Rice Dispenser: Spend Money to Save Money

Rice is one of the cheapest foods out there. But it is at its cheapest when bought in bulk. For example at my store right now a ten pound bag of rice costs $9.99 while a twenty pound bag costs $12.99. Thus a rice dispenser is an investment that can drastically reduce your food bills. This stylish model dispenses one cup for every pull of the lever. Two cups of rice is more than sufficient for two adults. Three cups of rice will feed a family of four. If buy some frozen vegetables and fry them in a little oil or margarine then you have a complete meal. For protein you can add corn and beans which add a nice flavour or small bits of chicken and or eggs.

Food is Not a Necessity

Well a certain amount of food is a necessity, but one of the biggest mistakes one can make is to put the entire food budget in the necessity column. An adult can survive just fine on rice, some frozen vegetables, corn and beans. This is what is necessary. Anything other than that is not necessary. I am not saying don't buy it. But I am saying put it into a category of items that is measured according to the funds available.

For children you will want to be more careful about protein. Unless you really know what you are doing you may want add eggs and/or chicken. But remember I am not saying having a whole chicken every night. Price of chicken meat varies considerably from piece to piece. If you have someone in the household who has time, buying the cheapest pieces and then cutting the chicken meat off to be added in relatively small amounts to rice can save a large amount of money.

If you use food for social purposes or as a pick me up, then recognize it for what it is. Enjoying a Mocha Latte from an Italian coffee bar, or eating out at a restaurant should always come from the entertainment budget not the food budget.

And, remember more people die from using food as drug than from any other drug use. When you try stabilize your mood by stuffing yourself full of a fat you would actually do better to smoke a joint or even snorting cocaine. Comfort food isn't just a waste of money, it will kill you.

Quit the Gym

Door Gym Bar with Longer Hand Grip - Pull up / Sit up / Chin up

Thoughout this blog I will constantly stress the importance of maintaining ones health. So why would I suggest dropping one's health club membership. Have you ever noticed how nice most health clubs are? The various machines available are extremely expensive. They generally have a very high employee to customer rating. And, some employees have special certifications and receive quite nice salaries. Further gyms are a liability nightmare. No matter how safe you try to make the establishment there are so many ways that patrons might be hurt from a weight dropped on the toe to slipping in the shower.

Gym memberships seem expensive but when you think about all the costs of running a gym they are truly cheap suspiciously cheap. The way that gyms are able to offer such wonderful services is that they have many members who never attend the gym for each member who attends regularly. Those who never quite make it subsidize those who do.

If you even view quitting the gym as a possibly ,than you are almost certainly in the former category. One of the realities of tough economic times is that those who experience them can't afford pretense. Further, if you never found time to make it to the gym before your started having financial problems you almost certainly won't now.

But exercise is very important. Here are some reasons that you should not turn to a gym. Firstly there is a time issue. Unless you are lucky enough to have a gym in your office or apartment building you are going to have to get to the gym. This waste valuable time you could be using to look for your third job.

Secondly there is the expense. Even though gyms are subsidized by legions of slackers they are still a big expense that you do not need in your life right now. Aside from the fees, there is also the pressure to dress up to the standards of the others who working out. This can really add up. But most importantly it is vital that every member of the family work out regularly. This includes the children. Even though their are family deals, they add to the price just at a slightly reduced rate.

Unless you have a specific health problem, or are training for a specific sport, walking is all the exercise you need. In future entries I will explain why in the Bush world walking is going to be a major part of your life and why that is good thing. So, instead of getting everyone together driving out to the gym, dressing up like you are about to compete in a swimsuit competition and driving back, everyone can just set off. You should walk at a fast speed where it will be slightly uncomfortable to talk. But even in silence the social nature of walking in a group is very conducive to one's mental health.

A note about running and why it is not a good idea when you are in financial stress. The human body simply was not designed for the amount of running that many runners engage in. Running is addictive. If walking is one glass of wine with diner, running is a bottle of Tequila drunk on an empty stomach in the hot sun. Times of financial stress make one prone to addictions. So, avoid spirits and running.

Further many runners run on sidewalks or roads which is murder on the joints. To mitigate the inevitable joint injuries you will end up spending a fortune in runner shoes which you will literally run through at an amazing rate. Even worse, the federal government provides no partial or temporary disability, which means that unless you live in a state that does, such as California, or you buy disability insurance from the talking duck; if you get hurt and are unable to work your second job, it could be a bad time.

Use the Fine China

Often during bad financial times common meal times are one of the first things to go. With everyone in the family working whatever hours they can get it is often hard to get together for a meal. Also with everyone working extra hours it is hard to have time to cook.

But, it is important to maintain the ritual of at least one common meal a day. The social interactions which occur during meal time are important to everyone's mental health. Also prepared meals are more nutritious and cost less than than fast food.

Instead of letting dinner time disappear go the opposite direction. Bring out the fine china. It is just gathering dust in the china cabinet and you will be surprised how it can dress up a meal of beans and cornbread or red beans and rice. Remember, meal time is a family activity and should prepared and cleaned up as family.

Ramen

The longer I live on this planet the more I am convinced that God put Japanese people here to solve all of our problems, usually with some gimmicky product. Instant ramen certainly is God's answer to poverty. Each packet costs about 20 cents and can feed two. You will have a hard time finding a cheaper meal. Just as importantly, Ramen noodles are easy to prepare, which means you can fix you up a batch between your second and third jobs.

I am not saying eat instant ramen for every meal. But I am saying buy a lot ramen and eat it whenever you don't feel like anything in particular. Also tell your children to make this when they want a snack. Snacks are expensive. Ramen is cheap. If your children watch Naruto they will know it as Naruto's favorite food.

Ramen when prepared with its spice packet is high in sodium. You can prepare it whithout the spice pack. It may be bland but it is still very edible.

Instant Ramen was invented by Andō Momofuku. He was known by many affectionate nicknames including Papa Noodle, Mr. Noodle and Kingo Instant Ramen. The first flavor was Chicken, Momofuku doubted that this product would ever be replaced as Japan's favorite. His company Nissin Food Products Co. invented the first packaging of ramen for use in space by Japan astronauts. Kigome mentions this fact to the Inuyasha in one episode of Inuyasha.