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Living
Positive with Less Income
The Grocery Store
By Sharon Hopper
Many of us today are living in a situation where everything is going up
and our income seems to be shrinking. As a senior our
medical bills have increased, and our living expenses have become
seemingly catastrophic. Our income has
not raised a cent in a couple years. Everything we need
from travel to utilities has risen. It occurred to me
that seniors are not the only ones struggling to maintain a life, but
many of our fellow neighbors are in the same plight.
We are very unhappy when we feel we are overwhelmed with just supplying
the necessities in life. I decided to try and make sense of
the situation for my house and I have discovered that the lessons I
learned throughout this life are needed today. It
takes a bit more work and planning, but the rewards make living far
more positive in a difficult world. After all
busy hands make for productive and happy people.
Let’s go to the grocery store. I realized the other
day that I rarely stop in the pre-packaged isle. And
I have not purchased cans of vegetables in a very long
time. Polybags of frozen veggies are a far better value and
healthier. Of course there is little replacement for
fresh unless the dollar amount is too great.
You can make a million dishes with some pasta,
veggies, and one chicken breast, small piece of
pork, or small amount of beef. Families can
really benefit from these combinations. And the price
of store brand soups goes a long way in nutrition and stretching the
dish. I usually get two meals from one can of cream
soup. And forget the bread isle if there is a
retail bread outlet nearby. We happen to have
one in Greenville.
Sugar free products are terribly expensive, but a bag of Splenda
or store brand look alike goes a far piece when baking or cooking for
that sweet tooth. Sugar is one of the main reasons we are getting
obese. As humans we love our sweets. A
couple apples, or a half quart of fresh or frozen
fruit with some pre- made store brand biscuits , or a small
amount of dumpling mixture from store brand biscuit mix can make
of lot of sweet, nutritious desserts. And don’t
forget the value of jello. And it’s good for you. You
can forget those expensive shampoos if you eat jello regularly.
Your hair will shine and become stronger. When
one feels satisfied in the belly, one feels happy all over.
Today I am giving you a recipe for quick and easy plumb
dumplings.
I can purple plumbs, I cup of Splenda or the
like, and a capful of vanilla. Bring to a
boil; turn down to medium heat and spoon in about
four or five dumplings from recipe on biscuit box. Cover and
simmer for 7 minutes. Remove, cool,
and serve. CoolWhip or ice-cream goes well with this
dessert. About six servings. This recipe also
works well with peaches.
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