese and tuna for each meal and you're good to go. Depending on how old the kids are ask for their help in your "Survivor man" adventure. There are probably combinations you would never dream up taht they would think are fabulous. One combination you'd probably never think of that an old italian lady I knew used to make: cooked pasta mixed with butter, riccotta chees, mozzarella cheese and 1 or 2 beaten eggs - then bake. Obivously if you don't have the ricotta or mozzarella you can subsitute other cheese - but the beatn egg makes it firm and you can actually slice like pie. Throw in some roasted veggies and you have a cheap dinner!
Good luck momma!
This happened to me when I was in my early 20's and bought my first condo so I was "on my own". I learned one month the hard way to keep my pantry stocked with canned items I can just heat up and eat. I lived off my pantry for probably 6 or 7 weeks before I was able to hit the stores again. That was a big lesson learned. Thank God I loved canned chili and soups! And I lost a few pounds...anyway, no real suggestions other than to keep extra items for this exact reason. Lots of people are going thru this now. Good luck!
Potatoes are good, too. Fairly inexpensive, can be made a number of ways, and good filler. Buy them in the bulk bags vs the individual ones. You can do cereal for dinner one night if you are running low. And maybe make their bowls so they aren't full to the brim but still give them a good breakfast. You can stretch things like hot dogs and burger meat by mixing them with pasta. We had mac and cheese with a little leftover burger meat all the time as a kid. Beans might be another consideration. Dried beans are also good for you, inexpensive, and can add a lot to a meal. You could use beans with the tortillas and burger meat and a little cheese.
Head to Aldi's to stock up on the canned goods. Sounds like you are ok until the 14th. Also, if you make huge batches of anything be sure to freeze the extra for later use.
if you have whole milk you can thin it with water to make it stretch. i make a dish with pasta, tuna and eggs. if you have mayo you could do that. it is filling and makes a lot. make it fun by having cereal for dinner one night. another cheap meal is mac and cheese with hot dogs in it. fun lunch could be a green bean rolled up on a piece of lunch meat. chicken and cheese cooked and rolled in tortillias. you have a lot of good items to work with. i also use water in my scrambled eggs. it make them fluffier than milk. that way you can save the milk for the kiddos to drink. one more suggestion. go to the grocery store that has samples for lunch! can you tell...i've been there.
good luck honey.
7 day menu:
- Tuna salad sandwhiches (even if you only have onion or mayo to add, it will still be decent)
- Chicken salad sandwhiches - or just eat the chicken salad with crackers.
- Eggs for dinner!
- Hard boil the eggs too
- Meatloaf can be stretched - if you have more than just one pound of meat, make burgers too.
- I would eat Ramen noodles for lunch each day, then add a healthy item to eat with it, such as an apple or tomato.
- Drink water only, no purchases for soda, juice, etc.
- Plant a garden - square foot gardening works even in small spaces.
Whenever we are really in a pinch, I just eat less but still make sure to get nutrition. For example, I will split a burger with my youngest and eat an extra tomato slice or two to fill me up. Much cheaper.
Whatever you do, make a planned menu so you don't miss certain things.
Won't military help you with food? (I recall you being military, right?)
When i first got married we were dirt poor and husband made 8 dollars per hour and i cleaned every house i could find that would let me in. I will say during that time i became a VERY creative cook! Best wishes to you! Hold on tight you are doing a great job♥
You've got a decent amount there, but do consider a food pantry. They can help keep you in basics so you can buy fresh fruit and veggies.
I haven't read any of the answers so I'm not sure if this was given already. But I remember growing up (we were military) and when times were really tight, my dad made S.O.S. You probably know what it is, but he browned the ground beef, drained it but for about 2 tlbsp. of the grease and added in 2 tblsp. flour to make a rouh (spelling?) then added in milk and salt & pepper. We toasted the bread and he poured it over and we loved it. When money came in and he stopped making it, we kept asking for him to make it. I think we had some frozen veggies with it, but we only remember the S.O.S. : )
Also, our milk was made with a gallon of whole milk and then the powdered milk to make 2 gallons total, with 4 kids this helped stretch the dollar.
Sounds like you may already be covered until the 14th. :-D Well, I guess that all depends on how many family members you have to feed. :-)
Do you have mac and cheese? When we are scraping by, which has been the past 8 mos, I sometimes would make mac and cheese with hot dog in it and peas. Kids love it.
I notice the dollar store has food too. I would price these though because some of their items, you can already get for the same price, or lower at your regular grocery store.
The Salvation Army and some Churches have food for families as well. My local churches only help 'their members', so I haven't been able to utilize them at all.
We have what's called "Treasure Boxes". These are boxes of food that will feed a family of four for a week. Let me get the website for you:
http://www.thetreasurebox.org/
Also, there is an Angle Food program and here is their website too:
http://www.angelfoodministries.com/
I go to Fry's market here where I live and they have a VIP card that gives me discounts on selected food items. I use it along with manufacturer coupons and it helps a lot to save some money. One day we were literally out of just about everything, and this is during the first two months when my husband lost his job, money was so scarce and we kept having to ReApply for food stamps, and it was like old mother hubboards cubboards in here, and I went to the grocery store with some money my mom and dad loaned us, and I was able to save $125. I was like WOW!!! I don't know how I did it. It was just a good day for me! I haven't been able to do that again. lol
Well, I hope I've helped some. I wish you the best and I hope your family gets back on track soon. This daggum ecomony seems like its going to make us all have to live on the streets. oye.....
think rice or pasta. defrost the jumbo bag of chicken thighs ( everyone has at least one bag, in the very back of the freezer), add your rice, and you are done. break out the crockpot, add the forgotten bag of stewmeat or venison, wait a few hours, add your veggies, and, again, you are done. call this "friend" that owes you money, and ask them to cough up the cash that they owe you so your kids wont go hungry. use those words, unless he is dr. mingeleas nephew, he will cough up what he owes you. help this helps
K. h.
If you have any rice, I'd make a pot of that. rice with a little milk & sugar would be a decent breakfast for a few days & you can use it for other meals as well. casseroles are always a good choice to stretch stuff since you have pasta, I'd go ahead & look through that freeze dried stuff & see if you can come up with some stuff to supplement the fresh ex? got some dried beef? maybe some chip beef gravy over toast (affectionately known as shi** on a shingle!)
Go through your closet and kid's toys and sell them on ebay. That will tide you over until next time.
Also a big dish of mac and cheese will go far..
We have a jar we throw loose change in. When $ is tight, I'll use that and whatever other coins I can find around the house, in coat pockets, and in the car. I just roll them- it doesn't take that long, and I can usually get anywhere from $20- $40.
Can you ask the friend that owes you $300 if he can even give you a portion of what he owes you?
Best wishes!! =o)
Sorry things are so tight right now for you. I hate hearing someone going through this and with two little ones. I hope you've rec'd some great advice.
I guess I would make a list of things to do at home with the boys so you could save your gas for work and an emergency. Then, make a list of meals with what you have on hand. Ex., grilled cheese/soup, breakfast for dinner, chicken/green beans, etc... And when you go get paid, splurge a
little on some fresh fruit and/or veggies. Do you live where theres is a Little Cesar's Pizza? You can treat your boys when you get paid. I can't even imagine, but wishing you much luck and fortune your way.
Okay I like what Scarlett said for food ideas.
Can you go to a food bank?
Do you have any aluminum cans lying around to turn in for cash?
Next time try to buy the food first & see if you can be a little bit late on
the bill depending upon what it is.
Check all over your house for hidden change.
No more lending out $ to friends. They will have to be on their own. Your
heart was in the right place but your kiddos & you come first.
W/the grd beef make hamburgers or meatloaf. Meatloaf goes a long way
W/the tuna- add to salad one day, tuna sandwiches for lunch another day
w/the pasta & canned chicken you could make a casserole or make
wraps, burritos w/the flour tortillas
w/the beef: instead of meatloaf you could make spaghetti w/meat sauce
crackers & cheese for snack
breakfast for dinner one night if you & your kids do that
make your green beans, corn, pork n beans as your sides if you have
burgers or meatloaf
I keep beans in a bag to cook for tight times, the tuna, noodles, grd beef
tortillas, cheese, can of refried beans, canned veggies.
Any family in the area to help ask for some food?
I hope that helps a little. Wishing you the best!!
You could make pasta with meatballs on night then have meatball sandwiches the next. We love tuna patties. Chicken wraps. You could make chilli sauce and have chilli dogs if your kids like those.
