What’s For Dinner When You Have No Money?
I read a lot of money related posts each day and most of them are aimed at people who have money and just need to use it a little more wisely. My goal was to reach a different level of people - those who are facing difficult financial times due to any number of factors. That is a spot I’ve found myself in several times in my life and I’m hoping that I can help someone else out with my experiences.
One of the most difficult things to deal with when you are in a financial crisis is how to provide food for your family. I’ve found myself searching Google on a couple of occasions trying to find frugal meals and some of the stuff you come up with is ridiculous. For anyone who’s ever seen VeggieTales - Duke and the Great Pie War
Anyhow, my point being that I’m hoping to post an entire collection of super frugal meals that I’ve come up with over the years (ok, so I’ve only been a housewife for five years, but it feels much longer). Some are my own concoctions, some have been handed down to me and some are treasures I’ve run across on the internet.
So, I’ll kick this off with one of my favorites - steak and a veggie. Sounds like a joke doesn’t it? At our local grocery store, you can get the super thin steaks (sometimes called flank steaks) for about $1.50. It’s enough to feed two people. Add a canned vegetable like corn, which I can buy for .50¢ a can. If you have some bread laying around, put some butter on it and voila, an entire meal for about $2.50. The nice thing is that it’s a well rounded meal too.
Stay tuned for….beans and rice AGAIN?
When I was young, first married to a school teacher who got paid once a month, I found a great resource at the library. I checked out the old depression/war era cookbooks and books on housekeeping in general. These were gold mines of information for people with very little money. I don’t even know if the libraries even have these books anymore.
yes the llibraries do have these books and more… i have been around the world with the navy and the marine corps as well as married for 35 years. and many times i have had to “live on a shoestring”. being frugal is different from being cheap…you can be cheap with a piece of flank steak and a canned vegetable or you can turn that flank steak and canned veggie into a gourmet meal. i also think that being frugal takes some thought and consideration…being cheap is quick, too easy and mean spirited stinginess! think about why so many who live in poverty are overweight and in poor health.. what do they eat? you can be poverty stricken and still live like a queen/king…by changing habits for the better. a good expensive piece of meat can not only be more healthy but can make many meals…. whereas that cheap tough piece of flank steak only makes one meal….