Lets face it. There are lots and lots of people who consider themselves ‘broke’, as in ‘no money’. More specifically, they don’t think they have enough money to build up a cupboard or two full of food for emergency storage (or just plain old having some more…).
There are many people who live week to week on little income while struggling to make ends meet. There are bills to pay and there’s little money left over for stockpiling some extra food. There might only be enough food in the house to feed the family for a few days or maybe a week – until the next paycheck comes in.
Well here’s the thing: There likely IS a way to put some food in the pantry…
There are lots of foods that you can buy which are really relatively cheap compared to the foods that the family might be currently eating. Think in terms of value. Even if you choose not to change your eating habits, some of these foods are so comparatively cheap that there’s little excuse not to be able and stock up a cupboard or two.
I’m going to throw out a few ideas, and I welcome your input as well.
Firstly, those who consider themselves poor or broke or under too tight a budget to procure extra food – consider this: Take a look at what is being purchased every week and make adjustments. Not everyone might like it (a shift in diet) but there are likely some foods that could be replaced with alternatives to free up a few dollars for purchasing extra food.
Buy store brands.
Some grocery stores have higher prices than others! Go to the cheaper store (if the driving logistics – cost of gas – makes it worth the trip).
Buy only if it’s on sale, if possible.
Don’t buy everything that the ‘kids’ want, and don’t tell me that they will ‘only’ eat this or that – because unless there are allergic reactions involved, the kids won’t starve if they don’t get their particular brand of this or that. When they’re hungry enough (after putting up a stink about not getting what they want), they’ll eat ? Right?
It is amazing how many people do not compare unit prices (or don’t know how) when choosing a particular food! In most every grocery store the unit price is printed right on the price tag at the shelf (price per ounce, per pound, etc..). You don’t even have to do the math to figure out the posted price versus the number of ounces your getting. The unit price should already be normalized so just go with the cheaper unit.
Buy some so called ‘cheap’ food every week. Even if it’s not part of your normal consumption. Maybe things like Mac-n-cheese. Pasta. Rice. Dry beans. Look for sales like 10 for 10 (e.g. 10 jars of pasta sauce for 10 dollars) or any such sale of cheap foods. These items will eventually fill your cupboards and there will be food available for emergencies or whatever else.
Your turn… Put yourself in the shoes of someone who may be poor… Any ideas of particular foods that are typically ‘cheap’ that one might buy to go towards a food storage? Any other ideas or suggestions in this regard?
Source:modernsurvivalblog.com
Making some changes in habit might help too… I have noticed that many people who tell me they can’t afford to put aside extras for emergencies, and truly believe they can’t, have habits that they could break and do their health a favor while putting aside money for some preps. Quit smoking, it will make you healthier as well as more fit for an emergency and would free up a lot of money. Choose to drink a beverage that you bring from home when you are at work or out running errands rather than buying sodas, coffee or bottled water from the convenience store, Starbucks etc. That could save you $3-5 a day depending on where you get your beverages and how many times a day you buy them. Even at $1 a day for a cheap soda or bottled water, that would be $5-7 extra every week that you could put aside for preps. Make a conscious effort to recognize you savings. Put a jar in your desk at work and another at home, every time you would go for a drink or out to lunch, but planned ahead and had something from home ready at hand, put the cash you would have spent in a jar. As you see the cash growing it will encourage you to find other places where you could do the same thing.
You’d be surprised what you can get at the dollar store. Also check out the clearance rack at meijers or krogers. They sometimes have dented cans or slightly smushed packages that they mark down and are still good. Also coupons are a good way to save money. I wonder about buying in bulk or getting a membership to Costco or sams club. What would be cheaper in the long run. Also, stocking up doesn’t have to be expensive. Just buy a couple extra cans of whatever when you shop. Over the course of a year, it will ad up
Kind of insulting. You presume that “poor” people don’t eat store brands or shop sales.
Hi J,
Only thought that the people with a lower income would like to have more ideas of where to buy cheaper.
Try the dollar store. I bought 50 cans of vienna sasuages 50 cents a can. They have other things as well for cheap.
As a poor folk I find this information extremely useful. I have an overwhelmingly excess of pasta in my cupboards because I go to a food cupboard and they hand out pasta monthly. I also do a lot of shopping at the $1 store and have found great deals there as well. My sister will only buy store brands because that’s what her boyfriend likes. Then at the end of her shopping trip she is left broke. We went to the store with the same amount of money, I bought the generic brands and she bought store. I walked out with extra $$ while she had none left and actually went over the spending limit we both set up.