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Vivid-Dawn

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I think this topic goes in this forum...<br><br>Anybody have any ideas about how to eat for free? I have only come up with 3 so far:<br><br>* sample day at Costco/BJs/Sam's Club/etc.<br><br>* dumpster diving (be careful of rotting stuff AND legal issues)<br><br>* birthday clubs - okay, so this is only once a year, but still free. Already planning my "free food day". Denny's and Ihop give free breakfast, lots of places for lunch, most dinner places either give you "buy one get one free" entrees or free dessert with purchased entree.<br><br>Except for dumpster diving, these would only be to supplement your meals. It's mostly a way to save money on groceries - the more free food you get, the less you have to buy (and store/cook!)<br>
 
<p style="margin: 0px;">I've got a few favorites for eating cheap...</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">*&nbsp; Free dinners for the homeless / needy.&nbsp; In this area, many churches or organizations have free meals.&nbsp; They are usually nutritionally balanced and you can eat as much or as little as you like.&nbsp; Cost = zero.&nbsp; On Easter Sunday, Dad and I are going to a free breakfast at the Baptist church.&nbsp; We always hit the free meals around Christmas and Thanksgiving, too.&nbsp; Though we each have comfortable nest eggs, neither of us is working so the free meals help!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">*&nbsp;Food pantries...&nbsp; These are a great source for freebies for those on a limited income.&nbsp; I used to regularly get peanut butter, fiber bars, fruit cocktail, etc... Basically, everything but meat is readily available at many pantries.&nbsp; Also, pantries are required to safely store canned goods... Just watch the dates.&nbsp; I NEVER eat anything expired even though you can for certain things.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">*&nbsp; "Town wild" deals, "Mobi Deals",&nbsp;"Hey, it's half off" deals, etc.&nbsp; There are a million of these different half off companies advertising through local media.&nbsp; Restaurants (many of them in distress) use these companies to&nbsp;lure in customers.&nbsp; The restaurants only see about 25 cents on&nbsp;the dollar from these coupons sold by the various entities.&nbsp;&nbsp; If you can swing the expense, it's a great way to eat high on the&nbsp;hog for few dollars.&nbsp; Use them up quickly though - I've seen restaurants fold shortly after selling these vouchers.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">*&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.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">* Online coupons for places like Long John Silvers.&nbsp; LJS has a fantastic coupon good through 4/30/2012 for a fish sandwich for $1.19.... Normally it's $1.99.&nbsp; It's not the healthiest but I can work it in to the diet.&nbsp; I've become friends with the employees and they give Dad and I free pop all the time.&nbsp; The best part of online coupons is there is no limit to how many you can print.&nbsp; I will also do "buy one get one" on stuff and throw it in the cooler for later.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">*&nbsp; Taco&nbsp; John's... They have a "salsa bar" with jalapenos, pico de gallo, etc.&nbsp; I buy a couple softshell chicken tacos on Softshell Sunday ($3.21 total) and open them up, heaping big piles of pico de gallo on each one.&nbsp; Total calories is about 450 for the meal&nbsp;and I get a ton of veggies that way.&nbsp; </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">* In this area you can collect box tops from Casey's (convenience store) for a free pizza after you collect 10.&nbsp; You'd be surprised how many you find laying around.&nbsp; I see them all the time when I'm walking in the poor areas.&nbsp; Does Papa John's still do the free pizza thing for so many box tops?</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">*&nbsp; I&nbsp;have a friend at the Fareway grocery store who used to let me "sample" roast beef, ham, etc.&nbsp; He gave me big samples&nbsp;of several different kinds, usually amounting&nbsp;to quite a nice little meal.&nbsp; Unfortunately, he got busted by the boss.&nbsp; Now and then he'll slip me a&nbsp;generous "sample" if nobody is watching.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">* Do you like rotisserie chickens?&nbsp;&nbsp;I used to buy them all the&nbsp;time for&nbsp;$1.99 an hour before the&nbsp;Fareway store would&nbsp;close.&nbsp; They were&nbsp;great for several meals.&nbsp; One again,&nbsp;if you get to know employees, they can hook&nbsp;you up!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">This will be a fun thread to watch...&nbsp;&nbsp;Food is good but cheap or free food is extra good!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif"></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
 
<p>How about getting a book on wild edibles and go for a hike in the woods?&nbsp; Fun, interesting, no pesticides, and it costs no one but your time and energy.</p>
 
DW and I eat lunch at Ryans often and avoid beverages and get water. Saves a ton and healthier.&nbsp;We can both eat for around $11 and it's "all-you-can-eat".&nbsp;<BR><BR>Thanks for the link ped. Wife is checking out the businesses in our area.<BR>
 
<P>Not exactly food but I get all my condiments, sugar or sweetener, creamer, etc from gas stations and resturaunts. Not only are they&nbsp;free but you can keep them without refrigeration. Just grab a pinch extra everytime you get coffee, tea or food.</P>
 
<p style="margin: 0px;">I do that too... The girls at McDonalds give me lots of the honey mustard dipping sauces which I use in the van for salad dressing or to put on an otherwise blah sandwich.&nbsp; Ketchup, taco sauce, etc. freebies etc. </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">I like to warm up french onion soup in the microwave in the van, then add a package of croutons (which I get for free w/ McDonalds side salads, and then bake a slice of cheese over it in the toaster oven.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Ash had a good point on her blog... thetuckerbag.blogspot.com.&nbsp;&nbsp; When she goes to the olive bar and pays by the pound, she scoops up a bit of extra olive oil to dip bread into... Ingenious!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">I try to be discreet.&nbsp; I used to work in a gas station and people would come in and empty our napkins (the whole darned dispenser!), plastic cups,&nbsp;and condiments, etc. taunting me to say something... I did, occasionally, and they seemed shocked...&nbsp; I watched one lady take nearly all of our Bigelow tea bags.&nbsp; I approached her and advised her each tea bag and a cup was 70 cents but I would make her a really good deal on a variety if she liked.&nbsp; (She was so embarrassed because he little boy was with her)&nbsp; </p><p style="margin: 0px;">Be stealthy, if possible.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Here's one last suggestion but I don't know if I would really recommend doing this.&nbsp; We had a family come in with a flock of kids wielding A&amp;W cups.&nbsp; They all filled up regular fountain soda (our gas station also had an A&amp;W in it).&nbsp; The smallest boy and I talked and he said they were at A&amp;W in Burlington earlier in the day (80 miles away!).&nbsp; I asked their mom to pay for refills (right in front of the kids).&nbsp; She said they got the cups at A&amp;W and I reminded her it was in Burlington and the cups have to be used in Burlington.&nbsp; She was so red faced and embarrassed.&nbsp; I&nbsp;only charged her for a couple of&nbsp;the refills because they were for kids.&nbsp; I feel just a tinge of guilt but it was kind of funny to watch her squirm when caught (one of the few pleasures in that job).&nbsp; The Subway franchise next door always had people stealing soda in their water cups... </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
 
<p style="margin: 0px;">While I am personally not so disposed ...</p><p style="margin: 0px;">But if you're broke,&nbsp;hungry and in a big city, and can dress clean and neat, all the nice hotels have business meetings or conventions with coffee or other beverages and snacks in the hallways, sometimes lunch buffets too.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
 
Hunting and gathering works pretty well, beyond that farming and ranching a bit seems to work even better.<div><br></div>
 
I thought about the churches and shelters thing... but it seems whenever you go somewhere like that you get hassled about how they can help you become more self reliant and get a job, etc. <br>A'course, I look like I'm 18-21, so they probably think I'm fresh out of school and just need some guidance about job searching. Nope, 30-something and disabled (I would LOVE to work, if I could! Keep trying, and keep getting fired because I can't keep up. Sucks!)<br><br>Last summer I started getting into the whole "hunter gatherer" stuff, and looked up local edible plant life and mushrooms. Didn't do much more than casual research... maybe I should get crackin' again and seriously study!<br><br><br>
 
karl said:
sl1966- I prefer to eat without guilt too.<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">
<div><br></div><div>Are you vegetarian or vegan?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Oddly enough my diet as of late has largely been vegetarian. I did it mostly as a way to get my cholesterol/triglycerides back to normal levels. You'd be surprised how fast things can go pear shaped w/Texas BBQ and no exercise&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">. There's no way I'm giving up on meat, but I think that's because I'm part Chinese. My people will kill and cook anything (that moves) in a delicious sauce.</div><div><br></div>
 
By coming at the right time, you can pay the lunch price and get the dinner food at hometown buffet and some other pay in advance buffet resteraunts.&nbsp; Arrive a bit before 3:30, the price changed and the dinner food came out at 3:30.<br><br><br>
 
Also, talking about motels, they all usually have some kind of breakfast every morning. They don't check to see if your a registered guest or not. If you have to use the front door and are afraid they might think you are coming in off the street, just get on the elevator and go to any floor and go up and down the hall a couple times, jump back on the elevator and then go to the breakfast area from the elevator like you belong there. Or come in and go to the restroom, then go to the kitchen area from there, they won't ask. It's impossible to keep track of everyone in a large motel or hotel if they are busy. We have stayed in motels alot in the last few years, in all the times, I have never seen anyone ask anyone if they are a guest or not before they could eat or get coffee.
 
<div>Mutt is suddenly very nervous, and wants to leave Texas immediately.....</div><div><br></div>
sl1966 said:
<div><br></div><div>&nbsp;There's no way I'm giving up on meat, but I think that's because I'm part Chinese. My people will kill and cook anything (that moves in) a delicious sauce.</div><div><br></div>
 
I am all about hunter gathering! I look forward to being in the northeast in a couple weeks. Fiddlehead ferns and morel mushrooms and trout! I wish I had a wild edibles book for Texas.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>I do have a great iPhone foraging app. I'll have to check it for this area.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I have been trying to find healthier food to eat on the road. I really love ramen noodles for their cheapness and ease of cooking. I mix dried veggies and salmon and stuff in. I recently substituted Japanese buckwheat noodles and I love them. Not much more in cost, quick cooking (saves butane) and much healthier. Also discovered dried pork fluff. A little bit goes a long way and is inexpensive. No refrigeration needed either.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I couldn't find a store here in Texas that carried it. One day, i helped a Vietnamese woman who dropped her phone in the toilet (no she didn't tell me why it was wet until after I was holding it. And yes I almost threw it when she pantomimed "pooping" "splash") anyhow, I drove her to a TMobile place (let them get cooties) and in gratitude she took me to a Vietnamese market where I found giant containers of pork sung and pork fu for $9.99 a lb. That is equivalent to about 4 lbs of meat and I only use an ounce or so in my noodles. it will give me, along with veggies, many good meals.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Back home right now, sheep sorrel and lambs quarters and dandelions are a few of the great "weeds" that are delicious in salads and stir fry. Free and nutritious, just be sure to be careful where you harvest.....</div>
 
<P>Hi TKK. I've often wondered how you pronounce MOREL. I bought a book on mushroom identification a few years back but haven't put it to use yet.</P>
 
I pronounce it more-ell with emphasis on the "ell". I am looking for a mushroom book, I want to branch out from morels. Does yours have a lot of photographs?
 
<P>
<SPAN id=post_message_1272846537>I pronounce it more-ell with emphasis on the "ell". I am looking for a mushroom book, I want to branch out from morels. Does yours have a lot of photographs?</SPAN>
<BR><BR>Thanks, I figured that was probably the correct pronunciation. Now I know.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR>My book is "<U>The Mushroom Manual</U>" by Lorentz C. Pearson. Paperback published in 1987. The only color photos is the front cover and one of a MORE-ELL, of all things. All the rest of the pictures&nbsp;of mushrooms are artist's drawings. Seems like a good book, but I would rather have color photos for more accuracy in identifying mushrooms. Sure don't want to mess up and eat a poison one.&nbsp;I'll check to see if there is a newer addition of&nbsp;this book and if it has color photos.&nbsp;</P><BR>Just checked and the '87&nbsp; edition is&nbsp;the most current. I checked on Amazon&nbsp;and there are tons of mushroom books there.&nbsp;<BR><BR>
 
sl1966 said:
karl said:
sl1966- I prefer to eat without guilt too.<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">
<div><br></div><div>Are you vegetarian or vegan?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Oddly enough my diet as of late has largely been vegetarian. I did it mostly as a way to get my cholesterol/triglycerides back to normal levels. You'd be surprised how fast things can go pear shaped w/Texas BBQ and no exercise&nbsp;<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">. There's no way I'm giving up on meat, but I think that's because I'm part Chinese. My people will kill and cook anything (that moves) in a delicious sauce.</div><div><br></div>
<br><br>No, I ate very little meat for a few years back in the 80's, but like so many things in my life- I have fallen back into my sordid behavior of eating furry/feathered/scaly critters...as well as lusting over rolling homes and new horizons....Perhaps it is my Scottish blood- my people will eat anything that doesn't eat us first.<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> Yes Bri, even OKRA.<br>In the earlier post I was referring to not feeling guilty that i was in any way stealing my food. <br>
 

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