Food stamps as a dieting tool.

[Darnell 8,478]

Sheep are for luvin' not eatin'.

All is possible with the right sauce, Uncle Spooks..

Just Sayin...

[decocker 7,198]

Oddly enough you now see gardens more often in suburbs and even wealthier areas than you will see them in the poor areas..... why? Food Stamps.

where i live, in the friggin country - ten minutes away from some real piss poor west virginians, unemployed and on foodstamps .. and they have gardens. if one neighbor has more than they need, they share with their crop with their neighbors or family or try and sell some at the flea market for cash..i don't believe you could prove the that there are more gardens in suburbs or wealthier areas than in POOR areas. if you'r talking URBAN areas, then yeah - there isn't anywhere but the roof tops and window sills to plant..

but sure, people don't garden because they're all so used to having their every hunger pang silenced by food stamps.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Whatever you're satisfied with for food, that's all that matters. I'm not Ukrainine so I probably can't relate to it on the level that you do. Many parts of the world enjoy food, not just America. And good doesn't have to be extravagant or unhealthy.

Surely eat what you choose, Spooky. It is just that trying make a huge variety of dishes so you do not have to eat the same thing two days or two meals in a row will cost more money. You are buying in small quantities. I used to eat the same way you do. Alla took over the cooking and our eating habits changed...but I had lived in Ukraine and knew the drill. The other thing RUB women are well known for is the habit of cooking for 40 people when there are four to feed! When we go to one of our Amer/Rus couples parties the food won't stop! Most middle aged or older RUB women have experienced REAL hunger, not this plastic-banana-good-time-rock-and-roll "hunger" we have in the US, where "hungry people" had a smaller than usual lunch and are 55 pounds overweight. REAL hunger. They do not throw away food, someone eats it. Seriously if we had too much food and people were not eating it, before it went bad Alla would make up some plates and say "C'mon, we are going to go give this to someone that has none...it will not be wasted" and she will go walk down the street in Donetsk and hand plates of food to homeless people and beggars. More than 20 million people starved to death n Ukraine in the 1930's. Nearly everyone has a family member that has DIED from lack of food. There is none of the bullsh*t hunger in Ukraine.

So naturally she cooks a huge pot of borscht, makes 100 meatballs, makes dish after dish full of meat and potato salad (in case you wonder how 1/4 pound of beef can feed 3 people for a week) In addition to the bowls full of this in the refrigerator, there will be a huge, deep fry pan with cooked chicken drumsticks. Take some salad, a chicken leg and a piece of bread and you have a filling meal. She packs small containers (glass with plastic lids) full of salad...instant lunch. There is a bowl of boiled eggs to add to the salad or just peel and eat. There is a big bowl full of fruit on the dining room table...apples, bananas and oranges usually.

She makes pans full of slaiced potatos layered with onions and bacon, smothered in fresh grated cheeses. THAT one is godo! I love it. There will be several casserole dishes full of it. Healthy? Ask Alla, she says YES, but it is potatoes, bacon and cheese baked in the oven and topped with sour cream (of course!) The bacon is the expensive part but she goes pretty sparingly and buys the cheap bacon on sale.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

This observation is dead-on.

Years ago people used to grow gardens even in the plot behind their row homes and certainly everywhere that space is more available.

Oddly enough you now see gardens more often in suburbs and even wealthier areas than you will see them in the poor areas..... why? Food Stamps.

As the last of the -over 50 die off, so will the last garden plots in the "economically challenged areas".

Danno has a garden as do a number of my neighbors, I even posted some pics at one time.

As Lost in Blue noted, it takes skill to garden, to even know when to plant what, if we stay on the crash course we are on, there will be a huge sting to the learning curve.

PS: right now is a good time of the year to get a good buy on a canner or tiller.

I cannot claim any righteousness here. Alla is a Ukrainian Princesss and does not garden. Her mother would, for Alla it is too dirty and food here is too cheap (relative to income) so she does not. As a member of the Komsomol in school she HATED having to be trucked out to farms to help with the harvest and would simply cry and far fall behind the other children, then get yelled at by the commisars of the harvest (or whatever their title was) for not doing her duty to the Rodina (motherland)

[Danno 1,228]

I cannot claim any righteousness here. Alla is a Ukrainian Princesss and does not garden. Her mother would, for Alla it is too dirty and food here is too cheap (relative to income) so she does not. As a member of the Komsomol in school she HATED having to be trucked out to farms to help with the harvest and would simply cry and far fall behind the other children, then get yelled at by the commisars of the harvest (or whatever their title was) for not doing her duty to the Rodina (motherland)

Now thats funny.

If you want to get her in the garden here is what you do.

Get out there and break up the ground plant your crops, tend to them all season and when they are ripe, (and all the work is done) she will "do her part" by strolling out there and picking the fresh fruit.

Trust the voice of experience.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Now thats funny.

If you want to get her in the garden here is what you do.

Get out there and break up the ground plant your crops, tend to them all season and when they are ripe, (and all the work is done) she will "do her part" by strolling out there and picking the fresh fruit.

Trust the voice of experience.

Wanna bet? You have -0- experience with Alla. She will go out there, walk around and call back to the house "Garichka, Pashinka...idi sudah pozhalsta!"

She is completely spoiled and completely an inner city girl. The only way she would garden is if it meant she would DIE not to.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

[Marilyn. 340]

we spend maybe $250 or so a month on groceries, including non-food items. I buy bulk packs of chicken, pork chops, ground beef etc and try to make a different meal every night.. It isn't that expensiveness if you look for sales.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

we spend maybe $250 or so a month on groceries, including non-food items. I buy bulk packs of chicken, pork chops, ground beef etc and try to make a different meal every night.. It isn't that expensiveness if you look for sales.

And what do you eat for $250 per month less non-food items? I'd love to know what you eat 3 meals a day, 7 days a week for a month and spend less than $250 for food. Serious question. I would love details on how this is done and what you eat.

[Marilyn. 340]

we don't eat 3 meals a day.. we eat two and snacks in between. I try and make a different meal every night. My husband will either get the leftovers or a sandwich for his lunch. I make meatloaf, chillis, stir frys, baked pork chops, chicken done in different ways. There is no way can I name everything I make. of course we don't eat prime rib or t-bone steaks every night but we do eat good. On the weekends my husband will sometimes grill a whole chicken and we eat that in different ways for the next few days. I will make stir frys etc out of it.

I was more posting in response to Gary's comment that it is hard to eat a variety of foods because it is too expensive..

Edited November 24, 2012 by Marilyn.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

we don't eat 3 meals a day.. we eat two and snacks in between. I try and make a different meal every night. My husband will either get the leftovers or a sandwich for his lunch. I make meatloaf, chillis, stir frys, baked pork chops, chicken done in different ways. There is no way can I name everything I make. of course we don't eat prime rib or t-bone steaks every night but we do eat good. On the weekends my husband will sometimes grill a whole chicken and we eat that in different ways for the next few days. I will make stir frys etc out of it.

I was more posting in response to Gary's comment that it is hard to eat a variety of foods because it is too expensive..

I would seriously like to know how to feed 2 people for $250 a month and eat meat on a regular basis, especially the variety that you have listed.

[Marilyn. 340]

I can buy a pack of chicken drums or thighs for 4 or 5 bucks. I divide it up into portions and throw it in the freezer. I can get 3 or 4 portions out of one pack of chicken. I do the same if I find a good deal on pork chops or beef. I buy whole chickens when they go on sale. They go down to @80 cent a pound at Stater Bros on a regular basis. I can get a coupe of meals out of one chicken. We are lucky here that most fruits and veggies are pretty inexpensive. A big bag of rice costs about 5 or 6 bucks but it can last a long time.

[lostinblue 1,989]

I can buy a pack of chicken drums or thighs for 4 or 5 bucks. I divide it up into portions and throw it in the freezer. I can get 3 or 4 portions out of one pack of chicken. I do the same if I find a good deal on pork chops or beef. I buy whole chickens when they go on sale. They go down to @80 cent a pound at Stater Bros on a regular basis. I can get a coupe of meals out of one chicken. We are lucky here that most fruits and veggies are pretty inexpensive. A big bag of rice costs about 5 or 6 bucks but it can last a long time.

Next week you will find all kinds of turkeys on sale. some places buy a hundred dollars worth of food and you get a free one. A freezer is one of the best investments you can get if you work it right. Many people desire that wide screen tv instead.

[Marilyn. 340]

Last week we got a free 21 pound turkey for buying $30 worth of groceries at a local grocery store.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Last week we got a free 21 pound turkey for buying $30 worth of groceries at a local grocery store.

That never happens out here. Whole chicken never goes under $1 lb. I might see drumsticks or thighs on sale for .99. Ground beef is 2.99+, fruit is expensive as are fresh vegetables, especially in the winter. I don't think I could feed myself for $250 month unless I ate rice, beans and pasta every day. Throw in some milk, juice etc and the budget is gone.