But still interested in feeding yourself? What if I told you that thereโs a woman with a blog who had to feed both herself and her young sonโฆon 10 British pounds ($15/14 Euro) per week?
This woman saved my life last year. Actually saved my life. I had a piggy bank full of change and thatโs it. Many people in my fandom might remember that dark time as when I had to hock my writing skills in exchange for donations. I cried a lot then.ย
This is real talk, people: I marked down exactly what I needed to buy, totaled it, counted out that exact change, and then went to three different stores to buy what I needed so I didnโt have to dump a load of change on just one person. I was already embarrassed, but to feel people staring? Utter shame suffused me. The reasons behind that are another post all together.ย
AgirlcalledJack.com is run by a British woman who was on benefits for years. Things got desperate. She had to find a way to feed herself and her son using just the basics that could be found at the supermarket. But the recipes she came up with are amazing.ย
You have to consider the differing costs of things between countries, but if you just have three ingredients in your cupboard, this woman will tell you what to do with it. Check what you already have. Chances are you have the basics of a filling meal already.ย
Hereโs her list of kitchen basics.ย
Bake your own bread. Itโs easier than you think.ย Hereโs a list of many recipes, each using some variation of just plain flour, yeast, some oil, maybe water or lemon juice. And kneading bread is therapeutic.ย
Make your own pastaโgluten free.ย
She gets it. She really does.ย This is the article that started it all. Itโs calledย โHunger Hurtsโ.
A carrot, a can of kidney beans, and some cumin will get you a really filling soupโฆor throw in some flour for binding and youโve got yourself a burger.ย
Donโt have an oven or the stove isnโt available? She covers that in her Microwave Cooking section.ย
She has a book, but many recipes can be found on her blog for free. She prices her recipes down to the cent, and every year she participates in a project calledย โLiving Below the Lineโ where she has to live on 1 BP per day of food for five days.ย
Things improved for me a little, but her website is my go to. I learned how to bake bread (using my crockpot, but that was my own twist), and I have a little cart full of things that saved me back then, just in case I need them again. She gives you the tools to feed yourself, for very little money, and thatโs a fabulous feeling.ย
Tip: Whenever you have a little extra money, buy a 10 dollar/pound/euro giftcard from your discount grocer. Stash it. Thatโs your super emergency money. Make sure they donโt charge by the month for lack of use, though.
I donโt care if it sounds like an advertisementโyou wonโt be buying anything from the site. What I DO care about is your mental, emotional, and physical healthโand dammit, foodโs right in the center of that.ย
If you donโt need this now, pass it on to someone who does. Pass it on anyway, because do you REALLY know which of the people in your life is in need? Which follower might be staring at their own piggy bank? Trust me: someone out there needs to see this.ย
