bobthemole: (Default)
bobthemole ([personal profile] bobthemole) wrote2006-10-30 01:34 am
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Does cheap, healthy, convenient AND yummy food exist?

In a complete 180 degree turn from my last post (with its shameless consumerist bent) I want to deal with an issue that bitch-slaps me every time I try to balance my budget... how to eat on slave wages.

I've been spending $20-40 on food from on- and off- campus vendors each month, and that's money I could easily find other uses for. The logical fix is to brown bag my lunch everyday, but that hasnt been happening. For one thing, I'm lazy. For another, I crave novelty and I cannot eat peanut-butter on toast everyday. I've tried, but I end up throwing away the PB toast and buying a pizza. Other lazy options are grilled cheese, or egg or tuna sandwiches but I am sick sick SICK of them now.

So this is an open thread in which I beg everyone reading this to post about the food you eat on a daily basis. I need ideas and recipes on what to eat, and I'm also curious about what everyone else on a grad stipend/ undergrad allowance does. Do you eat breakfast? Brown bag lunch or eat out? Cook dinner from scratch or microwave a Lean Cuisine?

I'm especially interested on how much you care about these factors...

CHEAP - How much do you spend on food each month? On each meal?
HEALTHY - Are you hitting all the food groups? Do you follow a special diet? Do you care how much sodium, MSG or preservatives you eat?
CONVENIENT - How much time do you spend in the kitchen each week? Each meal? How many dishes do you end up washing?
YUMMY - YMMV, of course. Do you fuss over the taste? Do you need variety?



Post away!

[identity profile] not-a-vampire.livejournal.com 2006-10-30 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
I easily spend that much money on this sort of food-buying you speak of. So, you have to ask yourself, is it actually worth it to you to not eat them, especially if it's only $20-$40 per month? You mention that there are other uses, but are they worth going without the food that you like to eat? From your remaks about the sandwitches you're making, I rather get the feeling that the enjoyment you get out of having a good meal every once in a while vastly outweighs the cost you mention.

[identity profile] bobthemole.livejournal.com 2006-10-30 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
I'm on a tighter budget than I was on as an undergrad. Spending that extra $20-40 per month puts me in the Red. And keeps me there.

[identity profile] not-a-vampire.livejournal.com 2006-10-30 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
Ouch.