The Unofficial Kiwi Poorfag Resource Thread - share recipes and resources for your area (both government and personal) here

[Android raptor]

I've been volunteering at the local community garden, and get free veggies. Most recently I got eggplants and made eggplant parmesan. I can't cook worth shit, but it was easy enough and gave me meals for days.

I got peppers too, and have been chopping them up to add to things like Mac and cheese (also add stuff like frozen seafood or canned tuna for more protein), ramen, etc. Adding veggies and other stuff to cheap basic shit is a good way to make it more interesting and slightly less unhealthy.

 

[Freya]

anyone ever sold plasma? lol. you can make like $200 a month doing it.

 

[Android raptor]

anyone ever sold plasma? lol. you can make like $200 a month doing it.

I do

 

[Freya]

I do

protip: go on the first of the month. it's empty

 

[GenociderSyo]

This may have been posted but if you have an Aldi or Lidl you can ususally get cheaper prices there then at other supermarkets.

 

[NoReturn]

This may have been posted but if you have an Aldi or Lidl you can ususally get cheaper prices there then at other supermarkets.

Similarly, though it's only in a small handful of states: Grocery Outlet.
Save-a-Lot is similar but I don't think they have any stores west of Colorado.

 

[Aunt Carol]

Similarly, though it's only in a small handful of states: Grocery Outlet.
Save-a-Lot is similar but I don't think they have any stores west of Colorado.

Stores like this can be great, but you have to remind yourself what things normally cost.

They'll have signs saying "$3.99--USUAL PRICE $6" but maybe it's only $6 at Kroger, which does suck for prices, and it's regularly $4.50 at your normal store. Still a good deal but slow your roll, reevaluate how much room you have in the freezer, and don't panic buy because they know how to trigger FOMO.

We used to have a couple of non-chain clearance stores here, on the way out of town where real estate is cheap. They'd sell shelf-stable stuff that was months out of best-by date, or things that looked like someone had literally run a forklift into the pallet and reconstructed the box with packing tape. I mean this all in a positive way; the prices were great, the goods were odd, and they also had a counter with mall ninja swords and blowguns behind them.

One time I was at a clearance store and I saw a lady with a severe ponytail and a clipboard speaking harshly to someone who looked like Management. The next time I went, they had way less stuff, and they closed about six months later. RIP.

 

[std::string]

We used to have a couple of non-chain clearance stores here, on the way out of town where real estate is cheap. They'd sell shelf-stable stuff that was months out of best-by date, or things that looked like someone had literally run a forklift into the pallet and reconstructed the box with packing tape. I mean this all in a positive way; the prices were great, the goods were odd, and they also had a counter with mall ninja swords and blowguns behind them.

Hell yeah! We used to have one around here and we nicknamed it "the smash-and-dent store" because that's what most of the inventory looked like. Incredibly cheap. Like 90% off retail. They eventually closed down though, so RIP.

 

[Aunt Carol]

Hell yeah! We used to have one around here and we nicknamed it "the smash-and-dent store"

Now the only thing we have is one of those stores that sells Amazon returns, and they have a gimmick where they price everything slightly less every day until the day new stuff comes in again. It sucks because it's mostly small appliances, and there's no amount of money you can pay for a cake pop maker that makes it actually a "savings" because nobody needs or wants a cake pop maker.

(We used to have two of those stores, but the one without the day-of-the-week price scale closed. The closed returns store had a hard time with turnover. They ended up with a literal pile of novelty waffle irons/cake pop makers leaning up against the wall like a Cambodian skull pile, in cheerful pastels.)

I miss the sketchy grocery discount store, where you'd find some Triscuits with all the corners of the box caved in and a coupon for a movie you don't remember, and the 75¢ you pay for them is basically the price for not digging them out of a Dumpster and getting sticky or getting yelled at by an assistant manager. Once again, this is the lamest dystopia.

 

[Spiny Rumples]

Hell yeah! We used to have one around here and we nicknamed it "the smash-and-dent store" because that's what most of the inventory looked like. Incredibly cheap. Like 90% off retail. They eventually closed down though, so RIP.

The local bakery used to do something like that before they decided to be "profitable".
They would sell bags of broken cookie pieces for real cheap, as they wouldn't be sold otherwise. Also, at the end of the day, they donated the unsold goods. This may never have been legal, so they stopped it at that store, but it may be possible to score some free treats under the table at your local bakery if you ask nicely.

On a similar note, not all grocery stores have fences/security for their food dumpsters. They toss out all of the food that passed its best-by date fully packaged because it's easier. I have 1 friend who gets most of her food this way and 3 friends who tried it in other places and the bins were inaccessible.

 

[HumbleServantOfRizzler]

Anyone here have any tips on how to avoid spending money? It seems depression causes stress eating, so what is something low in calories and cheap but also without wheat in it that can be consumed in that way but not cause substantial weight gain?

 

[OrionBalls]

Oh. Is this real? Anyone from the EP area of NE Ohio can message me for any reason. I actually do have a ton of resources available, right now. NS is paying their dues, and you all know those class-actions are going nowhere. Actually, in general, if you reach out to me, it turns out I'm quite resourceful at finding aid for people. This is not a sarcastic response, for once.

 

[OrionBalls]

Anyone here have any tips on how to avoid spending money? It seems depression causes stress eating, so what is something low in calories and cheap but also without wheat in it that can be consumed in that way but not cause substantial weight gain?

Potatoes. Cheap, full of nutrients, and calorically cheap. ETA-

This may have been posted but if you have an Aldi or Lidl you can ususally get cheaper prices there then at other supermarkets.

That's only true for produce, and occasionally, some meats. Never go on Wednesday morning. That's the week start, for them.

 

[Kung Pow Cream]

Anyone here have any tips on how to avoid spending money? It seems depression causes stress eating, so what is something low in calories and cheap but also without wheat in it that can be consumed in that way but not cause substantial weight gain?

Popcorn. Especially if you buy kernels and pop them at home. I used to use oil and a pot to make my popcorn but then my family got me an air popped popcorn machine. In my area, we have jars of different flavored seasonings you can buy and sprinkle on the popcorn. There's also just salt as well.

 

[The Skeksis Emperor]

Second popcorn. I never used to like it much, but man does it make a difference when you can't afford other snacks. Plus popping it yourself is kinda fun.

Apple slices with cinnamon are also pretty low calorie but not all that filling unfortunately.

Also, it sounds lame but drinking tea when I wanted to stress eat helped me. Big mugs of tea of different flavours so you don't get sick of it.

 

[glass_houses]

This may have been posted but if you have an Aldi or Lidl you can ususally get cheaper prices there then at other supermarkets.

In Australia, unfortunately Aldi isn't much different to the other chains. They were when they first got here, but price creep has brought them up to much the same price as Woolies or Coles or IGA. What Aldi has going for it are the random heavily discounted 'special' item drops, where once or twice a year you can buy a usually expensive item for 20% of the normal price. Unfortunately there's no pattern to these sales, and catalogues aren't reliable either because some Aldis have all the stock of an item, while other Aldis have none. If you're an Aussie, it's worth cruising your local Aldi once a fortnight or so, but they won't really save you much money on your groceries. Also, they water down their milk even worse than Woolies does. Seriously, their milk is just water with some white colouring in it, it's disgusting.

Anyone here have any tips on how to avoid spending money? It seems depression causes stress eating, so what is something low in calories and cheap but also without wheat in it that can be consumed in that way but not cause substantial weight gain?

Seconding the popcorn. Don't get the microwave stuff, it is way overpriced and has a ton of delicious fat. Get the loose kernels and pop them on the stove with a little veggie oil.

Some people will tell you that you can make popcorn in the microwave in a paper bag which eliminates the need for oil, which is technically true but makes the popcorn taste exactly like the paper bag it was in. I'd personally advise against doing so.

Also, it sounds lame but drinking tea when I wanted to stress eat helped me. Big mugs of tea of different flavours so you don't get sick of it.

Also, this. A lot of people like herbal teas, but if herbal isn't your thing, there are infinite varieties of real tea to stroke your senses and soothe your oral fixation.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Anyone here have any tips on how to avoid spending money? It seems depression causes stress eating, so what is something low in calories and cheap but also without wheat in it that can be consumed in that way but not cause substantial weight gain?

To piggy-back on the potatoes, get carrots. Combined with potatoes, this makes a decent dish. Plus a raw carrot or two makes for a decent snack flooded with nutrients and vitamins and not many calories. (And if you're handy in a garden, you can keep a potato and your carrot tops, plant that shit and grow your own to save yourself more money.)

Also I drink coffee (in addition to Diet Coke, but this is a 'save money bcoz poorfag thread, so fuck the soda). Lots of coffee. Get the cheap shit. Sprinkle salt on the grounds prior to brewing to knock down some of the bitterness of that cheap shit. Don't overdo it on coffee grounds because this makes bitter tar that'll fry your tastebuds with the flavor of asshole - light is better, as long as it's not so light it can be mistaken for tea and tastes like badly flavored water. Fuck sugar because that adds calories (if you MUST have sweetness, get a big ass bag of store-brand stevia or something - but fuck it, because your taste buds will get used to shitty coffee). Also fuck creamer because that adds calories. Anyone can get used to black coffee with enough determination, and it'll murder your appetite ded.

 

[Chub Rub]

Adding on to the popcorn, the air popper has an initial cost, but it works better than the stove in my experience; a small one is like $20, and it makes the popcorn in three minutes, so about as long as a microwave would take anyway. And don't just use butter/salt, season that shit up. Savory popcorn, spicy popcorn, curry popcorn, whatever flavors you like to keep it interesting. Hit up your local Asian, Spanish, or Middle Eastern grocery stores for great spices at better prices than regular stores.

 

[Major]

I read on moneysavingexpert that some people pay good money for empty jam jars, perfume bottling, toilet roll tubes, etc on ebay and the like for making crafts.

Especially if they're old or in good shape

 

[glass_houses]

I read on moneysavingexpert that some people pay good money for empty jam jars, perfume bottling, toilet roll tubes, etc on ebay and the like for making crafts.

Especially if they're old or in good shape

These things come up on my give away community group every week or so. It's 50:50 if anyone takes them.