Michigan Close To Drug Testing Welfare Recipients

[+Malamute]

Many people don't have anywhere to plant food via apartment and sec 8 housing in general. Heck, they cant even afford water in Detroit!

 

Heh.

 

But yea,... I would love to see someone come up with a book on how to eat healthy on $100 a month.  Won't be easy.  It's less than ya think. It is one thing to survive and 'eat', it is another to be able to eat healthy.  Healthy tends to equal more money.  Variety becomes a huge issue.

[+Malamute]

One pound of butter is worth like 4 meals.  Heh. 

[Highlander]

Many people don't have anywhere to plant food via apartment and sec 8 housing in general. Heck, they cant even afford water in Detroit!

 

Heh.

 

But yea,... I would love to see someone come up with a book on how to eat healthy on $100 a month.  Won't be easy.  It's less than ya think. It is one thing to survive and 'eat', it is another to be able to eat healthy.  Healthy tends to equal more money.  Variety becomes a huge issue.

 

Yea...I just posted about single moms navigating three feet of snow with no sidewalks.  So if you're that single mom in Flint trying to get to to grocery store and back...you might get there...what...about once per week?  And then you get on the bus with bags of fresh veggies (if you find them and can afford them) and get off at the bus stop and then drag your tired a$$ through the snow to get home...and then cook-up a meal, assuming you have the right cooking equipment?   So, consider that this single mom is renting a house, which doesn't include any appliances....so then you need to buy a range....and find someone who can move that range to your home...So you need to find a willing person with a pickup truck........Or...more frequently...you have a $50 microwave and can heat up a TV dinner.  Replay the poverty cycle here.

[SimplyLost8]

is there some guide book for stretching food dollars? i'd like to read it , maybe i'll doo some internet sniffing for one.

 

buy one bag of seed potatoes in spring, plant them in ground. harvest 100s of potatoes in the fall

do it over and over, sell potatoes at farm market. home grown potatoes!

i use regular potatoes from grocery store in my garden, although i should probably use seed potatoes instead.

Too bad summer lasts 3 1/2 to 4 months, it took so long for the frost to come out of the ground last spring it certainly was hard to have a successful garden this summer starting with seeds, maybe should start tomatoe plants and beans for sure by feb, never had much success with potatoes, must be the crappy soil ( or lack there of) haha Edited December 6, 2014 by SimplyLost8

[Wild Bill]

Carrots are an economical option when you're broke. The cheapest is probably popcorn, regular, not microwave.

 

There used to be a chain called Burger Chef. They had what they called a Fixin's Bar where they had fresh toppings for your burger, tomato slices, onion, lettuce, pickles etc. We found out they would sell you a plain bun for a dime and you could add the toppings. You'd be amazed how many vegetables you can pile on a hamburger bun. A couple of packets of mayo, ketchup and some chopped pickles and you've got a salad with Thousand Island dressing for ten cents. (Circa 1975)

[+Malamute]

Handfuls of ketchup packets, mustard, salt, pepper, creamer, jelly and such is priceless.  ;-)

[t-pain]

this year i checked out the farmers almanac forcast for the year and learned it was going to be completely cold weather crops. so i just bought mostly cold crop seeds. the ground was so cold for so long, there went that idea of planting in spring at all. 

 

i've been grabbing empty plant pots out of peoples trash from the previous year (people toss the larger nursery pots in spring, and house plant pots at the end of the summer). so i just put dirt and compost into pots and then seeded the pots.

 

growing potatoes, carrots and tomatoes worked fine in containers for me, although with the weather, i did get less than last year.

green beans went crazy though. ate so many green beans. tomatoes had huge trouble this year, i think the tomato people say to grow cherry tomatoes for higher yield because beefsteak are more finicky.

 

so container gardens or raised beds are an option if the ground is too cold.

 

 

re: no room or ground to grow. 

wow i know this problem! i spent _months_ in the frozen january and february trying to find a community garden, but they all wanted $20-40 just to get a puny 4x6 plot! then they had a bunch of rules and b.s. to deal with. feck that! eventually i found a church that had a free community garden , but the jerks switched it up on me right when the season started and began charging people for it.

 

so forget community gardens for me. i went around and asked some elderly neighbor if i could dig up a corner of his sunny yard, and he agreed. he even volunteered to get out there and water the plants all summer! cant beat that arrangement.  so i got 20 good size rutabaga out of that plot, gave him a bunch and shared some with more neighbors. its hard to eat that many rutabaga! 

 

in detroit theres a lot of urban gardens on empty lots. you may have much better luck there, while water can be a problem, i've learned some techniques that dont require any watering (besides the rain) such as hugelkulture.

Edited December 6, 2014 by t-pain

[Highlander]

That's great.  I can't resist scrounging from the trash.  As a kid, we'd scuttle around the neighborhood and gather-up vacuum cleaners and then remove the clogs and try to resell them.  Now, I can't drive by a house with cat-litter buckets, planting pots, or those thick Styrofoam coolers without scooping them up.  I kinda feel like a depression baby now and have more plant pots and Styrofoam coolers than I could ever use.  But I keep scooping them up. 

[Highlander]

Carrots are an economical option when you're broke. The cheapest is probably popcorn, regular, not microwave.

 

There used to be a chain called Burger Chef. They had what they called a Fixin's Bar where they had fresh toppings for your burger, tomato slices, onion, lettuce, pickles etc. We found out they would sell you a plain bun for a dime and you could add the toppings. You'd be amazed how many vegetables you can pile on a hamburger bun. A couple of packets of mayo, ketchup and some chopped pickles and you've got a salad with Thousand Island dressing for ten cents. (Circa 1975)

Heh.  popcorn.  I remember when I was a kid, we'd pop the popcorn in a pan of oil.  Then we bought a popcorn popper from a garage sale for probably about 50 cents.  And we'd use salt packets from Mc Donalds to flavor the popcorn.  You know you're poor when you can't afford to buy salt.  Funny thing is, we never really felt poor....we'd pop the popcorn and play a board game, and we might have well been the richest complaints in the world.  I think maybe we were...and maybe still are.

[phaquetoo]

Yes Bob after a while you do quit trying and just make do with what you do have. Is it okay with you that I am sick and cannot work anymore? But I did work as a server since I was 18. It's been the last 10 years I haven't worked. Why don't you work? I wouldn't pass a drug test to work at McDs. I am just hoping to follow my family history and die at 65. CMON,DEATH!

Do I need to give you a call again?  do you need some loving, Im more than happy to give it to ya!  look into what you qualify for in aid from the state, you deserve it, dont ever think you dont deserve help from the state or gov, there are so many people who have lived on welfare for many generations, most cheat dont declare their income/hustling......so you should not feel bad getting what you deserve, you and your hubby worked all of your life, paid taxes and supported all of the others on the gov pay roll, now it is your time, and I sure hope as long as you can live a decent life you live longer than 65!

 

It is time to throw pride away, ask for help, look online for anything you can get!  I feel absolutly no guilt in getting back what I paid into our gov, Im hoping I live long enough to drain them dry! 

 

Peace

[phaquetoo]

Carrots are an economical option when you're broke. The cheapest is probably popcorn, regular, not microwave.

 

There used to be a chain called Burger Chef. They had what they called a Fixin's Bar where they had fresh toppings for your burger, tomato slices, onion, lettuce, pickles etc. We found out they would sell you a plain bun for a dime and you could add the toppings. You'd be amazed how many vegetables you can pile on a hamburger bun. A couple of packets of mayo, ketchup and some chopped pickles and you've got a salad with Thousand Island dressing for ten cents. (Circa 1975)

I worked for burger chef and jeff! lmao, until hardie's bought them, I also worked at the car wash next door to it, the car wash paid me cash every day and  burger chef game me a check once a wk lol, I think the minimum wage was like 2.65 and hr!

 

But I made plenty back than to buy my first car, I bought a 68 fire bird in 77 for 900 bucks!  gas was a lil under a dollar a gallon still and five bucks was like putting 40 in your tank now!

 

oh we also had the top chef burger there..it was unfrozen burger brought in weekly lol, we went from frying to the charcoal chain cooking while I worked there....when hardies bought them or vise versa we went from frying to putting burgers on a chain like assembly line when the burgers came out the other end they were cooked and ready for the bun, oh the good ole days, I still remember the girl there I had a crush on! 

 

How come I can remember that long ago and cant remember what I did last night?

 

Peace

[jointedone]

PHAQ.

[phaquetoo]

phaq what! lol

 

Peace

[imiubu]

this year i checked out the farmers almanac forcast for the year and learned it was going to be completely cold weather crops. so i just bought mostly cold crop seeds. the ground was so cold for so long, there went that idea of planting in spring at all. 

 

i've been grabbing empty plant pots out of peoples trash from the previous year (people toss the larger nursery pots in spring, and house plant pots at the end of the summer). so i just put dirt and compost into pots and then seeded the pots.

 

growing potatoes, carrots and tomatoes worked fine in containers for me, although with the weather, i did get less than last year.

green beans went crazy though. ate so many green beans. tomatoes had huge trouble this year, i think the tomato people say to grow cherry tomatoes for higher yield because beefsteak are more finicky.

 

so container gardens or raised beds are an option if the ground is too cold.

 

 

re: no room or ground to grow. 

wow i know this problem! i spent _months_ in the frozen january and february trying to find a community garden, but they all wanted $20-40 just to get a puny 4x6 plot! then they had a bunch of rules and b.s. to deal with. feck that! eventually i found a church that had a free community garden , but the jerks switched it up on me right when the season started and began charging people for it.

 

so forget community gardens for me. i went around and asked some elderly neighbor if i could dig up a corner of his sunny yard, and he agreed. he even volunteered to get out there and water the plants all summer! cant beat that arrangement.  so i got 20 good size rutabaga out of that plot, gave him a bunch and shared some with more neighbors. its hard to eat that many rutabaga! 

 

in detroit theres a lot of urban gardens on empty lots. you may have much better luck there, while water can be a problem, i've learned some techniques that dont require any watering (besides the rain) such as hugelkulture.

Thank you... I will be doing this in the spring!

I container grow on my front porch and did not do well this year as I have previously.

I will be starting everything indoors this year... heck why not, I have containers, dirt and lights already!

My petite peppers did much better than others as did my grape and roma tomatoes.

I shop curbside also and re purpose a good deal of things.

 

That's great.  I can't resist scrounging from the trash.  As a kid, we'd scuttle around the neighborhood and gather-up vacuum cleaners and then remove the clogs and try to resell them.  Now, I can't drive by a house with cat-litter buckets, planting pots, or those thick Styrofoam coolers without scooping them up.  I kinda feel like a depression baby now and have more plant pots and Styrofoam coolers than I could ever use.  But I keep scooping them up. 

One mans trash... lol. 

I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing I am in good company with ya'll trash pickers !

 

My neighbor lady called me yesterday while she was on her daily foray around the neighborhood to tell me the vets office had some cages out for free.

She has a keen sense with her curbside capabilities and has honed them well, lol.  I grabbed both gerbil (?) cages and am re purposing them to scrog

screens.  Hey, maybe not perfect but it'll do well enough

Those styrofoam coolers are handy for a bunch of purposes!

 

 

On to the OP so's to not derail this thread (any further, lol)

 

I have been on both ends of this spectrum.  I have eaten healthy and I have eaten to survive.

There is no quick fix and it is a rigged game imho.  I know saying that doesn't add to the discussion

nor have I offered up any solutions.  As always, I believe education is key, and most vital.  Yes, teach

a man to fish and to fish for those less fortunate when able.  Ah, in a perfect world huh?

Until the AMA recognizes the importance of proper nutrition by teaching dr's, nurses and oh... NUTRITIONISTS

instead of just giving lip service to it, I don't see many trained properly nor do I see any long term solutions.

If I were a conspiracist (LOL) I might believe it is all part of a scheme to feed us into the medical/ pharma co

machinery buy keeping us fat and unhealthy. 

 

 

 

As I stated previously, in my humble opinion, this is a despicable piece of legislation.

[trichcycler]

"There is no quick fix and it is a rigged game " 

[phaquetoo]

I just have to say,,,,,,,,,,,,,I have worked since I was 13 yrs old....I quit school in 10th grade, I had no credits!  after filling out my first couple of job apps, I totaly felt like a retard having to put 9th grade education on my apps...I got into a ceta program in roscomon county and got my g.e.d 2 yrs before my class graduated, ( I had to wait until sept after my class graduated to get my diploma) I had a pocket cert that said I have my g.e.d! while in that ceta program(it was for youths 16 to 19) I was taught construction, we rebuilt homes that the county condemned and they sold them to support the program, I also got to work with the water dept in roscomon county, I learned a trade in the contruction and dry wall/painting, I used them skills the rest of my life!  I got in the ceta program 3 summers in a row and in the winter friends and I cut firewood and sold it, I lived on my own and had a brand new car with payments of 169 a month plus ins, plus I had electric and heating responsibilitys in the home I lived in,

 

I dont feel Im better than any one else in this world and I also dont feel any one is better than me, you dont measure success by how much money you have in the bank or how much you are in debt to live the kind of life you live!

 

If my ssdi checks stopped tomorow I would have no choice but to get out and get an income to support me and mine......I have no doubt in my mind I could get work and pay within 2 wks, and I would be willing to bet a weeks pay on that!  I would have an income whether I worked for some one or worked for my self, I have no doubt in my mind I could work any where any one put me, as long as there is any kind of population I can find a job and have!

 

I am disabled, and Im not talking about pts who are disabled, Im so tired of people that are healthy enough bi tchin about not being able to find a job, I am pos I could do it no matter what race, religion or creed I am!

 

As far as people who need help from the state/feds they shouldnt have to worry about where their next meal is coming from or how long untill we can afford to live in our homes that we bought before being disabled, and losing our income.

 

Help starts at home, we need to take care of our own, if there is anything left than we can help others!

 

Peace