r/SelfSufficiency • u/SailorTee • 9d ago
Self improvement while poor
Maybe this is just my opinion, but wanting to better yourself seems like part of human nature. Being poor makes this difficult to do.
Want to eat healthier? Cook more at home. Ok - so I need to buy safe cookware (not non-stick because that causes the big C), fresh ingredients every week (lean protein like chicken), and time to make it. Oh you don't have time? Borrow the time from somewhere else, like hire someone to clean your home for you. Oh no, can't do that, that costs money. Switch to plant based protein! It takes time to soak and cook lentils. I work every hour I'm not sleeping...
Tldr: Being poor means trying to juggle between resources including time, money, and health, and borrowing from one means depleting another. It feels impossible to better your circumstances and causes a lot of stress in the process (which also eats up your resources like health).
Also, I live in America. Maybe it's better in other countries?
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u/liquor_andwhores 9d ago
Not everything needs to be perfect. Fortunately there's a lot of overlap between self sufficiency and being poor. Historically people needed to be more self reliant because they were poor. Do what you can and call it a day.
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u/kaiareadit 9d ago
👏🏼👏🏼
The way I do this is to slowly replace things as it comes up. You don’t have to make a huge investment, but you can buy one pan to start. Cook a couple meals from home, work out at a park or at home. Keep it easy and slow. Progress takes time. Start with one thing, and make changes each week. It’s okay to have set backs!
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u/ContemplatingFolly 9d ago
Better in some countries, worse in others. But everywhere poverty is comparatively expensive and time consuming. (For examples see Barbara Ehrenrich's Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America; and Vimes Theory of Boots)
See also r/povertyfinance for sharing ideas.
(But, also, FYI, you don't have to soak lentils! Bring to a simmer, 20-25 minutes, and Bob's your uncle. They are, a bit of an acquired taste for most people. Add veg and fat to lighten them up/make them tastier.)
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u/KEYPiggy_YT 9d ago
I make a months worth of beans and rice in a day and freeze it. Most of my diet is stuff I meal prepped and froze
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u/AdamTraskisGod 9d ago
I think self-improvement doesn’t just involve physical aspects. Becoming more virtuous in your thoughts and actions, interacting with the world, and also while you are alone, can shift how you view reality and your purpose in life. I’m not very articulate, but an example of what I mean is something like the idea of suffering. Living in the US, with the materialist worldview many of us have, there are many people who are quick to say they are suffering, although they don’t have to worry about shelter, food, clean water, etc. I think in the US we also have this idea of self sufficiency to mean that every single moment of your day must be wringed out for every bit of income or utility as possible. We in the US have one of the lowest life expectancy averages for developed nations, work the most, and prioritize “grinding” as much as possible. As a religious person, I think those things are not what should be the main focuses of one’s life. IMO gratitude, prayer, helping others, virtue, and responsibility are what should be focused on. But as far as what the OP said, you can meal prep a few large meals a week to be used as food during the week so you’re not spending hours each week cooking and cleaning dishes. 🤷♂️
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u/WorBlux 9d ago
Here's the trick "they" don't want you to know.
Economies of scale don't just work for factory owners. Cooking 12 servings of food doesn't take much longer than cooking 2.
If you can find a group of people you can stand to be around, co-living and communal kitchens can get you some really good food at quite low prices and a manageable effort.
Even if it's just 2 or 3 people sharing meal prep on your day off can go a long ways, and it forces you into thinking about meal plans and budgets.
Ya being broke sucks, being intentional and making plans is the best way out of the cycle, but living on a thin margin means every road-bump feels like an emergency. The best counter is to have a community that you help when you can, so they are in a good enough position to help you in turn should the unexpected arise.
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u/wanna_be_green8 9d ago
Sorry, I don't buy that thought process. Especially since the internet. Living in America, even broke, almost everyone has a free hour or two in their day. Even when you wake up doomscrolling at 3am. Instead opt to read and educate yourself on whatever improvements you want to make. If you are here you have free moments, you aren't sleeping or working. You choose what to do with them.
As far as healthy eating on any given day a crockpot can be purchased for $3 to $5 at most thrift stores. Safe cookware too. Many things can be made in then for less than a fast food meal and will last far longer. Fast food is crazy expensive these days.Your money costs time too. Plus driving to the place, waiting on line also take time and gas.
Baby steps can lead to big changes over time, knowledge and skills have a way of compounding if used. But they have to be sought after, they won't fall in your lap.
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u/SgtSausage 9d ago
All I hear is excuse, Kid.
so I need to buy safe cookware
I do 85% of my cooking in a 12-inch cast iron I got for $5 on FB Market Place a decade ago.
Hell skip just 2 (LOL) "Value" meals at the local McBurger Joint and you can buy it new.
Oh you don't have time?
You have time.
I meal prep and do my baking on Sunday. The entire weeks meals for 2 are done in under 2 hours. You're spending more time than that a week on social media. I guarantee it.
You spend more time than that in line at the icecream shop.
It takes time to soak and cook lentils.
It takes exactly 6 minutes of your time.
You dont have to sit there and watch 'em soak for hours, right? Take your 45 seconds dump 'em in a bowl. Fill with water. Walk away....
You dont have to watch 'em cook, either. Take another 30 seconds. Put 'em on stovetop. Set timer to come back and stir. Walk away.
You will have, literally 6 minutes of labor in the entire operation. Including cleanup and putting away the dishes.
I work every hour I'm not sleeping
You do not.
You are here on reddit, right?
Everybody's got their excuses.
You do, too.
If it were actually a priority in your life, you'd already be doin' it.
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u/ContemplatingFolly 9d ago
Everyone's life is different. Jobs are getting harder. People are getting meaner. Things are getting more expensive. People and their dependents are getting sicker.
I have lived with money, and also on a shoesrirng, but being poor makes everything harder, more work and more stressful. No matter how good you are at compensating.
Everyone has to play the hand they are dealt, but your attitude is not empathetic, nor backed by science and reality.
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u/wanna_be_green8 9d ago
Being poor makes things harder but does not mean self improvement is impossible. Or even difficult.
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u/newadventures72 5d ago
I don't know if their issue is making excuses as much as it is being stuck thinking they have to do things perfectly for it to matter. Like, holy cow, forget about replacing your cookware or living on embracing some body builder diet.
Don't get enough vegetables? You don't need to go from zero to five servings of organic produce a day. Buy a bunch of bananas and have one for breakfast each day. Nuke a 1.50 bag of frozen carrots with butter and salt to go with your dinner.
Don't get enough exercise? You don't have to rune 5 miles or join a gym. Do 20 wall pushups and 30 crunches. Pull up a ten minute workout video on youtube.
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u/simonbleu 9d ago
First of all, as others have said, do not strive for "perfection". Especially since even trying, while being unable to afford it, will likely make you fall into worse shortcomings when it comes to health. Making a ficticious and extreme example, it is probably better to have every meal consisting of doritos than eating a more balanced diet but only once a week. And im not talking about just things you can afford.... when you are poor (trust me, I know) you often lack the time and everything adds to stress
On that very same vein, there is no need to avoid non stick (just dont burn it. Teflon is incredibly unreactive, even if you eat it. Most "scary substances" you are only exposed enough to cause issues -- and everything even oxygen can do that -- when you are manufacturing it). There is also not always an improvement when it comes to fresh ingredients (in fact, some get preserved better and afaik they do not loose nutrients when frozen. Cooked, sometimes, but you also cook them so...). There is also no need to eat lean meat and you need fat. Of course, too much is not good either but its a matter of balance. Excess salt will likely be worse for you than excess fat in most circumstances.
When it comes to food, the BEST you can do imho is A) buying in bulk (meaning you need places to store it, including a chest freezer) and B) reduce prep time (mealprep and appliances that help with making things faster). And yes they all cost money but there is no way around it, if you can, they will pay themselves out.
Anything else like a maid, eating out, an orchard or livestock, more elaborate meals, etc, they will all take either too much money on the regular or too much time, not reducing it. Quality of live is probably better if you can manage? Probably. Is it enough to be worth it if you are struggling? Unlikely
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u/jello-the-opera 9d ago
my circumstances are somewhat extreme so I don't expect everyone to get it
but solar and batteries means free electricity
and I am sick all the time and have very little free time to do physical things, but all the time I'm hostage to illness I am online learning and using tools to reduce my burden
I save so much money doing things myself with the internet and AI tools to help
I use thrift stores and recycle centers and free piles and craigslist and fb marketplace and garage sales and ebay for almost everything non-food related.
I fix things that can be fixed, so the $200 new-in-box is $100 used and free if broken
Dumpster diving is a skill and talent at the same time.
Managing your diet is more about health. The myth of cheap food and the myth of healthy food being expensive are just myths. You can save a lot more money with bigger changes.
Stop subscribing to services that can be replaced by the library or even piracy and sharing.
haters gonna hate but I have to use LLMs to manage my health and it ends up saving me so much time on everything else
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u/clothespinkingpin 9d ago
I agree that access to money and time to prepare foods makes it easier, but I think even then a lot of the noise around the stuff you mention is marketing from the health industry to sell us on fears and try to push products rather than things people actually need to be healthy.
IMO, use whatever cookware you have access to. People trying to convince you that what you have on hand isn’t good enough are just trying to part you from your money.
For general health:
Use mindful portions of oils for cooking. Use things like broth and seasoning for flavor. You can get the cheapest seasons available they still add flavor. You don’t need to get like.. saffron or whatever expensive thing. You can also use things like lemon juice and fresh herbs which tend to be relatively inexpensive to add flavor without a lot of calories.
For proteins, you can get the cheapest cut of meat. You can buy canned beans. You can make your lentils that you soak and cook in a giant batch and then freeze them. Tofu is hella cheap. You can get a tub of inexpensive protein powder and use that in baking, add it to yogurt, etc. Eggs are a great source of protein. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese too, get them low fat. Doesn’t have to be the fancy brands, can be store brand. You can add seasoning to Greek yogurt to make savory sauces.
Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious, sometimes more so, as fresh vegetables. Canned also works. I think canned green beans, canned peas, canned corn, and canned tomatoes are especially good when it comes to canned veggies. They all go great in soups or as a side dish. Usually I prefer frozen though.
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u/Binasgarden 9d ago
Local library. I know that sounds strange but your local library is a source of free books, movies, music, games, magazines etc. Ours has summer reading program just winding up and the kids wind up party has a bunch of donated prizes for the kids reading logs. For adults we have workshops, trivia nights, and other things to get you in a place to talk to others, safe space for all. They have help with resumes, English as a second language programs and computer access for the public....so the place to start the library . And if you were local I would invite you to the Sept coffee clatch the workshop is preserving the harvest, basic canning, dehydrating, and freezing, and it will wander off topic to couponing bulk buying and community kitchens
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u/mapleleaffem 9d ago
Yea I just listened to a podcast about the ‘male loneliness epidemic’. Researchers studied the data and it’s not a man thing, it’s a poverty thing.
People with even mid means swing college, extracurriculars, work one job instead of two or three. Those people meet their best friends and network in college and they have the time means and as you said energy to cultivate and maintain friendships.
It made a lot of sense and made me sad. I live in Canada and have been fortunate to have family to lean on and live with in the bad times. No big inheritance or help with a mortgage or anything but it’s amazing how much having a loving family helps you keep your head above water.
You’re not alone OP, but I doubt it makes your day to day easier knowing that. I can’t imagine how much harder it is in America. Like god forbid you get sick:(
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u/crapendicular 9d ago
My crockpot helps me in several ways.
First I use crockpot liners so there’s nothing to clean up.
Then the night before I cut up a few vegetables and sometimes one of those sausages in the refrigerator aisles which also cuts down on time.
Then in the morning I just add everything to the crockpot and add some broth or other liquids and turn it on to low.
When I came home from work the apartment smells like home cooking and I feel good about it.
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u/ThriceFive 🔌off-gridder 9d ago
You will save so much money making your own food. Learn to bake bread - it is now 50 cents a loaf artisan bread. Meal prep you can do your whole week in advance, augment w cereal and fruit.
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u/Whole-Government6608 9d ago
Garage sales.. look for cast iron. You can easily season old ones that have a little rust. A well seasoned cast iron will cook anything. Want to have a small garden.. eat healthier. There are tons of books at libraries that'll give you a leg up on being more self sufficient. Most cities have master gardeners and give out free seeds. I get it.. being broke sucks. I grew up poor. I wish you luck.
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u/Lanracie 8d ago
It is harder when you are poor to be sure but if you think your takeout food is made healthy you are delusional so that doesnt really hold up well. Time is the only real constration people have on this and that is a real thing, everything else is just not correct.
Need cookware go to the thrift store and yardsales or estate sales. Cookware is plentiful and cheap if you dont insist on buying new and fancy. Cast Iron works great, my Grandmothers stainless steel pots are still going strong.
Its way cheaper to buy the big bag of frozen chicken breast and cook them then to pay someone else, the same with fresh ingredients so that doesnt even hold up a little bit.
Yes you will have to budget time and there are truly people who are working 12 hr or more days all the time and changing shifts and those people cant do it. But if you are working 40-50 hrs a week you have time. Its what families do all over the country. Good choice on the lentils though they can soak while you work or if you have a instapot you can just thow the ingredients in during the morning and it will be done when you get home.
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u/darkprincess3112 8d ago
Who says that you need to cook things? Your body can also digest things that are not cooked. Neither by you or anyone else. You don't need anything processed or prepared to survive.
The most important aspect is that you have something you look forward to, something that has some meaning in it for you, something that you can value, and that makes you forget everything else, including time.
You do not need to optimize anything, just be more present, have more direction in life and a better energy flow. Better emotional regulation. Being more grounded.
Everything else will follow. Even if it feels like you have no energy. It just means that you need some source of energy, not draining thoughts or activities, and the constant hype around self optimization will drain you, at least if the definition of "optimal" has been created by someone else. You need to find your optimal, not the optimal of someone else or the common narrative.
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u/AVoteforTherapy 6d ago
I used to be poor, and I wish I'd known then what I do today:
You can get an instapot from the thriftstore or fb marketplace and cook beans from dry without soaking in 30 minutes. You can also cook large quantities and freeze.
There are quite a few jobs with training programs that take less than a year that pay a good middle class or higher salary.
Starting a business of some sort provides a lot of tax breaks and possible access to whole sale prices. For example, if you start a little retail food business of some sort, you can access food and equipment at whole sale prices. There are so many different benefits across business sectors with regard to this. Whatever you like doing or having, there's probably an opportunity to do it for less by making a business out of it, including travel.
Even if you don't start a business, stainless steel pans cost $30 for a set from Walmart or even less at thriftstores.
If you want to improve, try to have an abundance mindset. Instead of thinking about why you can't, think of how you can. I've run into people who told me that they wouldn't do various things for free because their time was worth a lot of money. Inevitably those people were always struggling with money. Give abundantly and watch the world open up to you. Connections are worth more than money.
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u/newadventures72 5d ago
First, perfect is the enemy of progress. Second, make sure you aren't getting information about what is good or healthy from reliable. I mean, I would feel stuck if I felt like I had to replace my cookware and limit my good to certain categories to be healthy.
That said, I do agree that poverty means a lack of resources, and that the kind of "why don't you just (blah blah blah)" solutions people provide are often tone deaf.
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u/fatalexe 9d ago
Just eat a friggin salad and steam or roast veggies on a regular basis for your main nutrition. Boil an egg. Add staple bulk grains and legumes somehow if you need to bulk your weight and have sustained energy for manual labor. It ain’t rocket science. It’s cheaper and how we all ate before ultra processed foods. They are worse for you than teflon.
Yes, move somewhere within walking distance of a normal grocery store if you want to eat healthy.
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u/PotatoGuerilla 9d ago
You have enough time to cook and a pot costs less than a McDonald's meal. Just say you're lazy.
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u/SailorTee 8d ago
Yay, I found the troll! 🧌 There's always at least one.
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u/PotatoGuerilla 8d ago
It's not a troll. Not being able to afford groceries that are cheaper than the take out they eat and not having 10 minutes to cook because they're too busy scrolling social media for hours are the most common excuses for lazy people. People should cook for themselves the majority of meals and there really aren't any excuses for not being able to prepare simple, affordable, and nutritious meals.
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