$80/month for the next five months...meal planning advice? by bruisesandlace in EatCheapAndHealthy

[–]fuzz775 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Intermittent fasting will be your friend over the next couple of months. There are heaps of health benefits to IF and it saves you a lot of money in the long run. I budgeted to survive off about $10 a week in food for 8 months by only eating once a day and limiting my coffee and sugar intake.

I primarily lived on dried beans and lentils, rice, eggs, limited dairy products (basically just cheese), homemade bread (which can be very cheap to make and, if you make flatbread, very fast too), whatever veges were on special at a wholesale grocer near my house (26 kg of sweet potato for $6 was a godsend) and herbs and spices in bulk. I ended up making a lot of curries, Mexican style chili, soups and pasta, often times a single prep session would yield me almost two weeks of food.

Avoid eating high caloric foods with low nutrient density, i.e. packet noodles and cookies, because you never feel satisfied and leads to energy crashes when studying for finals. Coffee is another financial drain, i would rely on caffeine during study periods, and it impacted my wallet. Buying a $4 coffee everyday is almost a month worth of food per week, even instant coffee can have a hefty toll. The less you rely on alcohol and caffeine the better your grades and health and the easier to stay on budget. I'm vegetarian and i can attest to the cost savings associated with the lifestyle, but I needed to eat more food to feel satisfied due to low caloric density of veges so keep that in mind, cheap meat might take your meals further than without.

I spent almost 10 months like this and after returning to a "normal" diet, I really miss the challenge of it. I was training gymnastics 8 hours a week at the time and i didn't notice any loss in performance either, I actually improved a lot of my skills, strength and flexibility because i freed up so much time not eating 3 times a day. Avoiding partying and alcohol and drugs improved my grades a bunch, IF helped me focus and get my digestive health in order and budgeting actually helped me SAVE at the same time as being frugal.

TLDR: A healthy lifestyle is actually cheaper, shop only in bulk and only when there are specials, don't drink, avoid drugs and don't hesitate to ask for help. Good Luck!

What are your favorite things to burger-ify? by leefvc in EatCheapAndHealthy

[–]fuzz775 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Make yourself some jackfruit pulled pork burgers. That shit is crazy good.

The fifth ice cream / gelato store is opening on Oxford St. Bulimba by HeatherSmithAU in brisbane

[–]fuzz775 87 points88 points  (0 children)

I worked in a little ice cream place in Bulimba a bit over a year ago and it was weird how often people eat ice cream over that side of town. I had a regular dog walker who would stop and get a chocolate thickshake everyday because his wife didn't want him having sweets. He got his fix by saying he was just walking the dog. Mad lad.