As a poverty stricken former-student and current unemployed academic, I have weathered many a hard time. I once lived for over a year on $20 a week. So here are my favorite low cost recipes and tips for the adventurous hobo.
First of all:
1. Remember that if you make it yourself it is typically cheaper. Bread, biscuits, soup, desserts, etc. all cost considerably less when made from scratch. However, they do require more time and knowhow.
2. Think of the basics. Traditional "peasant" foods tend to cost little and supply vital nutrients (we'll get to some examples in a sec). Beans, grains, legumes, and vegetables can be purchased in bulk at a discounted rate and usually have a high yield, which means they stretch over several meals.
3. You should know that putting together a good meal out of very little is an outstanding life skill, so you may be as depressed as I am about not having a paycheck, but you can at least walk away with a nice little certificate of achievement from the School of Hard Knocks.
4. Communal living really is an ideal situation for low wage earners. If you can find someone, anyone, willing to split costs on groceries, you'll be better off. When I had roommates, we would rotate making and sharing meals and would pitch in to buy ingredients in bulk. Why not find a friend or neighbor willing to go in on a sack of flour or a bag of rice? When the times get rough, go co-op.
5. A greener lifestyle is not only good for the planet it's good for your bank account. You might be shocked to hear this, but I don't own a car. I have never owned a car and I am glad I don't own a car. I save thousands of dollars a year on insurance, gas, maintenance and loan payments. I also do not contribute to carbon emissions through car waste. I ride my bike, walk and use public transit and I have no problem getting around. Also, I buy second hand clothing and furniture, another win-win for the planet and the wallet. I use energy saving lightbulbs, turn off and unplug unused electronics and use a pressure cooker to conserve natural resources and save on my electric bill.
6. If you're unemployed, like me, why not take all this free time to learn a life skill? If you thought you didn't need to know it before, taking the time to learn to bake your own bread, sew on a button, knit a hat or cut hair can actually save you money. I cut my husband's hair with an electric hair clipper that I purchased for $20. He was lucky that I am somewhat skilled at this, but we cut down on cost substantially. That little investment has already paid for itself. Think about all the things in daily life that have been taken over by corporate brands. Do we really need to buy all of our food prepackaged and ready-to-eat at a higher cost with less nutritional value?
7. The freezer is your friend. Buy in bulk, cook in bulk and freeze for future meals. Soups can easily be made in double batches and frozen in single servings. Homemade pizza dough, bread dough, cookie dough or any other kind of dough can be made and then frozen.
- 8. Eat by season. Foods in season tend to be cheaper. So, in Fall squash, apples, cabbage, dark greens, pumpkins, leeks, artichokes, beets, celery root, turnips and carrots are in season. Sounds like some good soup fixins.
On to the recipes:
Sweet and Sour Cabbage
I made this just the other day, and boy was it a lifesaver! I was looking for something easy on the pocketbook, yet interesting. This is a traditional Eastern European recipe of Germanic origin (read: peasant food). The cabbage was most likely flavored with bacon or fatback, but for our purposes a little olive oil will do.
Ingredients:
1 large head of red cabbage $1-3.00
1/4 cup olive oil (this is the pricier ingredient. A good olive oil costs $7-8, any oil will do)
2 cloves of garlic $0.50 a bulb
2 small apples $1.00
1/2 cup apple cider (a half gallon bottle costs aroun $3-5.00)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (one bottle costs $1.25)
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp coriader
2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Slice the head of cabbage lengthwise and cut out the core. Peel back the top leaves and discard. Roughly cube the cabbage and rinse thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt and let sit.
Peel and core the apples (I prefer Granny Smith for their tartness), dice.
Dice the garlic.
Put oil or butter in a deep pot and heat on medium high heat. Brown garlic.
Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the vinegar.
Boil covered for 15-20 mins.
Add vinegar and heat until liquid has evaporated.
Be careful to not overcook the cabbage or it will become bitter.
Here is my result:
Mmmmmmmmm, Cabbage.
Next: Squash.
Squash is pretty cheap, tasty and very high in nutrients. As it is October, I think it's a good idea to include my favorite squash recipe:
Butternut Squash with Brown Sugar, Butter and Cinnamon. (this meal costs about $3)
slice the squash lengthwise, put inner side down in a buttered baking dish. Put in oven at 400degrees. Cook for 15 mins. Turn squash and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Continue baking until brown and delicious.
SOUP:
I cannot say enough good things about soup. I'm going to get a tshirt that says "I Heart Soup." You just gotta love soup. Every culture on the planet has soup. I might even venture to guess that the first real form of cooking in human history was the making of soup. You have a pot, you have some water and you have a few tasty things to dump in, and BAM! You have a meal. What's not to love. The following are a few of my (cheap) favorites.
Onion Soup:
- Ingredients:
- 4-5 Onions (a sack costs around $4)
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup butter or oil
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 6-8 cups water + 1/4 cup
Peel the onions and slice thinly in rounds. Heat oil in a pot. Add flour, oil and 1/4 cup water. Stir until a thick paste. Cook the roux until it turns a golden brown. Add onions and continue to cook while the onions carmelize. Once carmelized and cooked down, add the rest of the water, and garlic. Simmer for 30 mins. Add Tamari, you can adjust to taste. The tamari give the soup a beefy taste and mimics the traditional french soup. For added authenticity, put a toasted slice of baguette covered in cheese (or cheese substitute) and ladle soup over the toast. Voila! Cheap and easy.
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