survive on a very tight budget

[demi]

Hi there,

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet as i'v not read through all the posts, but have you concidered going skipping?

And that doesn't meant skipping with joy down the street, although you might do that on your way home afterwards!

Skipping is going round the supermarket bins at the end of the day when they've just throwen stuff out. They chuck loads of still edible food as it is past the sell by date, but still not past the use before date and its still perfectly fine food, just leagally they cannot sell it. Obviously you only take things which are sealed in packets or tins ect, and take from the top of the bin so its not contaminated. but if you find out what time they chuck stuff you can be waiting there to collect it straight away for free.

You can also go forridging for wild fruits and edible plants. Things like doc leaves and dandilion leaves are edible and you can stuff them with rice ( like stuffed vine leaves ) or with whatever you have avalible. Just be carefull when forridging that you know what you are picking and don't mistakenly poison yourself! And make sure you throughly wash everything, and try not to pick from right beside the road as they will be more polouted from car fumes and dog pee.

And of course you can try to grow as much of your own veg as possible. If you dont have a garden you can grow in pots on your windowsill. Things like hearbs, tomaotes, peppers, french beans ect. Speak with Odsox as he grows all sorts of stuff year round inside his conservatory.

And anther way to cut costs is to stop buying shampoo and conditioner and instead wash your hair with bicarbonate of soda ( 1 tbsp per cup warm water ) just dissolve in the water and pour over your head and masage in, just like shampoo but it doesn't lather. It works grate, get rid of grease and smells. you can use viniger or lemon juice the same way, diluted in water 1 tbsp per cup, as conditioner and the lemon makes you hair smell nice. If you buy the bicarb in bulk it will save you even more money.
Here, for example, you can buy 5kg for 15 pounds, works out as 3 pounds a kilo. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sodium-Bicarbon ... 656&sr=8-4

Good luck!

[Poochy Pie]

Another option to skipping is discounts at Supermarkets. You just need to work out what time it goes on the shelf and if you get friendly with the service staff you can always find out about what is going to be going cheap at the end of the day. My parents find it a game and challenge - every few weeks they stock up for the freezer with this discounted food. My mum works out how much she has saved - last visit she bought £112 worth of meat and fish and paid £11.45 for it all. Whole mackerels for 25p etc, bread rolls for 1p. If you have space in the freezer it is a good way of saving huge amounts of money. My parents take advantage of it - trying to survive on a state pension is not easy for them!

[EcoSam]

I'm another one who recommends investigating skipping/freeganism. I've only had the opportunity to do it once cos I live in a pretty rural area but I shall recount my depiction of the saga from my posts on Volentia/Idle Idle Foundation below:

So yeah, I went skipping (or dumpster diving in the USA) for the first time on Sunday with a mate. Essentially, for those that don't know, this involves sneaking round the back of a supermarket (or other store) and sifting through their bins in the search for edible food and other booty. This is possible due to the whole sell-by date thing and the tendency for supermarket's to throw out 'compromised' packets of food (such eggs where just 1 egg in a box is broken). The food is generally put in bags or boxes then thrown in the bins where those inclined can source a ridiculous amount of food. On Sunday we got:

- About 30 bananas
- 500g strawberries
- 1kg parsnips
- 1kg carrots
- 1.5-2kg potatoes
- 1kg mushrooms (if not more)
- 800g broccoli
- A cauliflower
- Many apples, pears, oranges and tangerines
- A pack of pre-chopped fruit
- 6 packs of M&Ms
- A shopping basket (from the bin)
- Some stuff I'm probably forgetting

All perfectly edible and this is despite a couple of lasses beating us there and taking more than we did (including the best of the bread not that there was much). Pretty sure they took a few bunches of flowers as well. Apparently this was a bumper haul from the relatively small Co-Op. In fact, there was probably more than my two mates could eat before it all went bad - I see parsnip wine and frozen soup on the horizon!

As you can see, much food to be had. However, there is an understandable stigma attached to this noble form of urban foraging not to mention a few questions over legality - you may alienate a few people and have casual brushes with the plod - but personally I thing it's worth risking (and maybe even desirable in some instances) to run these risks. By being respectful and responsible, such as by tidying up and leaving the bins/area in a better state than when you arrived, you're less likely to be noticed or put peoples' backs up.

Taking food from bins does have some benefits as well - diverting edible food from landfill, not wasting the resources used to manufacture and transport the food, and diverting the 'waste' food to people who need it and not just yourselves. Plus it's good for your wallet and the environment.

I did a fair bit of research and talked to some of my skipping mates about skipping experiences. You do hear some stories about supermarkets pouring bleach in their bins to stop people taking food from them. This can ruin unpackaged food but you might still be able to get some decent stuff out - just make sure you use gloves. Additionally, some supermarkets lock their bins with those triangular bin keys. To get round that you can but those keys from hardware shops or online for next to nothing Having a head torch is always useful, keep an eye out for people wandering past (just in case) and don't worry too much about the plod - there's only ever been one skipping related conviction in this country (although if you do get caught and imprisoned/fined, don't blame me!) - as apparently they tend to be understanding and/or don't care that you're taking 'rubbish' out of bins. Be aware that you could be trespassing but, again, the plod don't seem to mind too much once they understand that you ain't there to cause damage or break into the shop.

[Skippy]

I've done the same Sam and liberated stuff from skips just as my Dad did for years but you do have a point about supermarkets taking legal action for instance-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... goods.html


Pete

[surlymonkey]

I'm on the rock 'n' roll (dole), and find it hard to cope with rising food prices. I generally try to stick to protein & grains to keep me full for longer (cheap eggs, liver, lentils, that sort of thing). I stopped eating foods that were rich in carbs as I became hungry soon after (rice, bread).

Anyway, for a cheap and filling breakie, you'll need:

a blender;
cheap porridge;
peanut butter;
milk;
banana;
(optional) plain yogurt/ice cubes

Blitz the porridge in the blender first to make it fine, then add the other stuff.

Some carbs in here, but the peanut butter will keep you satiated for sometime.

[demi]

I've done the same Sam and liberated stuff from skips just as my Dad did for years but you do have a point about supermarkets taking legal action for instance-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... goods.html


Pete

Thats incane. How can they arrest people who rescue food from bins that the shop has thrown out. People need to eat and there is a rediculous amount of food discarded in supermarket bins.
They should cut out the bin part and give the food away free to anyone who wants it in the shop. But then people would just go for the free stuff and not spend money in store, so i doubt they'll do that.
Its discusting, such a waste. I can't believe she'll get convicted for that, surly not.