Ok. So we're all in the boat together, 20-somethings, where you have a job (some of us have better jobs than others!), but something goes awry and you have to make financial sacrifices in order to pay bills... (and, yeah, I realize that this happens to people of all ages.. but still..)

So, here's the deal... I'm on WW, but the boyfriend isn't, so we have "boyfriend food", and "Kat food". And typically it works out fine, but the boyfriend also likes to eat out a lot, so I have to do more "Kat Shopping" more often... (again, this is fine..until recently)

So we have a kitten, and she went to the vet for an emergency, lots of things happened (this post shouldn't get TOO long!), and needless to say, we had to pay THROUGH THE NOSE to get her feeling better!! (and she might be sick AGAIN... ugh )

In addition, because of lack of work for me, and a change of job for him, finances have been RIDICULOUSLY tight since January. We're literally spending money ONLY on gas and necessary groceries.

So, I looked through my pantry, and there is mac & Cheese, mashed potatoes, soy milk, hamburger meat, a buttload of ramen, and a huge package of corndogs. (notice fruits and veggies missing? Yeah.. me too.)

And I looked in our bank account to see if I could go shopping, and that won't be happening. And I can't justify going grocery shopping if there is still something edible in our house... So what do I do?
I was off plan last week because of all the kitten madness. And I'm being forced off plan this week because we're not rich enough????? This hardly seems fair.

Kind words, suggestions, or anything would be nice I'm just so sick of feeling full of cheese and bread. (which I NEVER thought I would say!!! )

weegreenlassie,
oh my goodness have I been in your shoes! I honestly feel your pain. The practical thing to do is of course eat what is in your cupboards...just watch the portions and hope for the best. Then the next grocery trip, you need to stock up on low cal soups...there's some veggies...maybe frozen fruit? A little bit each time will help to revamp your cupboards.
Good Luck.

i have also been in that situation. why does healthy food cost so much!!! tips... let's see... frozen fruits and veggies are cheaper and keep longer. canned are cheap too but have lots of sodium. kari's right about soup being a good idea. do you have any discount grocery stores in your area? i have shopped there when things were tight though there's not as many choices. you could probably find some frozen chicken breasts there. watch the newspaper for sales too.

unfortunately, you might need to shift focus to maintaining your weight instead of losing for a couple weeks until you can hit the grocery store. watch portions and increase your exercise to balance out the high calorie foods you'll have to eat for now. then when you are able to go to the store, buy frozen or canned foods that will keep in case you find yourself in the same bind again later.

hang in there.

That REALLY sucks Kat!

The frozen & canned veg (you can rinse off much of the sodium) are good ideas for the future. Nice to have on hand.

For now, I'd suggest focusing on getting in your water, exercising, and using portion control & eating slowly. You may not lose as much, but you'll feel better being in control. Then, keep out of the kitchen & keep yourself busy. That way you won't think about missing veggies & fruits so much.

wow...I definitely know how you feel...my boyfriend comes to my house and I make him big healthy dinners...and then when I spend the night at his house, all he has to eat is crap, and he refuses to buy any food.

I would agree with everyone else and say just watch your portions as well as work out a lot...I would also alter everything in your choices...for example hamburger and mashed potatoes...then a little bit of mac and cheese...then a corn dog..etc

You say you have a buttload of ramen? Get thee to the store and buy some frozen veggies to cook with it!

I think we've all been there. I'm not sure what kind of plan you've been doing to lose the weight, but maybe for now you can switch to counting calories? That way, you can still eat whatever, as long as you stay within your calories. When is pay day--do you have like a week or 2 of this, or just a couple days?

As others have mentioned, for future reference, frozen fruits and veggies are quite wallet friendly. Also, brown rice (the kind you really have to cook, not instant), dried beans (even canned aren't very expensive, but dried are even cheaper), frozen chicken breasts (I can usually find a store around here where they are on sale for a big bag of them), low sodium chicken broth...all good things to have on hand that are budget (and shelf life!) friendly.

We've all been there!!! How much fat is in the ramen if you cook it without the spice pack? Same with Mac n cheese if you cook it without the cheese, butter and milk?? Plain pasta would probably be better than with those extra things added. What about the corn dog without the breading? Just try your best to work with what you have until you can get to the store.

Also, you could cook the hamburger meat, drain the fat, and eat that with the plain pasta...if you do make the mac n cheese, use the soy milk, which should cut some of the fat from that....

Thank you, everyone I think I will try selling some artwork this weekend to get "fruit and veggie money" then head down to the outdoor market, where fresh stuff is cheaper.

But I will definitely stock up on frozen and canned stuff after payday!!!

Unfortunately we're going to be in this situation until about the 15th of March... I have a job interview tomorrow (wish me luck!!), so hopefully I can start working so that things will be better before the 15th. The boyfriend works a tipping job, and my dance jobs are all paid 2 weeks after I send in billing. ...I just need a normal job that pays regularly!!

I feel really stupid for asking this question.... but what goes into counting calories? How do you know how many you should eat? I've been doing WW Flex, so knowing that I have 22-27pts/day has been pretty helpful to me And knowing that if I put more fiber in, I can get more bang for my buck... (I'm a WW fiend!!)

I will definitely concentrate more on maintaining for now (bummer... I was so close to my goal!!) But if I happen to lose weight, that will be a perk

I guess sometimes we have plans for life, and life has plans for us...and right now we don't agree!!!

Thank you, everyone, for your support and quick replies!!!

One of the best sites for counting calories is TheDailyplate.com. You enter in your basic info height/weight/activity level and how much weight you want to lose and it will give you an estimate of how many calories to eat per day. And then you can enter your food intake and exercise each day, and it will tally it up, and compare it to your recommended intake and let you know how far above or below the recommended level you are.

I eat exclusively frozen fruits and veggies... I occasionally buy apples and bananas and sometimes some cabbage but that's pretty rare. I simply stick a cup in a bowl and microwave them. Frozen stuff is really cheap at wholesale places and like others have said...it never goes bad.

I second the brown rice and chicken recs and you can find cheap yogurt as well. Good luck!

very insightful. you have a great attitude. after this financial/weight loss challenge, you'll be ready for anything!

well that is a sucky situation! the only thing i can say is WW allows for ANYTHING so just watch your portions? i know it feels icky

i also would suggest buying like a bag of carrots and some apples to supplement the corn dogs. that way you are not spending money on tons of groceries but are getting some ruffage and might not feel as icky?

:hugs: