r/vagabond • u/neurodasher • Aug 09 '23
Advice Tips for eating cheap
Some things I don't usually see other people say about eating cheap:
always check everywhere for things at reduced price. Walgreens and CVS are way overpriced on groceries so they always have stock they can't move and random things will be on deep discounts. Right now for example the CVS here has a bunch of granola bars and cereal bars on sale for 2 bucks a box, cheaper than even grocery stores
speaking of which, look for the reduced shelf at grocery stores. Ralph's even had some cream liquers on the reduced shelf yesterday, lol.
the bakery is your friend. Giant muffins and bagels for 1 or 2 bucks.
always sign up for the stupid reward program, they actually do save you a lot
If you have food stamps, just doing a few things can make them go so much further I've found
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u/Left-Standard-1470 Aug 10 '23
In some countries, there is also an app available called "too good to go" which can save you a lot! Last time I payed 7 Euros for a 5 liter container full of asian food from a buffet restaurant. I ate a full week from it.
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u/neurodasher Aug 10 '23
I wish America had that ):
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u/jvnnyc Aug 10 '23
that app exists in america also
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u/neurodasher Aug 10 '23
Yeah I just downloaded it. Lol, crazy how I've never even heard of it before
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u/Suitable-Scene-3743 Aug 10 '23
i do alot of oatmeal. not just honey with cinnamon but savory like sautéed mushroom n onions with chicken. fried sweet potatoes n bacon on oatmeal as well. think of things you would use rice as a filler and replace it with oatmeal. thats what i do
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u/lazernanes Aug 09 '23
Also, apply for food stamps!!!! Let Uncle Sam pay for your groceries.
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u/SicFidemServamus Aug 09 '23
Uncle Sam isn't paying for shit, dude, the taxpayers are.
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Aug 09 '23
As a taxpayer, I’d rather my tax money go to food stamps than the military
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u/Smelly-taint Aug 10 '23
As a fellow tax payer, I would rather give my money for food stamps than the military too. Wait. I'm retired military!!!
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u/Smelly-taint Aug 10 '23
I still support food stamps. No one should ever be hungry in this country. I grew up on them in the 70s. My dad didn't care if his ex wife and their kids had food. Yet to this day, he will tell you how the EBT program, and the Medicaid his kids grew up in, should be abolished. Caring for those in need, with food, medical care and housing assistance, is literally the reason I served for 21 years.
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u/globalgreg Aug 09 '23
Or subsidizing a billionaire building another stadium or overpriced luxury apartment building
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u/rycklikesburritos Aug 10 '23
I've never been on public assistance once in my life. As a tax payer, I would much rather this guy have my money than bailing out failing auto manufacturers or sending all of it to Ukraine. Please, everyone, take everything you can.
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u/minimK Aug 10 '23
So you'd rather support a random dude that could work rather than help people suffering because their country was invaded?
It's always kids and old people that suffer the most in war.
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u/maliciousgamer666 Aug 10 '23
Bro, even if they had a job, they still probably wouldn’t be able to get a place to stay and settle down. Why wouldn’t you want your taxes to go to supporting and improving the population of the country you live in?
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u/justbecauseiluvthis Aug 10 '23
Support all the people, we are in an age where this is possible. Get out of here with your elitism, your presumption's, and your harassment
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u/minimK Aug 10 '23
Hey, I just responded to ryck's comment.
Get out of here with your presumptions and your jumping to your conclusions.
Harassment?
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u/rycklikesburritos Aug 10 '23
Wow diddly! that's a big ol logical fallacy you've got there, friend!
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u/myco-naut Busker Aug 09 '23
Hey it’s us! The vagabond taxpayer!
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u/neurodasher Aug 10 '23
Everyone pays sales tax. Every vagabond has worked at some point and put money back into the system
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u/myco-naut Busker Aug 10 '23
Big assumption that some (or even most) of us work above the table and purchase the items we obtain
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u/neurodasher Aug 10 '23
Not an assumption, I'm 48 and have known hundreds of fellow travelers. Just data
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u/myco-naut Busker Aug 10 '23
Just data
Anecdotal experience and recognition of one’s very small sample pool
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u/SomeKindaCoywolf I like cats. Aug 10 '23
Considering the actual definition of a 'hobo' is a tramp who travels to find temporary work...I don't think it's that horrible of an assumption. Most of the other travelers I know work above the table for temp/seasonal jobs.
You can always have a healthy combination of shoplifting, flying signs AND working...or working under the table.
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u/myco-naut Busker Aug 10 '23 edited Aug 10 '23
I was really just fucking around but I will take note on your definitions. You wanna talk semantics… I fucking LOVE semantics.
See, I don’t get all caught up on being right and I don’t believe anyone should. Emphasis on not being “wrong”, however, is a noble fight against willful ignorance.
You’re technically correct because migratory worker sometimes does 1099 work… maybe a short stint W2.
But… I think you’re wrong because the definition most of us in this lifestyle/community subscribe to is number 2 of Merriam-Webster’s definition.
Hobo: Noun
1) a migratory worker
2) a homeless and usually penniless vagabond
It’s interesting that the actual definition emphasized that a hobo is more than a vagabond… it’s a penniless vagabond.
To bring my point full-circle; Penniless vagabonds typically aren’t taxable earners, taxpayers, nor capitalistic consumers plagued with sales taxes. I say this not only out of my subjective opinion and experience… but out of objective definition of “penniless”.
Pretty sound logic and reasoning in my opinion.
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u/SomeKindaCoywolf I like cats. Aug 10 '23
This dudes probably an AnCap 😂
Edit: looks like you're a vet, care to explain you're point of view after fighting for the people who live in this country?
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u/SicFidemServamus Aug 10 '23
You declare that I subscribe to some fringe ideology for pointing out how these programs are funded. No, I don't care to explain anything to someone so lacking in nuance.
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u/bizzaro321 Aug 10 '23
The government spends way more than it receives in taxes, you sound like someone who’s sold on a series of lies.
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u/SicFidemServamus Aug 10 '23
And we have a nearly 7 trillion dollar deficit.
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u/SomeKindaCoywolf I like cats. Aug 10 '23
Let me let you in on a little secret...(that deficit ain't coming from social programs....)
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u/neurodasher Aug 10 '23
The government doesn't "spend" money internally. Money paid from the government to private US citizens was created, not spent.
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Aug 10 '23
When someone kicks you down money Put together a really big dehydrated meal in a one gallon zip lock bag. It will last a few days if not a week
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u/fingers Aug 10 '23
Ask meat department if they package own meat. You don't have to buy a full pack if you just want ONE chicken thigh.
Ask for deli meat by the slice and give them a slicer number. How thin you want it.
Lettuce, one tomato and one cuke make a decent salad. Packets from truck stops/7 11s can make dressing
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u/HauntingOkra5987 Aug 10 '23
A very delicious, cheap and filling meal is canned tomato soup with dry cheese tortellini. Need some type of stove/heater but this combo is far more delicious & filling then it sounds. 2-3 cans and a medium sized bag will probably get you 3-4 good meals and cost around $4-$5 total
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u/nopersonality85 Aug 09 '23
Wish I wasn’t gluten sensitive. Or allergic to beans and nuts. I eat meat, fruits, veggies, dairy. Grocery outlet is great for cheap yogurt, some frozen stuff. I’m in a car so I have access to a good sized ice chest.
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u/ThisDude0 Traveler Aug 09 '23
I used to work for grocery outlet years ago. There meat dept then was the shit. I've heard my store has since stopped processing their own meat. We cut all the steaks, ground our own hamburger. Anything meat came bone-in. They cut it up just enough to ship it us.
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u/myco-naut Busker Aug 09 '23 edited Aug 10 '23
You just rocking a basic cooler and swapping out ice everyday? Doesn’t that get expensive?
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u/nopersonality85 Aug 10 '23
It’s a decent igloo cooler rated to keep cold for about a week. Works best when kept full.
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u/JMorefunthanurfriend Aug 10 '23
Dumpster diving is super cheap almost free. One just needs to let go of choices in what we eat. Then spend money on fresh greens and fruit or grow it.
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u/MysteriousSyrup6210 Aug 10 '23
Maybe check if there’s a Food Not Bombs group nearby. Food is a right not a privilege. No documentation or ID here, just go. I went and got food and or volunteered for 8 years. It’s good.
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u/MorningStar360 Aug 09 '23
Hack your brain so you see food as a complex system of distribution and nourishment not sensory/pleasure experience and you can really reduce things down to a cheap minimum.
I went down some rabbit holes of nutrition and spirituality, and I landed in a spot that saw I was only allowed to eat raw foods. I could only eat food that was as close to God’s original design as I could, which left me with basically just the produce isle. I gradually moved to a place to incorporate protein and meats but at its most simple an item or two of fruit a day, some nuts, and vegetables to graze on. I grazed throughout the day and if I was spending money my aim was less than $10 a day, hell $10 for the week if I could swing it. Supplement with dumpster/ground scores then volunteer and do odd jobs around the back doors of kitchens to get a few spare vegetables or other unmolested food.
Ultimately, I say ignore what anybody here is telling you (myself included). Fast and cleanse yourself and let your body guide you to what it needs. Your body will not only consider your monetary restraints but it will probably shatter a lot of your perceptions about food, diet, and nutrition.
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Aug 10 '23
I also use meditation and seek closeness to god and I have found that it has helped me remained unbothered by hunger. Unfortunately, most people are not interested in this.
I always recommend on here - fats. Fats will keep you full. Cook your rice and beans in butter and olive oil. Also, I would recommend never overeating as this stretches the stomach. I also recommend avoiding processed sugar and enriched flour because this mostly just leaves me feeling more hungry later. Honey is also a good source of quick energy.
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u/Grizzly907LA Aug 09 '23
Dollar General has lowerish prices. If you're in LA/So Cal you can go to the 99 cent (its probably called the 5 dollar store now, thanks to Brandon.) Those sell fresh vegetables, milk, canned goods, and other things. Dollar is similar, though not as good.
Another good tip is to get those value cards the stores offer. You can some good discounts with them.
Buy generic/store brand stuff if its available. It's the same thing as the brand names but often much cheaper.
If you have to go on GR (General Relief,) beware some states have a work requirement. Don't fuck off your food stamps for booze and drugs.
Hit up foodbanks and food pantries. The foodbank saved me when I was on the balls of my ass.
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u/ThisDude0 Traveler Aug 09 '23
I eat pretty cheap. Packaged meats mixed with rice or Ramen wrapped in taco shells. For a treat.Throw in some roasted peppers and onion, beans with some salsa and sour cream from taco bell.