Eating while you’re broke

Have you ever looked in your kitchen one day to find it stocked full of groceries and turned around a little bit later to find NOTHING! And guess what?! It’s the middle of the pay period and you don’t have the money to go back to the store. Well, this has happened to me once or twice before but there are ways to make it through. Making it the next week and a half without grocery money will be tough and maybe not so pleasurable, but you can do it.

Here’s some ideas:

1.) Never forget the everlasting cheapness of Oodles of Noodles (Ramen Noodles.) Most grocery stores sell these cheap noodles at 10 packs for $1.00! Sure, you might not want to eat them every meal of the day, but they are quick and two packs can easily fill your belly! Get some toast, butter it up, and you’ve got a side with your noodles.

2.) Tuna fish is a definite option too. I bet if you look in your cabinet amongst the meager remnants you will probably find a lone can of tuna fish. Bet you have some mayo in the fridge too stashed behind your ketchup and mustard. You can slap some tuna on some toast, throw on a piece of cheese, pop it in the oven, and BAM, you got yourself a tuna melt. Or, just put some tuna salad on top of a bed of lettuce and you’ve got yourself a fancy shmancy salad that you’d pay $5.00 for in a restaurant. Even if you have to buy a can of tuna, it’s not gonna break you. You’re already broke remember! 

3.) Eggs are one of the most versatile foods available when you’re down to nickels and dimes. You can even use eggs for all three meals of the day. Breakfast comes to scrambled, fried, or even an omelet if you have an onion and some lunchmeat scraps. Lunch equals deviled eggs or even some hard-boiled eggs. Hey, throw some hard-boiled eggs in your tuna salad and you’re all set. Dinner is easy too. You can have breakfast for dinner or make a frittata! Cheese, veggies, whatever and some milk and you can slam it into the oven and you’ve got an elegant egg supper!

4.) Don’t be scared of the can! Fresh produce is nice but during these tough times you can find some really cheap fruits and veggies in the canned goods aisle. Most stores always have sales going on. Sure, many canned fruits and vegetables might seem bland, but that’s nothing your spice cabinet can’t cure.

5.) Beans beans the magical fruit…. Buy a bag of beans like Navy Beans or Fifteen Bean Soup and there’s dinner for the next few days. Most beans already come with the seasoning inside. It’s easy too. Soak the beans and drop them into the crock all day while you’re at work. Dinner’s ready when you walk in the door.

6.) No money for dessert? Don’t fret! PEANUT BUTTER! Peanut butter is healthy and provides just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy your dessert craving. You can also have peanut butter on toast, or peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. I skip the jelly though.

7.) Popcorn is cheap and you can usually eat a bag as a snack (I eat one for lunch sometimes) and it will hold you over until the next meal. And don’t go buying the expensive kind either. I think you’d better stick to generics until your next paycheck.

8.) Mmmm, beer. This is definitely considered a non-essential item. However, if you have some spare change after picking up the above survival items, you have my permission to buy some beer.

Hope this helps! For more recipes, opinions, and ramblings please visit my site at www.xomba.com/user/claudettenstan.