Sometimes little pleasures in life are loadbearing. Whenever someone is like "If you'd just give up tea and coffee and sugar and--" im like I'll stop you right there. Because if you finish that sentence i am going to kill everyone in this building and then myself. If i have to face the horrors of the world without my little jar of caramel flavoured instant coffee i am going to go full American Psycho. Believe it or not, my main priority in life is not to have perfect teeth or be an Olympic athlete or look like a supermodel, but to actually enjoy living, because I spent far too long not doing that and it royally sucked. And boy, some people don't like hearing that. Particularly dentists

the assurance "nobody is judging you" is straight up false... people ARE judging you and you have to find a way to be ok w it

My methods as someone with schizotypal (feeling of constantly being judged disorder)

1. Even if you do something embarrassing AND someone judges you AND talks about it to others, you really haven't done anything but improve their life. People like bonding over interesting stories. If I'm at the mall and I look strange or act weird, people at best don't care and at worst have a little story to tell their friends.

2. Talking about people is part of life. You probably have done it to others. What comes out of people's mouths when you're out of the room doesn't necessarily reflect their true feelings. Getting words out of your head can be how you check if they're true. Many people might say something mean so they can come to a more neutral understanding. We often think "said behind my back = true feelings" but it isn't true.

3. If someone is actually consistently talking behind your back in a cruel, mean way and being two-faced to you, that's actually them being in the wrong. You aren't responsible for that. You don't have to burden yourself worrying that you're doing something that would make someone act this way. You can operate as though everyone is being upfront and honest and not make concessions for passive aggression.

4. If you talk behind people's backs a lot and operate in a judgemental way to others, try cutting back on that behavior. It honestly helps you feel less scared of others talking about you.

5. If your friend group talks a lot behind people's backs and judges or harasses others for fun, try to discourage that behavior or step away. Seeing people obsess over others isn't good for your health, and those people's behavior isn't normal. Same with hanging out on dramamill websites etc.

6. If you actually concretely find people actually talking behind your back a lot, analyze why. It could be that it's bullying, but it could also be that people don't feel safe telling you their feelings. Think about how you treat others.

7. There's always a risk of being judged and hurt by others, but the rumination on the possibility of it being the case is going to hurt you. The goal should be to live life in the moment and deal with cruelty when it actually emerges. Constantly being on guard for tragedy doesn't actually make it any easier, it just makes you really tired.

One thing that has made me a much more well-adjusted person is a clip I once saw of Hank Green saying that anyone can be in amazing shape as long as being in amazing shape is one of their top three priorities.

(This is obviously a generalization that isn't true for everyone. But it is true for most people and I'm proceeding from there.)

This "top three priorities" framing has genuinely reduced my tendency toward jealousy and self-comparison a lot. Now when I feel envious of someone’s spotless, aesthetic home, I think to myself, “Having a spotless, aesthetic home is probably one of their top three priorities. It’s definitely not one of mine, so I shouldn’t expect my home to look like that.”

Or when I see an influencer with a body that takes a ton of work to maintain: “Maintaining that body is obviously one of her top three priorities, because it’s her livelihood. My livelihood is my brain, so I’m never going to prioritize my body like that.”

It also helps me to identify areas that I actually DO want to prioritize more. I realized in recent years that my envy for my friends who prioritized writing more than I did was NOT going away, so I started to prioritize writing more. (Not top three, but higher priority than it has been in the past.)

I like this. It's also a reminder that as long as I have a full-time job and young children, two of my top three slots are filled and I only have space for one other high-priority thing in my life.

Real tips for the cold

ok I know the cold is bad but like, the way that Tumblr is treating it rn is pissing me off, it happens almost every year and yes it’s dangerous but suddenly this year it’s so bad we have to scare people and give really bad tips that could kill someone. These are my tips as someone who worked on a preservation railroad all winter as a kid in Wisconsin, these are things I’ve gotten from family, friends, and old railway workers, I’ll try and be as firm and rational in this, I don’t want to scare anyone, that just makes it worse.

“don’t wear cotton or denim because it will kill you if you get some snow on you, just a warning”

like no absolutely wear jeans over your leggings and a tee-shirt under your jacket and sweater, hell wear a cotton sweater. Cotton will keep you warm and denim [but not stretchy denim like skinny jeans] will not let wind onto your skin or other layers. Aslong As as you don’t roll around in snow or drench yourself in liquid you are fine. But if you do get wet in jeans or your shirt or sweater does get wet, try and wrap yourself in a blanket or something that will keep the wind off of you, get to a warm safe place [your car, unless you live in it, is not a warm safe place unless you are more than 25 minutes to somewhere warm] and take those layers off asap.

“don’t touch metal you’ll stick to it”

Ok you can touch doorknobs and cardoors, or even a shovel, it’s ok but not recommended with bare hands. If you have really sensitive skin or you sweat in your layers, wear gloves at all times outside. If you don’t have gloves, a pair of old socks can be worn on your hands, if you are just going out for the mail or to get something from your car, you will be fine without gloves if it’s within 500 feet of the door. Also don’t lick things, it’s not fun, trust me. If you do get stuck don’t call 911 you will lose a limb [or tounge] waiting that way, get someone to pour warm [not hot or cold, WARM] water on the spot you are stuck, this will unstick you and get Inside as fast as possible.

“Boil water in your house to heat it up”

This is a two way street, if it is already warm in your house, like over 72 degrees warm, this is really good as it will make the air less dry from the hot Furness air and more comfortable. The opposite is worse for you. If your house is cold, like under 60-65 and you make it humid, the cold water in the air will cause you to feel colder, you could even get sick because of the cold water clinging to your skin, I know I have for an example.

“take a hot shower if you get wet or have chills”

Taking a hot shower can feel nice at first, but will most of the time put you into shock. The hot water will even cause pain if you are cold enough, it’s the same reason why you don’t put a hypothermia patient in with hot water or next to a hot fire. If you get wet dry off and put on a few layers of pajamas, wrap up in a blanket, if you get chills it’s the same process but make sure you slowly add blankets. Drinking something warm, not hot, will also help. Eating something can also help but not to much, chills could make you throw up if you eat a lot.

If you do need to take a shower after being in the cold

Take a lukewarm shower and slowly turn up the heat if it starts to feel too cold, do not go above hotish warm. This is only if you get covered in mud or something that clings to the skin and will make you colder and colder if it stays on you[or if you are so dirty a warm washcloth won’t be able to clean it all]. Always dry your hair completely and make sure your skin if free of drops, do not go back outside for a few hours, the moisture in your skin and hair will make you more likely to get chills.

“always keep a karoseen heater in your car for when you get stuck”

In theory this is great but lighting up a heater that runs on gas in your car is one of the most dangerous things you can do. If you have a light warmer that runs on battery in your car that’s great, if you don’t keep a blanket and hand warmers in your car. Another tip that can also help is keeping your car over 1\3 of a tank full, in my experience this keeps you from a.) Getting stranded, and 2.) Running out of heat right away if you get stuck. If you do get stick turn down your heat and be diligent at only keeping it warm enough not to see your breath, this will give you more time with heat waiting for rescue. If your stuck in a snow drift or on the side of the road it’s ok if your windows fog up aslong as you keep your hazzards on.

For your car in winter

In winter you want to be aware you need different gear in your car for emergencies, here’s a list I recommend. I don’t carry all of this all the time but things in bold are what I carry at all times.

A few cans of canned food you don’t mind eating cold [pasta rings, corn, ect] if you get stuck and hungry these can be warmed up slightly and eaten, hand warming packets [at least 25, the more the better, use these to warm you and some food], a few warm blankets [you can get fleece blankets Walmart for 2.50], extra bright flares, extra gloves, a backup hat, an old jacket, water bottles [pour some water out so they don’t burst in the cold], a shovel, a small bag of sidewalk salt [this in a trunk can also help with grip to the road, but don’t over do it], and some rope or pulling chains

This is all I can think of right now, just remember that when the weather is bad, being calm and rational will all ways be your biggest life saver, if you are ever stranded in your car call someone close to you or your city’s non emergency number, 911 will either direct you to the non emergency number if there is no major problems such as injuries or crashes, or you can bog up the system, cold weather is when the most calls go to 911 lines. If your [gas] heat goes out call your gas company or city office, they will help you as soon as possible or can tell you if there is a widespread gas issue, if you can’t pay your gas bill, calling your gas company and working out a deal is your best option, if you have minors or elderly in your household you may be able to get a few months of free gas service [in Wisconsin they cannot shut off heat to a house with minors, or at least that was the policy last time I checked]. If any damage from weather occurs either call your insurance company if you own your house to see if they can do anything, or if you rent call your landlord and renters insurance.

Please stay safe and warm this winter, and every winter!

Here is a skill that many of us are going to need for survival: how to tell if someone is offering to let you lie.

The tip-off phrase is "If [circumstance] was true, then we/I could do [helpful thing.]" This is not a guarantee that the person is offering, but it should tell you "I am being informed of a way to improve things."

Your confirmation phrase is "What documentation would that require?" This is essentially asking them "if people come asking me to prove this, will I be able to? Or will they not come at all?"

The answer you are hoping for with the confirmation phrase is "Just tell me if it's true, and I'll put it on the form." Note that this is not a direct instruction to lie, because they can't tell you that.

If they didn't mean to extend an offer to lie or this is a situation where they can't, then they'll list off something like your paystubs or your birth certificate. Your response back in that case is "Thanks, I'll tell my friends who qualify." This clears you of any concerns that you may have been considering lying.

The more complex answer is when they answer by giving you a form on the spot. Your job, in this case, is to scan the form and see if what they are asking you can be meaningfully verified by an official source.

Things that can be verified by an official source include, but are not limited to, your age, legal sex, income, veteran status, and place of residence. It's not generally a good idea to lie about these on official documents.

Be smart, and be practical. Do what you need to in order to stay alive, and keep an ear out for the people offering to help you do so.

im having trouble understanding this in the abstract, could someone give an example of a hypothetical situation this would apply to?

"This medication is covered for FREE if you are quitting smoking. Are you working on quitting?"

*me, thinking about how I quit smoking in 2018 and it is now the year of our lord 2024* "Oh yeah, still working very hard. You know how those cravings can hit."

*please note, how I omitted the truth in the example. I didn't ANNOUNCE it been 6 years SINCE I ALREADY QUIT. I said that I was working hard because cravings are still a thing (6 years later not said out loud). The fact I haven't have a SINGLE one in 4 years [I was Weak during lockdown but could not finish a cig anymore] is irrelevant. The doctor asking me was *nudge nudge wink wink* pointing out that labeling my cig use as "not quite quit yet" would cut some costs on medications.

Sometimes the 'lies' you are being an opportunity to nod along for are just ommissions of truth. Like- still being an active smoker for easier access to other treatments or random pains being worse than YOU personally find them. "If X is true, Y could be an option for you" is a way to allow you to snip off details to make X TECHNICALLY true. They are asking you to be a VAGUE fuck- not a pedantic one. For BOTH of y'all's plausible deniability.

"So these symptoms prevent you from doing [X, Y, Z] activities?"

Even if YOU think you are mildly inconvenienced at best, 'OH YEAH- the generalized fatigue/nagging pain/light headed feeling just makes it so hard to [whatever activity you just find more choresome in those circumstances]!'

I have also had it happen at random coffee shops. Or vape shops.

"How much cash do you have on you? Conveniently this is on sale RIGHT NOW for you for 5 dollars less than that IF it happens to be your birthday. It's your birthday... RIGHT??????"

Is the exact same concept. "You have a coupon right?" "And you saw the BOGO deal and remembered to mention it, RIGHT? Cuz mentioning it before I complete the transaction will make these BOGO..."

You may ask, “why would someone ask me to lie?”

You all ever seen that scene in the Incredibles where Mr. incredible basically tells this little old lady to get her stuff approved? It’s a cartoonish example of what happens all the time in real life.

You ever seen a cashier conveniently forget to ring up baby formula for a single mother, and then wish her a lovely day?

Sometimes, people look out for each other. Pay attention and let them. The world is spooky out there; we’re all in it together.

This is a good read and worth paying attention to. The human urge to help out other beings is strong, and people are prone to trying to indicate things like this to you.

This post gives some good steer on tasting if that's what is happening, a good read.

Another example I was just thinking about was when I brought up switching from t shots to gel at the doctor (I didn’t end up doing it for other reasons). She was like. “Well insurance won’t cover it, unless you have something like a phobia of needles. *Which people can sometimes develop after a while of doing shots*, if you want me to mark that on your file”.

Also I can’t think of any specific examples but I know I did stuff like that when I was working at a nonprofit. There’s a lot of stuff you can’t ask people directly, sometimes it’s not even lying at all it’s just something the person wouldn’t think to bring up or phrase in the exact right way. Like i can get you money to help pay rent if you can tell me how saying housed will help you stay in school. It’s stupid bureaucracy, but knowing how to play the game is important.

Ko-fi prompt from @liberwolf:

Well, I can definitely guess where this question is coming from.

Honestly, I was pretty excited to get this prompt, because it's one I can answer and was part of my studies focus in college. International business was my thing, and the issues of comparative advantage (along with Power Purchasing Parity) were one of the things I liked to explore.

-----------------

At their simplest, tariffs are an import tax. The United States has had tariffs as low as 5%, and at other times as high as 44% on most goods, such as during the Civil War. The purpose of a tariff is in two parts: generating revenue for the government, and protectionism.

Let's first explore how a tariff works. If you want to be confused, then you need to have never taken an economics class, and look at this graph:

(src)

So let's undo that confusion.

Here's a much better/more detailed explanation of tariffs, explaining why tariffs are A) not a tool for making domestic prices lower, and B) not a way to get a foreign country to pay taxes to you.

If you live in the USA and you're pleading for donations to pay your rent, bills, or get food then dial 211! Please dial 211 before the last minute!

It's a toll free service with people who will help you find programs in your community to pay those bills, find food, and find housing! They will give you numbers to call so you can get help.

It is not 100% foolproof. Their job is to direct you to a program they believe will help your current issue, but it's still a step up from praying random strangers online will give you enough cash before a deadline! The added benefit of these community programs, which get funded by the local government most of the time, is if there are more people using them then they can get more money to help more people.

You're not taking resources from other people if you use your community services. Your taxes pay for them. Use them.

Dial 211 first to see if they can help, and if for some reason they can't, then make your donation posts!

https://www.211.org/

Hi I work for my state's 211 service. It really breaks my heart how many people only know to call us at the last minute. 211's can provide a whole wealth of resources to use before things ever get to a cut off utility, eviction, or homelessness!

I can't speak for all 211's but most should also have a website detailing all the agencies in their database. if you don't like phone calls, this can be something to reference instead.

If you don't have health insurance but you need to see a doctor, reference 211! We list clinics that provide free or discounted general care, vision, and dental services to low income households and people without insurance! Many hospitals also have financial aid policies that can severely reduce your bill if you had an expensive procedure!

If you're stuck in a dead end job or need educational resources reference 211! There are a lot of programs focused on providing basic adult education as well as trade skills or other high demand fields! State governments are generally more interested in funneling people into work than providing benefits, but you can still use this to your advantage especially if you have some form of disability but are still able to work. That includes if you're neurodiverse or have mental health issues! Most of these programs are extremely underutilized.

If you believe you qualify for public benefits but the bureaucracy of the process is in your way, reference 211! There are agencies specifically geared towards helping people obtain the benefits they qualify for- for free!

If you need help with your taxes-

If you need help finding a pro bono lawyer-

If you need help finding affordable housing/section 8 housing-

If you need help finding food pantries-

If you need help paying for your prescriptions-

If you need help obtaining disability aids or assistive technology-

If you need help finding transportation options-

If you need help following a natural or personal disaster (like a home fire)-

If you need help repairing a home you or your family owns or it needs modifications to be accessible-

If you need Queer resources-

Reference your 211!!!!!

I had no idea what 211 was before working for it but I wish I had. I've learned so much about what resources are actually available to the community even in a ho hum area of the country like my state. I've saved my partner literally thousands of dollars just from the medical resources I've gathered.

Not enough young people know about or utilize these services but they are there for you!

P. S.

This isn't an intended use of 211, but I like to reference the agency listings when I look for jobs. Many of the agencies listed are non-profits which, while they certainly are not perfect, generally have lower barriers of entry to decent paying jobs with benefits. The work environments tend to be much kinder and at least pretend to be forward thinking. You're more likely to find jobs without as many people applying as well, especially if they're only advertising their positions through their own website.

Since the holiday toy drive post is circulating again, I figured this would also be helpful! Food insecurity is such a massive problem in America, in general, and if you have the means to help feed others, I think you should take that opportunity. Here are some other tips:

1. If you’re planning on donating items from your own pantry, please check the expiration dates on the packaging. Think of your donations as gifts to bestow, not castoffs to be rid of. It’s awful to think of people feeling like they got scraps someone else just didn’t want. Everyone deserves dignity with their meals.

2. If you’d rather give money to a food bank, that’s also great since they buy food in bulk and know what items are most wanted/needed!

3. Not everyone has access to appliances like stoves or microwaves or hot plates so if you can donate items that don’t need to be heated up, that would also be greatly appreciated!

🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

Moving vs Fleeing (and what you need to flee)

I was on a call last night with a very reputable LGBTQ+ organization in my state that discussed the difference between moving and fleeing.

Essentially, moving is planned. You get an apartment and a job in another city- hopefully you visit that city to scope it out. Then you move your life. It takes, at minimum, months.

Fleeing is unplanned. Something is happening that is so bad in your area that you have to cut and run. It may not be police at your door. But it might be legislation that prevents you from using restrooms without the risk of being killed or arrested. It might be lack of access to medications and something that makes it illegal to get those medications in a different state. It might be the classification of your life (as someone gay or tans) as a sex crime, and sex crimes being punishable by death (a goal of project 2025).

And, they recommended, get things together before it gets to that point, even if you aren't sure that it will happen, so fleeing is as easy as possible if you need to do it.

Here's what you can do:

Pick a location you can get to either by bus, train, or car that has a good track record for your needs and that you think you could live. Do your research- are there jobs there in your field? Housing?

Then get yourself a bag or large backpack.

Get a file folder and put your documents in it. I mean things like your passport, your birth certificate, your social security card, copies of any professional licenses you have, a checkbook, name change documentation, copies of financial documents like mortgages, copies of insurance cards and policies, copies of marriage licenses, and a copy of your driver's license. These are things you might need if you have to prove your identity or get a job or apartment. Then print out maps of several routes to your destination. Put the file folder in the bag.

Add to that: a couple of changes of clothes for each person including a hat and a cloth or disposable face covering (people don't question them as much since the pandemic, and they're convenient to hide your face). Lightweight, caloric foods for at least 3 days that don't require cooking (protein bars work great for this). A month of medications and an emergency script for each medication for each person (get a paper prescription from your doctor that is good for a year or the max allowed for each medication) if you can get it. Pay out of pocket with a coupon card if your insurance won't cover your refill early. 1-2 containers of baby wipes so you don't necessarily need to shower. An empty water bottle for each person. A phone charger.

Buy a gift card that can be used for anything. I won't say how much because I don't know your situation, but make it enough that you can pay for gas or bus/train/airline tickets to your destination and (if you can) temporary lodging/food once you get there. Gift cards are less traceable than debit/credit cards and aren't easy to cancel. An alternative is cash, but that can be an easier target for theft if people see you with it.

Finally, bring something of comfort, like a blanket or memento or stuffed animal.

Here is a skill that many of us are going to need for survival: how to tell if someone is offering to let you lie.

The tip-off phrase is "If [circumstance] was true, then we/I could do [helpful thing.]" This is not a guarantee that the person is offering, but it should tell you "I am being informed of a way to improve things."

Your confirmation phrase is "What documentation would that require?" This is essentially asking them "if people come asking me to prove this, will I be able to? Or will they not come at all?"

The answer you are hoping for with the confirmation phrase is "Just tell me if it's true, and I'll put it on the form." Note that this is not a direct instruction to lie, because they can't tell you that.

If they didn't mean to extend an offer to lie or this is a situation where they can't, then they'll list off something like your paystubs or your birth certificate. Your response back in that case is "Thanks, I'll tell my friends who qualify." This clears you of any concerns that you may have been considering lying.

The more complex answer is when they answer by giving you a form on the spot. Your job, in this case, is to scan the form and see if what they are asking you can be meaningfully verified by an official source.

Things that can be verified by an official source include, but are not limited to, your age, legal sex, income, veteran status, and place of residence. It's not generally a good idea to lie about these on official documents.

Be smart, and be practical. Do what you need to in order to stay alive, and keep an ear out for the people offering to help you do so.

How I used to feed 6 adults for under $100 a month

Tl;dr- this is is basic system I used to keep a family of 6 adults fed for under $100 a week. I'm really tired and have to go to work tomorrow and spent forever writing this all out, so if you have questions just leave them below and I'll try to get to them!

Hey there, I had someone in another sub tell me I should post here. When I was 17 I was feeding a family of 6 adults on my very part-time earnings, and developed a bit of a system for feeding a family for cheap. Last time I went to WalMart (note I made this post the first time 9 years ago I know prices have changed but the guts are still there, these prices are from 2013). I even got current prices(1) on what I used to purchase. Perhaps if I have some extra time later, I'll add a bunch of links with recipes you can make with all this stuff.

If I was dead broke and had a very limited budget to eat with for the month, this is what I would buy:

If you are eating a really pared down diet like this, you will NEED the garlic and onions.

That comes to $75.15. That is a LOT of food for under a hundred bucks. That's 113 lbs of food, and most people need about a pound of food a meal to feel full. So, for a family of 4, this will cover most of what you need for 28 days, or just under a month, giving you a little wiggle room in the budget to still keep it under $100 for the month for basics, which gives you a little more budget to play with for everything else.

With anything over that, I'd also get:

I'm assuming you already have things like baking soda, baking powder, etc. If not, you'll need to get salt, baking soda/powder, vanilla, pepper, etc to fill out your pantry.

Now these big sacks are cheap and you CAN NOT get down to the per oz or per pound unit cost in smaller quantities. These are large amounts of food to keep you through a month, if you have a problem with vermin in your apartment (or you have neighbors who like to feed the roaches because all life is sacred- I was SO happy to move out of there), you might want to swing by your local burger fast food place and ask for their pickle buckets. They will forever stink of vinegar, but I think that would help keep bugs away from your grains. I kept mine in 5 gallon buckets that I just bought (they're >$2.00 each), and if you have a little wiggle room you might want to get gamma lids or easy open lids. If you can't, there's a tool that helps pop bucket tops that will save your hands.

First, you'll be doing a lot of baking. Baking from scratch is not only going to save you money, but there is NOTHING like home baked bread to make you feel like you're not on a survival diet, but that things are OK. It's just delicious. I didn't price yeast, but you want the little tubs, not the packets. If you can, get to a library and order "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" or pick it up on amazon, it's really a wonderful book, and you really can get your baking down to five minutes of active time, before you get the rest of your meal started.

Here is how a basic day would go:

Breakfast Mix up milk to use for coffee creamer/baking that night. Oatmeal with a little sugar on top and some butter, or some syrup if we have it. If I'm making beans for dinner, use one of the zillions of recipes available for crock pot beans, get that started before I leave the house.

Lunch: Leftovers with rice.

Dinner: Fresh bread and/or cornbread

Pinto beans and rice, with a sausage link or two cut up and used as a seasoning/topping for all 6 people in the house.

or

Refried beans, home made tortillas, and a little cheese and/or cook up a chicken leg or two and shred them.

or

Home made pasta (cheaper with the flour than buying it, tastes better, not hard to learn to make), tossed in butter with a little garlic powder and parmesan cheese, with a fried egg cracked on top.

or

Baked potato, scooped out, mash the middles, mix in a little sour creme (a small tub is .88), some shredded cheddar, and some chopped cooked broccoli (microwaved frozen works fine for this). If you got the bacon ends, cook some and chop them fine, and mix them into this. Save the fat for cooking something else in, later. Bacon fat adds a lot of flavor.

or

Fry some of the bacon ends and pieces, chopped fine. Drain, put meat aside, put fat back in pan. Dice an onion, pop it in the fat, stir it until it's golden brown. If you can get some, add a carrot and celery in there, diced the same size. Chop some garlic, put it in there. When it smells like heaven, some coriander seed and some cumin. When that's toasted and lovely, add a can of chopped tomatoes. Add about two quarts of water (or your home made chicken stock if you have it, bullion if you do not) and a one pound bag of lentils. Let it simmer on medium-low for about 40 minutes. This goes ahhh-MAAAAY-zing with home made bread.

If you are cooking for kids like this, make sure to put butter on their bread and in their cereal, and to give them the richer bits. Kids need fat for brain development, and this is a lower-fat diet than is really healthy for them.

This is also pretty shy on Vitamin C, and you can get scurvy if you eat like this too much, BUT- seasonally, oranges and carrots are cheap, so you can buy them, and I HIGHLY SUGGEST you use whatever greens are available and cheap (it's the winter now, so turnip greens, kale, and cabbage are cheap, in the spring it turns into lettuce being cheaper) to fill out your weekly budget. Also, I used a sprouting tray and got seeds to sprout, because that's a great, cheap way to get vitamins year-round.

I actually got a microwave rice cooker at Walmart for ~5.00 that I use when I'm cooking like this, because I make a LOT of rice bowls. In 2024 I just got a Aroma rice cooker from Amazon for $25, those are also a godsend when you're cooking like this. You'll want to google those for dinners because you can do a HUGE amount with them to keep things varied, but here is one of my favorites:

Get rice started in the microwave. Cook two chicken legs, separated into one leg portion and one thigh portion, in soy sauce and a little lemon juice. When they are done, toss some hardy greens (mustard, kale, etc) in the pan, maybe add a touch of vinegar. Cover with a loose lid, stir occasionally until the greens are soft.

Take bowls, fill about halfway with rice, then layer on the greens. Place portion of chicken on top. Serves four people.

Another thing I would do to make things stretch is I would invite over someone to have a meal, if they provided an ingredient. I had plenty of friends in college who were broke but could spare enough to buy a few steaks or pork chops, which I could season, cook, and then slice really thin to put on top of a rice bowl. They got a meal they otherwise couldn't have cooked, we got some extra meat which wasn't really in the budget, and everyone got to socialize, so it was a mega win. If your broke friends realize that you bake bread every day, inviting them over for dinner is an easy sell. :)

Also, put a freezer bag in the freezer, and every onion bottom, veggie peeling, and chicken bone that goes through your hands, pop it in there. Roast everything and turn it into chicken stock. Use that instead of water to give your recipes a lot more depth and flavor.

If I was now in this sort of a budget shortfall, I'd get a few chickens, garden a lot more for my greens, possibly get some quails for eggs. The eggs are critical, and I have a big enough back yard I could feed the chickens scraps and get some eggs in return.

1.I live in rural Texas. It's cheap to live out here, so the prices are likely to be on the low side, even for WalMart.

2. This is one of the first things I would cut if things were SUPER tight, but if you're doing your own baking it's a lot cheaper than real milk.

3. Popcorn is the same as the corn that goes into corn meal. Put it in a blender, and mix it half and half with some wheat flour, and you have the basis for a zillion recipes, from johnny cakes, breading for food, cornbread, muffins, etc. You can also just buy corn meal, but I didn't' snag the price for it while i was out. It's not expensive, but popcorn can also be popped, and was marginally cheaper, so I used to get that instead.

Hope this is helpful! You can live well on nearly nothing, but the thing is, you have to give up a lot of convenience food. I had a Russian friend tell me the only thing Americans were afraid of was inconvenience, so that can be hard. In some ways, though, I ate a lot better when I was too poor too afford cereal, I sure as heck don't eat fresh bread every day anymore.