Comments on: Should I Be Able To Use Basics That I Have Purchased, But Don’t Bring With Me When I Travel? Day 58: Eating Well On $1 A Day

By: Just me

Just me — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:20:30 +0000

Yes but you’d have to subtract out the same amount of stuff you used while house sitting so that it didn’t increase the overall amount of that item that you had available to you, and you couldn’t use anything that you didn’t already have.

By: Shirley

Shirley — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:48:58 +0000

Jeffrey, may I make a suggestion? Try to keep some small bottles of some staples in a Sterilite crate or a box and make sure a little of all of your staples are kept there for your trips. A small bottle of oil, a few baggies with spices and salt and pepper in them. A little of other things that are dry in baggies such as flour, sugar, cereals, corn bread mix, biscuit mix, etc. That way all you will have to put in are refrigerator foods, breads, and frozen foods.
If you run out of your basic foods before you can replenish you will have the stored foods to use but don’t forget to replenish when you do take some out whether at home or a trip.

By: Shirley

Shirley — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:12:46 +0000

I voted no but I think you should keep track of what you use that you didn’t bring with you and measure out the same exact amounts when you get home and take it to your sister. Then you would have used only the same amounts you bought. But I have a bone to pick with your sister. She brings her kids over and lets them eat your food. Not that I mind the kids eating them but your sister should replace every bite of food she or her kids eat out of your $1 a day supplies.

By: Aurore

Aurore — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:18:53 +0000

Jeffery, you are doing a really great job of proving your sister wrong. You can cook and shop. Making game of it helps, learning to cook teaches yourself a lot about yourself and doing plans and preparing the night before will save you a lot of trouble the next morning when your brain hasn’t started to function yet.

Plan, plan, plan.
Pack the dry goods the night before. The old cut up cereal boxes is a good idea. Maybe find an old milk crate or get one of the bookshelf crates from Wal-mart. You can carry your things alot better.

So what you forgot a few things. Accidents happen. Just ask the owners if you can use some salt or oil.

Spend a little money on a whole chicken. If you go to Flylady.net, you might find the recipe called “Rubber Chicken” or follow to another website call Dinner Diva by Leaanna. They show how to take a whole chicken and make it stretch over three days.

You can do anything for 15 minutes, it still better than not doing anything.

By: Diana

Diana — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:44:11 +0000

@Shara
“If you can’t get home for lunch and a friend offered to buy one for you, that wouldn’t be legal either”

Actually, he is allowed to have lunch/other bought for him – most recently seen whilst away for work and getting chicken and veggies for lunch. Either way though, it would not be illegal! I don’t think PC Plod cares about it, considering it’s not a law… Nor, does it break any rules (which, again, are not governed by laws but rather sibling competitiveness).

By: Barb

Barb — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:14:07 +0000

I voted yes mainly because your sister is so mean.
On keeping your basics organized: maybe cut down some light cardboard boxes (even old cereal boxes) to make shallow trays and habitually put refrigerated condiments in them instead of in fridge pockets. Like ketchup, mustard, other bottles. Do the same for cupboard condiments. Easy to lift out of the box-base when you want to use, easy to pick up the group/box when you are packing in a rush into a larger box or ice chest. Once you get organized this way count the boxes and memorize (note to self: always pick up 3 boxes!) so that you don’t forget them at either end of your trip.

By: beth

beth — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:47:57 +0000

I voted no because it’s your challenge to do the right thing or do without. It’s just like when you gave up that ice cream for the sake of $0.07.

I agree with most of the other commenters that you need to plan a little more. (I toss stones at you from my glass house.)

You planned a little bit, now take the next step and plan a little more: Because this is an important part of your journey. Not the doing without salt part, but the thinking ahead part.

Just imagine where you’ll be six months from now, looking back at these posts and gratefully wondering why you didn’t travel further faster.

By: Angela

Angela — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:17:35 +0000

I voted “no” for the first time (just like some others) for one simple reason.
You mentioned that it was just simple available spices that you forgot to pack with you. The thing is, before you splurged on buying those spices for yourself you had to go without, even while housesitting.
To me it would be different if we were talking about a necessity, but we aren’t, we are talking about spices which are a luxury.

Sorry.

By: Gail

Gail — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:09:21 +0000

My feeling is that most people trying to live on a dollar a day unless they are homeless aren’t going off to other’s houses to live for a couple of days at a time. At this point you have already proved you can live without oil and spices and three days worth isn’t going to break your dollar a day rules.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:54:19 +0000

I’ve been wondering ever since I read it in your blog, how do you eat corn one kernel at a time> And doesn’t it take a long time to eat that way>