Free food

[sl1966]

In the earlier post I was referring to not feeling guilty that i was in any way stealing my food.

<div><br></div><div>Oooooh! That makes more sense and I agree with you.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Actually I was thinking that once I hit the road I may keep to this vegetarian diet. Veggies during the week and meat on the weekends. I've saved quite a bit of money since starting and don't use as much space in the fridge.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[Guest]

Hi Katie...

Also discovered dried pork fluff. A little bit goes a long way and is inexpensive. No refrigeration needed either.&nbsp;

<br><br>This is a really good piece of information Katie...thanks for that....I'll pick some up...<br><br>Karl,

<span id="post_message_1272849553"> Yes Bri, even OKRA.</span>

<br>Words escape me and that is unusual.....<br><br>I agree with the guilt free eating also....suits me way better...but I have done my share of serious dumpster diving.....<br>Bri<br><br>

 

[CP]

About 18 months ago I was unemployed.&nbsp; A retired friend invited me to go to the food bank with him.&nbsp; I started going to two different ones and before long the old ladies that run the food banks asked me to help unload the trucks.&nbsp; I have been doing this every Thursday morning for the last year.&nbsp; Volunteers get a free bag of food for helping and extra that is left over.&nbsp; I live an a year round vegetable growing area so we always have lots of fresh vegetables.&nbsp; I feel better doing some work for the food and now take a bag for the elderly lady who lives next door.&nbsp; I will visit with her when I deliver her food.&nbsp; This saves me about 20 bucks a week in groceries.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

 

[yesican]

<p style="margin: 0px;">I didn't want to write this but really feel the need to say something because so many here are planning or doing things that may have a negative affect on all vandwellers:</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Living freely and as inexpensively as possible&nbsp;doesn't mean&nbsp;taking from others underhandidly.&nbsp; I strongly feel that if you&nbsp;maintain your integrity you&nbsp;will gain much,&nbsp;not only in material things, but also in self respect and self worth.&nbsp;&nbsp; It only takes a few bad seeds to make all vandwellers look like undesirables.&nbsp; We have a country where gov'ts love to make laws and regulations.&nbsp; Lets not do anything that will cause local, state, or federal gov'ts create regulations that prevent us from living the vandwelling lifestyle.&nbsp; Think before you do and do unto others as you'd have done unto you.&nbsp; Stealing is never a good thing, no matter how trivial.&nbsp; Just MHO.&nbsp; Rae</p>

 

[ped]

<P>I agree. Never&nbsp;catch and eat a&nbsp;fish without a&nbsp;proper state issued fishing&nbsp;license. It&nbsp;makes us all look really bad. If the government catches too many of us doing it, it could have dire consequences for our way of life.</P>

 

[nuttymeg]

<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">

*&nbsp;Dollar salads at McDonalds.&nbsp; I usually have a couple&nbsp;every&nbsp;day or two days.&nbsp; The trick is to bring in your own leftover meat (ham, shredded pork, etc.)&nbsp;&nbsp;You can make a heck of a nice meal for&nbsp;$2.

</span><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">I have also requested a grilled chicken patty on the side, which brings it to about $2.50. &nbsp;Sometimes they've even cut it up for me too. &nbsp;Also, the packet of dressing actually covers the smaller side salads, unlike the large ones.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">

Wife and I never order drinks, just water, they add at least $4 to the bill.

</span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Yes, this! &nbsp;Me too. &nbsp;Soda, even diet soda, isn't good for the body. &nbsp;If I drink tea, it's always decaf and brewed at home so I know I'm not drinking the reconstituted powdery stuff.</span></div>

 

[VanTrekker]

<p style="margin: 0px;">I agree about the soda.&nbsp; Since cutting from a gallon per day (or more) down to just a couple of glasses, I feel better and it has saved a lot of money, too.&nbsp; I often&nbsp;bring pills with me to take with food and if a waiter at a sit down place asks if I want a beverage I say "No thanks, just a glass of water to take my pills."&nbsp;&nbsp; Nobody ever argues with that.&nbsp; $2.50 for a glass of pop?&nbsp;&nbsp; I don't think so!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Mc Donalds has offered to let me do the chicken patty on the side kind of thing but since I often cook shredded chicken or teriyaki pork, I just bring it in.&nbsp; The store I go to is in the rough neighborhood and there is so much stuff goin' on that they don't enforce the rules about someone bringing a can of pop in his/her pocket or sneaking a doughnut in there.&nbsp; I just make sure and buy something.</p>

 

[Guest]

hey, i have always kept an ice cream bucket around, fill it with extra condiments i pick up, also spare season paks from boxed meals that didn't get used. this is good for on the road when your making your own meals.&nbsp;

 

[ped]

Another one is to gather wild fruit and make wine with it. <BR><BR>For example in Torrey, Utah there is a free campground I came across online that has a wild orchard of apricots. Pick all you want and make yourself a few gallons.<BR><BR><A href="http://www.freecampgrounds.com/detail.aspx?id=377" target=_blank target=_blank>http://www.freecampgrounds.com/detail.aspx?id=377</A><BR><BR>I've never done it but I would be open to it is try staying with a commune and help out for exchange in parking and food.<BR>

 

[lampliter]

speedhook.com<br>Look under camping and find a deck of cards with pictures that tells what edible plants are in different areas of the US. $7.95 per deck.<br>Other interesting items there also.<br><br>

 

[Sprouter]

Some days I live on wild greens during the summer so I pay nothing for food those days. Most days I live on sprouted food that costs me about $1/meal.

 

[Pikachu711]

speedhook.com<br />Look under camping and find a deck of cards with pictures that tells what edible plants are in different areas of the US. $7.95 per deck.<br />Other interesting items there also.

<br /><br />I went to that website. That is very neat how they have decks of cards that identify the various plants in the eastern &amp; western parts of the country. Amazing!

 

[fluffabear]

It's not free, but dry beans and rice are super cheap and super filling/nutritious. Also, you can often find these items at food banks.

 

[ttpadilla]

What's your cooking process for those, Fluff?&nbsp; Pressure cooker, or just a pan on the stove?

 

[sl1966]

Anasazi beans are a great staple. They contain 75% less of the stuff that causes gas and cook quickly.&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://anasazibeans.com/">http://anasazibeans.com/<br /><br /></a>

 

[fluffabear]

Another one is to gather wild fruit and make wine with it. <br /><br />For example in Torrey, Utah there is a free campground I came across online that has a wild orchard of apricots. Pick all you want and make yourself a few gallons.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.freecampgrounds.com/detail.aspx?id=377" target="_blank">http://www.freecampgrounds.com/detail.aspx?id=377</a><br /><br />I've never done it but I would be open to it is try staying with a commune and help out for exchange in parking and food.<br />

<br /><br />I brewed for a long time. I can say that if you plan to stay somewhere for 2-3 months, this is sound advice. Any less time and you might as well eat the fruit and save the costs of brewing supplies; the agitation will ruin your batch.

 

[fluffabear]

What's your cooking process for those, Fluff?&nbsp; Pressure cooker, or just a pan on the stove?

<br /><br />I soak the beans at breakfast time, and cook them on a stove or on a fire.

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

I was reading this thread and didn't get past the first page of stealth eating...lol, actually it's not funny if your really broke, my friend John use to go to Walmart and get lunch meats and eat them while shopping, or get hot food in a container and again eat it, he lived in his box truck, I know he was stealing but I really felt wal mart could handle it. He was truly broke and I often gave him gas money. He dumpster dived, trash picked when he finally got a job, he fell off a ladder and broke his back, took 18 month to get a settement then he got hit by a drunk driver and lived.... still in his truck, but know has benifits....life is crazy like that..

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Yeah they lock people up for that kinda stuff sometimes tho, to set an example.&nbsp; And walmart has a lot of cameras and security on hand.&nbsp; Doing this at target is real bad...i worked at a target and all the security was moonlighting policemen and the cameras were insane, the office looked like nasa mission control...tons of them everywhere and could even zoom a license plate at the dealership across and down the road from the parking lot.<br /><br />After my wife and i split i was struggling hard.&nbsp; For a while there i used napkins as my toilet paper and always kept condiments too.&nbsp; I didnt take more than they gave but they gave more than i usually needed.&nbsp; <br /><br />When i was in college i hung out with some older people who loved to stuff a young man till he was full.&nbsp; They are lonely and missed their kids who grew up and ran off, who was I to argue <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp; I would go to the mission and just help out and hang out with the cool seniors there, not to get food, but they always managed to get something in me <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />A good way to get free food, is frequent the same place and be friendly with the beleaguered cashier/wait staff. &nbsp; Make sure they remember you somehow (i always order the same thing, and usually a unique order).&nbsp; After a while they will just give you upgrades or throw in something extra.&nbsp; My local kfc gives me free drinks or extra chicken all the time, especially if there is a wait.