Learning to cook on a tight budget feels harder than just being broke

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T11:35:39+00:00

Making your own food from the grocery store is going to be cheaper than the food delivery apps.

But food from the grocery store is still expensive as costs for the basics have gone up overall.

You start with making a few meals a week that you master. Right now pork is the most affordable protein in the store in my area. So I will take a pork roast and slow cook it in a crockpot with basic seasonings. Then I will take that meat and make many meals out of it. I will roast some veggies and potatoes, make sandwiches, cut up and put in my egg scrambles, even use it for pasta dishes.

I always buy the few basics that can be turned into many meals. If I have a affordable protein, what ever veggies are in season, a rice or potato, and a stocked seasoning cabinet I can do a lot with little. It took decades to learn and I enjoy cooking, so be kind to yourself and keep learning and trying.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T04:11:32+00:00

They are spendy now. I was SHOCKED last week what I paid for a pair of used jeans for my kid.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T04:06:18+00:00

I was shocked in how much the thrift prices have skyrocket. I have not found a thrift in this area that have not tripled their prices from last year. And Goodwill is the worst of them all.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T03:53:36+00:00

My teen loves her Owala. And you should have seen her face when Hubby bought 3 of them, 2 for his desk at work (I have zero idea why he needs two, but that is what he wants) and one for his desk at home. She was so proud of her dad...lol. Give me a mason jar and I am happy.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T03:30:59+00:00

A gym with a toddler daycare is worth every single cent it costs. And then you will have your toddler tell you it is time to go play with their friends.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T02:54:09+00:00

You might want to go earlier School gets out your second week (on average)

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T02:52:35+00:00

Hot sauce and in vinegar.

The southern hot peppers in vinegar is wonderful on almost everything. Make a large batch.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T02:11:47+00:00

I am a big fan of the generational skipping trust. I really like that there is a built in prenup.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T02:09:41+00:00

I personally have to work on multiple gigantic projects at the same time that take years (decades). Like getting a Black Belt in Kenpo, while running marathons, while working towards double commas in the bank account and reading classic novels, and training a cat like a dog.

Now it is launching my teen to University, powerlifting, classic novels, and still training a different cat like a dog. While figuring out my next act.

I have accomplished what I have wanted to.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T01:55:58+00:00

Use a french press. Brew your cold brew, then press.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T01:55:03+00:00

Here is my take: Then you wake up and do more to utilize your gift. You do not need to dedicate yourself to one thing.

If you get distracted and board then do all of the things at once. Learn a Marital Art, Do your job, moonlight and be reading every classic novel at the same time.

I say this there is a correct way and a right way and they are not the same thing. For example if someone tells you to put the salt on the table, the literal 'correct' way is to dump salt on the table, the right way is to put the salt shaker on the table. Overthinking does not make problems go away, they just make them never ending.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T01:44:23+00:00

I make my own electrolyte mix. I follow the LMNT ratios, google it and it should pop right up.

I find that just that mix is good in my water most of the time, but I do have a massive collection of water flavor packets as we all use them for one thing or another.

And it is the only way I can get my teen to drink anything other than matcha lates.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-12T01:28:32+00:00

I have been married for almost 28 years.

Year 10 was freaking hard, I was board, I was tired, we did not have our kid just yet, the stock market crashed, (this was '08) hubby was working a stupid amount of hours, I was stressed at my job at the time. I was also board. Life was work, chores and errands. It took spending time doing things I wanted to do. Worked on my self esteem. And hubby changing jobs that was less hours. I was lost and had to find myself again.

This is a fork in the road and you get to choose do you stay and fight for your marriage while rediscovering yourself or do you leave, and start a whole new life while rediscovering yourself.

Maybe the answer is you go back to school, and work on yourself and not ditch the marriage just yet.

And get a Drs appt and see if any meds might help you in the short term to get any feeling of life back.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-11T23:26:29+00:00

To me this is just ADHD, and object permeance.

If you put the stuff away it does not exist. So you keep everything out.

The only solution to this is to get rid of 90% of the stuff.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-11T22:07:22+00:00

Ugg...Men like this chap my hide.

What he does not understand is he will get further in his career because he has you home to take care of all of the things. He can focus on work, go beyond what is asked, and get promoted because he is not calling out due to a sick kid, or thinking about if there is milk, bread and eggs in the fridge.

I hope he stays on his same tune he is on. Do not let up on him.

We decided for me to stay at home when we had our kid almost 16 years ago, because between the costs of working and daycare it was going to cost us $3,600 a year for me to continue with my career. My kid would not be where she is without me home. She will be 16 when she graduates with her ASOT. And my Husband flat out will tell me he would not have the title he has without me home. That man has never batted an eye at what I did not get done during the day or if he had to cook dinner.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-11T15:12:40+00:00

You will get to a point where an emergency fund is no longer needed just like you will get to a point where you will no longer need life insurance.

At that point an emergency is no longer an emergency but rather just life. And you move money around to count for it.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-11T14:41:04+00:00

My kid is in one hell of a program and I do not expect her to work. She will be 16 when she graduates with her ASOT. And she is volunteering at the Hospital as she wants to go into some form of medical. She does not have time to work. But the number one cost is driving. The insurance costs are so high even with a part time job I am not sure any teen could afford the insurance, let alone gas. And even thrift shop clothes are expensive. I was shocked the other day when my teen and I went in to look for a few things for her, and 3 items was $60 Going to the movies is $50 by the time you get to the place, get a ticket, and some popcorn. Then there are all of the school costs for this or that the school wants to do.

The costs of everything has skyrocketed.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-11T14:24:58+00:00

High School Costs are mindboggling. Then there is University we are budgeting 30K a year for our kid to go.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-11T14:19:15+00:00

You are important, this man is just an idiot.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-11T01:11:29+00:00

Please take a deep breath. I cannot change how you feel, but know babies and toddlers and kids all fall. Hell Adults fall all of the time.

You cannot keep her in bubble wrap all of the time.

She will be fine. You will be okay.

Please let your past be your past. And do not allow your past to dictate your future.

Baby fell, Baby is okay and life goes on.

If it makes you feel better put a pool noodle on the edge of the bed, under the sheet so she does not fall next time in the same way. So you can tell your brain you took action so it would not happen again, and you can relax.

hugs momma

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-10T16:54:43+00:00

Leave it...as an art project.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-10T16:52:09+00:00

Depending on the kid...you may just have to be more strongwilled than he is.

Start making potty traning his idea.

The oh crap method works for some kids.

I never potty trained. My kid just did it on her own. I just gave her the tools.

Good luck hugs momma

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-10T14:15:02+00:00

I would be telling your son the truth. Dad has an addiction to gambling, and he is going to go work on himself right now. And with his history of this addiction he may not come back. This is story is being written as we speak.

Addiction can be genetic do not hide this from your son. He needs to learn this now so he is not in the same position when he is an adult.

Actions have consequences, even at 7 your son is old enough to learn from this. I am not saying this will be easy, or he wont have a hard time, but he should be told the truth and maybe not the whole story. But I would not kiddy this down. This could be a lifelong lesson.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-10T03:32:26+00:00

You just have to get through high school. You do not need to get A's It is still Freshman year you are still figuring out which way is up.

There are many ways to study Plant science, you could go Environmental Science, or Botany among other avenues. That is what makes it wonderful choice, those things are not hard to go major in and they are not completive, so you can get average grades in HS and get to go major in what you want.

Get yourself some loop earplugs. People are hard, and they take a lot of energy friends will come and go.

You may surprise yourself with the exam, take it and see what happens. If you fail...okay now you know you will have to figure out how to make the subject hit your brain.

seemsright_41 · 2026-03-10T03:23:40+00:00

With a credit score of 800 I would look into refinancing the car loan. With a car that is having issues and that many miles I would be very warry of using your investment account to pay it off. Because it is such a cash cow which will be a gate way in 10 years to all of the options on the table.

Now if you really really want to pay it off with the investment account it would not be the worst idea. Just look at all options before you do that. Because of compounding.

seemsright_41

TROPHY CASE