need help! on a food budget!! 3 weeks $30 dollars?

Question

ok i need some answers here. I am starting a job on monday.. yeaaah! the only thing is that i hardly have any food in my fridge and i have 30 dollars in my bank account until pay day which is the 19th, pretty far away. I need to know what are the best food items to purchase to last me til the 19th so i dont starve and die!


thank u guys soo much!
and please dont be mean this is serious


and no im not going to go on food stamps! i would feel so low:(

yeah to that lady down there, i feel bad wjhen i get foodstamps, its people taxes that are paying for u to eat. If u have a decent job, you dont need fodstamps ok and if u have a son and are only working 3 hours a day, then u need a better job that caters to working mothers like johnson and johnson, avon, or even ibm.
Im not judging u, but im not in favor of foodstamps and ur acting like because u have a son and u only work 3 hours a week u need it. If u do fine, i dont judge people, but im saying i feel guilty if i were to get it

Answer 1

I lived off of tuna(.50 a can) and crackers ($1 a box) for a few weeks before. Eggs ($1)and bread ($1)are cheap and you can make sandwiches or breakfasts.. White rice (.50 bag)can be good with milk and sugar($1.50), or just butter(.50) and salt(.50). (if you have other spices you can spruce up anything) Buy a bag of potatoes($2).
You can make hash browns, french fries, fried potatoes, etc... throw in a can of tomato sauce (.33) and pasta(.50 box) for spaghetti. If you can stand Ramen or mac-n-cheese, that works too. They have some cheap pancake ($1)mixes too(just add water and shake)
If you spend about $6 you can get a some chicken breasts. Once you flatten a breast, it can go pretty far. Especially just feeding one person. One chicken breast will give you chicken strips(dipped in seasoned floured then baked or fried), another can go on a sandwich, another can be diced and thrown with lettuce ($1) for a chicken salad. Eating cheap doesn't mean eating yucky foods.
I've been there plenty. Otherwise, don't you have any friends to hang out with every now and then for a meal? No friend would turn you away or make you feel bad about it. You have a paycheck coming and a job. There's nothing wrong with getting a little help from a friend. If it comes down to it, don't feel bad about a friend helping you out. You'd do it for them, right?
Well, good luck and blessed be!

Answer 2

You have some great answers already. I know what it feels like to be in that situation...been there done that. The Ramen noodles are a great choice. I added an egg to it. You can add so much to it though. Try not to forget you veggies-- frozen can be cheap and you can add that to your ramen as well. Rice and beans are also good. You can make a pot of beans for next to nothing and they are filling and have fiber and protein. Soups are a good way to go especially if you make a big pot and they usually freeze nicely--so you don't have to eat it for days at a time. Just remember the more prep work you have the cheaper it usually is. Convenience food is expensive. Also remember that if someone invites you over accept the invitation. Don't be to proud--we have all been in rough spots and like to help when we can. Congrats on the new job :)

Answer 3

The 19th is a long way off! Until you can get financially situated; apply. It's there for a reason. The Food Stamp Program serves as the first line of defense against hunger!

Call or Go to the Local Food Stamp Office.
If you think you might be eligible, call or go to the local food stamp office. Look in the blue pages of your phone book under “Social Services” or “Human Services” to find the number. If you need help finding your local food stamp office, call 1-800-221-5689.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/

Answer 4

Here is my suggestion. I don't know where you live but your local supermarket probably has a preferred customer plan usually a card for super savings. They also have an ad for their current weekly specials.

Take the ad from your favorite store. Go through it and plan your meals around what is on sale, THAT YOU EAT. Select staple items first. Eggs, bread, rice, milk. If you don't already have it when you get to the store sign up for their supercard.

Look for buy one get one free items, but be careful because some stores mark up some items then offer buy one get one or 50% off.

When you sign up for a supercard many stores will send you a welcome package which includes coupons for a free gallon of milk, dozen eggs ect.. If you live in a big city, get cards at more than one store.

When you shop in a grocery store, everything you need to live on
is in the outside aisles of the store; dairy, veg, meat....if it is in an inside aisle, you dont need it, you want it and companies pay big money for placement so always shop the lowest shelves first.

That's my advice. Take what you like. Hope it helps.

Mary

Answer 5

Oh, I feel so bad for you. I really truly hope you are never in that bind again. There is a catholic organization called SHARE, online I think its share.org. They have 800 numbers and you get like a box of food that includes meat for like $16 in DC area with 2 hours of volunteer work, if you explain your situation I'm sure they will give you an advance after you complete 2 hours. By the way, you don't need to be catholic, they don't care. If you volunteer every month you get boxes of food that will last you for a month and you probably will never be in this situation again.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Stay away from the meat dept. It's the money trap.

This is a classic and will last you 4 days:

Tuna Noodle Casserole
From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Tuna, egg noodles and peas in a creamy mushroom sauce are baked with a crunchy crumb topping.

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup OR 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. chopped pimiento (optional)
1 cup frozen peas
2 cans (about 6 oz. each) tuna, drained and flaked
2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs or saltine cracker
1 tbsp. butter OR margarine

Directions:

MIX soup, milk, pimiento, peas, tuna and noodles in 1 1/2-qt. casserole. Bake at 400°F. for 20 min. or until hot. Stir.

MIX bread crumbs with butter and sprinkle on top. Bake 5 min.

________________________________________

Get some spaghetti and a few jars of spaghetti sauce and some parmesan cheese. Learn to love it....

Get a few packages of hot dog, some hot dog buns, ketchup, hamburger relish, mayo. I can eat this as a steady diet. I love it!

Get a couple dozen eggs, onion, bacon, cheapo bread and some peanut butter. Have scrambled eggs with sauteed onions in them with bacon and toast with peanut butter for dinner.

Bon Appetit!!!

Answer 7

Ramen noodles

packages of store brand frozen veggies are pretty inexpensive and you can mix them in with your Ramen noodles

quick cooking oatmeal in the canister

dried beans in the bag

eggs

spaghetti noodles
(buy some cans of tomato sauce and add some Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder - and you have some spaghetti sauce)

apples & banannas usually don't cost to much

store brand chicken noodle soup

store brand tomato soup

plain cheerios

corn flakes

cans of pork & beans

cabbage

baloney

canned tuna

Answer 8

If you can't hack ramen only....add.....

Buy a bag of Masa Harina (corn meal) and follow the tortilla recipe. .... you can make about 250 for the price of 30 top ramens......

Buy some dried pinto beans....and learn to soak and gently simmer.....add spices.....

corn and beans together make a "complete protein. Home made tortillas are great....and you can put anything else on top.

I survived on this during college years in 1980, with an added brick of cheese from FDA giveaway program, nicknamed "Reagan Cheese."

The real bonus is that after sticking to a free cheese, beans and corn tortilla diet, you wont need to buy any toilette paper.

Answer 9

there are some decent answers on here already, including all the staples of the college diet- mac n cheese, ramen, frozen burritos, hot dogs, turkey sandwiches. you cant go wrong with this stuff, its tried and true by young adults everywhere. if you feel like dining out once in a while during your 3 weeks of "dieting" dont forget that mcdonalds hamburgers are 59cents each. you could even splurge the extra dime and get cheese... plus their monopoly game starts this month, who knows you could end up a millionaire at the end of this! good luck.

Answer 10

Been there - this is what I used to do -
House brand mac & cheese (Usually 4 box for a dollar).
Box of powdered milk
cheap Margarine
Dozen eggs (think egg salad, egg sandwich, omelet)
Bag of potatoes usually 2.50 (baked, boiled,fried)
Peanut butter & jelly
Cheap loaf of white bread
Flour tortillas (make wraps with eggs or beans)
Pinto beans
Cheap cereal - bagged house brand
Oatmeal
Ramen noodles
Onion or two
Bag of apples
Popcorn (it will make you feel full and feel like a treat at the same time)
Good luck girl - you can make it!