Cheap Things You've Done When Broke

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

I even smuggle my own snacks into movie theaters.

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I still do that!

While in college:

Eating lots and lots of ramen noodles and Easy Mac

Bringing home food from the dining halls (fruit, etc)

Selling my textbooks...while I still needed them for class

Originally Posted by GingersMom

I once went a FULL seven days with no food for my belly at all, back in 1986 when my toddler and I were homeless and living in a motel paid for by the state - until a kind person gave me a can of Friend's beans, which I ate cold, out of the can, with a plastic spoon. It was the best gourmet meal I'd ever, EVER eaten.

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That's heartbreaking. And it should not be allowed to happen in a country where there is far more than enough of everything for everybody, if only it were distributed more evenly!

Does everyone remember "We Are The World?" It was in the mid-80s -- a few dozen musical celebrities got together under the direction of Quincy Jones and recorded a song to raise funds for people who were literally starving to death in Ethiopia.

Well... after the recording session, Steve Perry of Journey went out to dinner with some people, and when the waiter put a plate of food down in front of him, he looked at it and started to cry. Couldn't eat it.

If only we all made the emotional connection so clearly!

___________________


Now let me try to forestall the attack that is most assuredly coming my way:

Please note that I did not say America's wealth should be distributed evenly -- I said more evenly. So please don't call me a communist. I am not suggesting that the frycook at a fastfood joint should make exactly the same salary as a doctor who performs lifesaving surgery every day.

What I'm suggesting is that the frycook should make enough for his reasonably-sized family to live comfortably on his income alone, and to save for their children's education and their own retirement.

And that could be achieved if the top executives of the fastfood corporation did not make seven-figure salaries and take home multi-million-dollar bonuses every year, ending up with massive offshore bank accounts and sailing yachts and villas in the south of France.

The disparity there is obscene and unjustifiable. That's what I'm saying. So if you're going to flame me, please flame me for what I really said!

Or for being so longwinded.

went to Costco ate the free samples for lunch,

Originally Posted by lookingglass

You should have. If they were me I would have made some breakfast for you!....

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Aw, thank you!

You know, it wasn't pride that kept me from asking for help. It was the fact that my parents have always used money as a control mechanism. I ended up being a person who refused to accept anything from anybody because deep down I thought that person was trying to control me. I get squirmy when I think someone is trying to tell me how to live my life. I still have a problem accepting gifts. How messed up is that!

CarolPetunia, I can't imagine anyone flaming you for what you said!

There are some real heartbreaking stories here. I apologize if I dredged up anybody's bad memories.

I've been fortunate to never been in just dire situations over money. I'm pretty good about saving, and always have been - Colin is the same way. But here are some "cheap" things we still do.

Lets see, we reuse Ziplock bags from the dollar store (we just rinse them out after we use them to marinate our foods in them.) I still do this

We eat Ramen noodles

I take my own snacks to the movies in my purse

I buy a lot of generics - but i make sure i try to get healthier ones

We use a ton of rice when we cook. We add rice to our chili even and it's amazing

We "carpool" as much as possible to save on gas. Colin and I try to take my car as often as we can because it gets better milage. When I need groceries- i go with my sister and her kids to the store and we take turns driving and all go at once to get our groceries/etc

I've sold off a lot of text books

I have been eating ramen noodles for the last week. (But my boyfriend gets paid today so we SHOULD be OK...)



I have lived a very poor life.... there are a million things I could write down but I'll just list a few.

**picked up cigerette butts off the ground, took the tobacco out of them, and rolled up one cigerette with all the findings.

**spagetti noodles, salt, and butter

**selling anything I can possibly think of for money. When me and my boyfriend were BROKE we sold my promise ring for supper. I won't do that ever again! (He did buy me a new one later though)

**Washing clothes in the bathtub and hanging them up to dry, so we could use our quarters for food.

**buying cigerettes, little debbies, or gas in pennies, dimes and nickels... there were no quarters and no bills!

**eating cereal with water, because we had no milk----for every meal of the day

**duct taping our shoes because our shoes had holes.

**borrowing $1.25 to buy my cat food from the $1.00 Store

**going to the grocery store, using my debit card to withdraw the only $2.50 I had- so my bf could use it for bus money to get to work.

**finding change so I could get a $1 Big and Tasty from McDonalds. (We did this last night)

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Oh, and the other day I noticed that one of my co-workers left a pizza in the freezer. I was STARVING- so I ate it. The next day she asked me about it... I told her I didn't know what happened to it. I didn't want to tell her I ate her pizza!!! That's so embarassing!




That's it for now

Just an observation...

Including myself, I've noticed that there are lots and lots and LOTS of people living below the poverty level that are addicted to cigarettes.

I'm no longer poor, and am now a former smoker, so I'm not being hypocritical in pointing this out, as far as I am concerned.

That week I mentioned where I had no food for 7 days? Somehow I found the means to have cigarettes. I had no money for food, but I kept on smoking a pack a day.

It is interesting to me to see the lengths people will go to for certain things, specifically to feed addiction while other basic needs go unmet.

Like I said, just an observation from one who was also guilty of feeding her addictions (and her child) before herself.

Huh...

We never had a lot of money and ate a lot of mac and cheese, hamburger helper, etc. My fiance LOVES hamburger helper, but I dread it when he makes it. They all taste the same after awhile.

I remember noticing that my mom wouldn't eat with us and that she would eat what we didn't finish. My sister and I would leave some on purpose for her....

I've heard that nicotine is one of the most addictive substances out there, even more so than heroin. Cigarettes also dull hunger somewhat, so perhaps the body's craving for the drug is stronger than the hunger for food? Maybe that explains it?

I have a friend named Caroline who grew up very poor. She said her mother gave her children coffee because that also dulls the hunger.

Geez, this thread is getting depressing.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

Geez, this thread is getting depressing.

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Yes, it is!

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

I even smuggle my own snacks into movie theaters.

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hey, i do that, 'cause they just want too darn much for their food!

y'all talking about the blue box kraft mac n cheese reminds me of a story...
when i was first living on my own in Dallas, my cousin & her roomate came to visit me. they were living in an apartment somewhere [either Shreveport or Galveston] & were on a very strict budget. anyway, i served them pork chops, applesauce & mac n cheese for lunch... they just raved about how good the mac n cheese was, it's so wonderful, what kind is it, etc. so i showed them - blue box, kraft mac n cheese. my cousin said, oh we never get that brand, it's too expensive, we get the store brand. i looked at the price - $.79. i said, it's only $.79 - that's too expensive? how much is the stuff you're buying?


they were paying about $.75 for the store brand - & they said it was really nasty stuff!

Originally Posted by laureen227

hey, i do that, 'cause they just want too darn much for their food!

y'all talking about the blue box kraft mac n cheese reminds me of a story...
when i was first living on my own in Dallas, my cousin & her roomate came to visit me. they were living in an apartment somewhere [either Shreveport or Galveston] & were on a very strict budget. anyway, i served them pork chops, applesauce & mac n cheese for lunch... they just raved about how good the mac n cheese was, it's so wonderful, what kind is it, etc. so i showed them - blue box, kraft mac n cheese. my cousin said, oh we never get that brand, it's too expensive, we get the store brand. i looked at the price - $.79. i said, it's only $.79 - that's too expensive? how much is the stuff you're buying?


they were paying about $.75 for the store brand - & they said it was really nasty stuff!

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We've bought store brand mac-n-cheese at 25cents a box.

I've torn Puffs Plus tissues in half (I had a bad cold) to make them stretch.

You know the "Starving Children in __________" lecture you'd get? I got "We ate beans when you were a baby so you could have meat!" lecture.

My dad had been laid off not long after I was born. That Christmas Mom was very depressed because there was no extra money for holiday foods and presents. But on Christmas Eve, the neighbors stopped by with food and presents. They had gotten together to help. (I think Dad had been doing odd jobs for them, too.) On Christmas morning she pulled on the fridge door (old style with latch, not magnets) and the handle came off. She sat down and cried. A few moments later her Dad and a brother stopped by (they live a couple of blocks away). Grandpa surveyed the situation and sent uncle home for a piece of strapping iron. Grandpa fashioned a handle and that is the only handle I ever remember on that fridge.

Anyway, in later years, if possible, Mom has tried to help those in need at Christmas.

Originally Posted by gemlady

Anyway, in later years, if possible, Mom has tried to help those in need at Christmas.

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This is how you turn a depressing thread into a positive one.

As a direct result of my being so poor for so long and because I had to take help from others, I started volunteering and raising money and event planning and organizing fundraisers to help other people have better lives.

So I turned my negative past history into a positive present and future. I'm very proud to truthfully say that I have helped raise over a quarter million dollars over the last 6 years or so to help others.

All it takes it stepping forward and giving a little of your free time. You can do it, too.

WTG, Betsy!

I know I've done some, but I can't think of them off hand. However, I do remember one thing my Mom used to do.

We were dirt poor when I was growing up. My father was almost 60 when I was born and had failing health, so my Mom who was 25 years younger than him was the only one working to support a family of 4. Money was really tight and sometimes non existent and oftentimes she made me and my brother clothing out of her clothing or coats or clothing that was given to her by relatives.

Sometimes we didn't have any money for food and when we ran out of stuff we had to go without, which was often veggies. During the summer when people were growing gardens my Mom would sometimes send me and my brother out to "raid" peoples' gardens and bring home some veggies for dinner. We got pretty good at it and were rarely caught

I'm poor, too so don't feel bad. My mom lived on cigs and coffee for ages so we kids could get what we needed to eat. Yes, she was a chain smoker for years. Now she has quit and is one of those ex-smokers

I don't see this thread as depressing. I see it as a testament to human survival and adaptability. That is not a bad thing Society would have us believe that poor people are somehow lacking in more than just money and its benefits. It is not true!

One of the best meals: I was about 5 years old, think this was in Missouri, mom sent my little brother and I over to a neighbor's garden to "harvest" some tomatoes without getting caught. Well, there were only green ones so that night we all had fried green tomatoes and mashed potatoes for dinner. Those stolen tomatoes tasted so good! Wasn't the last time I stole something, but that is for another time.

Hamburger/Tuna Helpers all do taste the same after awhile! We ate this all the time during our more wealthy times.

When I do laundry now, I usually pay to wash (.75) then hang clothes to dry in my apartment bathroom.

P.S. I love this thread

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Sometimes we didn't have any money for food and when we ran out of stuff we had to go without, which was often veggies. During the summer when people were growing gardens my Mom would sometimes send me and my brother out to "raid" peoples' gardens and bring home some veggies for dinner. We got pretty good at it and were rarely caught

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I was posting when you posted this! Wonder how many bunnies have been blamed for our thievery?

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

That's heartbreaking. And it should not be allowed to happen in a country where there is far more than enough of everything for everybody, if only it were distributed more evenly!

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Huzzah!!! Well-said and I wholeheartedly agree.

Originally Posted by gemlady

Anyway, in later years, if possible, Mom has tried to help those in need at Christmas.

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And if everyone had the same spirit (most) people have at Christmas, most of the time, this world would just simply be that much better for it. I even have Christmas spirit and I don't practice religion.

Mybabyphx (and I forgot to hit the quote button)... I have done a lot of those things too.

I worked a 30 hour week job (wasn't allowed by law to work any more than that) and went through the co-op program my senior year so that I could work part time and work full time to buy my own things because my mother couldn't afford them (of course, this actually went to pay household bills because she couldn't afford those either).

Living on my own I lived on Ramen noodles, scraped change together to pay for any various number of things, gone without, eaten potatos, grilled cheese, pb&j, etc for extended periods of time...washing clothes by hand, and then wringing them out in a towel to help dry them, then hanging them on hangers around the room so they could dry...

Originally Posted by gemlady

We've bought store brand mac-n-cheese at 25cents a box.

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Yeah that was yucky! We began splurging on the real stuff.

Originally Posted by gemlady

I've torn Puffs Plus tissues in half (I had a bad cold) to make them stretch.

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We used cheap TP. I still do this cuz I don't know any different.

Originally Posted by gemlady

You know the "Starving Children in __________" lecture you'd get? I got "We ate beans when you were a baby so you could have meat!" lecture.

Click to expand...

When someone says "There's starving children in_____", I always retort. "There are starving children in Wisconsin/ or whatever city I'm in at the time" Hey, its true.

Originally Posted by gemlady

My dad had been laid off not long after I was born. That Christmas Mom was very depressed because there was no extra money for holiday foods and presents. But on Christmas Eve, the neighbors stopped by with food and presents. They had gotten together to help. (I think Dad had been doing odd jobs for them, too.) On Christmas morning she pulled on the fridge door (old style with latch, not magnets) and the handle came off. She sat down and cried. A few moments later her Dad and a brother stopped by (they live a couple of blocks away). Grandpa surveyed the situation and sent uncle home for a piece of strapping iron. Grandpa fashioned a handle and that is the only handle I ever remember on that fridge.

Click to expand...

We had an old fridge in the basement that ran perfectly despite the fact that my grandparents owned it since the 50's and that we had to open it with a crow bar. It kept soda nice and cold!

Originally Posted by sofiecusion

Yeah that was yucky! We began splurging on the real stuff.

We used cheap TP. I still do this cuz I don't know any different.



When someone says "There's starving children in_____", I always retort. "There are starving children in Wisconsin/ or whatever city I'm in at the time" Hey, its true.

We had an old fridge in the basement that ran perfectly despite the fact that my grandparents owned it since the 50's and that we had to open it with a crow bar.

It kept soda nice and cold!

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That reply about having starving children in Wisconsin/or wherever... that's so true! I'm going to start using that line, if you don't mind.

I really think that our pasts influence the rest of our lives. Without this obstacle in life- how would we have learned who we are today?