Can’t Never Could…
Note: In one of life's many little ironies, a couple days after I wrote the following, my husband joined the ranks of the unemployed. We have five progeny still at home, one with multiple handicaps, and I just learned that the sleep machine my doctor says I need because I stop breathing 35 times an hour when I sleep- well, it's 1500 dollars out of pocket, so we won't be getting it. I have nothing to change in the post below, except I'd make it even more stringent.
In response to this post where I explained that it isn't necessary to live on over- processed frozen convenience foods just because one is on foodstamps, somebody left an interesting comment. The commenter explained that my advice was unrealistic. She said it was necessary to buy convenience foods on food stamps because:
1. She did not have room to store bargain meats, frozen vegetables and freezer meals in the freezer in the top of the freezer;
2. She did not have the time or experience to make any sort of freezer meals.
Addressing the 2nd point first, when I started out married life, I did not know how to do these things, either. I bet you know something now that you did not know this time last year, or five years ago, too. But I was willing to learn. No, I was desperate to learn. Within a few weeks of getting married we had no jobs, no savings, and a baby on the way. That was before the days of the internet so I had to hunt the information I needed down in time consuming, old fashioned ways. I used the library, I used old ladies at church, I used stacks and stacks of women's magazines I'd been given (cool story, but another time). Today's young householders have the internet- they could learn how in minutes. I did not do freezer meals then (I hadn't heard of them yet), but I did not buy convenience foods.
None of us are born knowing everything we need to know. All of us have to learn along the way. I'll address the time issue further down.
As for the first point, If you are buying prepackaged convenience goods for the freezer, you have enough room for freezer meals of your own. If you have a freezer above your fridge, with very, very rare exceptions, you have room for freezer meals.
How do I know this?
I haven't always had a stand alone freezer. When the first Once-A-Month Cooking
How is this possible?
The stuff you already have in your freezer is just processed into a meal and returned to the freezer, so it doesn't take up any more space. In fact, it generally takes up less.
You can also package it in tidier packages- bake the chicken,debone it, and put the meat in a square plastic freezer container and the chicken that took up at least 8 square inches of freezer space now takes up 3. Use the bones and simmer a rich bone broth for soup in your crockpot all day the next day (or on the stove if you'll be home, start it in the evening if you are gone all day). Add onion peels, garlic peels, a bit of vinegar, simmer it down until it's really rich and then freeze it in ice cube trays, pop the ice out and store in a baggie- add a cube or two to your soups or skillet meals for extra nourishment and flavor.
What may be unrealistic is that a single mom won't have the time or energy for the full freezer meals. Even though my husband was not in the same country with us at the time I started freezer cooking, I wasn't by myself. I was with a friend and we cooked the meals together. That's not always possible, either.
But here is a cool tip that could be a big help for those who still think they don't have room and they don't have time- if you buy ground beef and cook it the same day you bring it home, or the next day if grocery shopping is too exhausting, you can store cooked ground beef in about 1/4 of the space that frozen raw meat takes, plus, later it defrosts quicker, too. You can store 4-6 pounds of cooked ground beef in the space you formerly took up for one pound raw.
You can cook up a mess of ground beef with some chopped onions and garlic (peppers if you have them), drain it (reserve the fat) and spoon it into labeled ziplock bags (the small, one quart size, and yes, we do reuse these) or other containers- sprinkle different spices in there (taco style spices in some bags, Italian in others, Asian in some others).
Store them flat in your freezer until they freeze, then you can store them upright in a long narrow box (as ramen noodles are packed in) picked up free at the grocery store. Put other things in other ziplock bags- grated cheese; cooked, diced poultry; cooked rice.
You can use these packages of ground beef for:
home-made pizza topping
spaghetti
stir fried rice
tacos
enchilada pie or burrito fillings
biscuits and gravy
Pakistani Kimi (An Indonesian dish)
cheeseburger soup
15 minute chow mein (see our kitchen blog, which has lots of shortcut, frugal recipes),
hamburger stew
one of the meals listed in the post above above.
If you have a crockpot, you can combine the raw ingredients for a crockpot meal in a single container (ziplock bag, whatever- I roamed thrift shops and yard sales looking for .25 cent freezer containers, and I saved old jars) and freeze it- on cooking day, I put the frozen meal in the crockpot on high and cook it all day. It doesn't take any more time than gathering the ingredients on the same day you cook, it just divides your labor in half.
Make huge pots of vegetable soup for dinner- it doesn't take any more time than spaghetti. Freeze leftovers in jars (leave an inch or so for expansion) and have them again the following week only add one of those ziplock bags of ground beef, barley, rice, or some pasta, or a fresh green veggie for variety.
It's also not true that you can only buy boxed, packaged meals on food stamps because the fresh stuff won't keep long enough. Apples, onions, turnips, potatoes, carrots, and cabbages last more than a day or two. Store them properly and they keep for two weeks or more. Slice the tops off of turnips and beets, put the tops in a pie pan of water, you'll grow a few more fresh greens which you can add to stir fries, salads, or green smoothies.
I realize that we all have different stories, different circumstances, different situations. We won't all be able to save money in precisely the same way- where I once made bread in a clean bucket and kneaded it by hand, now I have arthritis in those hands and I can't make bread that way anymore, for just one example. Everybody's story is their own. But it's not very helpful to tell yourself, "I can't do that because nobody taught me how." Instead think about what you can do instead. And here's a little saying I learned long ago from some little hill woman somewhere:
"'Can't' never could do nothin'"
13 Responses to “Can’t Never Could…”
February 3rd, 2012 at 9:51 am
I just recently have started doing freezer meal things too. I’m not quite at the point where I’m making and freezing entire meals, but I’m pre-prepping components of meals. We are just 2 adults (with a baby on the way), so a 9×9 casserole serves us for 2-3 meals. Basically: I don’t have to cook much or often. But since I do have a baby on the way, I’m starting to figure out what it will look like to put together meals in an easier way.
My first step is doing what you described: preparing meat in bulk and freezing the cooked meat into portions that make it a cinch to put together a meal. I only do 2 meats this way – hamburger and chicken. I’ll brown alot at once and put into freezer bags. Then on the night I’ve planned for spaghetti, I pull out a baggie of hamburger. Over and done! It really takes about just as long to brown 5 pounds of meat as it does 1 pound. We don’t yet have stand-alone freezer so this has been my step 1 of a gradual approach.
Here’s what I use the hamburger for:
Taco Soup
Chili
Stuffed Green Peppers
Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti
Pizza Casserole
Lasagna
Taco Meat
Here’s what I use the chicken for:
Creamy Chicken Pockets
Broccoli Chicken Bake
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken & Broccoli Quiche
Chicken Spaghetti
Chicken Alfredo Bake
Chicken Quesadillas
That’s working great for me so far.
February 3rd, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Thank you for the inspiration. I have definitely made these excuses, so I appreciate your clear explanations. This would really be helpful to our family.
February 3rd, 2012 at 1:17 pm
I’m confused about one point, that being the argument that if you are on food stamps you have to buy convenience foods because fresh won’t last all month. Yes, I understand that the food stamps are issued at the beginning of the month, but they don’t expire in 7 days, do they? Can’t you use some on the first and save some for fresh food two weeks later? Just because you get it all on the first doesn’t mean you have to spend it all on the first. Am I missing something?
February 3rd, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Hi, MaryEllen- I agree with you. But here’s the background and an explanation for the premise.
Somebody else wrote a blog post about life mistakes and problems that come from food stamps.
One of them was that you love awful food, the more processed the better, because supposedly that’s all you can eat on food stamps. And the reason, according to that post, is that you don’t have enough gas in the car or time to go shopping more than once a month. Actually, I think the real reason is that most people still don’t know how to manage their money, so since food stamps come in once a month, they go to the store and spend them all right away, but anyway.
The author’s original point is that you can’t afford to go to the grocery store outside of the day you get your food stamps, so you have stock up on highly processed frozen meals and canned foods like corn syrup laden fruits.
My blog post on my regular blog (linked at the top of this post) included my disagreement with the idea that most people can only go to the store once a month, in addition to suggestions for how to avoid the convenience food trap even if you do only shop once a month.
My blog post *here* focuses on the reasons somebody gave me in the comments to the post one my own blog about why it was unreasonable to suppose that people didn’t have to rely on convenience foods.
Does that help? Sort version, yes, you’re right. But some people say they can’t shop more than once a month, hence my post here.
I will tell you from my husband’s late job at the grocery stores, hardly anybody on food stamps shops the way you suggest – most of them show up on the day food stamps come out, fill their carts with junk, cokes, chips, pizzas, fish sticks, frozen sandwiches, and crab legs (I’m not kidding), and they don’t come back until the next month.
February 3rd, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Jayme, in many respects I like the advanced cooking and prep of meats for the freezer better than a full fledged meal frozen and ready to go.
It’s easier, and it’s more flexible. it does take more time on cooking day,b ut far less time on freezing day.
Here’s another tip- with few exceptions you can freeze raw vegetables in a bit of liquid for soups and stews later without losing much in regards to taste and texture. It’s already going to cooked to softness, right? So the changes to texture that come to freezing it first just don’t matter that much.
Not so useful for salads or any dishes where you still want some crunch to the veggies.
February 3rd, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Surely there must be a way to get your hands on a CPAP machine for less?? I wonder if there’s such thing as a used one you could have?
My husband’s machine was recently upgraded so they issued him a new one. We got rid of the old unit–never thought about passing it along/donating it to someone else. I need to remember that for next time.
You might check around or ask at the doctor’s office. That machine changed my husband’s life. He won’t travel anywhere without it.
February 3rd, 2012 at 5:40 pm
i am so glad that someone has brought the homemade frozen meal up…and the myths that surround food stamp usage… and i am glad that you said it-people merely need to educate themselves and use some doggone good common sense. those who give the excuses about needing to shop once a month with their food stamps and ending up with a shortage of food and junk at the end of the month are short on common sense and have been apethetic regarding learning to do things a better way. so anyway, i am glad that you said it..as i have been biting my tongue trying to not sound like a know it all. check with your drs. office and with other health related places on that cpap machine..also, do the other things that most drs. recommend you try-raise the head of the bed, try putting a tennis ball or something under your pj shirt back to help you stay off of your back, lose weight, get exercise in the fresh outdoor air, dont smoke, etc… all of these things if done regularly might help and cannot hurt while you are looking/waiting for a cpap machine.
February 3rd, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Bethany, thanks for the encouragement. I think sometimes our years in public school teach us a sort of inertia. It’s not laziness, we just don’t even realize some options.
And thanks for the suggestions about the CPap machine. We do live in a tiny town where options are limited, but it is a good idea to call back the doctor’s office and discuss other options.
Caryn, I’m working on the losing weight and exercise. The other things aren’t an issue (Scoliosis makes laying on my back too painful to permit sleep.
February 4th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
I use food stamps and have only enough to buy meat and I get the rest of my food from food pantries. I love the Rubbermaid green lidded produce containers to help extend the life of my fresh produce and I freeze just about everything I can. I do not have an extra freezer and what I do have is so small… I have no pantry either. I use saved jars, too. We have no day old bread stores here or discount stores, no double or triple coupons. Hamburger is either made into patties or cooked before freezing. I freeze, cheese, bananas, bell peppers, bread and such. I skin, de-bone,cutup, cook or whatever to make things smaller. I am almost 60 and this has been a way of life since I was growing up. Only we had a freezer and 2 refrigerators back then. We shopped once a month and we had no food stamps, just one check and 6 months to feed.
February 4th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
My best wishes to you on this new road since your husband has become unemployed. I was laid off my job in 2009 and am building my own business. I would never have been able to sustain myself through this process if it had not been for the fact that I already knew a lot of frugal life skills. What you do here is very helpful, and I know that though this may look like a tough situation right now, you and your family will make it through. Your skills and practices and your willingness to do what it takes will sustain you in very positive ways. I wish you and your family a very abundant life going forward. Look for the good in everything, and stay as positive as you can. Opportunities flow better when encouraged by positivity.
February 5th, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Please, please, do not put off getting a CPAP machine, even if you must go into debt for it. When you stop breathing, it’s not just your oxygen levels that are affected. Your body is also flooded with stress hormones. The combination puts you at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and a host of other devastating/chronic medical issues.
Re: food stamps — funny, my experience working at super markets was almost the exact opposite, with a few exceptions. I did notice people buying bottled “fruit drink” rather than bottled fruit juice, but assumed it was because it was cheaper. I remember people buying bulk hamburger, loads of bread and American cheese, canned or frozen vegetables, pasta, pasta sauce… staples, in other words. I couldn’t say whether they were spending a month’s worth at a time. I do know that public transportation was spotty at best, and that the buses put strong limits on the number of bags you could bring on (I think it was three), so we regularly saw people calling a cab to take them home. I imagine that expense would be a compelling reason to limit shopping trips to once a month.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
This is in response to your CPAP comment, I use my machine EVERY night and it has saved my life. Here is a lower cost location to buy the machine and supplies. You need a prescription and you can get the machine set for you. The cheapest machine (no bells or whistles) was $120 without the head gear. Do some research and don’t hold your health hostage to the middleman mark up.
CPAP.com
I’ve been lurking here for years and your blog gives me inspiration to be a better steward of my resources. Thank you.
February 7th, 2012 at 8:56 am
The cost quoted is ludicrous. Go to CPAP.com You should not have to pay over $300 AT THE MOST.
You do need one. Your sleep apanea problem is a big health risk.
I agree with Catherine–no bells and whistles and no humidifier attachment are needed. I have used a simple one for 21 years now.
Leave a Comment