When you start to try and build a food pantry you have to determine how much you have to spend. If you are seriously behind on bills and have very little income for groceries, you will have to buy what you need to feed your family. I have never been to a food bank other than to donate, but there is no shame in going to one and getting a box of staples, to start. If this helps augment your spending power and gets you ahead by all means do it. Especially if you have children. The WIC program is great and I was on that program with all of my children. Your income does not have to be rock bottom low to qualify. I think of all the government programs it is the best as it forces people to buy quality food and provides formula, and encourages nursing and immunizations.
Anyway I digress, even in my roughest times I still gave myself a $25.00-40.00 every two weeks for a food budget. I think I would start or I always started with beans, rice, pasta, oatmeal, flour, sugar,soda, baking powder, oil or cheap margarine, eggs, salt, milk, syrup, tomato paste, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, pepper. Buy bread at a bakery outlet. It doesn't have to be the best bread just enough to feed your family.
Here is a break down from our area:
beans, black, pinto, kidney, rice, pasta, oatmeal, can all be purchased at a dollar store. The beans and rice are 2 lb bags. You might be able to get oatmeal cheaper at a store that sells whole foods by the pound. Pasta can usually be purchased for under a dollar a pound if you check your local stores flyers, someone will have it on sale.
red beans $1
pinto beans $1
black beans $1
rice $1
Pasta .89 buy 3 boxes so 2.67
Oat meal $2.00 2 small boxes or go to a bulk foods and get it more for you money.
pepper, $1 dollar store
small bottle of oil $1
soda and baking powder $2.00 these are high but you will have enough for a month of baking.
eggs, 3 doz .99 or 2.97
syrup or brown sugar to make syrup,1.99
tomato paste , 2/1 most grocery stores have an off brand, buy 4 cans $2
One 3 bag onions, 1.49
garlic .50
one 2 lb.bag carrots 1.19
celery one head 1.69
potatoes 10 lb bag here .99 but else where 1.99
margarine, 2 lbs $2
Bread 4 loaves all under 1.00 so 4.00
flour 10 lbs, $4.99
sugar 4 lb bag $2.49
Milk 2.19 galleon for cooking and cereal drink water right now.
Also go to the butcher and explain your situation, don't ask for a hand out but do asked for any pork scraps or pork back scraps for flavoring. You will probably get a large bag of scraps for free or a couple dollars, let the butcher know how much you have left to spend.
Now we are over so we have to go back and eliminate, you can get 1 lb of carrots, and 5 lbs of flour, one package of margarine, 2 dozen eggs, for cooking. You just have to adjust to what you have. This is why I suggest a food bank to start as many of these staples will be provided for you. If you have extra buy peanut butter. Kids love it and it has protein. I can usually find the store brand here for 1.99 a small jar
Now you can make,
french toast, pancakes, waffles, tortillas (they are so easy look up a recipe ) plain muffins, sprinkle the top with brown sugar, Oatmeal, buttered toast, cinnamon and sugar toast
All kinds of bean soups, with pork fat, carrots, celery,onions, garlic
Tortillas, with flavored beans and onions, shred a carrot for topping
Pasta, with sauce
Fried egg sandwiches on toasted bread.
Boil spuds and chop with egg, pinion and pork fat, fry into pitta pan, Spuds are your main ingredient and it is great with toast.
Potato soup thin the milk and up the potatoes.
Potatoes, mashed, fried, baked, boiled, make pork fat gravy.
Fried rice, rice puddings, bread puddings
I know this is a rough menu but it is a start if you are on the skids and have virtually nothing. You don't have to go hungry in America if you can get to a food pantry. If you cannot get to a pantry ask for help.
I remember one time when my 3rd daughter was little and was very sick, taking all my kitchen things out on the front lawn. I needed $87.00 for a prescription, when I had sold $87.00 worth of things I took everything back inside. This could also work for food if you are desperate.
I also took a job as a waitress once so I could work in the evenings while Hubs was home. When the manager handed me an application I said straight to him, "Sir I did not ask you for a ask you for an application I asked you for a job. I was working that night and I brought home enough in tips to buy a few things we needed.
You can do this, you can start, because two weeks from now, you will have left over flour, soda, baking powder, salt, pepper, beans, maybe potatoes( but Not at my house) at least 5 dollars more for shopping. It will take a while and you will have to work hard but you can come up from the bottom.
Mom is making cookies for church or I should say mom is making a mess. But at least she is up and wanting to do something. We have errands to run and by the way Hubs is at eldest daughters house to baby sit for the next two weeks. Mom and I are having a party. We don't have to share the TV remote.:)
The holiday baking sales are coming out and it is time to stock up on baking things. I really need butter and the chickens are no longer laying so we have to buy eggs. I will stock, stock, stock up. But after I do these things will no longer be in my grocery budget and I can buy other things that are at rock bottom prices.
Have a great and productive day staying positive in the negative.
Kim
