Eating like that, no, you can't live like this. At least, not for long.
That's not food.
If anyone is actually on the struggle bus don't get ramen. Get rice. Buy the biggest fucking bag of rice from the local Asian store you can find. You can make enough rice to last multiple days in one sitting and the bag will last you several months to a year depending on if you have family or not
If you can spring for it buy some high protein beans or lentils or some other legume and mix them, almost every society on the planet no matter the geography invented rice and beans because it's so damn easy to store for long periods of time and will get you the protein and calories you need to survive.
Is it fun? No. But it will get you fed and it's an excellent base to throw in other things to spice it up. Get a little extra money and can afford a bit of meat and veggies? Sauteed them up and you get a full blown meal with a side dish and a porkchop/fish filet/chicken breast with your rice.
Make sure to put the rice in a freezer if you're going to store it for a long time. This is important to prevent bugs, especially in hot and damp weather. If that's not possible, sprinkle some dried chilis or peppers.
People make fun of this. But if you are on a poverty budget, you have to buy cheap calorically rich food as you would starve on expensive healthy options. Not to mention, most poor people live in grocery food deserts where the closest food market is a dollar general that doesn't carry fresh/healthy food.
Edit: Since people seem to think they've solved the food insecurity for 34 million Americans. I'll continue to go with organization international and domestic that actually studied this.
No, you wouldn't. The same amount of money going to dry beans and grains, some dairy and eggs, and some cheap protein goes much further. You'd even have enough left for fresh veggies and seasonings.
The intersection of poor and can't cook is just depressingly shitty and too common.
So I live in the US. I have 2 friends that got scurvy in 2017. How did they get scurvy you might ask? Let me tell you. They live about 30 mins from the grocery store in a car. Which they don’t have. The closest person that can take them grocery shopping lives about 2 hours away. Plus they’re poor as shit.
To save money they spent 3 months eating nothing but homemade biscuits (scones for non Americans). The lack of vitamin c gave them scurvy.
They live on a fixed income. My state tightened requirements for food stamps. They were fucked.
I will say that the UN came to my state several years ago. They literally called it the 3rd world and said it was the most impoverished place in the developed world. So, there’s that.
Also cooking takes time. I make dinner every night and even with previously prepped things it's usually 20-30min every evening. If I worked 2 jobs (12-16hr) I wouldn't have the time nor energy, either.
This week I've had my eyes opened to batch cooking. We were a bit skint (not poverty line skint) and working opposite shifts to each other, so for time and money we bought in ingredients for lasagne and chilli and made a massive batch of each on Sunday.
All week I've been taking the chilli to work and the family have been microwaving the batches when Wifey finishes work.
Cost me 50% of my usual food budget this week, and we still got in all the usual stuff for lunches with fruit and such.
Downside was Wifey overcooked the lasagne, so it can be a gamble I guess, but I will certainly be making a massive batch of Chilli in the future
Now that I work 12 hour shifts 5 days a week... I only cook on the weekends. I try to make a bigger meal that saves well though. Chili, etc. after that's gone just easier things like sandwiches until the next weekend.
This person has blown money not getting the store brand. Driving farther to get real food cannot be that much more expensive, but let’s say it’s even $4 more. You’d get your money back buying a pound of apples. As someone who didn’t grow up with means, I know a lot of people with carts like this and it’s mostly just a history of bad choices.
Food deserts are places more than 20 minutes away from a grocery store. So at least that's a 40 minute round trip if you have a car. And spoiler alert, most people living in poverty don't have reliable mods of travel. It's a proven fact that processed foods provides more calories for less than fresh produce. Two oreo cookies is more calories than a apple and they keep longer. Are there some people that make poor eating habits simply because they can, absolutely! But that's not what I'm talking about. Please don't demonize people for the failings of our society.
That's all part of the problem though, isn't it?
I live in central Europe and veggies and fruit are one of the first things, you see when you enter a store. They're also really affordable and you can get them in pretty much every corner store all over the town as well. There isn't a place where basic fruit and veggies are more than 15 minutes walking/public transit distance from you within the city. Never had to drive to a grocery store in my life. Some places are even open at night.
Let's not blame the people for eating like this, when that's exactly what the system is set up for.
But it’s not though. Many people on Lemmy act like the US is some evil cabal trying to kill its citizens. No. The area is just big af. People went west and were mostly self-sufficient (with regards to food production before anyone starts getting angry). Now that people aren’t self-sufficient anymore, instead of moving closer they stay put, but there’s so few people that a business can’t sustain itself. I understand some people can’t afford to move, but some people are unwilling to
But it’s not though. Many people on Lemmy act like the US is some evil cabal trying to kill its citizens. No. The area is just big af. People went west and were mostly self-sufficient (with regards to food production before anyone starts getting angry). Now that people aren’t self-sufficient anymore, instead of moving closer they stay put, but there’s so few people that a business can’t sustain itself. I understand some people can’t afford to move, but some people are unwilling to
I see you watched the Wendover Productions video.
Yes, but I lived it long before watching the video. Growing up my neighborhood was literally isolated for all the surrounding grocery stores. The poor side of town was on the west side of a major highway and all the grocery stores were on the east side. But strangly enough the west side has less on ramps to the highway and even fewer bridges to get to the other side. So you had to drive an extra 20 min just to cross from west to east. But east to west was literally 2 min. A lawsuit eventually got that "fixed" but it shows malicious intent by those in power.
I can't believe that's the best option, snacks and some weird pre made stuff
Dude I feed 3 people a month on $200 with no assistance. And we eat healthy. We splurge a little too.
It's too expensive, sure. It should be half that. And some people live near a dollar store, I get that, they're eating cat food and Vienna sausages. But this meme isn't about those people. There are waaaay too many people complaining about the cost of groceries that won't eat anything that doesn't come out of a plastic package.
Have you tried buying food instead of whatever the fuck this garbage is?
If you're on a budget this is such a horrible cart... not to mention so unhealthy. I guess most of it doesn't go bad quickly at least... only positive.
That was the point of the picture ...
My stomach hurts just looking at it.
You are weak and your bloodline is weak, instead of sugary sweet like God intended when he invented high fructose corn syrup
Average moderator shopping cart.
guys, this is a joke post
Yet it is still bringing out all the bots and trolls.
I would bet most of the weight in that cart is sugar, salt and plastic.
And corn
I would've guessed metal
Plastic is way too light to hit the top 3, it's probably water or some form of fat.
Could be twice the amount when getting store brands instead of luxury brands.
Over the last 10 years or so, some kinds of convenience foods have gone up a lot. Like some types of
"value meal" is over $10. That's a bad scene if you have several people to feed.
You can beat that by cooking your own, but if you have been working a 12 hour shift that is a harsh scenario.
It just seems like people, and I'm referring to the U.S., getting food should not be such a press.
The big problem is convenience is being shoved down our throats.
10 Years back, what was there that was convenient? Bread and then stack something on it.
Now every brand is trying to shove "REALLY EASY AND FAST MEAL FOR WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE 20 SECONDS TO EAT" down yours.20 Years ago we just cooked and if it had to be quick we cooked something small.
So if you enter a grocrry store in the us two huge strong guys immediately grab you and force garbage down your throat? And the beat you until you buy some more garbage and if you so much as look into the direction of vegetables or legumes immediately shoot you?
Come the fuck on
People are freely choosing to buy this garbage
I somewhat agree but your time scale is way off.
At least in the US, it's been exactly this way for at least the last 20-30 years. 20 years ago was 2003, if you showed me this photo and told me it was from the turn of the millennium I wouldn't bat an eye. The 90s was crazy with all these fast brands and snacks. Everyone's freezer was filled with totinos pizza rolls.
Arguably longer to be honest. I can't remember a time where frozen microwave junk food didn't dominate the grocery stores and TV advertising. I wouldn't hesitate to believe an argument that it's been like this since the early 70s but assume it happened sometime in the 80s when the stay-at-home housewife transitioned to the career-focused woman.
Diabeetus be like: Don't worry, it won't be long to wait.
Americans are scared to touch a bean.
Beans and rice go a long way to help the food budget.
No love for potatoes??
I heard they bite
And that's exactly where the billionaires and ruling class want you.
No automatic assault rifle to be seen. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
Uk an automatic rifle costs like $10k right?
Yes. And memes should be fun, right?
Russian DIY only!
Looks like around $30 - $40 worth of ingredients
Ain’t no way that’s 200 bucks
This is what my Dad's shopping cart would look like when I was a kid (well, less sweets and chips, more canned food). He would always work 68 hour weeks, so really didn't have the time and energy to cook for me and him. He would only cook on holidays.
Luckily, he now has a stay-at-home wife that likes to cook, and I don't have to work those kinds of hours, so neither of us eat like that anymore.
This is yet another one of those arguments where somehow EVERYBODY ELSE is guilty but NOT ME, ohhhh no not me. I'm perfect. Haha /s
Hey go fuck yourself for trying to straw man the legitimate issue of poverty and food insecurity in America with some bullshit
This meme isn't funny at all, I agree. I sometimes struggle to get healthy options because the prices around me keep going up. I've switched to cheaper grocery stores, got good at cooking, buy store brands, but I have to keep saying "that's too expensive now, better buy something cheaper". I don't eat a lot of processed food, but I also have a million other things to do each day, and though I'm skilled at cooking, I barely have the time. And, many people have it far harder than I do. A lot of people in this thread are too busy laughing at the shit joke to realize it's punching down and blaming the poor for being poor.
No wonder u guys fat and stupid. U eat exclusively junk food.
