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Comment by splat | Hacker News Reader

As a poor college student I'm currently on a food budget of < $40 per month. I rarely buy anything but bread, bacon, peanut butter, cheese, bananas, eggs, yogurt, and butter. It's a bit monotonous, but I was surprised how quickly I got used to it.

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Try replacing some of that with seasoned brown rice and beans. It will be cheaper, healthier and (depending on what spices you use) tastier.

That's a good idea, I'll try that. Thanks!

My favorite thing to add to rice is curry powder. Gives the rice a completely new flavor. If you have peanuts add those, too.

Brown rice gives me severe abdominal cramps - YMMV. Rice is good for bulk and brown rice gives more fibre but whilst it's a staple for many it's not great nutritionally.

Most people undercook brown rice. My wife hated it and had stomach cramps whenever she ate it, until she started cooking it for 50 minutes or so. Using our rice cooker never cooked it thoroughly, so we use the stovetop now. Now she likes it. I agree it's not as nutritious as most people think it is...we eat quinoa more frequently, and we try to alternate with other grains and sides.

Ditch the bacon and throw in rice and beans (since you can have more variety that way, while not spending any more).

Also, experiment with cheap veggies. I get sick of PB&J, so I stick things like cucumber slices or mushrooms in there, and it seems totally different to my taste buds. Cucumbers are dirt cheap, mushrooms less so, but either way, not breaking the budget. I also enjoy a zucchini sandwich (between buttered toast).

Another way most people could cut their budgets is to look seriously at their portion size. I realize this doesn't apply to you, but if one's definition of a 'meal' is what fills up a 15 inch dinner plate and involves at least four different colors, then yeah, it's hard to eat cheaply. Most restaurant 'meals' are really at least two.

Ever since I moved to the US I've gotten into the habit of packing half my restaurant dinners for tomorrow. If the average American actually finishes these things regularly, then you guys have got a real problem.

(Exception runs for certain restaurants of course. The more "mainstream chain" it is the bigger the portions get...)

Hell, I've even had to cut down on my portion size. Find good, nutritious food that is filling, and go for stuff that is slower to digest. I've now just about halved my carb in take and replaced it with vegetables, and I haven't felt better.

Frankly I would suggest working an extra 4 hours per week and use the 30-40 dollars you will make and buy extra food. When we are young (like I used to be 10 years ago) we tend to think we can handle going with the least amount of food. Well, No. It definitely looks as if you are fine, but it takes sometimes years before poor eating habits start to show effects.

"but it takes sometimes years before poor eating habits start to show effects"

Excellent point.

And then it may be too late to do anything about it.

The first clinical symptom of cardiovascular disease is often sudden death.

Many cancers are "discovered" after they've been growing for 20 years.

Poor nutrition is often a primary cause of both.

Buy one container of good yogurt and use it as a culture to make your own from then on with fresh milk. It's easy (google home made yogurt) and tastes infinitely better. Best of all, as long as you have a little yogurt, you can use it to make more.

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