Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The difference is the $14 of ingredients will buy her two months worth of hummus, instead of a little container. I also don’t quite buy the $14 of ingredients, because hummus only needs dried chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini/ sesame seeds (or peanut butter), garlic, spices, and cold water. I make hummus weekly and don’t use a stitch of olive oil, but even so..

$5-7 of ingredients coulead give me weeks of hummus.

Many ingredients could also be used to make other health meals, like the chickpeas in Chana Masala. Add the chickpeas into some kind of vegetable curry to up the protein. The olive oil could be used for MONTHS in other recipes, including more hummus. Lemon juice flavours water, gets used with the olive oil as salad or vegetable dressing. Tahini makes an awesome dressing or marinate for other cheap protein sources like tofu, as well.

$5 of flour and $1 worth of yeast yields a lot of bread.

I don’t think everyone is being as tone deaf as they’re being accused of. I had a point in my life that I was so poor I was living on bacon bit sandwiches,canned vegetables, and ramen. I was homeless for a time. You learn quickly that most of the “splurges” people have can easily be made at home. Middle eastern and Indian food are amazing for people on a budget, as they are legume and whole grain heavy; hummus is no exception, so I’m not sure when it got to be some kind of splurge. I’m long past those years, but I still make a batch of hummus every week: something like .69 for a can of chickpeas, $1-2 for bulk sesame seeds (or a few tbsp. of peanut butter- maybe $1?) and maybe 0.20 of lemon juice, and .15 in garlic and spices? My recipe doesn’t use olive oil.

OP, I know this thread has gotten horribly off topic with the hummus discussion, but I think the point is, hummus doesn’t have to be a luxury ruined my MLP.

Please, find the community resources that you can utilize. You don’t have to go without shoes.

I'm sure OP had oodles of time as she's trying to make ends meet to start researching middle eastern recipes she may have no familiarity with and that her child may not be willing to eat. When you can't afford to throw away food, you don't have the luxury of trying new recipes that people may end up not liking. You stick with familiar standbys you know won't go to waste.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
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 really think some of you posters aren't getting where the rest of us posters are coming from. WE ARE POOR. (Or on a budget). We know how to do this.

When people who always had plenty of money are suddenly short on cash, they don't know what to do because they haven't lived that life. We can help you.

Like, the poster above who sarcastically reacted "Sure, there are all those free community yoga classes in PG county -- why don't you post a list?" Those of us who don't have a lot of money know how to look for resources like that. Because EVERYTHING we do is free, basically. We don't have the money to sign up for $50 Mommy and Me classes at Gymboree. We are always looking for the free activities.

And we know that buying prepared foods from a grocery store will break your budget. You need to build your pantry and cook from scratch. I know you guys are sick of the hummus recipes, but it is indicative of the whole lifestyle you need to adopt if you are suddenly broke. You need to cook from scratch. The ingredients you added up, PP, can be found even cheaper at Aldis, making it more like $8 than $14 and here's the thing -- you can use those ingredients right now for other meals. You need to stop thinking like a rich person and just buying what you want whenever you want it, for convenience. Buy a bag of chickpeas and some olive oil. Learn to make hummus, make roasted chick pea snacks, make pasta e ceci for dinner; make chick peas and rice the next week. Don't just buy things one time for one recipe; use them the whole week.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/10/quick-pasta-and-chickpeas-pasta-e-ceci

Anonymous wrote:
I'm sure OP had oodles of time as she's trying to make ends meet to start researching middle eastern recipes she may have no familiarity with and that her child may not be willing to eat. When you can't afford to throw away food, you don't have the luxury of trying new recipes that people may end up not liking. You stick with familiar standbys you know won't go to waste.

Anonymous wrote:
There is a difference between "on a budget" and "POOR." I really hope you're not the same person who posted below about how her $150k income means she knows poverty. I grew up in true poverty, where you couldn't afford to replace ruined clothing and had to scrape together every penny from between the couch cushions to pay the electric bill. If you have the flexibility in your budget to do things like buy in bulk when stuff is on sale, you're not "poor," you are on a budget. A person who is truly poor, especially one who is suddenly thrust into that circumstance, doesn't have the budget flexibility to just "build a pantry." If you buy all of the ingredient to make a big batch of soup, you're not going to be able to freeze that for future meals, you'll end up eating it for two meals a day all week until it's gone. And if you skip buying breakfast foods to get a bottle of olive oil, what are you going to do, drink the olive oil for breakfast? These are the things people who live "on a budget" don't understand about being poor.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The difference is the $14 of ingredients will buy her two months worth of hummus, instead of a little container. I also don’t quite buy the $14 of ingredients, because hummus only needs dried chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini/ sesame seeds (or peanut butter), garlic, spices, and cold water. I make hummus weekly and don’t use a stitch of olive oil, but even so..

$5-7 of ingredients coulead give me weeks of hummus.

Many ingredients could also be used to make other health meals, like the chickpeas in Chana Masala. Add the chickpeas into some kind of vegetable curry to up the protein. The olive oil could be used for MONTHS in other recipes, including more hummus. Lemon juice flavours water, gets used with the olive oil as salad or vegetable dressing. Tahini makes an awesome dressing or marinate for other cheap protein sources like tofu, as well.

$5 of flour and $1 worth of yeast yields a lot of bread.

I don’t think everyone is being as tone deaf as they’re being accused of. I had a point in my life that I was so poor I was living on bacon bit sandwiches,canned vegetables, and ramen. I was homeless for a time. You learn quickly that most of the “splurges” people have can easily be made at home. Middle eastern and Indian food are amazing for people on a budget, as they are legume and whole grain heavy; hummus is no exception, so I’m not sure when it got to be some kind of splurge. I’m long past those years, but I still make a batch of hummus every week: something like .69 for a can of chickpeas, $1-2 for bulk sesame seeds (or a few tbsp. of peanut butter- maybe $1?) and maybe 0.20 of lemon juice, and .15 in garlic and spices? My recipe doesn’t use olive oil.

OP, I know this thread has gotten horribly off topic with the hummus discussion, but I think the point is, hummus doesn’t have to be a luxury ruined my MLP.

Please, find the community resources that you can utilize. You don’t have to go without shoes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
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 really think some of you posters aren't getting where the rest of us posters are coming from. WE ARE POOR. (Or on a budget). We know how to do this.

When people who always had plenty of money are suddenly short on cash, they don't know what to do because they haven't lived that life. We can help you.

Like, the poster above who sarcastically reacted "Sure, there are all those free community yoga classes in PG county -- why don't you post a list?" Those of us who don't have a lot of money know how to look for resources like that. Because EVERYTHING we do is free, basically. We don't have the money to sign up for $50 Mommy and Me classes at Gymboree. We are always looking for the free activities.

And we know that buying prepared foods from a grocery store will break your budget. You need to build your pantry and cook from scratch. I know you guys are sick of the hummus recipes, but it is indicative of the whole lifestyle you need to adopt if you are suddenly broke. You need to cook from scratch. The ingredients you added up, PP, can be found even cheaper at Aldis, making it more like $8 than $14 and here's the thing -- you can use those ingredients right now for other meals. You need to stop thinking like a rich person and just buying what you want whenever you want it, for convenience. Buy a bag of chickpeas and some olive oil. Learn to make hummus, make roasted chick pea snacks, make pasta e ceci for dinner; make chick peas and rice the next week. Don't just buy things one time for one recipe; use them the whole week.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/10/quick-pasta-and-chickpeas-pasta-e-ceci

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.

Anonymous wrote:
Note these are all for 13 and up, so OP can’t take her daughter like you suggested. Another tone deaf richbitch.

Anonymous wrote:
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 wrote:Can ex or someone else watch your kid while you try to make a little extra $$? You can easily become a bird charger (you don’t even need a car, although if you have one it will be better) and make a few hundred dollars a month

Anonymous wrote:

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 wellness@pgparks.com.