Off topic posts split from "How do u live on $700/month, truly?"

[Marcos989A]

If you watch Steven Greer's Youtube channel, you will see how the current conditions were planned and what the cabal behind it all has planned for the future. You have to watch several hours of it to get the full information, but it's worth it.

Sounds like conspiracy theory nonsense.

 

[Morgana]

You don't have to eat organic to be vegetarian.
Did I miss a post that claimed organic food was cheap?
Is organic meat cheap? (I'm guessing, not.)

 

[tradesman]

No need to stir the pot on a discussion of food and food prices.
The statement was "Spend $10 on vegetables and your are good for a week".
I simply asked if the veggies that they buy for $10 are organic, because I can't purchase a weeks worth of veggies for $10 that I would want to eat, unless I absolutely had to,
and even then I think $10 wouldn't be enough. I understand some do and that's the way life is.

I think most people can agree that organic food is not generally cheap in the short term. As a long term health plan for yourself and the earth I think it is the best choice.
Could you eat bad processed food for $10 a week just as easily as cheap round-up ready veggies? Probably if you're a savvy shopper.
It's a matter of what's important to you and those around you.
There are deals on both organic vegetables and organic meats at various grocery outlet stores.

 

[SLB_SA]

For me, organic bananas are $0.69 per pound and regular bananas are $0.59 per pound at Kroger; the difference is not significant and I prefer the taste and quality of the organic ones. I have not tried bananas at Aldi or WM and cannot say anything about their quality. I never go to Whole Paycheck and Costco is a bit further away. With careful shopping, I don't think organic would be significantly more expensive. Can you buy organic rice, beans, etc.?

 

[tradesman]

You can buy organic rice, beans, etc.
I agree with you on the organic bananas tasting better.

 

[SLB_SA]

A salad is my main meal for the day. It contains a wide variety of veggies. I cannot make 7 salads for less than $18 - $20 a week using 'pesticide laced' veggies, 'organic' are 15% - 20% more.

Thanks. I eat breakfast right after I get home from my workout at the Y. I often have a "salad" made of salad mix, garbanzo beans, cashews, maybe cheese, maybe ranch dressing and maybe a bit of rice (if there some warm in the rice maker from the previous evening). But sometimes I eat lazy (heat frozen burritos, tuna sandwich, yogurt, plain salad mix, banana, etc.). My exercise buddy turns 83 tomorrow; I do my workout and we walk three miles after he gets to the Y. In my "wellness exam" yesterday, my GP said my blood work was amazingly good (for someone 68??) and I am in fantastic shape ... but I still need to lose ten pounds.

 

[Morgana]

maybe a bit of rice (if there some warm in the rice maker from the previous evening).

Careful with that. Apparently the germs that grow in improperly stored cooked rice can't easily be destroyed by cooking.

There's lots online about this, including here:
You can get food poisoning from leftover rice

And yeah, I know it's a pita to make cold leftover rice taste good (except as fried rice). I searched high and low for a single-serving-friendly rice cooker (Macy's has them, or used to) for this reason. But if anybody has good food-safe recipes for reviving cold cooked rice, I'd sure be interested.

 

[dhuff]

I found a photo on my phone the other day from 10 years ago. Gas was $4+ then too!
The gas companies jack up prices when they have an excuse and rake it in.

And remember, gas at over $4/gal. back then equates to over $5/gal. in today's prices. When gas went way up during the Bush administration, the actual "hit" on consumers was greater than the current high fuel prices.

Also, very important to know, presidential administrations have very little control over gas prices. So I'm neither slamming Bush nor Biden. The line "gas companies jack up prices when they have an excuse and rake it in" above is a lot more where it's at, IMHO.

 

[eDJ_]

When I went to the grocery stores this morning I was at a store across SR 7 and the Lawrence County Fairgrounds. The line at the fairgrounds forms early and is nearly a mile long for the free groceries they distribute every Friday morning. On the store's bulletin board there was a paper poster for a Cell offer from Q-Link who has T-Mobile as a carrier.
That is the Cell promoted to food stamp people in my area that I spoke of above. I took this photo of the line at the fairgrounds where the groceries they provide is supposed to be a $50 dollar value.

The entrance to the fairgrounds (this is where groceries are loaded into the cars)

 

[Carla618]

Yikes. Sad that so many are in need.

 

[RoamerRV428]

one can forget 700 as some kind of savior but it is better than nothing obvy, but with inflation hitting and every single price doubling! now it isn't going to be a great future for those who have way less....cause what they had, that 700 is now like worth about 400 out there so.....

I know I am feeling the big hits in every service, every single purchase I make, gas, and every single thing I pay on for insurance and more.......

no joke, bad bad times ahead. sure ain't over in any form.

 

[SLB_SA]

There are stories about meat producers raising prices (e.g. "Tyson Foods Profits Soar as Meat Prices Climb" WSJ) and not paying farmers/ranchers much (or any) more. Maybe those who eat meat should boycott the big meat producers and buy from local cooperatives (Grass Roots Cooperative?).

Added: The prices of Grass Roots look rather high. Quality isn't free??

 

[SLB_SA]

I can't get by on $700, unless I live under a bridge.

Now that you mention it, maybe living "under a bridge" isn't such a bad idea.

 

[Jeanine]

There are stories about meat producers raising prices (e.g. "Tyson Foods Profits Soar as Meat Prices Climb" WSJ) and not paying farmers/ranchers much (or any) more. Maybe those who eat meat should boycott the big meat producers and buy from local cooperatives (Grass Roots Cooperative?).

Added: The prices of Grass Roots look rather high. Quality isn't free??

I agree, I would rather support local farmers/ homesteads than to give money to those who are essentially taking our farmers/ranchers out of the picture. I have ordered meat several times from Grass Roots Cooperative for that reason. I find that when I do buy "meat" locally it is just as expensive and the quality is not nearly that of Grass Roots. I have not tried any others so have no comparison to offer. I am not a big meat eater, but thinking that produce and every other price out there is going to be going up too!! So Sad

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Are you buying organic vegetables for $10 a week? If so, where?

I just purchased these items yesterday and its not a lot of veggies for $13. Certainly not enough for a week.

5 organic bananas $2.36
3 organic zucchini squash $3.52
4 organic tomatoes $3.35
1organic small broccoli head .74
1 organic head of lettuce $3.19
Total $13.16

Key to affordable veggie buying is sticking to what is in season. Tomatoes are not yet in season where live.
I used to live near Oakland Chinatown, so I got in the habit of buying just what vegetables where on the front shelves outside. Which just happened to be what was in season. The price difference between that and the ones shipped from S.America is substantial. Not to mention they often ship them green and then gas them on route to ripen them off the plant.

Some things like carrots are usually almost as affordable organic as not.
Also, I don;t expect to eat 100% vegetables every meal.
I probably am eating 50/50 with noodles, rice or beans most of the time.

 

[WanderingRose]

So I ask, how many of those ppl in line actually need a handout. Or maybe more in need of a knowlege of how to create a budget and get out of debt.

The purpose behind not screening for need but instead defining access is to insure that anyone who says they need food is fed, but to limit assistance from being taken advantage of.

Many people have problems budgeting, for one reason or another, and there are services as well as protective payees to help with that, but no one in this country should be hungry.

As with anything given for free, we don’t want to deter the many in order to get to the few.

Personally, I have been destitute, and with children, tho never homeless we literally held on by our fingernails and were just a paycheck away from disaster for many years.

It could have been me and mine in that food distribution line, with just the right set of circumstances, and I would not want to face judgment from those who weren’t in need.

 

[MortimerEbinesr]

I should make apologies, I don't fault the single mother of three who works 2 jobs or is between jobs and living on section 8. I was once between jobs trying to decide between cutting down on the drugs and alcohol to feed 3 children & a codependent wife. But I have evolved, (I hope) And sircumstances are different in every case. My point is if you're driving a 1 year old car with$1200 a month payments, you shouldn't be a food bank line. I may be wrong, but that's my opinion, it doesn't cost anything, & may wake some up, or not, just ignore it, the problem will probably go away.

 

[RonDean]

I think there is no magic number, be it $700 or $1700. It all depends on where and how we live. We all need some kind of "box" for shelter. Some of us exchange wheels for dirt, but we all pay something. Call it rent or gas, repairs, and insurance to keep moving around - because we all know about the 14-day limit. I can't help but wonder about all the land I drive past that is not being used for much more than an occasional grazing cow. And I don't know about you, but I can do with a lot fewer cows.

I guess we could all move to Mississippi, where costs in the state are 17% lower than the national average. Then find a hunk of land where nobody cares if I park and stop moving. Plant a container garden,,,, Yeah, I think $700 would be do-able. But, would I want (or need) to?

 

[WanderingRose]

And my point being, Mortimer, is that we just don’t know.

If a person/her partner loses their job, is struggling to meet high medical expenses, their heat bill has doubled, whatever, the first thing I would not do is sell my car that gets me to work, my kids to school and medical appointments, etc.

We just don’t know what is going on in other peoples lives, is the truth.

I have never forgotten getting food stamps and WIC coupons, and the judgmental looks from the checkout ladies and people behind me in line in the grocery stores…from back in the day when you had paper coupons you tore out of books and presented in exchange for food.

So, try to lead with kindness and compassion, is what I work to do.

That said, I don’t give money to panhandlers, but I do donate monthly to my local food pantry.

 

[Morgana]

Paper food stamp coupons -- I remember those!
And they weren't very well perforated either, so you're standing there while the cashier waits trying to wrestle them out of the coupon book ....
I never worked so hard in my life as the year I got food stamps. You ask me, they're a subsidy for employers.

Agree too that you can't tell by looks -- ever, but multiply that x10 during Covid, when so many people's finances took a hit. There are too many variables. And a car is the last thing someone in financial danger should let go of.

Besides, time is precious (to everyone) and so is status (to anyone fool enough to care). Spending time in a food-pantry line if you don't have to just doesn't sound like a rich-people thing to do. (Though there's probably an #$%^ out there somewhere who sends his maid...)

And even if a few did ... it's basically impossible to come up with any solution, to anything, that someone won't exploit or distort or take advantage of. Best to go after the big creeps (like the guy who bought a Porsche with his Covid money? am I remembering that right???) and not sweat the little creeps too much. To lead with kindness, like Rose said, but also to spare yourself the stomach ache. Just put chalk 'em up to cosmic overhead, like the other jerks in your life, and keep doing you.