TP Day 4 on FNS Budget

PM Snack: Pear

Dinner: ½ chicken thigh with broccoli, carrot, celery, cabbage stir fry. I cooked some whole wheat tortilla strips to give it a little crunch. My sister suggested adding a little peanut butter into it—it was so yummy! We used packets of soy sauce left over from restaurant orders in the past. 

In 1996, I worked for $4.75/hour as a maid at a hotel in Glacier National Park in Montana. They “gave” us room and board, but took some money out of our paychecks for that. I didn’t really have other expenses then besides gasoline, but I started this habit of storing up little things, like pieces of fruit and the little cups of peanut butter--anything I got in the employee dining hall that would keep. If we ate out, I would take extra salt and pepper packets (even napkins). I went backpacking for just one night and had all kinds of random food items in my bag “just in case.” I did not want us to run out of food. I think of this time because of the term “food insecurity.” “Food insecurity refers to the lack of access to enough food to fully meet basic needs at all times due to lack of financial resources. There are different levels of food insecurity.” (www.frac.org) I obviously felt food insecure. We could have 3 good meals a day—at set times. It still bothered me, so I always had a stash. In fact, I still have the habit that started back then (i.e. the soy sauce packets we used tonight). There is a Larabar in my purse that I can’t even tell you how old it is, but it is there, just in case. ..