How to survive?

[ooo-baby]

Hi. I’ve recently come into some financial straits. I need to save money. Is it possible and sustainable to live off of ramen noodles? I don’t think they expire. I’ve heard people say they have done this at some point in their lives, but surely they must have ate other things.

I want to keep myself afloat until things turn around. I want to give myself time to figure out what to do with my life.

I have a Starbucks addiction so I don’t want to give that up. It’s my guilty pleasure. It keeps me sane.

Has anyone here successfully lived off of ramen noodles over the long term without getting sick, and was it effective in slowing down their financially decline?

 

[Plutoniumboss]

Ramen noodles aren't bad as a base for meals, but you'll want to have other stuff too. Put veggies in your ramen. Learn to love potatoes, and remember to eat the skin. There's actually a bunch of nutrition there.

 

[ooo-baby]

Ramen noodles aren't bad as a base for meals, but you'll want to have other stuff too. Put veggies in your ramen. Learn to love potatoes, and remember to eat the skin. There's actually a bunch of nutrition there.

That’s good. I don’t have a kitchen. I live in a small bachelor apartment with a small fridge, microwave, and a hot plate, plus I hate to cook and want to save time and effort on food prep as well.

I’m thinking more along the lines of Cup of Noodles. All I have to do is boil water, which is not too much trouble, pour it in, wait 3 minutes, and voila, ready to eat.

I figure I can get vitamins from off-the-shelf multivitamins.

I’ll buy milk to get protein and maybe a can of JIF peanut butter to eat with a spoon.

I love Coke and Pepsi, and it’s relatively cheap to buy in bulk. Does this provide any nutrients? It’s pure sugar, so won’t it provide me with carbohydrate energy?

I want foods that are not only cheap, but easy to make and easy to eat.

For fiber I can get some Raisin Bran cereal to go with my milk.

 

[Princess Viola]

Buy rice and beans.

Like seriously.

Rice and beans are cheap.

 

[ooo-baby]

Buy rice and beans.

Like seriously.

Rice and beans are cheap.

I hear what you’re saying. It’s just rice and beans involve cooking and cleanup. I’d have to wash dishes in the my bathroom sink since I don’t have a kitchen. Though there’s nothing wrong with that, I just don’t like of the idea of doing that. It’s not unsanitary, but I would consider it unaesthetic. I just can’t get past the idea of food in the bathroom.

Maybe I can boil some eggs to get more protein.

 

[MEDdMI]

Eggs are expensive right now. I would recommend the square packaged ramen vs the Styrofoam cups, it's cheaper. Put one in a large bowl, toss some frozen veggies and/or pre-cooked meat in there. Nuke for 3mins, toss half way through cooking. I'd also recommend using more water and/or less of the seasoning, as the salt content is high.

Coke/Pepsi has carbs, but the high sugar and caffeine can be an issue. Be careful with the multi-vitamins, they aren't FDA approved. I recently had kidney stones, that may have been due to Calcium pills I had been taking for years.

A small rice cooker might be a good investment if you like rice. It can also act as a steamer. Yes, there is one bowl to wash, but they're usually non-stick. No shame in using the bathroom sink for dishes, I've had to do that sometimes. As long as you scrape out any large food chunks beforehand, it's fine. Just do it the same day so you're not staring at dirty dishes in the bathroom.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I can confirm that it is possible to live on ramen.

 

[ooo-baby]

I can confirm that it is possible to live on ramen.

You didn’t get sick? You must have supplemented it with other foods.

 

[ooo-baby]

Eggs are expensive right now. I would recommend the square packaged ramen vs the Styrofoam cups, it's cheaper. Put one in a large bowl, toss some frozen veggies and/or pre-cooked meat in there. Nuke for 3mins, toss half way through cooking. I'd also recommend using more water and/or less of the seasoning, as the salt content is high.

Coke/Pepsi has carbs, but the high sugar and caffeine can be an issue. Be careful with the multi-vitamins, they aren't FDA approved. I recently had kidney stones, that may have been due to Calcium pills I had been taking for years.

A small rice cooker might be a good investment if you like rice. It can also act as a steamer. Yes, there is one bowl to wash, but they're usually non-stick. No shame in using the bathroom sink for dishes, I've had to do that sometimes. As long as you scrape out any large food chunks beforehand, it's fine. Just do it the same day so you're not staring at dirty dishes in the bathroom.

Square packages of ramen will probably give me more bang for my buck. Yeah, the problem with eggs is that they only last for a few weeks before you have to throw them out. Dry ramen noodles probably never expire.

Isn’t caffeine why people drink coffee, to get themselves going? And doesn’t high sugar still get used by the body and especially the brain for quick energy? I’m hoping this is true because I love Coke and Pepsi and it’s something that’s cheap to buy in bulk.

I’ll get my calcium from milk.

I do like rice (ie. the white, sticky kind). It’s a hassle to prepare. It takes time to cook. And I dread the washing and cleaning up in the bathroom sink. So I’ll probably hold off on this option unless things get really tight.

Can you eat most canned foods straight out of the can without any cooking or heating up? I knew someone who sometimes opened up a can of beans and just started eating straight out of the can. I did not know you could do that. He said he sometimes does that if there’s no way for him to heat it up. I think he was homeless at the time.

 

[MEDdMI]

Eggs are good in the fridge for awhile, and easy to use up if you have to. Just trying not to use them much due to the price spike.

Caffeine, like everything, is best in moderation. Some people are addicted to it and go into withdrawal if they can't get their usual caffeine intake (hi Fnu). Too much caffeine for me just makes me jittery and irritable. What gets me up in the morning is having to feed my pets.

I do like rice (ie. the white, sticky kind). It’s a hassle to prepare. It takes time to cook.

That's what a rice cooker is for. A lot of rice types in the US, you're actually not supposed to rinse anymore b/c they're enriched or whatever. Put one cup of rice with 1.5-2 cups of water in the rice cooker, turn it on, and that's it. Takes about 30-40mins. Nicer models have delay timers. You can cook the rice with herbs and seasoning to give it some flavor.

I sometimes eat stuff straight from cans. Tuna is completely fine. Chef Boyardee and such are ok. Greasy stuff like canned chili would be pretty bad if you didn't heat it up first.

Other money saving tips: Groceries have sections for produce that's on it's last legs, stuff in damaged packaging, etc.
The Dollar Store has cheap stuff, but you get what you pay for.
Search for food pantries and food stamp programs online that may be available in your area. No shame in accepting help if you're in a tight spot. There's also food kitchens that serve free meals, but are frequently run by churches.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

To be honest, it kind of sounds like you’re trying to, metaphorically speaking, “have your cake and eat it too”. You say you’re in tight straights, but refuse to compromise to doing any sort of dish cleaning in your only sink. You’re talking eating canned foods straight from a can, but refuse to address Starbucks consumption. Now, I’m not going to say “deprive yourself of anything extra”, but how much Starbucks DO you consume? How frequent?
From my experience, just reducing your size of drink (if you haven’t already) can show immediate savings.

In terms of financial suggestions, in addition to many others here-
Don’t avoid lower cost options like Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Aldi. It’s been a hot while, but when we had an Aldi store nearby, it was routinely cheaper than other venues.
Don’t dismiss house brands. If you can, try switching from Coke/Pepsi to an off brand. That alone would likely net a 25-50% savings on the name brands, even “in bulk”. But I won’t be on any high horse, about the only off brand Cola I could tolerate was from Aldi. And in truth, things like the off-brand Raisen Brand aren’t likely to be drastically different from the more expensive name brand.

In terms of soft drinks, moderation is key. Yes, they have sugar, but it’s the highly processed kind. Soft drinks and Ramen have no functional nutritional value, and vitamins can only go so far to compensate.

And I’d also throw in something like a Rice Cooker/Steamer. I would allow you to purchase fresh produce and even some protein that would be substantive than the preprocessed stuff. Make enough in bulk, and you can prepare 2 or 3 meals at once, alleviating the time at other times by simply reheating in the microwave any leftovers. That’s also a boon to having a basic soup pan- most preprocessed items are typically prepared for at least 2 servings, so you could potentially make those cans of soup last a bit longer if you were willing to wash plastic containers for leftovers.
And a purified water pitcher. A bit pricey up front, but by being hydrated, you can mitigate hunger, eating less. And a typical filter will last a good 3 months on average usage. But it would be cheaper than purchasing bottled water.

 

[Axaday]

You can get canned beans very cheap and you don't have to cook them. Eat them straight from the can and you'll only need to clean your spoon. You will be a LOT healthier just eating canned beans than you will just eating ramen. Your peanut butter idea is a very good one too. If you life alone, you can eat that also with a spoon and only need to clean the spoon. Beans and Peanut butter have carbs and protein and fiber and the peanut butter has fat. They give peanut butter to starving people in third world or disaster areas to rejuvenate them. If you like cottage cheese, it is inexpensive and like milk has all of the proteins that your body cannot synthesize itself. It will keeping you feeling full a lot longer than milk.

Coke and Pepsi are not relatively cheap and provide you with no REAL benefit except pleasure. Don't drink that for the carbs. Whatever your diet is, it is very unlikely that you will need to supplement a lack of calories. If you really do just need a cheap way to fill a lack of carbohydrates in your body (repeat, really unlikely!), a loaf of store brand sliced bread is going to have enough calories to keep you alive for a day and a half and it is really cheap. No cooking or cleanup. If you have a sweet tooth, a cannister of raisins is very cheap and a small handful (or little box) of raisins has as many carbs as a can of coke and also has some fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Peanut butter sandwiches will get you a long way down the road, nutrition-wise, and will cost very little.

 

[ooo-baby]

You can get canned beans very cheap and you don't have to cook them. Eat them straight from the can and you'll only need to clean your spoon. You will be a LOT healthier just eating canned beans than you will just eating ramen. Your peanut butter idea is a very good one too. If you life alone, you can eat that also with a spoon and only need to clean the spoon. Beans and Peanut butter have carbs and protein and fiber and the peanut butter has fat. They give peanut butter to starving people in third world or disaster areas to rejuvenate them. If you like cottage cheese, it is inexpensive and like milk has all of the proteins that your body cannot synthesize itself. It will keeping you feeling full a lot longer than milk.

Coke and Pepsi are not relatively cheap and provide you with no REAL benefit except pleasure. Don't drink that for the carbs. Whatever your diet is, it is very unlikely that you will need to supplement a lack of calories. If you really do just need a cheap way to fill a lack of carbohydrates in your body (repeat, really unlikely!), a loaf of store brand sliced bread is going to have enough calories to keep you alive for a day and a half and it is really cheap. No cooking or cleanup. If you have a sweet tooth, a cannister of raisins is very cheap and a small handful (or little box) of raisins has as many carbs as a can of coke and also has some fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Peanut butter sandwiches will get you a long way down the road, nutrition-wise, and will cost very little.

Quick and easy is what I like and what I was looking for . Thank You!

I’m glad to hear that you can eat beans straight out of the can with no heating or prep. I love peanut butter, so thanks for confirming that it is a good and valid source of protein.

I never thought of cottage cheese. I like cheese and I’ve probably encountered cottage cheese as a topping on other food. I just can’t remember when I’ve had. I’ve been looking for something that will keep me feeling full like how I feel when I eat hamburger, fries, and a coke or a full pepperoni pizza and coke. It digests slowly and provides that long, steady flow and supply of energy to my brain that lasts the entire day. It feels good. Maybe cottage cheese will also give me that slow burn of protein that my brain needs.

I wish Coke and Pepsi provided something. They still are food and calories. If your body can digest it, it can use it. I won’t drink it for carbs, but doesn’t it at least supplement a lack of calories? And the sugar in those drinks must be good for something. I’m hoping my brain is using that sugar and caffeine for energy.

That loaf of sliced bread would go good with the peanut butter to make sandwiches and I could sprinkle a box of raisins on top for vitamins and minerals. I will drink a glass of milk with it for the protein and simply because they taste good together!

 

[Axaday]

I wish Coke and Pepsi provided something. They still are food and calories. If your body can digest it, it can use it. I won’t drink it for carbs, but doesn’t it at least supplement a lack of calories?

Yeah, you get 140 calories from a can of Coke or Pepsi, but if you are actually starving for calories there are more efficient and cheaper ways to get those calories. Koolaid is cheaper. You can just pour white sugar into water and that is way cheaper. But if you're eating useful foods with protein and fiber and vitamins in them, plenty of which are cheap, you're going to get all the calories you need.

 

[ooo-baby]

I’ve come to a point in my life where I don’t want to work anymore. I just don’t have the desire and energy anymore.

Is it unwise to go to an investment company and have them invest most of the money I have left? Can they double, triple, or quadruple it?

Every time I’ve invested in something I’ve lost all my money. It was usually friends who asked me to invest in their movie or entertainment ventures. They said they could give me back ten times what I put into it and if the movie fell through they would return what I put into it. So, no risk, nothing to lose. Well, I got back nothing and there was nothing I could do about it because I just trusted them to keep their word.

I don’t understand stocks, mutual funds, annuities, etc. and frankly I’m not interested. So I thought investing in a movie was something I could understand and get behind.

I was wondering if I’m piping dreaming, being lazy, and looking for the easy way (ie. to get rich quick). A wise man once said:

Is this true for adults too, or just something we tell kids.

Is it dangerous to have the mindset of not wanting to work and trying to find ways to get rich quick. Is it better to go the brute force way of working when you have to (ie. when you run out of money), saving (ie. putting your money in the bank) when you are working, and just waiting it out until you can retire?

 

[MEDdMI]

I have an exclusive, secure picture of a monkey you're going to want to invest in...

Seriously though, have you ever researched this stuff on your own? Investing is pretty much gambling. No guarantee you'll get your money back. Just look up the recent fiasco with GameStop stocks once online companies made it possible for the public to easily buy/sell stock.

Side note: while not very nutritious, square block ramen straight from the package is fine to eat on its own. It's precooked, just dehydrated. Pretty much tastes like crackers, adds some crunch to salads and whatnot.

 

[ooo-baby]

I have an exclusive, secure picture of a monkey you're going to want to invest in...

Seriously though, have you ever researched this stuff on your own? Investing is pretty much gambling. No guarantee you'll get your money back. Just look up the recent fiasco with GameStop stocks once online companies made it possible for the public to easily buy/sell stock.

Side note: while not very nutritious, square block ramen straight from the package is fine to eat on its own. It's precooked, just dehydrated. Pretty much tastes like crackers, adds some crunch to salads and whatnot.

I do remember seeing my neighbor munching on square ramen when I visited him long ago. He was breaking pieces of it off and sprinkling the packet of seasoning on it. Thanks for reminding me.

It’s hard for me to research because there’s so much information out there and I’m a really, really, really slow reader. I envy people who are readers, who can get through whole novels in one day without much effort, like it’s nothing. I guess I just have a slow brain. It takes me a long time and a lot of effort and energy to get through one chapter, and at the end of it I’m so mentally exhausted that I end up falling asleep. Is there something wrong with me? Maybe I have a defective brain.

I have to rely on headlines, factoids, snippets, and what people tell me since they can break down vast amounts of information into one or two succinct sentences.

Without google, the internet, radio, and tv I’d be completely in the dark.

I’ll admit it. My brain is bad:

I need a Teletraan 1.

 

[Platypus Prime]

In all honesty, a Transformers board is not the place to ask for this kind of advice, but I've worked with both the nutritional and financial situations, and in both cases, this is a bad idea. Ramen will not give you everything needed even if you supplement heavily. Humans are omnivores for a reason, we have to have a wide range of things to keep going and no amount of vitamin supplements and the like will compensate for all-carbs (and that's all ramen is). For the finances, no 'investment' that you would come across would give you an immediate 2-4x return in normal circumstances. Most retirement funds are based on a consistent 5% return over 25 to 30 years. Even they are iffy right now. The entire system is having issues and has been for a while. No 'sure fire' investment exists, and ANY investment can cause you to loose your principle (initial money) in bad circumstances. Just look at the recent bank collapse, SVB was seen as a safe investment till literally last Friday, then investors lost almost everything and no government program will pay them back. The government actually went out of its way to clearly state that it WON'T pay the investors back. Meanwhile, the treasury bonds that SVB itself had invested in, were considered solid and safe...till the interest rate changed. And that pushed things into a bank run and a collapse.

Like it or not, even if you don't feel like it, you need to just get a job and keep at it. It's the only 'sure thing' right now, and it doesn't need to be a huge aspect of your life. Even the stereotypical fast food place will get you money and then you can leave it at the end of the day, that's not the sort of job that follows you home. It sounds like you've been taken financial advantage of in the past, the best way to avoid that is to control your own finances, not give it to someone else and hope they take care of you. It never works.

You need to actually map out your expenses, with internet, utilities, rent, etc, and yes, FOOD, and see what you actually live on now. Then work out what you need to do to support it. Don't throw your money away on any 'get rich quick' scheme, as that's more likely a way to wind up homeless with no internet, expensive coffee, or HEAT. And beleive me, I know, being cold without any shelter is not 'uncomfortable', it HURTS. Exposure without shelter hurts far more than anyone would beleive and if they don't beleive me on that, good, it means they didn't ever have anything to change their minds. Lucky for them.

 

[MEDdMI]

^This. I have an Excel sheet to keep track of my income and expenses to help me budget. Don't always adhere to it, but still.
Beware anything that sounds too good to be true.

 

[ooo-baby]

You need to actually map out your expenses, with internet, utilities, rent, etc, and yes, FOOD, and see what you actually live on now. Then work out what you need to do to support it. Don't throw your money away on any 'get rich quick' scheme, as that's more likely a way to wind up homeless with no internet, expensive coffee, or HEAT. And beleive me, I know, being cold without any shelter is not 'uncomfortable', it HURTS. Exposure without shelter hurts far more than anyone would beleive and if they don't beleive me on that, good, it means they didn't ever have anything to change their minds. Lucky for them.

Is homelessness something we have to worry about in this day and age. I heard it’s mostly mental illness and drug addiction. They could get government assistance if they wanted to. All they have to do is go and fill out the paperwork to get help. Aren’t there social safety nets in place that prevent anyone from really becoming financially homeless?