Making something out of nothing

As we're reaching the end of the month, it seems like most people's budgets are getting tighter. Perhaps it's coincidence, but when I'm on YouTube, I always get a lot more "extreme/emergency grocery haul" content, so I thought about doing the same. 

We ourselves have been in the situation where we had to stretch every €, and even then we're not certain about making it through the month. We used every tin of food to the last drop, had very simple meals (porridge for dinner was quite the norm towards the end of the month!), our sandwiches were certainly "creative" (i'm looking for the right word I guess... and the generic brand of simple cookies or chocolate were such a treat. We were blessed to never go hungry, even though finances were so tight, but it took a lot of work and creativity. It truly could feel like a sport to make something out of nothing. 

And that was pre inflation! I can imagine the stress so many people go through right now. A grocery haul that used to cost €100, has now doubled in price. So naturally, almost everyone is trying to stretch their budget as fat as possible. And that usually means that as the month lasts, the money is getting tighter, and the food is certainly getting more "creative". And for a lot of people it's not just to cut down on takeout coffee, or to wait for next month to buy that treat you were craving. For a lot of people, tough decisions must be made: to buy the kids some fruit or to have an occasional meat this week. To buy new sport shoes for your child because they're beyond repair or to skip breakfast yourself. And you're too embarrassed to borrow money from your neighbours yet again... As I said, I'm fortunate enough to not be in that situation anymore, although finances are getting tighter with the increasing prices which does stress me out honestly. It's just that I do know what it's like to have to make tough decisions, so hopefully I can give some tips here for those that are struggling. 

Using up odds and ends- this can mean everything from using up that last bit of ketchup on a slice of bread (which tastes surprisingly good, my children still love ketchup sandwiches!), to combining various leftovers and turning them into a meal - some of our favourite dishes were invented this way. Don't be afraid of "weird" combinations. Search your kitchen cupboards, you might find some half empty packages that need to be rescued from being wasted. Have breakfast for dinner more often! Especially if you have kids, it will probably be a big hit. I remember how excited I got about eating pancakes for dinner. Little did I know that my mum made this when she was struggling towards the end of the month! Reconsider the items you think you need- are they really an essential, or just a nice extra? And if you're like me, and you're saving way too many one person's sized meal portions in the freezer, this is the right time to thaw them. 

Try to find cheaper substitutes- a bit of your own creativity and a lot of Mr. Google go a long way. You might know of some substitutes already, such as lentils or beans instead of meat. But I bet not everyone knows how to substitute butter for oil, like I do in many baking recipes (it's 3/4 cup of oil for every cup of butter, to be precisely). Or that you can easily make your own oat milk for pennies if you've ran out of milk or if you find oat milk expensive. I know, I might know a bit more tips and tricks than the "average" frugal person, but that's exactly why I'm suggesting to just Google anything. It really does help a lot. This is why internet is essential to me and it was even more so during our poor period. Even when it did cost a bit, that was totally worth it, since I've saved hundreds if not thousands by just paying monthly for my pretty basic (and cheapest) internet connection. It definitely paid off with all the frugality tips I found over the years. 

Struggle meals - this is probably an unofficial word but I've seen it for some time now in the frugal bloggers/vloggers atmosphere. A struggle meal is just that: meals to eat when you're struggling. It doesn't sound fun but some struggle meals are surprisingly good. One of my favourite meals are "rice and beans" with its numerous varieties (couscous and lentils, pasta and chickpeas, or even lentil soup and bread). Nourishing, comforting and cheap at the same time! What's not to like? Other struggle meals may include various pasta dishes, mostly vegetarian obviously because meat is expensive, or porridge. I think every family has their own "struggle meal". We have quite a few dirt cheap dishes that we repeat often, but since we eat them just because we enjoy them, it doesn't quite feel as a struggle meal. I honestly think that's the trick: you can serve insanely cheap meals but as long as they don't feel cheap it makes the struggle somewhat less. You can achieve that by serving it in a nice way, adding as much as fancy seasonings you have on hand, and variety (if possible). You may have some other tips on making struggle meals feel a but less "struggle-ish". If you're looking for other's people's struggle meals, you might be interested to look up great depression recipes, when people made nice meals with very few and with beyond frugal ingredients. It's basically just struggle meals buy from an certain era. For people that aren't really familiar with struggle meals, it's probably an eye opener that you van still make relatively healthy meals on a tight budget. Sure, Mac 'n cheese is nice every so often, but even on a very tight budget you can cook foods that are as affordable and healthier. 

Don't be afraid to ask- OK, I know this is a tough one. Especially for people that rather give than take. Been there, done that. But you can't always be the giver, we sometimes are just on the receiving end too. And remember, the people that are willing to help you have as much as a giving heart too, so don't deprive them from giving too. Keep in mind that giving doesn't always have to be money wise; even if you're broke you can help out others babysitting their children, help paint a wall or deep clean/declutter their homes, etc. Or just to keep company, perhaps there are others that are feeling lonely and are craving human contact. Being broke doesn't mean you can't help people.