DD put my little ponies in a brand new container of hummus today

[Anonymous]

First, buy yourself some shoes. Everything in life is worse if your feet hurt, and it won’t be long before your back hurts, too. If you can make it work, buy your shoes new. If not, get what you can from goodwill or similar and add a new pair of inserts.

Second, PPs are right; if you already have olive oil and a food processor, make yourself a vat of hummus. If you have any free time, start borrowing cookbooks and nutrition books from the library. Learn to cook foods that use cheaper ingredients or are very calorie-dense.

Third, get some exercise. Go for a walk (or run if that’s your thing). Find a free community yoga class and take your DD. You’re seriously stressed, and you’ll do yourself a world of good if you give your body an outlet for all that.

Fourth, food pantries, co-ops, and your church if you’re religious can be a great resource for you right now. Don’t feel guilty using whatever help you need to get through this period of time. I don’t know whether you’d qualify for temporary govt assistance, but you should check.

Fifth, try to relieve a little of the financial pressure. Can you seek a temporary support order while your divorce is pending? Of course, I don’t know your work situation, but it sounds like a little cash would go a long way right now. If you have a job, can you ask for a raise? Add a few hours? Or if you don’t currently work, is there anything you can do freelance until something better comes along? For instance, I had a friend who worked full time but did a couple of hours of copy editing each night after her kids were in bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
No your ridiculous.

The items are not pantry staples for a single mom with one kid on a serious budget. They are products meant for one single recipe and are a splurge. The only item from the list I keep on hand is olive oil and it's a product that lingers in my cabinet for a year or more and still isn't used up. It's really hard to understand that when you have never lived it so instead of arguing why not accept that someone else simply has experience in this area that you don't.

Sorry, I absolutely have lived it as a homemaker feeding a family of 4 on $300 a month.

Oil, dried beans, and nut butter pastes are examples of pantry staples, meaning that they last a long time in your pantry. They are not a splurge, unless you only buy them once a year to make one particular recipe, of course. In that case, they are a splurge and if you are only going to have, for example, hummus once a year then you would not buy the ingredients to make that particular meal, of course.

But from my personal experience living on a strict food budget, you get the BEST bang for your buck buying the pantry staples and cooking from scratch. You don't sound like someone who has a reason to use olive oil in your home cooking, so in your case, it would not make any financial sense to buy olive oil. But I assure you many home cooks on a budget (including many in the immigrant community) buy olive oil in bulk and use it up every month.

With olive oil, dried beans, and bulk purchased pasta, oats, rice, cornmeal and flour and nut and seed butters like peanut butter and tahini, you have the basis for many nutritious and filling meals (supplemented with fresh produce and some animal products). These are very cheap items, and do not go bad within a week, unlike the store prepared products. These pantry staples are the KEY to surviving on a very limited food budget.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, OP. :-/
Clothes and shoes: I also recommend thrift stores. I’ve gone several times just to see what they have and often find higher-end brands, especially in the children’s section (sometimes they still have the tags on!). I would imagine the same is true for the adult clothing section.
I frequently check Ebates if I’m going to order anything online (they also have in store rebates) to see what the cash back percentage is and if there are any additional promos. Amazon and Shoes.com often have really good prices (plus I try to buy when I can get money back from Ebates).

Food: Ibotta is great for grocery shopping as well as some online/app purchases. I also use the store’s app for additional discounts + coupons where I can. Hip2Save would also be a good resource for sales and deeply discounted items.

I won’t give you another hummus recipe, but will say that I’ve often made big batches of soup and brought them for lunch at work and also frozen some of it for later on.

Hope things get better for you and your DD...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All y'all who are out here posting hummus recipes are completely missing the point.

+1000. But they make me laugh.

LOL rich people trying to solve a poor woman’s problems. It isn’t about the hummus. And, yes, I think she is very aware that thrift stores exist. It just doesn’t make it easier. Sometimes you just need to listen and show empathy. She can do the problem solving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All y'all who are out here posting hummus recipes are completely missing the point.

+1000. But they make me laugh.

LOL rich people trying to solve a poor woman’s problems. It isn’t about the hummus. And, yes, I think she is very aware that thrift stores exist. It just doesn’t make it easier. Sometimes you just need to listen and show empathy. She can do the problem solving.

Seriously. Thrift stores... ya don't say! Come on, people. Just show a little compassion.

OP, I hope things start looking up. And I agree with others that I would totally go ahead and eat the pony-fied hummus.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

You will laugh about this someday. I was “there” when mine were young and I divorced. It gets so much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All y'all who are out here posting hummus recipes are completely missing the point.

+1000. But they make me laugh.

LOL rich people trying to solve a poor woman’s problems. It isn’t about the hummus. And, yes, I think she is very aware that thrift stores exist. It just doesn’t make it easier. Sometimes you just need to listen and show empathy. She can do the problem solving.

Or maybe we are poor people trying to help out someone who just joined us in our poor-dom. It's about being strategic and thinking like someone without a lot of resources.

[Anonymous]

OP if you’re still here, what size shoes do you wear, and what side of PG are you on? I’ll create a throwaway email address and connect with you this week if you need a pair of shoes. Sending hugs.

[Anonymous]

This thread is so painful to read, I can't do it. Can someone tell me if anyone suggested OP get a Costco membership because it'll more than pay for itself over the cost of a year? Because that would fit perfectly with the hummus recipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so painful to read, I can't do it. Can someone tell me if anyone suggested OP get a Costco membership because it'll more than pay for itself over the cost of a year? Because that would fit perfectly with the hummus recipes.

Comparing apples and oranges.

Learning to make a food you enjoy and eat frequently, very cheaply (from shelf stable items), is a frugal way to live.

Buying a Costco membership for a small family is generally not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so painful to read, I can't do it. Can someone tell me if anyone suggested OP get a Costco membership because it'll more than pay for itself over the cost of a year? Because that would fit perfectly with the hummus recipes.

Comparing apples and oranges.

Learning to make a food you enjoy and eat frequently, very cheaply (from shelf stable items), is a frugal way to live.

Buying a Costco membership for a small family is generally not.

*whoosh*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so painful to read, I can't do it. Can someone tell me if anyone suggested OP get a Costco membership because it'll more than pay for itself over the cost of a year? Because that would fit perfectly with the hummus recipes.

Comparing apples and oranges.

Learning to make a food you enjoy and eat frequently, very cheaply (from shelf stable items), is a frugal way to live.

Buying a Costco membership for a small family is generally not.

A quick bit of price comparison at Safeway shows that if I bought a brand that's on sale, I could buy a tub of hummus for less than a quarter of the price of buying the ingredients to make hummus. I'm glad you've been fortunate enough to never be a place where an extra ten dollars on groceries in a week would actually break your budget, but for a lot of people that is their reality. $3 for a tub of hummus on sale can be squeaked out far more easily than an extra $14 to buy the ingredients, even though the latter would make more financial sense in the long run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, buy yourself some shoes. Everything in life is worse if your feet hurt, and it won’t be long before your back hurts, too. If you can make it work, buy your shoes new. If not, get what you can from goodwill or similar and add a new pair of inserts.

Second, PPs are right; if you already have olive oil and a food processor, make yourself a vat of hummus. If you have any free time, start borrowing cookbooks and nutrition books from the library. Learn to cook foods that use cheaper ingredients or are very calorie-dense.

Third, get some exercise. Go for a walk (or run if that’s your thing). Find a free community yoga class and take your DD. You’re seriously stressed, and you’ll do yourself a world of good if you give your body an outlet for all that.

Fourth, food pantries, co-ops, and your church if you’re religious can be a great resource for you right now. Don’t feel guilty using whatever help you need to get through this period of time. I don’t know whether you’d qualify for temporary govt assistance, but you should check.

Fifth, try to relieve a little of the financial pressure. Can you seek a temporary support order while your divorce is pending? Of course, I don’t know your work situation, but it sounds like a little cash would go a long way right now. If you have a job, can you ask for a raise? Add a few hours? Or if you don’t currently work, is there anything you can do freelance until something better comes along? For instance, I had a friend who worked full time but did a couple of hours of copy editing each night after her kids were in bed.

Why don't you post for OP a list of all of the free community yoga classes available in PG county. I'll wait.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Why don't you post for OP a list of all of the free community yoga classes available in PG county. I'll wait.

Sorry you had to wait, I was sleeping when you posted that:

http://pgparks.com/895/Yoga-in-the-Parks

"Yoga in the Parks is a FREE yoga program with classes that take place in the beautiful outdoors! Come join us and become one with nature. Enjoy the peace and serenity of a yoga class in one of many of our scenic park settings. Try yoga by Lake Artemesia or near the quiet Henson Creek Trail at Tucker Road! Either way you are in for a relaxing experience. Namaste"

Class Information
Mondays, 8:30-9:30 am
June 4-August 27
Tucker Road Athletic Complex
1770 Tucker Rd., Ft. Washington, 20744
301-203-6000

Mondays, 6:30-7:30 pm
June 4-August 27
Enterprise Golf Course
2802 Enterprise Rd., Mitchellville, 20721
301-249-2040

Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 pm
May 29-August 28
Tucker Road Community Center
1711 Tucker Rd., Ft. Washington, 20744
301-248-4404

Tuesdays, 8:30-9:30 am
May 29-August 28
Watkins Regional Park
301 Watkins Park Dr., Upper Marlboro, 20774
301-218-6700

Wednesdays, 7-8 pm
May 30-August 29
Bladensburg Waterfront Park
4601 Annapolis Rd., Bladensburg, 20710
301-779-0371

Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 am
May 31-August 30
Watkins Regional Park
301 Watkins Park Dr., Upper Marlboro, 20774
301-218-6700

Fridays, 9-10 am
June 1-August 31
Ellen E. Linson Splash Park
5211 Campus Dr., College Park, 20740
301-277-3717

Saturdays, 8:30-9:30 am
June 2-September 1
Good Luck Community Center
8601 Good Luck Rd., Lanham, 20706
301-552-1093

Saturdays, 9-10 am
June 2-September 1
Lake Artemesia Natural Area
8200 55th Ave., Berwyn Heights, 20740
301-446-6800

Saturdays, 9-10 am
June 2-September 1
Marlton Community Park
8061 Croom Rd., Upper Marlboro, 20772
301-446-6800

Registration
No registration required. Yoga in the Parks classes are open to ages 13 and up. Participants must sign a waiver to participate. For more information, call 301-446-6800, TTY 301-699-2544, or email [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so painful to read, I can't do it. Can someone tell me if anyone suggested OP get a Costco membership because it'll more than pay for itself over the cost of a year? Because that would fit perfectly with the hummus recipes.

Comparing apples and oranges.

Learning to make a food you enjoy and eat frequently, very cheaply (from shelf stable items), is a frugal way to live.

Buying a Costco membership for a small family is generally not.

A quick bit of price comparison at Safeway shows that if I bought a brand that's on sale, I could buy a tub of hummus for less than a quarter of the price of buying the ingredients to make hummus. I'm glad you've been fortunate enough to never be a place where an extra ten dollars on groceries in a week would actually break your budget, but for a lot of people that is their reality. $3 for a tub of hummus on sale can be squeaked out far more easily than an extra $14 to buy the ingredients, even though the latter would make more financial sense in the long run.

I'd like to think this is a new flavor of DCUM troll. I think I like it better than Nasty Mean Troll, but I'm not sure...

Also, I think the Costco membership was back on page 2 or 3 but I could be wrong.