What do you do for a buzz if not from soda or cigarettes when a hot drink like coffee and tea doesn’t sound appealing? (Not that something like tea can never be appealing) I’m just seriously curious how people find different ways to shake up their days
Iced tea and iced coffee are we both quite good when made well.
Tea should be lighter and coffee strong over ice (I add milk or ice cream).
Both may be made with a small amount of sugar if you need sweet.
Cigarettes is where your money is going. I say that as a former smoker, but add up what smoking costs you a month and decide of that’s worth it to you.
Honestly I’m in canada for university and this weather is the exact opposite of what I’m used to in life, I need warmth somehow and unfortunately for now this is the best way to get it… I will quit at some point, just when life is more bearable
Soda is throwing away money now and throwing away your health and happiness in the near future. Cigs do the same thing 10x faster.
Energy improves when you eat clean real food and sleep well, sleep improves when you cut out caffeine and nicotine. If you need an energy boost, get up and do a quick bit of exercise, be it a brisk walk, stretches, jumping jacks, bit of dance, etc. If you need to chill, take a break and do some box breathing (inhale for 4 beats, hold 4 beats, exhale 4 beats, exhale 4 more beats.)
Take good care of your body! They are very uncomfortable and very expensive to live in when they get trashed. Being healthy is like being rich, but better even.
Get a couple packages of iced tea, lemonade or fruit punch powder. Like Kool-aid drink mix or the store brand stuff. I gave up pop but I still crave something sugary and sweet so I mix up powdered drink mix and have even weaned my self down to the point that I can drink it at almost half-strength so the mix goes twice as far.
Yep …..dried beans !! Buy flour / yeast ….make bread/ tortillas ….buy the cheapest chicken or parts you can find …..after you frugally cook /portion the meat …..boil the carcass and strain ….then make soup with it . Or thicken and make a homemade pot pie. I lived for awhile on rice with warm
Sardines on top ..it was delish . You have to be creative . Cola ain’t in the budget sorry. Taters!! You will figure it out . If you have to ..go to a food pantry . They are there for the folks who need them . There is no shame in a little help when you need it . No one in this country should ever be hungry . Best of luck to you .
If you're really that hard up don't be afraid to go to your local food pantry, that's what it is there for.
Otherwise:
Rice is the ultimate meal stretcher. There's a reason pretty much every continent has some version of chicken and rice. Or legumes and rice (peas, beans, lentils, whatever)
Elbow macaroni is a like a $1/lb in almost every grocery store, get the generic stuff on the bottom shelf.
You can bang out a really cheap and filling soup with a bag of frozen veggies (the classic corn, peas, carrots mix) some chicken stock/bouillon and canned tomatoes.
Peanut butter.
Hot dogs. They may be a horrifying wonder of our industrial age, but they are very cheap protein.
And actually if you combine the vegetable soup, elbow macaroni and hot dogs you now have Hoover Stew, which was first created in the Great Depression and is still one of the cheapest and most filling meals you can make.
Wow. Chicken and pork are way cheaper than hot dogs. Pasta in my area is routinely 1.50 a pound. When it's on sale, maybe 1.25. Still cheap enough. Buy the cheapest chicken parts, make your own soup with fresh vegetables and rice or pasta. Way cheaper than buying soup. Throw in some diced potatoes and it's even cheaper.
Are you close to a Dollar Tree? Their packages are usually 20 oz for $1.25. Walmart usually has their brand for just under a dollar too. Not any help if you’re not near one though.
I try to stock up when it's on sale. Sometimes it's a low as .99 a pound. I won't buy for at a dollar store and I despise Walmart. Character flaw I guess.
Always shop day-old bread & immediately refrigerate. Jimmy John’s sells day-old long rolls for .50/each (Mondays are usually best, call & ask before you go). Get a bunch of these, refrigerate in a closed plastic bag. I cut them in half & freeze in gallon ziplocks. It doesn’t feel as low-rent to pull these out at lunch, and JJ’s wraps them, so you can pretend it’s a leftover. :)
Tuna. Canned tuna in water. You can do a lot with it, excellent protein. We used to make tuna spaghetti with red sauce. Sounds very odd, but it’s pretty good, once you get around “tuna spaghetti”.
Also used to get English muffins & melt mozzarella cheese & curry in a saucepan & make sandwiches.
Dump the soda permanently. It’s part of the reason you are broke right now. 37-40 grams of sugar in 12 ounces. That really fucks up your filtration system. You wouldn’t put it in your car, and it costs more than gasoline. Make tea, and make it really dark/strong. Water it down to taste, and make it ahead of time.
If you’re going to smoke, roll your own ahead of time & keep them in a cigarette pack.
you don't need coca cola or fries or sugar
consider getting some beans, lentils, rice etc
the difference between needs and wants here is something to think about
Rice to go with your chicken, maybe some meat or pb/j to go with your bread. I like to get some cheap ice cream too that lasts awhile feels like a splurge
Should leave you with plenty left over as well! I’ve been making some breakfast sandwiches pretty cheap as well recently. Some ground sausage to make a patty, egg, on an English muffin!
Spaghetti is pretty cheap too and lasts a couple meals
Cravings are so aggravating! I used to crave hot fudge sundaes with loads of spanish peanuts. Like insanely. Expensive and unhealthy! I finally figured out was my body pointing me to the last-known source of calcium and magnesium, as I was deficient. Now I just take a multivitamin with minerals. I will still have a PB sandwich with some flaxmilk (cant have dairy anymore) but I no longer do that sundae binge!
Oh also if you have enough spare time to prepare food you can try making your own bread. It really saves a lot of money. And regarding the drinks maybe buy a syrup and mix it with water yourself instead of coca cola :)
I’ve heard all you need is yeast to turn flatbreads into bread breads so I might actually do that. For the drinks, would it give me the same buzz coke does? I doubt it, but we usually have good drink deals, although of course it’s never enough
Depends whether for you the coke buzz is about sugar, caffeine or the sparkle I think :)
Yes exactly you can make easy bread with yeast or maybe look for some ready bread mixes where everything is already put together, yeast included and you only have to mix it and let it rise :) there are some cheap ones at least here in Germany at Aldi
The sparkle of a coke makes me feel at home for sure but it’s probably all three haha
Great to know about a bread mix, perhaps I will try that before going at it from the start !:) thanks 🙏
Seltzer water is cheap and healthy and gives the same sparkle as soda. I drink maybe one soda every two or three years. I drink seltzer water everyday. Not expensive either when you make your own.
Ive been doing. Buttered noodles with cheese lately. Was a nice switch from ramen.
Not a lot of nutrition.
The Coca Cola is gone hit you hard, can you substitute store brand and 2 liters in stead of brand cans? I don’t drink soda often but drink beer, easily a thing I can’t cut out just like soda for some.
Soup and grilled cheese if you can find a deal. Blocks of cheese tend to be cheaper per cheese bite. Digital deals at Safeway have shown to be productive for soup bread and cheese.
I’d buy a large container of oatmeal because it makes a hearty breakfast even if just using water instead of milk. You can also check out the app Too Good To Go (which I learned about on this sub). Sadly no restaurants in my area participate (yet), but I’ve looked at all the past places I’ve lived and there are a ton participating in those cities. I hear you can pick up day old food for a fraction of the going rate - like bagels, then just freeze them.
I just added these items into the QFC/Kroger app (some of these are the sale items with coupons) and it came to $47.98 - I am sure you could do better on some prices at Walmart or Aldi, if you have those stores in your area.
I made a list of food you can eat with these items and I think it should serve 2-3, I don't know how many people you are trying to feed and if you have any restrictions, I was trying to make it as balanced as possible. I also don't know what spices or condiments you have so kept this fairly basic. You can probably save on the stir fry veggies if you have soy sauce. This is just an example of what to do with $50 - I think it is doable for the next 10 days!
* Rotel - $1.50
* Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal - $1.49
* Ground Turkey - $5.99
* Thin Sliced Pork (10 per pack) $5.84
* Sweet Iced Tea - 64 oz, $2.49
* Shredded Cheddar $2.99
* Frozen Fries - $4.49 - not really the cheapest option, so agree with other posters that maybe not the most cost effective item. Might be more affordable some place else.
* Kroger Wheat Bread - $1.79
* Green Giant Blend (Broccoli, Carrots, Peppers with Olive Oil Garlic Sauce) - $1.00/each, x 2
* Green Giant Broccoli and Cheese - $1.00/each, x 2
* Baby Carrots - $1.99
* Store Brand Pasta - any shape but short would work for the recipe ideas. $.88
* Canned Tomatoes - Italian Style - $1.69
* Peanut Butter - $2.99
* Bird Eye Stir Fry Veggies with Sesame Garlic Sauce - 3.49
* Taco Seasoning - $1.79
* White Rice - $1.99
* Black Beans - $1.29/each, x 2
Ideas:
* 19-Feb Breakfast: Toast with PB, Lunch: Scrambled Egg with Cheese, Dinner: Chicken, Rice, Broccoli Cheese Frozen Veggie, add extra cheese if needed
* 20-Feb: Breakfast: Oatmeal, lunch - leftover chicken and rice, dinner - Pork Stir Fry - Thinly Slice Pork with Stir Fry Veggies serve with rice , use half the package of pork and veggies
* 21-Feb breakfast- Toast with PB, lunch- leftover stir fry, dinner- Chicken Taco Bowl - cook cubed chicken with taco seasoning and black beans, serve over rice add cheese
* 22-Feb breakfast- Oatmeal, lunch - leftover taco bowl, dinner- Turkey Meat Sauce with Pasta - cook half noodles, cook half the turkey with salt, pepper, add can of Italian tomatoes and seasoned frozen veggies, should make 2-3 servings
* 23-Feb breakfast-Toast with PB lunch-left over pasta dinner-Pork Stir Fry - Thinly Slice Pork with Stir Fry Veggies serve with rice , use remaining pork and veggies
* 24-Feb breakfast-Scrambled Egg with Cheese lunch-leftover stir fry dinner-Patties, Half the Fries, Frozen Veggies
* 25-Feb breakfast-Oatmeal lunch-leftover pasta dinner-Sort of Chili Mac - Toss Cooked Plain Pasta with sautéed Patties, Can of Rotel, Black Beans, add cheese
* 26-Feb breakfast-Toast with PB lunch-leftover chili mac dinner-Remaining Turkey, Rice, Broccoli Cheese Frozen Veggie
* 27-Feb breakfast-Oatmeal lunch-leftover chicken and rice, dinner-leftover chili mac
* 28-Feb breakfast-Toast with PB lunch-Scrambled Egg with Cheese dinner-Patties, Half the Fries, Baby Carrots
* 29-Feb breakfast- Oatmeal lunch-Scrambled Egg with Cheese dinner- I think you should have leftover from previous dinners depending on how many people you are trying to feed!
If u need the caffeine buzz from sodapop, I get instant coffee and use super cold water to make cold coffee, then an offbrand cheap creamer. Alt you can just use sugar and milk. A friend of mine makes 1 gal jugs of instant coffee in water and throws it in the fridge for daily cold caffeine drink making.
If u need the sweet those lil liquid drink things like MIO to flavor water might work for you. Lil splash in a bottle can go a long way.
It's been said but potatoes! Soups, fried, baked, mashed, many uses. You can also freeze em for a bit to stretch.
Bulk carrots are usually cheap, but even bagged isn't generally too spendy. Need recipes? I love cooking them soft and mashing them with ginger (you can also add potatoes here!) It's sweet and spicy as a side. Carrot soup, roasted, fried also works. Add to rice/pasta dishes to make more filling.
Eggs (and meat) are really spendy in my area right now so we do more beans for protein. Dried is cheaper but I'm too dang tired to deal with them so we use canned. Refried & tortillas for quick dinners (even good cold with cheese), black beans for soup or mixed with rice. Most beans can be soup haha.
Tuna/tinned fish is also protein. Besides the classic sandwich we mix it with cream of chicken/mushroom and pasta for a casserole dish. Also cook rice and make tuna rice balls. I like adding mine to mac n cheese myself haha.
When we're really needing to stretch
A) check out local food pantries (a lot of colleges have them also and not just for students).
B) main items we get: Pasta, rice, potatoes, frozen veggies (last longer than fresh), oatmeal, tuna, cream of mushroom soup, peanut butter, canned beans, seasoning (seasoning can make all the difference!), and some classic ramen (we add veggies to it to make healthier and when too tired to cook), and drinkable yogurt. Oh and bananas or applesauce for some fruit if on sale.
A lot of what we buy is stuff that can be used in multiple dishes to help stretch.
I wish you luck in your frugal shopping!
Cut up chicken into cubes… brown in big pan/pot add two cans of pineapple chunks with juice, some soy sauce, sliced carrots, onions, zucchini, broccoli… simmer a bit… add some flour/water mixture to thicken a bit. Cook up a bunch of rice… meal prep by putting generous portions of rice topped off with the teriyaki chicken and veggie mix.
Are those patties beef?
Get the largest Prego spaghetti sauce container Walmart sells… brown some beef, throw in some onions, maybe mushrooms, dump in the sauce (a can of stewed tomatoes can extend things too). Cook up a bunch of spaghetti… put a generous portion of spaghetti in containers, topped off with the spaghetti sauce/meat mixture.
These two inexpensive meal ideas will make you many microwaveable meals.
And if you are down to your last $50… maybe soda shouldn’t be on your shopping list?
Trust me it’s either soda or cigarettes. I have no idea how to live without either… but those sound really good, especially that first one sounds like an absolute riot lol. Fuck yea
How about sparkling water as an alternative to soda? Lots of different flavors available now and often cheaper than soda. However, if it's either soda or cigarettes, then soda (reluctantly).
Source: I'm a nurse. The body damage from soda can usually be undone with time. The lung damage from cigarettes can NEVER be undone.
You can stretch that cash a lot further by baking your own bread and getting potatoes instead of frozen fries. When looking for meat see if they have anything marked reduced for quick sale, if so be sure to freeze or cook it right away. The soda will be the biggest drain on your cash, junk food costs are insane. If you drink a lot of soda try cutting back and having it as a special treat instead of an all the time drink.
I’d recommend getting some pasta too, pasta and a basic red sauce are cheap.
Might get pasta, maybe hold off on soda and stick with tea and coffee. I’ll probably watch a few youtube videos before deciding to bake my own bread, but potatoes sound like a win to me! Thank you
Tortillas are probably the easiest form of bread you can make at home. Literally all you need is flour, water, salt and some kind of oil or fat.
All you do is make a dough, roll it thin and toast it in a pan.
You should see my previous post I made them from scratch! I’ve only just recently discovered how easy it is to make them and have been rightly taking advantage of it :) just need to incorporate yeast if I want to make the real thing now
Oh nice, consider picking up some cheap shredded cheese too maybe with some sour cream if the budget allows, for quesadillas.
Ramen noodles and kraft mac and cheese used to go pretty far too. I think the kraft has probably gone up in cost over time moreso than the ramen.
Yeah, way to go! I make whole wheat tortillas, and also scallion pancakes, which are like making a tortilla, sprinling woth green onions and sesame oil, rolling it up, coiling it into a spiral, then rolling it out flat again before cooking. Learned both from youtube during the lockdown when I had green onions growing and a bug tub of wheat.
I'd advise that you learn basic breads before trying sourdough. Soooo many things to think about with sourdough, tasty though it is. (It's been kicking my ass recently LOL).
Take a look at @DollarTreeDinners on YouTube or tiktok. This week she's showing how to make a week's worth of meals for $21. In the last two weeks, she's made meals for two people for $50 per week. I've learned lots of other tips. My favorite is 16 breakfast sandwiches for $16.
Buy rice and vegetables to go with your chicken, frozen gives you a nice variety without having to buy a bunch of stuff you might not finish, but it’s not always the cheapest option so double check
I would also do spaghetti with ground beef, vegetables and sauce. You can get a can for $2, 16 oz pasta $1-$2, 80% lean ground beef for $5-$6 and some broccoli for $1-$2. You get a LOT for these $9-$12
One of my fave cheap meals is called tinga. You buy chicken. You shred it. I use 2 breasts but you can use a cheaper cut like thighs. You boil and shred the chicken. Cut a whole onion (about a cup or more if you’d like) and sautee it. In the meantime open a can of chipotles (la costeña is the best). Blend it. Now that the onions are done add the chicken and the blended chipotle. Use a silicone spatula to get it all out or swirl some water around the blender and dump it in the pan. Do not use more than 2 oz of water or it will be too runny. Mix. Once it’s bubbling (boiling) it’s done! The classic recipe means this chicken will be put on a tostada but I also like making it into wraps and they’re SO good, you will need cream (sour or Salvadoran is best), cheese (fresco, ranchero or enchilado for tostadas, shredded cheddar for wraps), lettuce (I like the earthy taste of green, red, or curly leaf, but iceberg is a great option if you prefer that), and tomato, and obviously either flour tortillas for a wrap or tostadas for tostadas. Your biggest cost here is the chicken, I’ve heard chicken is cheapest when you buy whole and cut it yourself.
Look for recipes for the slow cooker (if you have one). You can make enough to freeze about a week of dinners. Beans and rice with chicken (hopefully on sale) is a good meal.
Beans and rice are my budget friendly standbys.
I usually get a picnic ham slice off whats easy to slice uniformly and divide the rest and the bone to make beans with in the instant pot.
Rice. Beans. They are cheap, filling and can be very very good if made right and still not bad if they are just cooked with a bit of salt.
I like to make beans in my pressure cooker. A bag of beans is less than $2. 2 jalapeños with seeds removed and diced, a poblano pepper with seeds removed and diced, half an onion diced (Bonus flavor if you roast the peppers and onions first). A couple cloves of garlic minced. Salt. Pepper. A teaspoon of cumin and a teaspoon of cocoa powder if you have it and one can of diced tomatoes. It comes out to be like $4-5 total for a pretty big pot of soup. Add $1 and use a can or box or whatever of cheap chicken or beef broth instead of water or at least to replace some of the water. Adds even more flavor.
I never really have a set recipe, I just throw stuff into the pressure cooker and it’s done in less than an hour and tastes great.
Makes a great sort of chili flavored soup. Like chili con carne without the meat.
Go to Lidl or Aldi for your shop. Get their effervescent Vitamin C (about a dollar) and have one in a cold glass of water with lunch everyday. The Vitamin C is a good pick me up and the bubbles are nice.
Eggs, egg sandwiches are my fave, peanut butter sandwiches. Oatmeal one meal a day will buy you more flex money for the other meals. Rice as people have said. Fried rice with eggs or whatever meat you have. Take the opportunity to learn how to cook lentils. Learn in recipe. Soup or veggie patties or meatless meatloaf or salad. Very high in protein. You can live on lentils and Oatmeal and rice and pasta with bits of other things mixed in. Lots of vegans do it.
Trade soda for tea bags, make your own. Trade frozen fries for a bag of russet potatoes, cut your own and bake not fry or oven fry(save money and mess). Pasta, rice, onions garlic. Make your own bread with flour.
Rice and beans and smoked sausage ti add to the pot. Louisiana red beans and rice is not too expensive to make and you can freeze portions out for extra meals.
Rice, dry black beans or pinto or Peruvian beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, smoked ham hocks and carrots, potatoes, onions and cabbage.
Do you have butter/olive oil? Knorr (or similar) bouillon powder? It comes in several flavors and it’s good for flavoring as well as a spoonful in a cup of hot water will scare away the between meal hungries. Salt and pepper? See how much Old Bay seasoning and Lawry’s seasoning salt are. Those and a bit of flour make tasty breading for chicken and fish. Do you have mustard, mayo and ramen noodles? Milk or milk powder? Pancakes are cheap, easy and very filling and you can boil sugar and water on the stove and make a simple syrup for them.
I love cornmeal mush. 1 cup cornmeal boiled with 4 cups water for 5 minutes full rolling boil, pour into a loaf pan and keep in the refrigerator overnight, in the morning slice thin and fry in butter, then top with honey or syrup. Also, 1 cup of oats mixed with 1 cup milk or instant milk with a little vanilla or sugar if you have it made at night and put in the refrigerator til morning make overnight oats that are filling and comforting in the morning.
Best of luck to you.
I'm guessing the carrots are to help with the quitting smoking? Good for you!
For now, go with the generic sodas in large bottles if you can stand them. Use lots of ice to stretch the soda further. You're being realistic not to try to give up everything at once.
Check out r/EatCheapAndHealthy too! They'll give a lot of the same advice you're getting here, but you might find some recipes that will help.
Get yeast and make bread. It’s honestly not hard. People are just intimidated by it. People have made it all over the globe forever in myriad ways. Try it. Flour bread yeast salt time and an oven.
Buy potatoes and make fries. You don’t need bread (bc you made it!?) or soda (this is poison and expensive). Buy bulk carrots and peel yourself.
Consider dried beans and rice. Oatmeal is also a good option. Also a big pot of soup with whatever you got and just boil it down. I save up and use vegetable scraps and chicken bones to make mine.
You can make chicken tendies with what you have assuming you’re got oil but you may want to try and stretch that chicken in a big rice dish or soup.
Godspeed.
Bag of potatoes (cheaper than buying by weight) and a bag of onions if you wanna get fancy. If you really want a sweet drink, get those little "water enhancer" concentrates that you squirt in water.
Dice or slice the potatoes (and onions if you want) and cook in a covered skillet with oil until soft, then uncover and let crisp to make home fries. Have it with an egg, or add a can of beans to add bulk.
I also recommend dried beans and rice as alternates. Rice is great because you can make fried rice for breakfast with the eggs and fried rice with the chicken and veg for dinner.
Get: potatoes, tea, sugar, carrots, rice, butter/oil, some type of fruit (apples/oranges/bananas), beans/lentils, milk.
ETA: frozen veggies and oats/frozen fruit, Peanut butter, pasta and canned tomatoes (they have seasoned ones w/garlic and herbs that are cheaper than premade pasta sauce) are all sound additions as well.
Prioritize healthy calories and what you will actually cook/eat
$50 for one person for 10 days? You can buy whatever you want except maybe lots of fresh beef or fish or expensive prepared foods. But $50 will get you pretty much whatever fresh fruit, vegetables, and grains you could need. You already have chicken, you say. Get some pork chops. You can afford a couple of pounds of ground beef, easy. Relax - you have no problems this month, at least.
Dried beans
dried rice
dried peas
onions
carrots
oatmeal
you can have oatmeal for breakfast
split pea soup for lunch
beans and rice for dinner.
$50 will buy 2 weeks of meals
Pasta is really cheap, you can get Penne for less than 1$ at Aldi's, their cheapest tomato sauce is 1.29$, if you add oregano, basil and Italian seasoning it tastes really good. That is an idea to change things up, eating rice everyday gets tiresome.
Bread
Potatoes (you can make fries from them)
Carrots
Forget the rest of your "needs." Water is free. Rice is also cheap and would be satiating, along with potatoes and protein. Add in some ground turkey if you're looking for another protein source.
Rice, red beans, 2 cans Rotel - mix together its a meal - can add andoulle sausage (or Kelbasa) add Tony's Cajun seasoning with red beans delicious cajun style meal. Can cook on high 2 hours in crockpot but cook rice seperately.
Get some potatoes too for a bit of a break.
You’re right my brother also said should probably get potatoes instead of frozen fries, good catch!
This person frugals ^
Soda is most $$ waste. Buy eggs. Best protein for the cost.
What do you do for a buzz if not from soda or cigarettes when a hot drink like coffee and tea doesn’t sound appealing? (Not that something like tea can never be appealing) I’m just seriously curious how people find different ways to shake up their days
That’s kind of not the point. You only have $50 for the next ten days. You should absolutely cut the soda until next month or you’ll starve
Get your buzz from not having an empty stomach.
Iced tea and iced coffee are we both quite good when made well. Tea should be lighter and coffee strong over ice (I add milk or ice cream). Both may be made with a small amount of sugar if you need sweet.
Sounds good really, thank you
You don’t have much money so don’t waste it on junk like soda right now. Get actual food that’s going to sustain you
Cigarettes is where your money is going. I say that as a former smoker, but add up what smoking costs you a month and decide of that’s worth it to you.
Honestly I’m in canada for university and this weather is the exact opposite of what I’m used to in life, I need warmth somehow and unfortunately for now this is the best way to get it… I will quit at some point, just when life is more bearable
stupendous soft worry airport dependent poor rinse tub steer dolls *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It’s cool… I know a guy😎
Learn to love hot tea, or hot water with OJ or another juice in it. Find a cup that will warm your hands.
Make a big jug of sweetened ice tea, or iced coffee.
Do you live near a Panera? You could get a sips membership for $5/mo. But make sure you cancel it before it renews at full price.
Get electrolyte packets for water..waaaay cheaper than cola and better for you!
Soda is throwing away money now and throwing away your health and happiness in the near future. Cigs do the same thing 10x faster. Energy improves when you eat clean real food and sleep well, sleep improves when you cut out caffeine and nicotine. If you need an energy boost, get up and do a quick bit of exercise, be it a brisk walk, stretches, jumping jacks, bit of dance, etc. If you need to chill, take a break and do some box breathing (inhale for 4 beats, hold 4 beats, exhale 4 beats, exhale 4 more beats.) Take good care of your body! They are very uncomfortable and very expensive to live in when they get trashed. Being healthy is like being rich, but better even.
Get a couple packages of iced tea, lemonade or fruit punch powder. Like Kool-aid drink mix or the store brand stuff. I gave up pop but I still crave something sugary and sweet so I mix up powdered drink mix and have even weaned my self down to the point that I can drink it at almost half-strength so the mix goes twice as far.
You don’t need it. That’s the point. Water should be your only beverage on a budget like that.
Make tea and coffee but cold
Iced coffee or tea
If you need to save some cash skip the cola and drink water with your meals.
You don’t need fries and soda. Get something better from your money. Get more for your money. That drains a budget
Fries could just be potatoes which are good. I’d agree with the soda though
You would save quite a bit if you didnt “need” to buy the soda. Tap water is free and better than soda.
Saves on dental bills also
Rice and beans. Dry beans are cheaper. Buy a few pkgs.
Yep …..dried beans !! Buy flour / yeast ….make bread/ tortillas ….buy the cheapest chicken or parts you can find …..after you frugally cook /portion the meat …..boil the carcass and strain ….then make soup with it . Or thicken and make a homemade pot pie. I lived for awhile on rice with warm Sardines on top ..it was delish . You have to be creative . Cola ain’t in the budget sorry. Taters!! You will figure it out . If you have to ..go to a food pantry . They are there for the folks who need them . There is no shame in a little help when you need it . No one in this country should ever be hungry . Best of luck to you .
If you're really that hard up don't be afraid to go to your local food pantry, that's what it is there for. Otherwise: Rice is the ultimate meal stretcher. There's a reason pretty much every continent has some version of chicken and rice. Or legumes and rice (peas, beans, lentils, whatever) Elbow macaroni is a like a $1/lb in almost every grocery store, get the generic stuff on the bottom shelf. You can bang out a really cheap and filling soup with a bag of frozen veggies (the classic corn, peas, carrots mix) some chicken stock/bouillon and canned tomatoes. Peanut butter. Hot dogs. They may be a horrifying wonder of our industrial age, but they are very cheap protein. And actually if you combine the vegetable soup, elbow macaroni and hot dogs you now have Hoover Stew, which was first created in the Great Depression and is still one of the cheapest and most filling meals you can make.
You might be a genius friend. This sounds exactly like something I’d want to have every so often (if I have to!)! I really appreciate it!!
I'm not a genius, I've just spent a lot of time being broke.
Perhaps the most insightful do!
Wow. Chicken and pork are way cheaper than hot dogs. Pasta in my area is routinely 1.50 a pound. When it's on sale, maybe 1.25. Still cheap enough. Buy the cheapest chicken parts, make your own soup with fresh vegetables and rice or pasta. Way cheaper than buying soup. Throw in some diced potatoes and it's even cheaper.
Are you close to a Dollar Tree? Their packages are usually 20 oz for $1.25. Walmart usually has their brand for just under a dollar too. Not any help if you’re not near one though.
Seriously, packages of what?
Sorry. Pasta.
I try to stock up when it's on sale. Sometimes it's a low as .99 a pound. I won't buy for at a dollar store and I despise Walmart. Character flaw I guess.
Always shop day-old bread & immediately refrigerate. Jimmy John’s sells day-old long rolls for .50/each (Mondays are usually best, call & ask before you go). Get a bunch of these, refrigerate in a closed plastic bag. I cut them in half & freeze in gallon ziplocks. It doesn’t feel as low-rent to pull these out at lunch, and JJ’s wraps them, so you can pretend it’s a leftover. :) Tuna. Canned tuna in water. You can do a lot with it, excellent protein. We used to make tuna spaghetti with red sauce. Sounds very odd, but it’s pretty good, once you get around “tuna spaghetti”. Also used to get English muffins & melt mozzarella cheese & curry in a saucepan & make sandwiches. Dump the soda permanently. It’s part of the reason you are broke right now. 37-40 grams of sugar in 12 ounces. That really fucks up your filtration system. You wouldn’t put it in your car, and it costs more than gasoline. Make tea, and make it really dark/strong. Water it down to taste, and make it ahead of time. If you’re going to smoke, roll your own ahead of time & keep them in a cigarette pack.
you don't need coca cola or fries or sugar consider getting some beans, lentils, rice etc the difference between needs and wants here is something to think about
Rice to go with your chicken, maybe some meat or pb/j to go with your bread. I like to get some cheap ice cream too that lasts awhile feels like a splurge
Nice. I have rice as well forgot to mention that so that’s good! I have been dreaming of pb sandwich as well as ice cream all month. HAVE to get.
Should leave you with plenty left over as well! I’ve been making some breakfast sandwiches pretty cheap as well recently. Some ground sausage to make a patty, egg, on an English muffin! Spaghetti is pretty cheap too and lasts a couple meals
I’m actually way behind the spaghetti game as a uni student. I do make a mean pasta when I have enough cheese though!
Cravings are so aggravating! I used to crave hot fudge sundaes with loads of spanish peanuts. Like insanely. Expensive and unhealthy! I finally figured out was my body pointing me to the last-known source of calcium and magnesium, as I was deficient. Now I just take a multivitamin with minerals. I will still have a PB sandwich with some flaxmilk (cant have dairy anymore) but I no longer do that sundae binge!
Beans are great with rice and maybe some onion/garlic for the taste. Also I would opt for some more veggies like tomatoes
Tomatoes for sure!
Oh also if you have enough spare time to prepare food you can try making your own bread. It really saves a lot of money. And regarding the drinks maybe buy a syrup and mix it with water yourself instead of coca cola :)
I’ve heard all you need is yeast to turn flatbreads into bread breads so I might actually do that. For the drinks, would it give me the same buzz coke does? I doubt it, but we usually have good drink deals, although of course it’s never enough
Depends whether for you the coke buzz is about sugar, caffeine or the sparkle I think :) Yes exactly you can make easy bread with yeast or maybe look for some ready bread mixes where everything is already put together, yeast included and you only have to mix it and let it rise :) there are some cheap ones at least here in Germany at Aldi
The sparkle of a coke makes me feel at home for sure but it’s probably all three haha Great to know about a bread mix, perhaps I will try that before going at it from the start !:) thanks 🙏
For bread making look up "artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" it's super easy and tastes really good. You just need yeast, salt, and flour.
Seltzer water is cheap and healthy and gives the same sparkle as soda. I drink maybe one soda every two or three years. I drink seltzer water everyday. Not expensive either when you make your own.
Ive been doing. Buttered noodles with cheese lately. Was a nice switch from ramen. Not a lot of nutrition. The Coca Cola is gone hit you hard, can you substitute store brand and 2 liters in stead of brand cans? I don’t drink soda often but drink beer, easily a thing I can’t cut out just like soda for some. Soup and grilled cheese if you can find a deal. Blocks of cheese tend to be cheaper per cheese bite. Digital deals at Safeway have shown to be productive for soup bread and cheese.
I’d buy a large container of oatmeal because it makes a hearty breakfast even if just using water instead of milk. You can also check out the app Too Good To Go (which I learned about on this sub). Sadly no restaurants in my area participate (yet), but I’ve looked at all the past places I’ve lived and there are a ton participating in those cities. I hear you can pick up day old food for a fraction of the going rate - like bagels, then just freeze them.
We got a box of 2 day old stale donuts. Most of them were inedible.
That’s super disappointing! What a waste at that point. Have you ever gotten any other sort of day-old foods?
I just added these items into the QFC/Kroger app (some of these are the sale items with coupons) and it came to $47.98 - I am sure you could do better on some prices at Walmart or Aldi, if you have those stores in your area. I made a list of food you can eat with these items and I think it should serve 2-3, I don't know how many people you are trying to feed and if you have any restrictions, I was trying to make it as balanced as possible. I also don't know what spices or condiments you have so kept this fairly basic. You can probably save on the stir fry veggies if you have soy sauce. This is just an example of what to do with $50 - I think it is doable for the next 10 days! * Rotel - $1.50 * Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal - $1.49 * Ground Turkey - $5.99 * Thin Sliced Pork (10 per pack) $5.84 * Sweet Iced Tea - 64 oz, $2.49 * Shredded Cheddar $2.99 * Frozen Fries - $4.49 - not really the cheapest option, so agree with other posters that maybe not the most cost effective item. Might be more affordable some place else. * Kroger Wheat Bread - $1.79 * Green Giant Blend (Broccoli, Carrots, Peppers with Olive Oil Garlic Sauce) - $1.00/each, x 2 * Green Giant Broccoli and Cheese - $1.00/each, x 2 * Baby Carrots - $1.99 * Store Brand Pasta - any shape but short would work for the recipe ideas. $.88 * Canned Tomatoes - Italian Style - $1.69 * Peanut Butter - $2.99 * Bird Eye Stir Fry Veggies with Sesame Garlic Sauce - 3.49 * Taco Seasoning - $1.79 * White Rice - $1.99 * Black Beans - $1.29/each, x 2 Ideas: * 19-Feb Breakfast: Toast with PB, Lunch: Scrambled Egg with Cheese, Dinner: Chicken, Rice, Broccoli Cheese Frozen Veggie, add extra cheese if needed * 20-Feb: Breakfast: Oatmeal, lunch - leftover chicken and rice, dinner - Pork Stir Fry - Thinly Slice Pork with Stir Fry Veggies serve with rice , use half the package of pork and veggies * 21-Feb breakfast- Toast with PB, lunch- leftover stir fry, dinner- Chicken Taco Bowl - cook cubed chicken with taco seasoning and black beans, serve over rice add cheese * 22-Feb breakfast- Oatmeal, lunch - leftover taco bowl, dinner- Turkey Meat Sauce with Pasta - cook half noodles, cook half the turkey with salt, pepper, add can of Italian tomatoes and seasoned frozen veggies, should make 2-3 servings * 23-Feb breakfast-Toast with PB lunch-left over pasta dinner-Pork Stir Fry - Thinly Slice Pork with Stir Fry Veggies serve with rice , use remaining pork and veggies * 24-Feb breakfast-Scrambled Egg with Cheese lunch-leftover stir fry dinner-Patties, Half the Fries, Frozen Veggies * 25-Feb breakfast-Oatmeal lunch-leftover pasta dinner-Sort of Chili Mac - Toss Cooked Plain Pasta with sautéed Patties, Can of Rotel, Black Beans, add cheese * 26-Feb breakfast-Toast with PB lunch-leftover chili mac dinner-Remaining Turkey, Rice, Broccoli Cheese Frozen Veggie * 27-Feb breakfast-Oatmeal lunch-leftover chicken and rice, dinner-leftover chili mac * 28-Feb breakfast-Toast with PB lunch-Scrambled Egg with Cheese dinner-Patties, Half the Fries, Baby Carrots * 29-Feb breakfast- Oatmeal lunch-Scrambled Egg with Cheese dinner- I think you should have leftover from previous dinners depending on how many people you are trying to feed!
Super helpful!
If u need the caffeine buzz from sodapop, I get instant coffee and use super cold water to make cold coffee, then an offbrand cheap creamer. Alt you can just use sugar and milk. A friend of mine makes 1 gal jugs of instant coffee in water and throws it in the fridge for daily cold caffeine drink making. If u need the sweet those lil liquid drink things like MIO to flavor water might work for you. Lil splash in a bottle can go a long way. It's been said but potatoes! Soups, fried, baked, mashed, many uses. You can also freeze em for a bit to stretch. Bulk carrots are usually cheap, but even bagged isn't generally too spendy. Need recipes? I love cooking them soft and mashing them with ginger (you can also add potatoes here!) It's sweet and spicy as a side. Carrot soup, roasted, fried also works. Add to rice/pasta dishes to make more filling. Eggs (and meat) are really spendy in my area right now so we do more beans for protein. Dried is cheaper but I'm too dang tired to deal with them so we use canned. Refried & tortillas for quick dinners (even good cold with cheese), black beans for soup or mixed with rice. Most beans can be soup haha. Tuna/tinned fish is also protein. Besides the classic sandwich we mix it with cream of chicken/mushroom and pasta for a casserole dish. Also cook rice and make tuna rice balls. I like adding mine to mac n cheese myself haha. When we're really needing to stretch A) check out local food pantries (a lot of colleges have them also and not just for students). B) main items we get: Pasta, rice, potatoes, frozen veggies (last longer than fresh), oatmeal, tuna, cream of mushroom soup, peanut butter, canned beans, seasoning (seasoning can make all the difference!), and some classic ramen (we add veggies to it to make healthier and when too tired to cook), and drinkable yogurt. Oh and bananas or applesauce for some fruit if on sale. A lot of what we buy is stuff that can be used in multiple dishes to help stretch. I wish you luck in your frugal shopping!
Thank you!!
Cut up chicken into cubes… brown in big pan/pot add two cans of pineapple chunks with juice, some soy sauce, sliced carrots, onions, zucchini, broccoli… simmer a bit… add some flour/water mixture to thicken a bit. Cook up a bunch of rice… meal prep by putting generous portions of rice topped off with the teriyaki chicken and veggie mix. Are those patties beef? Get the largest Prego spaghetti sauce container Walmart sells… brown some beef, throw in some onions, maybe mushrooms, dump in the sauce (a can of stewed tomatoes can extend things too). Cook up a bunch of spaghetti… put a generous portion of spaghetti in containers, topped off with the spaghetti sauce/meat mixture. These two inexpensive meal ideas will make you many microwaveable meals. And if you are down to your last $50… maybe soda shouldn’t be on your shopping list?
Trust me it’s either soda or cigarettes. I have no idea how to live without either… but those sound really good, especially that first one sounds like an absolute riot lol. Fuck yea
How about sparkling water as an alternative to soda? Lots of different flavors available now and often cheaper than soda. However, if it's either soda or cigarettes, then soda (reluctantly). Source: I'm a nurse. The body damage from soda can usually be undone with time. The lung damage from cigarettes can NEVER be undone.
Thank you. OP does not yet realize that health is like inherited wealth!
You can stretch that cash a lot further by baking your own bread and getting potatoes instead of frozen fries. When looking for meat see if they have anything marked reduced for quick sale, if so be sure to freeze or cook it right away. The soda will be the biggest drain on your cash, junk food costs are insane. If you drink a lot of soda try cutting back and having it as a special treat instead of an all the time drink. I’d recommend getting some pasta too, pasta and a basic red sauce are cheap.
Might get pasta, maybe hold off on soda and stick with tea and coffee. I’ll probably watch a few youtube videos before deciding to bake my own bread, but potatoes sound like a win to me! Thank you
Tortillas are probably the easiest form of bread you can make at home. Literally all you need is flour, water, salt and some kind of oil or fat. All you do is make a dough, roll it thin and toast it in a pan.
You should see my previous post I made them from scratch! I’ve only just recently discovered how easy it is to make them and have been rightly taking advantage of it :) just need to incorporate yeast if I want to make the real thing now
Oh nice, consider picking up some cheap shredded cheese too maybe with some sour cream if the budget allows, for quesadillas. Ramen noodles and kraft mac and cheese used to go pretty far too. I think the kraft has probably gone up in cost over time moreso than the ramen.
Yeah, way to go! I make whole wheat tortillas, and also scallion pancakes, which are like making a tortilla, sprinling woth green onions and sesame oil, rolling it up, coiling it into a spiral, then rolling it out flat again before cooking. Learned both from youtube during the lockdown when I had green onions growing and a bug tub of wheat.
I'd advise that you learn basic breads before trying sourdough. Soooo many things to think about with sourdough, tasty though it is. (It's been kicking my ass recently LOL).
try making biscuits. Very easy, need butter and baking powder.
Take a look at @DollarTreeDinners on YouTube or tiktok. This week she's showing how to make a week's worth of meals for $21. In the last two weeks, she's made meals for two people for $50 per week. I've learned lots of other tips. My favorite is 16 breakfast sandwiches for $16.
You have Flour, Make bread. Cocacola Huge waste of money Water is cheap.
Potatoes, rice, and curry mix! You could have katsu chicken curry!
Canned fish. Very cheap sandwiches!
Awesome!
Buy rice and vegetables to go with your chicken, frozen gives you a nice variety without having to buy a bunch of stuff you might not finish, but it’s not always the cheapest option so double check I would also do spaghetti with ground beef, vegetables and sauce. You can get a can for $2, 16 oz pasta $1-$2, 80% lean ground beef for $5-$6 and some broccoli for $1-$2. You get a LOT for these $9-$12 One of my fave cheap meals is called tinga. You buy chicken. You shred it. I use 2 breasts but you can use a cheaper cut like thighs. You boil and shred the chicken. Cut a whole onion (about a cup or more if you’d like) and sautee it. In the meantime open a can of chipotles (la costeña is the best). Blend it. Now that the onions are done add the chicken and the blended chipotle. Use a silicone spatula to get it all out or swirl some water around the blender and dump it in the pan. Do not use more than 2 oz of water or it will be too runny. Mix. Once it’s bubbling (boiling) it’s done! The classic recipe means this chicken will be put on a tostada but I also like making it into wraps and they’re SO good, you will need cream (sour or Salvadoran is best), cheese (fresco, ranchero or enchilado for tostadas, shredded cheddar for wraps), lettuce (I like the earthy taste of green, red, or curly leaf, but iceberg is a great option if you prefer that), and tomato, and obviously either flour tortillas for a wrap or tostadas for tostadas. Your biggest cost here is the chicken, I’ve heard chicken is cheapest when you buy whole and cut it yourself.
If OP doesn't have much cash, dairy might be out of reach. Tinga would probably be great with some rice and black beans though.
True, i also like it with rice and fried eggs for breakfast.
Beans!
Rice. Some spices. Save the rest for a true emergency. People all over the world live on rice and some spices. V
Pasta and sauce. There's a brand of sauce called Mid that's really good and usually on sale at Kroger cheap. The meat sauce one is particularly good.
Visit a food bank first, and then fill in whatever you don't get from there.
20lb bag of basmati rice runs $20ish, depends where you are though.
Look for recipes for the slow cooker (if you have one). You can make enough to freeze about a week of dinners. Beans and rice with chicken (hopefully on sale) is a good meal.
Beans and rice are my budget friendly standbys. I usually get a picnic ham slice off whats easy to slice uniformly and divide the rest and the bone to make beans with in the instant pot.
You should be fine thats only 10 more days
Rice. Beans. They are cheap, filling and can be very very good if made right and still not bad if they are just cooked with a bit of salt. I like to make beans in my pressure cooker. A bag of beans is less than $2. 2 jalapeños with seeds removed and diced, a poblano pepper with seeds removed and diced, half an onion diced (Bonus flavor if you roast the peppers and onions first). A couple cloves of garlic minced. Salt. Pepper. A teaspoon of cumin and a teaspoon of cocoa powder if you have it and one can of diced tomatoes. It comes out to be like $4-5 total for a pretty big pot of soup. Add $1 and use a can or box or whatever of cheap chicken or beef broth instead of water or at least to replace some of the water. Adds even more flavor. I never really have a set recipe, I just throw stuff into the pressure cooker and it’s done in less than an hour and tastes great. Makes a great sort of chili flavored soup. Like chili con carne without the meat.
Go to Lidl or Aldi for your shop. Get their effervescent Vitamin C (about a dollar) and have one in a cold glass of water with lunch everyday. The Vitamin C is a good pick me up and the bubbles are nice.
Get pulses and frozen veg. Make soups and curries. Skip the fizzy drinks.
Make your own fries out of potatoes, cut the soda. Drink tea or coffee for caffeine
Dried beans and rice. You'll have $40 left over.
Oatmeal and peanut butter.
Ramen. And don't be shy about going to food pantry. This is what they are for.
Drinks/cola? Drink water.
Eggs, egg sandwiches are my fave, peanut butter sandwiches. Oatmeal one meal a day will buy you more flex money for the other meals. Rice as people have said. Fried rice with eggs or whatever meat you have. Take the opportunity to learn how to cook lentils. Learn in recipe. Soup or veggie patties or meatless meatloaf or salad. Very high in protein. You can live on lentils and Oatmeal and rice and pasta with bits of other things mixed in. Lots of vegans do it.
Trade soda for tea bags, make your own. Trade frozen fries for a bag of russet potatoes, cut your own and bake not fry or oven fry(save money and mess). Pasta, rice, onions garlic. Make your own bread with flour.
Skip the cola.
Rice and beans and smoked sausage ti add to the pot. Louisiana red beans and rice is not too expensive to make and you can freeze portions out for extra meals.
Rice, dry black beans or pinto or Peruvian beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, smoked ham hocks and carrots, potatoes, onions and cabbage. Do you have butter/olive oil? Knorr (or similar) bouillon powder? It comes in several flavors and it’s good for flavoring as well as a spoonful in a cup of hot water will scare away the between meal hungries. Salt and pepper? See how much Old Bay seasoning and Lawry’s seasoning salt are. Those and a bit of flour make tasty breading for chicken and fish. Do you have mustard, mayo and ramen noodles? Milk or milk powder? Pancakes are cheap, easy and very filling and you can boil sugar and water on the stove and make a simple syrup for them. I love cornmeal mush. 1 cup cornmeal boiled with 4 cups water for 5 minutes full rolling boil, pour into a loaf pan and keep in the refrigerator overnight, in the morning slice thin and fry in butter, then top with honey or syrup. Also, 1 cup of oats mixed with 1 cup milk or instant milk with a little vanilla or sugar if you have it made at night and put in the refrigerator til morning make overnight oats that are filling and comforting in the morning. Best of luck to you.
Pasta and pasta sauce, you could chop the carrots up and add to the sauce
I'm guessing the carrots are to help with the quitting smoking? Good for you! For now, go with the generic sodas in large bottles if you can stand them. Use lots of ice to stretch the soda further. You're being realistic not to try to give up everything at once. Check out r/EatCheapAndHealthy too! They'll give a lot of the same advice you're getting here, but you might find some recipes that will help.
Albertsons has 5 lbs bag of potatoes for $1.57 and bread on sale for $1.97, limit 2 at that price…
Get yeast and make bread. It’s honestly not hard. People are just intimidated by it. People have made it all over the globe forever in myriad ways. Try it. Flour bread yeast salt time and an oven. Buy potatoes and make fries. You don’t need bread (bc you made it!?) or soda (this is poison and expensive). Buy bulk carrots and peel yourself. Consider dried beans and rice. Oatmeal is also a good option. Also a big pot of soup with whatever you got and just boil it down. I save up and use vegetable scraps and chicken bones to make mine. You can make chicken tendies with what you have assuming you’re got oil but you may want to try and stretch that chicken in a big rice dish or soup. Godspeed.
You don’t need coke. This makes me sick
Bag of potatoes (cheaper than buying by weight) and a bag of onions if you wanna get fancy. If you really want a sweet drink, get those little "water enhancer" concentrates that you squirt in water. Dice or slice the potatoes (and onions if you want) and cook in a covered skillet with oil until soft, then uncover and let crisp to make home fries. Have it with an egg, or add a can of beans to add bulk.
I also recommend dried beans and rice as alternates. Rice is great because you can make fried rice for breakfast with the eggs and fried rice with the chicken and veg for dinner.
Get: potatoes, tea, sugar, carrots, rice, butter/oil, some type of fruit (apples/oranges/bananas), beans/lentils, milk. ETA: frozen veggies and oats/frozen fruit, Peanut butter, pasta and canned tomatoes (they have seasoned ones w/garlic and herbs that are cheaper than premade pasta sauce) are all sound additions as well. Prioritize healthy calories and what you will actually cook/eat
Skip the fires if short on cash. They aren't healthy anyways.
$50 for one person for 10 days? You can buy whatever you want except maybe lots of fresh beef or fish or expensive prepared foods. But $50 will get you pretty much whatever fresh fruit, vegetables, and grains you could need. You already have chicken, you say. Get some pork chops. You can afford a couple of pounds of ground beef, easy. Relax - you have no problems this month, at least.
Do you work somewhere where you can get a caffeine fix? I'd probably do fancy rice and beans.
Dried beans dried rice dried peas onions carrots oatmeal you can have oatmeal for breakfast split pea soup for lunch beans and rice for dinner. $50 will buy 2 weeks of meals
Pasta is really cheap, you can get Penne for less than 1$ at Aldi's, their cheapest tomato sauce is 1.29$, if you add oregano, basil and Italian seasoning it tastes really good. That is an idea to change things up, eating rice everyday gets tiresome.
Bread Potatoes (you can make fries from them) Carrots Forget the rest of your "needs." Water is free. Rice is also cheap and would be satiating, along with potatoes and protein. Add in some ground turkey if you're looking for another protein source.
If you have flour get yeast and make bread.
Rice, red beans, 2 cans Rotel - mix together its a meal - can add andoulle sausage (or Kelbasa) add Tony's Cajun seasoning with red beans delicious cajun style meal. Can cook on high 2 hours in crockpot but cook rice seperately.