Everyday Systems

Right now I am at a place where I am just plain old poor. I have very little spending money and can only buy basic groceries. There is no danger of starvation, (haha), but I don't have a lot of fun food.

This had been making me feel deprived as I have been rooting around the cupboards and not finding anything to snack on. Yesterday was my first day of No S and guess what, I feel rich. I don't have a lot of fun food, but I have many, many plates full! I don't need crackers and cookies and candy bars and ice cream and chips. It also has the added benefit of my using up what fruits & vegetables I have, because I'm naturally wanting to balance my plate.

Usually when I "diet," it is pretty expensive, but this is cheap, I can eat mac & cheese or ramen if I have to (not my favorites). There really is no excuse not to no S, it's just eating like a normal person, whether rich or poor!

~Jo

NoS is great for our budgets, isn't it?!
Amazing how much we save not buying expensive snack foods.

No S could make our wallets healthier. And I think it could make our environment healthier. Less corn, less energy, less packaging, less transportation, less everything.

I mean, No S practically makes you a treehugger.

Yeah, especially once we find Urban Ranger and start walking to work!

One of the other forums I am on has a side group called Eating on a Budget. Of course the whole website is based on a gluten/dairy free diet. Goat cheese and goats milk, and Udi's bread are not eating on a budget. Most of us, shop at the Super Walmart, not because we have personal chefs, but need to stretch a buck. I do worry about what is in my food, when I think about it, but No S is obviously great because I just need to eat less.

Yay, Jo! Eating well when you are cash-strapped is very possible on No S -- and once you've learned that, you'll never feel poor again (at least in the food realm). I am baking artisan bread that would cost $5 a loaf in the stores for about $0.50 and teaming it up with homemade soup -- a week's worth of lunches costs about $5.00 to make. I gave up a well paid job I disliked and took a part-time job doing something I love a few years ago -- the pay is low, and many people would probably consider me poor, but I have enough of everything I need. It's all attitude -- and yours is great!

jw, I know you have a soup thread somewhere (with wosnes, probably!)
I was wondering, do you have a soup recipe that maybe even I could try? I don't like cooking, and I don't like having to get lots of ingredients..... but I DO love soup and bread for lunch......

automated, I don't really have a soup thread -- soup is sort of play it by ear! I just put a bunch of whatever veggies I have on hand in a crock pot overnight, with some meat or some beans or both. Next day I fish out the meat and cut it up, add a handful of rice or pasta and let it cook for another 40 minutes or so. That's it!

The soup I am working on today has cabbage, celery, onion, carrot, yellow lentils, and two chicken thighs, skin on. Seasoning: salt, 1-2 bay leaves, 2-3 cloves of garlic, a shake of turmeric, a shake of cayenne if you like it hot. If I don't have much meat, I use soup base (comes in a jar) to intensify the flavor. The longer you cook it, the better it gets! It's actually a great way to use up odds and ends of veggies and every week you get a slightly different recipe!

Try it! It's not tricky or work-intensive -- most of it happens all on its own while you're in bed.

Before I started Meal-ing I was eating close to 200 bites a day, NOW with 3 -meal a day and counting bites, I am down to an average of under 20 bites a day usually.

This saves ALOT OF MONEY!!!!!!!! I am noticing that our food is lasting longer around here! candy and leftovers dont usually disappear from me sneaking them as much anymore! Huge difference for a family of 7!!

herbsgirl wrote:Before I started Meal-ing I was eating close to 200 bites a day, NOW with 3 -meal a day and counting bites, I am down to an average of under 20 bites a day usually.

This saves ALOT OF MONEY!!!!!!!! I am noticing that our food is lasting longer around here! candy and leftovers dont usually disappear from me sneaking them as much anymore! Huge difference for a family of 7!!

Counting bites, I don't know anyone who has thought of this before. It is intriguing, the fewer bites taken, the fewer calories. Food would have to be nutrient dense so a person would feel less hungry through the day. But 200 +/- to an average of 20 +/- is a considerable decrease. 900-1000% decrease? (Help me with my math...I have a BA in History...for a reason. )

Edit: I looked up the web page, 1977..it amazes me the things people did in the past, but these things get thrown aside for better more modern "things".

If it were up to me I would still use a rotary phone, and I also use encyclopedia books for research. And...my coworkers were shocked when they found out I have a VHS player.

@ JW, I think a soup recipe thread would be wundebar. The spring and summer, a salad thread would be bueno. Meal plans. I seem to break down when I don't have a plan. A thread for vegans, a thread for omnivores...etc.

Me tooo, I'm finding my I spending less on snack foods, even if healthy ones. I do find I eat more fruit and veggies now that I only get one plate

I think I soup thread would be great...everyone could share some of their finest!

I like to shop at Aldi's now...a lot of people think it is for the poor, but I find that most of the standards foods tasted just as good at the larger grocery chains...

I haven't figured it all out but I probably save over $100 per month not buying coke and beer during the week.