Friday’s post ran down some of my favorite recipes but here’s the thing…times are tight. A lot of people were struggling before this game of chicken blew up our international relations. While I’m not saying it’s time to panic literally all of the Black women I follow say we need to prepare for unpredictable times. Store away extra sugar, flour, canned goods, that sort of thing. And you know I listen when Black women share.

Anyway, while I was picking up diced tomatoes and chicken broth I stumbled across the following on Threads. It’s a post filled with ideas for when you’re eating on a tight budget. Here are just a few of the 1000+ comments.

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“I cannot stress enough that if you’re new to being poor, what you wanna do is get a big bag of rice, and some Knorr powdered bouillon, any flavor (beef, chicken, tomato). Those two things will carry you through for a while.

Should we do a struggle meal thread? Hmm, share some staple ideas in the comments if you’d like, I’d just say keep it simple, cheap things in price ranges people with low funds can actually afford… and don’t start bickering, I’ll block that shit.” – fleauxasaurus

  • “You can  make your own brown sugar with granulated white sugar and a teaspoon of molasses, mix mix mix.”  – fleauxasaurus
  • “One of the best pieces of advice I would share is save your veggie scraps. Onion/garlic peels, carrot skins, celery ends, etc. Bag it all in a big freezer Ziploc and then make your own broth with that. Bonus if you can get chicken bones/carcass from meals, save those as well. I’ve been doing this for years. I accumulate enough that I can make a big batch of broth and it yields me 12-15 cups after that I just save in Ziploc bags in the freezer (3 cup batches). I use it to make rice for meals.”  – bananas.for_books
  • “One of my favorites in college was a packet of Mahatma Yellow Rice (saffron-ish) and a can of black beans mixed together. Nowadays I could make each of those things from scratch (and batch it up & freeze some) for even cheaper. Big pots of beans are where it’s at.”  – clairesextonarts
  • “When I was a single mom with young kids, I’d save leftover taco meat. When I finally had 14-16 oz, I’d make a big pot of taco soup. One can each of Rotel, corn, black beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans. Since the meat had taco seasoning, add one packet ranch reasoning. Rinse each bean can with 1/3 can water. Simmer for 2-3 hours (shorter if you can’t wait) and serve with tortilla chips and cheese if you have it.”  – madscientistamy
  • “Don’t discount those frozen store brand veggies. They’re frozen fresh, & you can stock up on their 10/$10 kind of deals & stock pile. Same with canned tuna/chicken/soups, powdered potatos, rice, etc. Check damaged + clearance sections every store has. Frozen carrots/peas, potato variety, canned tuna or chicken. Seasoning for the potatos: tuna goes well with ginger, garlic, and butter/oil. Chicken goes well with Italian blend, and/or garlic, onion, and butter/oil. Salt & pepper are your friends.”  – emilylmahr
  • “Black beans, can Rotel tomatoes or fresh tomatoes and green chiles if that’s cheaper, cumin etc. Serve over rice.”  – leahshofstahl

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This whole thread is crowdsourcing at its finest, people coming together to share tips and knowledge. Check it out and see what you think.

https://www.threads.com/@fleauxasaurus/post/DJLDp9cPmhj?xmt=AQGzygBcMTS3KQ21-20caCA8J_Ka3i97vG-94BJZO_9m8A