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Desperate times call for. . . . . ?

65K views 161 replies 105 participants last post by  larabelle 
#1 ·
What did/do you do when things were really bad? What saved you from starvation or worse? How did/do you make it in the slim times?

What things do you feed your family? Where do you obtain your food?
 
#2 ·
Well, since we are in the midst of desparate times it is hard to look at what we do to survive objectively. My Dh is in school full time and our student loan is running out and we have another 2 months to go. He still has another year to go. I am a homeschooling mom and I tutor ESL students and host exchange students to bring in some money.
1. I spend nothing. Every dollar is considered a third of a gallon of milk and therefor is precious.
2. I use what I have. I still have pumpkin in the freezer so we have been eating pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin loaf, pumpkin soup.
I was given a damaged case of canned salmon. So we've been eating lots of salmon casserole, salmon chowder, salmon, pasta ans salmon patties. You get the picture.
I make alot of pancakes and porridge for breakfast. Soup for lunch. Potatoe, Rice, Bean and Pasta dishes for supper.
3) I pay the bills that need to be paid first.
4) All fun has to be free
5) When I feel desparate I go and look in the freezer and cupboard and as long as there is still some food in there I feel better.
6) I pray.
7) Miracles happen- I had no extra money for coffee (it is not a necessity), but every Christmas gift given to us this year included at least a pound of coffee!!!! I still have coffee in my cupboard for another couple of months!
8) I have gone to the food bank to relieve some of the monotony of our diet.
9) I rely on our garden, friends gadens and foraging for much of our produce.
10) I don't drive unless necessary, I turn off lights, heat, hang laundry.
11) Our children have learned to not even bother asking.
12) I cry with thankfulness when I recieve anything, clothes for the children, food, a box of detergent.

I hope others will also post their ideas. Perhaps I can glean some other useful ideas.
 
#3 ·
Some of the things we've done are possible only because we live in a VERY rural area.

We forage for foods- year round. Right now dandelions, cattail shoots and roots are staples.

We hunt/fish for meats-- I've also been known to eat road kill if I saw the animal killed (so I know the meat is fresh)
 
#4 ·
The first thing that we do is pray...and we've never been dissappointed...holly, we do just about what you do. .. in addition to your ideas,we tend to use up things beyond redemption--you should see some of our towels--thread bare...but they still serve a purpose. when we run out of something, we look around the house to find something that can do the same job . There are more ideas, but I don't have time to write them all down now.
 
#5 ·
We do most of the same things you all do.

Dh hunts and dh and the kids go out fishing and I also will pick wild berries if I can find them.

I make alot of pancakes and porridge for breakfast. Soup for lunch. Potatoe, Rice, Bean and Pasta dishes for supper.
We do the same thing.

Its interesting because many times we've had financial struggles and we've never gone without food, always been able to make ends meet and still be content.

Great question Denise.
 
#6 ·
When times are tight I have a good look at what I have at hand. Go through your pantry. Sometimes there is something hidden in the back. Be creative with what you already have.

Make do with what you have. Mend your old clothes. Can you wear those worn out nylons one more time if you wear them with boots?

Make some extra cash by babysitting, selling your clothes or books. Roll your coins.

Try to find cheaper ways of entertaining yourself. Go to the library, play games at home etc.

Learn to make cheaper meals. Use less meat or perhaps a big pot of homemade soup.
 
#7 ·
Thank goodness we haven't been bad off since we had children. Before we had children we would eat alot of grits and eggs because all the other groceries were gone and we were broke. :(
 
#8 ·
We did without....anything that cost money. We were so suprised at how little we HAD to spend when we had no money. We took every invitation from family and friends to do fun things, shopped only for sale items for foods and used coupons and got doubles (back when our stores would double). I learned to refund, that helped a fair bit. I also would babysit or barter for things as well. Lots of people will trade services and goods if you just ask.
I breastfed our kids, pumped and froze milk. Took the kids to the health clinic for their shots (on a sliding scale according to income for the fees). Did our best to stay healthy. We ate at home, bought our beef in bulk and froze it. We've never foraged for food much but we've gardened and enjoyed lots of veggies given to us from others. You know, no matter how desperate it seemed at times....when we really needed something, the money would come from somewhere. :angel2:
 
#11 ·
We cut back on everything and thanked God we have never had to forage for food or go to a food pantry. But we had no cable tv for a couple of years when my kids were young. We sold one of our cars and managed with one. Vacations were limited to cook outs in the back yard and campouts in the living room, along with hikes and trips to the park. We were thankful for eachother and for what we did have.

Coupons became a hobby, popcorn, apples and anything you could make with them were our snacks. We grew a garden. Sun tea was in and we made it by the gallon. I remember my mother inviting us for Sunday dinner and thinking what a relief it was to not have to worry about one more meal. We clung to the hope that things would get better and they did.
 
#13 ·
Pray

We get just the basics i need to feed us with. a 3.00 box of five dozen eggs will make tons of meals. I have the hm bisquick stuff on hand all the time. I make sure i have powdered milk to make my regular milk go further. if i am down to my last 20.00 I buy:

five dozen eggs 3.50
two gallons milk 6.00
one pkg american cheese 2.00
five lbs ground beef 8.00

with the staples i have in the pantry I can make these items last me awhile.

I can make eggs and biscuits; omletts with chz; take crumbled hamburger, make a creamy sauce with milk , garlic powder etc and serve over biscuits; hamburgers with cheeze on top, I most often have some sort of dry pasta in the pantry so i can make crumbled beef with pasta, and on and on. I have made these ingredients last a week. Maybe more depending on what I make.
 
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#15 ·
Happily I have never been in such dire straits. However, my parents grew up during the depression and I have heard many tales of how my mother's family often subsisted on fried potatoes. In better times they had a cow and a few chickens.

I like the "last $20 shopping list" from Missy -- basic stuff that you can eke out for several days.
 
#17 ·
DH was out of work for six weeks this winter. He was fine; I was scared to death!I immediately pared all expenses to the bone. I was absolutely anal about the lights being turned off (even worse than I usually am!) Since it was winter and we had a cord of wood in the shed, we started burning that. The rest of the time, the heat was turned on VERY low (about 62 degrees--it's usually 65 in here). I heated veggies and other quick to heat things on top of the wood stove rather than using the stove or microwave.

I am a big proponent of Crock Pots. I can put a batch of beans in before I leave for work and it is done to a turn when DH gets home. Also, did you know you can roast meats in your Crock Pot?

Cream of Potato soup is a great, cheap meal. It is also yummy! When potatoes are a loss leader, you can make a batch (using powdered milk) for less than a buck--enough for two meals! Add biscuits and some fruit or fresh veggies and you have a good for you, filling meal for next to nothing.

Hot cereals are much chepaer than dry cereal. They are even cheaper when bought in bulk. I buy oatmeal and rolled wheat and mix the two for a new flavor. I add a few raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries for added vitamins and another serving of frutis and veggies. I can get a POUND of oatmeal for .54! Compare that with ANY dry cereal!

Invest in a microwave popcorn popper. This is a bowl-looking apparatus that you pop regular popcorn in. I get my pocorn in bulk for .43 a pound. Believe me, a pound of bulk corn will fill your kitchen! Look at the thrift store for a popper--I got my new one (after I wore out my first one) for .60! New, they cost about 9.00--still a deal when you consider than microwave pocorn runs about .50 a BAG and it tastes lousy compared to the REAL stuff!

I also make a lot of iced tea. I have to get the decaf bags, but it's still waaaay cheaper than pop!

As for entertainment, check out your local library. I work at ours, so I can tell you that we have tons of programs going on all of the time--all FREE. Here's a few things we have had since June 15th :

Magic show
Puppeteer
Gaming on the large scrren
Shabby Chic decorating
Friday Night Flicks (movies outdoors!--we have shown "The Incredibles" and "Racing Stripes" is next)
Summer reading

I know there's more, but this is all I can think of quickly.

Don't forget that the library has more than just books. We loan videos, DVDs, CDs, backpacks full of like materials for toddlers, computer programs, etc. Some even loan artwork, so you can redo your art on your walls every month! Don't have a computer? We have free access to the internet!

Hope this helps!
 
#18 ·
It's been a long time since things were *very lean* and I had to be frugal out of necessity.
Some things:

We lived on WIC food. I was breastfeeding and received tuna, carrots, dried beans, extra milk, cheese, juice, cereal, peanut butter, eggs etc.
After buying WIC (Women, Infant, & Children nutrition program here in the States) food, I would buy a large pkg of hamburger, a 3lb pkg of macaroni, ramen noodles, coffee, and bread, maybe some tomato sauce. I didn't even have enough left to buy baking supplies. That year, we made just over $5000 (for the entire year) and we were stupid and had a car payment that ate up nearly half that. Add in gas for work (I was a pizza delivery driver...7 mos pregnant...and my (late) dh couldn't seem to hold a job to save his life).

I would make things like:
mac & cheese
homemade hamburger helper (mac, hamburger, tomato soup, cheese)
goulash (American chop suey- mac, hamburger, tomato sauce & spices - or spaghetti sauce)
macaroni & hamburger soup (hamburger, mac, broth, bay leaves)
peanut butter sandwiches
pea soup
ramen
eggs everything, breakfast lunch & dinner


I also would bring home pizzas from work that were unsold or had to be burned off & thrown away because they couldn't be used the next day. My manager would give them to me to bring home. We got really really sick of pizza lol.

I also participated, when funds allowed, in something called FoodSense. A program where you could purchase food pkgs for almost half wholesale price. So for $14, we would get $25 worth of food. Yummy things we couldn't afford usually, like fresh fruit, pork steaks/chops, a roast, canned soups, coffee, drink mixes, etc.
 
#19 ·
a few years ago my husband was in a terrible motorcycle accident (he talked me into letting him get the motorcycle by telling me how much cheaper it would be gaswise)..
I wasn't working and disability wasn't much.. we were helped immensely by our pastor, who brought groceries over every so often. If not for him, we wouldn't have had Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! I also learned to make it on as little as 15 dollars a week for food! We ate a LOT of hot dogs (50 cents) and ground turkey (79 cents). Not to mention outlet day old bread and stuff we had leftover from our Y2K paranoia buying spree.
One thing I've learned throughout the years, no matter how bad it gets, God always gets us through.
 
#20 ·
We too lived on WIC food. Ate lots of fried egg sandwiches, cheese quesadillas, fried potatoes, split pea soup, made a big pot of borscht and stretched it with water, it would last 3 days... I got our grocery bill down to $30/week.

Hubby and I picked up every extra hour at work when we could. When we went to visit family, they always sent us home with meat and things from their pantry---bless their hearts.

When it got really tight we sold back all of the college textbooks we could, had a yard sale, canceled long distance, cable, cell phone, picked plums off of trees that grew in a park, took the bus (it was free for students and I still had my id card), and pawned a gun. My work at the time gave out gift certificates for a grocery store at Christmas time; I just bawled when I got it because I could purchase a good two weeks worth of groceries with it. And we prayed and prayed for better jobs.
 
#21 ·
I left my parents home when I was 20. I was in college for about 3 months after that, before I dropped out for 2 years. Here is what I did.

I stored my belongings in friends' homes (I split the belongings). I slept at various friend's homes at night, and by day I spent all my time on campus. Since I used to work on campus (I was limited to 20 hours/week at $8.00/hour), I knew the best place to get a quick nap (study lounge), free food (university events. I would ask the Events secretary to point me to the location of the closest lunch party and I would feed myself on leftovers).

If my journey was 5 miles or less, I walked. Else I took the bus.

I didn't know much about nutrition, etc, so for dinner I ate a $2.00 burger from Burger King or one pack of Ramen noodles.

It was also in the middle of winter, and it was cold, so I stayed at the University's campus till midnight (when the public buildings closed) as the University buildings were well heated.

I've blocked out pretty much that entire time of my life, so I don't remember much.

It was an excellent learning experience, and I am glad I experienced it, horrible as it was.
 
#22 ·
When I was at university I was looking for a job during the summer break. I was the only person to have moved into our new house and all of my other friends had gone home. I had no money coming in and I was looking for a job.

For a month I had nothing to eat apart from rice and popcorn. I had £10 to last me until I got a job. So all I did was buy milk and I lived on popcorn for breakfast and snacks and rice with various spices that the previous residents had left behind and drank tea. I didn't have internet access at the time or I would have done a whole lot better.

Eventually I stopped buying milk for the tea and got some frozen vegetables to pad out my meals. I got used to it and unsurprisingly lost all the weight I had put on in my first year at university. Luckily I got a job where meals were included so I ate a lot there and it saw me through unitl my first pay packet.
 
#81 ·
We survived on top ramen and baked potatoes for three years in our early twenties. The unplanned simple-carb diet and free access to apartment gym made for a great weightloss program. We had no children so WIC and other forms of assistance were not options. The power of prayer and tithing were often mentioned by our elders but we were steadfast in the twenty-something mindset of invincibility and superiority of knowledge. We were too stupid to accept prayer as a viable option.

The two things that saved our carcasses from eminent ruin was to refrain from procreation and effectively use all of our wake hours as a means to increase income. By which we, in addition to our regular full-time employment, spent our off-time employed in part-time jobs. Instead of partying, going places, and taking field trips to the mall we looked at life from the perspective that we were socializing in an income producing environment which would eventually build up the extra funds needed to purchase our first home.

Once we were older, wiser, and settled into our careers and family life we were once again stricken with financial humility. After reducing our outgo to living expenses only and depleting our emergency funds we proceeded to liquidate everything that had monetary value starting with jewelry. When it came down to it, the only necklace that had any real meaning to me was the macaroni necklace my child made me in preschool and, lets face it, if worse became worser we could always cook it up for the kids to have dinner.

Bottomline. We did everything by the book: education, career, home ownership, financial stability, then family. But we failed to live by the words of the golden book and, in the end, we failed to prosper because we were too busy consuming life in a material world which resulted in depleting our spiritual resources and marriage. Had we have listened to our elders and utilized the power of prayer and tithing, then we could have asked our faith community and heavenly father, with a clear conscience, to help us in our time of need.

But we didn't and we paid dearly. To survive then progress, you will need to listen to the advice of your elders, become involved in a positive support system/ community, and grow the fruits of a non-materialistic world. Yes, this is easier said than done; but, in the long run you will find your life to be more valuable and worthwhile.
 
#24 ·
Mommy2five said:
Thank goodness we haven't been bad off since we had children. Before we had children we would eat alot of grits and eggs because all the other groceries were gone and we were broke. :(
We eat alot of grits and eggs now. Pancakes too. I find that canned tuna is way cheaper than ground beef. Ground beef is a once a month treat around our house. If it were not for loss leaders and double coupons, I don't know what we would do.

My DH is a college student too. He also works a full-time job, and a part-time job. I work part-time and homeschool our nine year old daughter. We have one car and no health insurance. I was able to get health coverage (free) for our daughter through a state sponsored program. I get my prescriptions for $4.00 each and dr. visits free through another program for working low-income adults. I have also found a source for free yearly mammograms.

We have one car, and live close enough to our jobs that we could walk if we couldn't buy gas or the car needed repair and we didn't have the cash. DH's college is much too far away to walk, however.

My grocery budget for this week was $26. I did buy two gallons of milk, two loaves of bread, carrots, potatoes, bananas, cantalope, a large can of pears, grits, eggs, onions, coffee, two cans of tuna, one box of cereal (with a coupon), orange juice (also with a coupon), toilet paper (gotta have that! it was on sale, and I used a coupon), one can of chicken broth, one can of beef broth, and one can of cream of celery soup (to use in homemade soup and tuna casserole), one box of graham crackers (for snacks with peanut butter, which we have already in the pantry), some yogurt (with coupons), and a pound of margarine. Most of the items I used coupons for were purchased on sale at my "double coupon" store. The other items were purchased at Aldi's. We already had many other things on hand, like cheese, oatmeal, flour, sugar, some frozen vegetables and fruit, etc.
 
#26 ·
well i it has been years since i have had to worry unless i wanted to but there were very lean times a few years ago. my brother hunted and fished for us, we learned to love squirrel, rabbit and everything else we could get. we lived off eggs, mac and cheese, i never thought to make anything from scratch so i guess things werent' as bad as i thought. we ate at friends houses if asked, my kids wore only hand me downs unless it was christmas, then we depended on family. it was a tough couple of years and thank god we haven't had to wrory since, things still get tight but i have found for me and mine eatting is better then paying a bill if needed.
 
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