Long time reddit reader posting for some advice. So i was laid off about 9 months ago, store was closed and couldnt transfer anywhere, sent me into a bad depression spiral and am just climbing back out thankfully. Just got hired on a new job but dont start for 2 weeks so wont see a paycheck for about a month.
I have burned through all my savings i literally am down to 18 dollars. My cabinets are bare im freaking out. Im lucky my landlord is giving me a break until i get paid.
Went to the food banm today and I got: a single instant jasmine rice pack, a can of tuna, a salad, some moldy blackberries, 4 blueberry bagels, tartar sauce, and a box of hostess cupcakes, and a half pound chicken legs.
I can go to the food bank 2x a month.
I applied for SNAP yesterday, but says it can take up to 30 days to process and my local office seems swarmed.
I need advice on what i can buy to make these funds last for about 4.5 weeks. 18 bucks isnt enough and idk what to do. Please give me some recipes and grocery lists on what to do with the food and funds i have I know its tight
Need advice on stretching under 20 dollars for a month of food
byu/LifeAttempter inpersonalfinance
Posted by LifeAttempter
28 Comments
It’s not practical to spend $20/month on food. Borrow money from a friend/family/credit card/… Find a place that has free food offers such as homeless support or church.
Rice and eggs with salt, pepper, and salsa or cheese should get you pretty darn close.
> I can go to the food bank 2x a month.
Are there other food banks in the area you can go to?
Rice, beans, oats, potatoes, cabbage. You might look into charities or even homeless shelters.
You have rice. Buy yourself a bag of beans and keep going to the food bank or find a second foodbank in your area.
Bag of dry Rice, green onions (regrow the cuttings), eggs for protein (soft boil and then marinade them if you have soy sauce and rice wine vinegar). This should stay under$18 (I hope). Or, several lbs of potato’s, cottage cheese (protein), and eggs, (hard boil them for crumbles), green onions. Also I highly recommend onions and then caramelizing them as flavor for both dishes (if you are able to find deals). Also please look into your local food bank if possible.
Look for a Sikh Temple near you; they serve free food. Pay them back by volunteering when you have time.
Sack of rice, seasoning, sack of potato’s, cheap chicken, cheap peanut butter, cheap jelly, 99 cent loaf of white bread. Realistically that should be about $20 at an Aldi or save a lot if you’ve got one near you. Sometimes you can get some bananas and do a little peanut butter banana sandwich as a treat to switch it up. Is it all practical? Not really. will it get you by? Absolutely.
I mean use a credit card if available. This is kind of life or death
Big bag of self rising flour and make biscuits with water.
Beans and rice. When you get tired of the this, get some rice and beans. It’s gonna be tough with $18.
Brown rice and dried beans. Cook separately (the beans will need to boil for about two hours, consider soaking them overnight beforehand), mix, season with whatever you have on hand. If you don’t have anything on hand then buy some iodized salt, you need it for health. When you eat those chicken legs keep the bones for stock, and you can cook your rice in that and boost the nutrition a bit. Won’t be fun but it’ll get you as far as anything can.
But also ask around for help, this is not sustainable, $18 will get you a lot of rice and beans but not a full month’s worth. If you can pick up some quick gig work or donate plasma or something it could make a huge difference.
Go onto a local Facebook group for your community and ask for other resources. You can even post anonymously but somebody should be able to tell you if there’s like a church run pantry nearby or some other way to get some food. There might be somebody who’s moving and getting rid of some things.
Is selling plasma an option for you as a stopgap to get a little cash?
Beans + rice is a complete protein, I’d get a big bag of dried beans and a big bag of dried rice. You want like the 1lb bags, those are most efficient for your value, don’t get cans.
r/povertyfinance may have advice.
Good luck, you can get through this, sounds like better times are ahead.
If you have any friends or family in a position to help ask them–I know there’s a lot of shame attached to this but I’d much rather a friend ask me than suffer in silence.
Whatever you do do not take a payday loan. That’s how you turn a month of having to get through this into being trapped here.
Potatoes, ramen, beans. But go onto your local Buy Nothing group and ask if anyone has any unwanted food or knows the locations of any little free pantries.
Dried beans, the biggest cheapest bag per pound.
Do you have an instant pot or pressure cooker?
Ask your friends on social media for help (“I’m in a jam and won’t get paid for a month, can you donate your in wanted canned goods to help me this month?”
Look for other cheap food:
Dried bean
Rice
Quick oats Oatmeal
Make biscuits with flour + baking powder + milk
Cheap clearance rack at the grocery store
Good luck
You can buy a 10 lb bag of white rice for <$10. Also lentils and pinto beans are dirt cheap. So are oats. Those 4 ingredients can take you a long way towards sustenance. But as others have said, you’re going to have to get a little creative and resourceful in terms of handouts.
My advice? Find a local group who can help. Look up your area’s food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, churches, mosques, etc. Ask them all.
I’m sure you will at the very least get some rice and beans out of it and canned foods, soups etc.
It’s going to make your life a lot easier than trying to stretch $20 over a month.
Bar-S hot dogs and cook your own dry beans that will hold you till you find a food pantry
Don’t shop at the regular grocery store. Go to an Indian grocer if you can for a big bag of rice and a big bag of dry beans. You would be surprised how much cheaper it is than the big commercial grocers.
Find a hotel and just walk in like you own the place, sometimes there are corporate events with food tables or the complimentary breakfast bars
Find non monetary food resources. Soup kitchens. Salvation Army, churches, non profits, and shelters in your community. There’s no way to survive off $20 a month for food. I’m not even sure it can be done with $100 unless you have a huge garden and livestock.
So there’s this technique called taking drugs to escape the misery of a situation…
do you have a kitchen still? car? can you share a zip code or county you’re in to help folks link up resources?
if you have a new job can you apply for a credit card and float a months worth of groceries? the interest on 200 bucks of food or so paid back quickly shouldnt be too bad hopefully
congrats on the new job, all the best.
Go hunting for other food resources for sure. Churches, temples etc. Look on FB for free events that might have food?
If you have a Hispanic/Indian/Asian store near you check them for more afford bulk dry goods.
Facebook free groups / buy nothing sell nothing groups. Sometimes people give food away they don’t like.
Rice and beans, anybody telling you eggs is a trust fund nepobaby
prioritize calories and cost ,rice ,lentils peanut butter if possible ,use the tuna and chicken sparing ,also look for local mutual aid groups or free meal programs
Local churches and temples have food programs. Look into them.