Hey guys! I need some help. I got into an argument with my mom yesterday (about me wearing leggings, but I'm not so sure that that argument was the cause rather than sort of a "tipping point"), and I've now gotten my car taken away and I have to pay for and make my own food. I'm not exactly sure why - I asked my mom and she just said "you're 17." in a kind of scathing tone of voice. shrugs

Anyway, I need help with making meal plans/buying cheap but nutritional food (so no ramen cups and frozen pizzas, if I can get away with it). Right now with my job, I'm only making about 50 to 60 dollars every two weeks, with the occasional babysitting job to supplement. (I can also start doing art commissions, provided I can find a stable, non-school internet connection to use drawing applets)

So, anybody have any tips/tricks/specific recipes for eating cheap without sacrificing my health?

Thanks guys,

William

check out budgetbytes, the blogger cooks a lot of cheap, healthy(ish) food on a budget. She uses a lot of canned veggies to cut costs and each meal she makes is enough for 5-7 portions and usually freezer friendly too. All the recipes I've tried have tasted great - I'll usually sub fresh veggies for the canned ones because I'm not on a strict budget, but I'm sure canned ones taste fine too. I would say the majority of her recipes are quite simple to cook as well.

While you're at it, see if you can get the police or CPC involved. You are a minor. Not feeding you is legally considered neglect and potentially child endangerment/abandonment.

Who owns the car? I would second Mockery's suggestion..your parents must feed you if you're a minor. You can check your state's law on the definition of 'minor' here.

On a side note, seriously ingratiate yourself to someone you can move in with and get away from your parents as soon as you're an adult.

OKAY. so turns out the whole thing was a misunderstanding thanks to my mom - she was talking to my dad and he said "well they can get their own damn food", being sarcastic, and my mom took that as him being completely serious. Yesterday we had a discussion about family stuff and so that's all resolved!! c:

thanks for your concern!

x'D Why on earth would someone take that totally seriously, holy hell...

Kale is SUPER CHEAP (and super healthy) if you buy it fresh. (in the bundle) where im at, its 95cents a bunch and it lasts for quiet a while. it tastes great and you can also put it in the oven with seasoning and make chips.

For a while i lived off of tuna packets (those are like 5 for 5) and kale salads.....

- honestly I'm not sure?? My mom can be like that sometimes :'))))

- I LOVE LOVE LOVE kale. like, unconditionally.

Good! Its mega healthy for you.

If you have to penny pinch (which i have in college), you don't have to eat nasty unhealthy food.

The trick is looking whats on sell that week and try to get foods that can be shared through the meals (Such as tuna/kale for lunch then chicken and kale rollup for dinner). Plan out what you're wanting to buy for the supermarket run. A lot of people just dont wanna take the time/effort to make 'raw' food and if you have a little bit of extra time you save a bundle.

Chicken is always cheap, and if you're willing to clean a whole chicken, you can eat off it for days. If you buy something like already cleaned breasts, its 50%-75% more. Eggs as well, you can do anything with those and they are cheap and packet full of protein.

Normally i see whats on sell during that time of year though. In my area during the summer, you can get corn husks 10 for 1 dollar. If you live in the north states its harder to see those prices, so i advise going for frozen veggies. They have just as much vitamins but can be cheaper.

If you eat healthy, you'll gonna need 'less to survive' on. Say a tuna packet can keep you feed and full without wanting snacks, but a ramon noodle will make you hungry in a few hours.

I think my palate is different from yours BUT, a really cheap and cheerful meal for a few days is a pasta dish. Literally grab your fav meat, slap in a bunch of veggies to your taste and add tomato sauce. Have it with rice or paste and freeze a few containers worth to reheat. You've got your protein, vegetables and carbs all rolled into one. My big guy and I eat LOADs, but I always find these meals simple, filling and tasty!

I'm glad it was just a misunderstanding. It was sounding quite scary there.

Im glad its sort of sorted out for you, but perhaps you could find out what upset your mum? as you said there may be an underlying issue here, if your 17, she may be thinking its time for you to help around the house a bit and give her a break? Obviously I dont know all the circumstances, you may be the perfect son ;0) but I bet she'd love it if you offered to cook one night so she could put her feet up lol. [and wash up after] :0( Pasta, mince beef, jar of pasta sauce done.

I usually save money by going to the farmers market. Its basically a Hong Kong market. Its cheaper than the grocery store and has a bigger selection of food. Its not hard to make vegetables. I've kinda become a vegetarian for now since meat is a little complicated to cook. If you get the chance, you should get some sweet chili chicken sauce. You can use it on anything. And if your chicken doesn't turn out the way you plan it will still taste good.

Umm I think a glitch happened when I was posting. It just posted twice. Ignore the one below this post.

I usually save money by going to the farmers market. Its basically a Hong Kong market. Its cheaper than the grocery store and has a bigger selection of food. Its not hard to make vegetables. I've kinda become a vegetarian for now since meat is a little complicated to cook. If you get the chance, you should get some sweet chili chicken sauce. You can use it on anything. And if your chicken doesn't turn out the way you plan, it will still taste good.