Our priorities are shaped by those things that are most important to us. Where are your priorities? How would they be different if you had nothing to feed your family?
This is Day 9 of a month long food stamp challenge. If this is your first visit, please check out this link to see all of the posts and get a better understanding of what is going on.
I read a beautiful editorial in the New York Times this morning and wanted to share an excerpt:
“Even if things turn around financially, I don’t think I could stomach going to Whole Foods (except maybe for olive oil) because my biggest revelation in terms of self-sufficiency is this: It is no big deal. You can tell yourself anything is too difficult, or you can just do it. And you do not need to reconstruct your worldview or take issue with others.
You just need to be hungry.”
There are a lot of valid reasons and just as many excuses from able-bodied adults as to why they can’t cook at home. It takes too long, I don’t know how, I don’t have time, if you had kids you’d understand… I’ve heard them all, folks. The simple, unadulterated truth is that, as Susan Gregory Thomas said, “you just need to be hungry.”
Food security is a real issue for millions of people across the country and around the world. If you think all of this is just too hard or time consuming, maybe you’re just not hungry enough.
We are thankful to not need government assistance to know where our next meal is coming from, but in these few days we have taken a critical look at our own lives and been ashamed at how wasteful we’ve been. Living your life under a microscope can cause you to reflect on things in a different way and while this process is difficult, we wouldn’t change it for anything.
This month is changing our lives and I for one am happy that there are witnesses to the transformation, but more important to us is to know that we have helped other people to evaluate their own habits and behaviors. Put yourself under that microscope and don’t be afraid to ask yourself hard questions. The only wrong response is no response at all.
MEALS
BREAKFAST: $0.88
- coffee w/ sugar & creamer
- oatmeal w/ sugar & margarine
JOHN’S LUNCH: $0.58
- (2) peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
- 6 oz carrots
MICHAEL’S LUNCH: $0.00
DINNER: $0.74
- fettuccini with garlic parmesan cream sauce
- homemade French bread (step-by-step recipe coming soon)
- marinara dipping sauce
These two loaves of bread cost $.74 to make at home.
DINNER NOTES: The garlic cream sauce was made ahead of time from expired milk that was on the verge of spoiling. A small amount of parmesan cheese that was in the fridge was added before serving along with a leftover packet of “parmesan, Romano & hard grating cheese blend” from a pizza place that John picked up in the break room at work. The package of pasta was from the starting pantry.
Two loaves of French bread cost .74 to make from scratch.
The marinara dipping sauce was made from one of the jars of tomato sauce that was repacked on Day 5.
TOTALS
- Consumed Today: 2.20 [+6.80 for the day]
- Consumed To Date (week): 6.10 [+11.90 for the week]
- Consumed To Date (month): 33.23 [+47.77 for the month]
- Spent To Date: 138.07
- Remaining Balance: $141.11
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
If you lost your primary source of income tomorrow, how do you think your priorities would be impacted?
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
WELL, our journey into po’ folks land is a little different than it would be for others. We basically started out poor. Mowing yards to make daily money to buy food for us and my son. What changed for me was worrying about new movies, music, CLOTHES… things like that. No more just picking up a soda at a convienence store. No more going to Mickey D’s just cuz I was tired and didn’t want to cook. I was a bit pissed at first (lol), but now it’s second nature to me. And honestly it frees up the mind a bit too!
That bread looks sooo good….looking forward to a recipe :)
Honestly, I don’t think my priorities would change, other than finding another source of income asap.
I’m a worry-wot and a planner. I plan unplanned things. LOL
I plan for a loss of income, natural disasters, currency collapse, etc.
As long as I have my health, I’ll be o’kay.
Priorities would remain the same.
We’ve been hungry.
Cell phone would be cut off immediately, though if the job was lost. We have a home phone and the cell is a luxury.
Those pictures of your meals? A day in the life over here.
Literally.
I loved today’s blog!!! Love love love.
It’s a good thing you are doing, sir. Both of you.
My priorities are pretty well grounded. Probably because I have lost my primary source of income before.
We lost one income about 4 years ago. I got sick, couldn’t work, still can’t. We lost our home and ended up moving to another state. Thankfully my kids were about grown. I have been relearning how to cook from scratch, food tastes better. I picked up other skills along the way, sewing, soap making,and gardening. It’s a challenge, and if we lost my husbands income we would surely be lost for a little while. We are living paycheck to paycheck, but there is always someone out there with less. I’ve had less. You just have to keep going.
“You just have to keep going.”
You can’t say it any clearer than that.
Thanks, Theresa.
Thanks, Barbie-Shannon!
That’s exactly the mindset I was talking about in this post. You want that drink from McD’s but you can’t afford it. You want to order pizza instead of cooking but that $20 pizza can feed you for several days.
Thanks, Beth.
Michael,are you guys finding it challenging at all to prepare meals so far that are both nutritious and filling?
Filling is never a challenge, nut nutritious does require some thought for sure. We’re still not getting as many veggies as I’d like so we have to make them count when we do.
Thanks!I am enjoying following along with you on this.
To answer your question of the day,I was recently faced with that possibility.
I sat down,and thought things out,and decided rather than worrying about getting another job making the same amount of money,I thought about what we could do different here to live on less income….
I could enlarge the garden area more,adding more raised beds made from salvaged materials like we did with the first ones.We are raising own rabbits for both meat and the fertilizer they produce that is being composted for the garden….and although we weren’t planning on the first litters until next spring,they are of breeding age,and with special care(like heat in the shed)we could have a ready source of meat.
I am the main income earner in our house,and luckily did not lose my job,but I think once we got over the shock of the change,we’d be ok.
I guess I fall into the “I don’t know how” category. Which doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to learn, or interested in learning. I have in the past and am doing so now. But like many young adults in my position, I wasn’t raised with “poor skills” like how to cook basically anything from scratch. Additionally, without a base set of understandings of how ingredients work together (and my basic psychology) I always find myself having to work from recipes. Which I have been doing much more often, tho I find it less necessary over time.
It’s been a complex process for me, developing these basic skills and broadening them into a general set of resources. But those of us that “don’t know how” often want to learn but aren’t sure where to begin.
Glad you chimed in, J.D. For those in your position, I am working on several different things including how-to videos and blog posts with step-by-step photos for kitchen basics and easy from-scratch recipes.
Thats awesome Michael! How to videos are awesome! They make all the difference when trying to master bread recipes as sometimes you need to see if something is sifted or if the bowl is heated or how the dry ingredients are mixed or where the dough should be placed to rise. As for being poor. Well….I grew up not knowing that I was considered poor and happy that as a child I didn’t know the difference. When I got into my teens I went out and got a job and made my own money and really felt what it was like to buy the $50 shoes…..a lesson that taught me the $20 pair is just fine! If I lost my income right now, I would make changes like nixing my cell phone and keeping the land line, cut cable, eat more veggies out of the garden, possibly carpool when I could, cut the newspaper delivery service, cancel any unnecessary magazine subscriptions, buy generic (foods, medicines etc) when available, combine my errands and grocery shopping trips to conserve gas, turn down the heating or ac thermostat etc, coupon more, shop out of necessity instead of as a hobby. There are a ton more ways to curb expenses but these are the ones I would focus my energy on first.
Great list, Nancy!
If we lost our primary source of income tomorrow, by the end of November we would be homeless unless something else was found immediately. Our landlord is incredibly quick to file an eviction on us (where I have other people telling me they are 3-4 months behind…. but I committed a huge crime in this community so they are trying very hard to get rid of me…….. I breastfed my son at the pool…..) Anyway, if we have not paid on the 6th we get a five day notice and on the 12th she files the eviction (In November we would get a SHORT reprieve since the 12th is a Saturday so it would be filed on the 14th). By that Thursday or the following Monday we would have to pay the entire amount, $25 in late fees on the 6th and $5 a day after plus $220 in lawyer/court fees or the court would set a judgement against us. Within 48 hours we have to be out of our home (we own the trailer but not the land so would be forfeiting the trailer or get the money together to get the trailer out too.. would be cheaper to pay the rent!).. or the lawyer would get a “writ” from the judge. He would take that to the sheriff and in the next 2-3 days the sheriff would post a warning on our door. Within the next 24 hours or 3-4 weeks depending on how backed up the sheriff is he would show up( We would get no further notice then that we have to be out in 24 hours. We get no specific date when they will be coming. We can move out asap or wait until they arrive), the landlord would have to move all of our stuff to the street and we would be gone. Now we would technically have “lost” our home in the middle of the month but the wheels of justice would turn slowly enough to “possibly” get us a free month before we have to be out and into a new home. That’s a *little* time to get some money together to move on… if a job can be obtained immediately.. :( We are literally that ONE paycheck away from disaster . It isn’t that we haven’t tried to play.. there hasn’t been enough money since our last family emergency to recoup and set ourselves back up. I can’t WAIT until tax checks come in and we can pay in advance on some things and put some money away in savings to protect ourselves.. but at THIS point… at THIS point we are that one paycheck away :( It sucks… but it is what it is.
As for the charities and church’s… there aren’t many other organizations that choose to put their own money, time and sweat into doing huge ongoing charitable things like a food bank. :(
@Holly
That seems like a VERY stressful way to live. Sounds like you’re spread pretty thin financially.
At this point……..what are you doing to improve your situation? Do you have goals? Plans? Some type of strategy? Other than waiting for things to improve.
Regardless of how you got to where you are today, you are in control of the direction your life takes.
Good Luck! Hope your situation improves.
i’m with Jaevonna–been in that situation more than once! but now it’s getting more serious, because everything’s gone up so much, including my house payment has nearly doubled, and i can’t survive a single month without any income now. as it is, i am working about 30 hours a week and getting an additional $100 a week in unemployment, and i have cut-off notices EVERY MONTH from every single utility. My phone actually was cut off this week, but i can’t make a payment until i’m sure i have my house payment paid for the month, and then before the phone comes the car and house insurance, and i don’t think there’s gonna be enough left over for the phone. :-( I am kinda dependent upon the phone for my job, as well, but fortunately they just revamped the system and i can get jobs (i am a substitute) online as well. That system just got put into place, and not a moment too soon for me. Of course, it means constantly checking the system on the computer (in between stirring the soup! ;-) )–and fortunately, too, we get free wifi, because one of my neighbor’s has an unsecured system so we can skype it from them. If they ever go to secured, which all my other neighbor’s have, we are screwed!
i went back and looked at the question to see if i actually answered it: No, i don’t think my priorities would be affected, because my priorities are KEEPING THE HOUSE, and FEEDING MY DAUGHTER WELL, and myself, and then paying utilities and trying to give some too.
Having been poor/cash strapped more often than not, and currently just a few payments away from not knowing what to do, I’m already cut down to mostly basics, but even now, there is more I could do, starting with eliminating the house phone and satellite tv. Keeping the cell phone makes more sense for me. I’m couponing like crazy and have been able to stockpile quite a bit while spending less than normal. I expanded my garden, and would go even further with that, but in the end, nothing helps if I can’t pay my mortgage. My 2 cars are old and older, but I love them because they have been so reliable, and have been paid for for years. It’s freeing to not be so worried about “the good life.” When the going gets tough…well, you just keep going, as Theresa said. You also have to absolutely refuse to give up on yourself, and must keep believing in yourself and your ability to make it better, otherwise it gets to be too much. As Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going..”
P.S. really? oatmeal w/o milk or cream? the meals still should be palatable, guys! and you’ve got to have a salad or another vegetable with every dinner…not fair if you’re just going all starches! i know you’ve got some carrots you could have cut up for a vegetable, if nothing else! ;-) I used to use carrots all the time for vegetables, but now i have so few teeth left (no health care and no money for dentists for YEARSSSSSS) that it’s just too hard to eat raw carrots anymore.
Oh, and about the how-to vids, I would absolutely love that. Learning the basics of bread making, and how to use spices for different types of foods, how to make cream sauces as compared to red (ala sphaghetti), different types of bean soups, would be great. Different ways to use our produce, all that kind of stuff over time, would be a lot of fun. I have books, and can google, but videos are great for really seeing it how it comes together.
I went through a rough patch when I was about 19, and estranged from my family. I lost my restaurant job, upon which I relied for at least one meal a day. At the time I was living in a “bachelor” apartment that had no kitchen, which wasn’t an issue when I worked six days a week, and always had my main meal at work. Once the job was gone, I had no income and no feasible way to prepare meals at home– and very little money for groceries, anyhow. I also had some health problems that made it impossible for me to seek new employment right away. Ultimately, I had to make up with my family and move back home, but for a few weeks, while I was ‘living out’ my security deposit and working up the nerve to eat crow, I lived on cheap fast food, mostly Taco Bell. It was one of the most miserable times of my life.
A few years later, just out of college, I was out of work for six months due to an injury, and because I had been working for tips, my worker’s comp. benefits bore no relationship to my actual income, and didn’t even cover the rent. Unable to return home that time, I had to seek rental assistance from a charitable organization. Utilities were included in the rent, so except for the phone bill and personal necessities, every dime I had was spent on food. I was virtually home-bound at the time, so for entertainment, I watched the three or four channels my t.v. could pick up with rabbit ears, and got a library card so I could check out novels, instead of buying them as had always been my habit. Occasionally, I would go out for very cheap dinners with a friend, who had a job, but was nearly as broke as I. In a city known for fabulous fine-dining restaurants, we couldn’t afford any of them, but we discovered some really great hole-in-the-wall joints, and I learned to shop in ethnic markets, and cook some things I couldn’t afford to go out to enjoy. As long as I could look forward to a good meal, my circumstances didn’t seem so sucky, and that is a feeling I still carry today. Whether I’m feeling flush, or pinching pennies, food is always high on my list of priorities, because, beyond the obvious need for nourishment, food is important to my psychological well-being.
CeeCee, yes it’s me, and I also eat oatmeal w/o milk or cream. I don’t know when I started doing that, because I grew up eating it with milk. I was thinking about the veggies too, but then realized that when I’m overwhelmed or strapped, veggies tend to be the first things to fall by the wayside. But I have faith in Michael and John, and I’m betting we see some creative ‘vegging’ here soon.
Sorry, I did not answer the question more directly above.
I once enjoyed many more of life’s pleasures than I do now: taking vacations and weekend getaways; dining out regularly, and without regard to cost; buying new clothes and accessories every season; having regular salon visits; and spending money on completely frivolous decorative items like expensive scented candles and photo frames, just because I liked them. I had a bigger income then, so I dressed well and dined well, but in other respects, my life was a very simple one for the times; it was comfortable, but by no means extravagant. I know that I can live with just the bare necessities, because I’ve done it before, and I’m doing it again. However, the world has become much more complex than it was when I was younger, and that makes necessary things that were once luxuries. Cell phone and internet service are must-haves today, and would be for anyone who is looking for work. The same is true for personal transportation in many places, but I would reduce unnecessary driving. With a service contract in place, it would cost me more money to disconnect my cable t.v. early than to continue to pay for it for the term of the contract, but if I could do so without penalty, I could easily let it go if I had to. I would also defer my student loan payments until I found work. I already cook at home regularly, so the usual eat-out-less adjustment doesn’t really apply to me at this time, but I could probably find a cheaper place to do some of my food shopping.
Me, again…Obviously, I’m enjoying your blog, and this topic.
Michael and John,
What do you normally eat? It’s obvious from the way you are managing that you are not going to starve on this month’s food budget, but I am wondering what you are sacrificing, in terms of quality and variety, compared to your usual style of cooking/eating. Do you normally cook more elaborate meals, or just better food and more of it? One thing that strikes me about your menus thus far is that the food is very dull. I realize that not everyone looks for excitement on a plate, but as I don’t know you, I don’t know if it is for one or both of you an important intangible that you are giving up this month. If it is, how does that factor into your feelings about the project?
It’s late I know (new to the blog) but I’ve been reading all morning and afternoon already! Addicting! If my husband and I lost our source of income, I have absolutely no idea what we’d do. He is the only one working right now. After we married, I gave up my job so he could have the car (his job paid 5x as much as mine-dead end cashiering job). It also doesn’t help that I’m 4 months pregnant. With our rent, utilities, and food, we’d be up a creek. The internet is a luxury but since he’s in the IT field, he needs it if he gets a call at 3 am for a “computer emergency” and I’m also thankful his boss pays insurance as well as his cellphone (I have one but it’s disconnected at the moment). I’m glad we have what we have but the one car that always breaks down is a negative.