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I remember me and my fiance lived for nearly two weeks on thrown out pizzas. I'd grab my straps and nets, hop on my scooter and about 1:30am drive around to four to six pizza places getting three to eight boxes. That paired with hitting up the soup kitchen kept us fed, since eating once a day just doesn't cut it. Or didn't cut it. I've never had some stable job to live on. It's whatever, It was that or starve outside the one or two times we could eat free. Hell; a few times we didn't even have gas money for the bike. Some people just don't effing get it. I'd be surprised if anybody here was ever below where they are. Seems like every poster who isn't living with their parents are middle class with their own house, has or had their own bussiness, or is retired.
When I was young, I had to move back in with my parents a couple of times. I've visited a few financial slots. My parents had good and bad years. My husband and I had good and bad years. I've never owned my own business, but I'm now retired.
I've never been truly poor, but I've also never been solidly upper middle class. I've been to some nice places, and shopped in thrift stores. A couple of times I paid serious amounts of cash to have things done to my hair, though I fixed the toilet, waxed the car, and went to a Community College night class to learn basic woodworking. I knew how to sew, cook, and knit, but I didn't know enough. Can we ever know enough?
Eating garbage, yes. Eating discarded food??? When exactly does it become garbage? As soon as it enters the 4 walls of the dumpster? When it was edible the second before?
Discarding food in a dumpster, that could be passed on to hungry people, IS a mental disorder.
In some of these examples the food is in exactly the same condition and still within a container so I'd say it's only logistics that would cause it to be called garbage. Anyone who would never ever consider taking a pizza box with a pizza in it out of a garbage can should probably count their blessings to have never been that hungry.
I worked at a meat processing plant and it made me slightly ill to think about all the food that got thrown away because it fell onto a floor that's cleaner than most peoples kitchen counters. (Seriously, it was cleaned and sanitized 5 or 6 times per shift) Obviously you don't want to sell it to the unsuspecting public but it could have at least been used as pet food.
In some of these examples the food is in exactly the same condition and still within a container so I'd say it's only logistics that would cause it to be called garbage. Anyone who would never ever consider taking a pizza box with a pizza in it out of a garbage can should probably count their blessings to have never been that hungry.
I worked at a meat processing plant and it made me slightly ill to think about all the food that got thrown away because it fell onto a floor that's cleaner than most peoples kitchen counters. (Seriously, it was cleaned and sanitized 5 or 6 times per shift) Obviously you don't want to sell it to the unsuspecting public but it could have at least been used as pet food.
I was thinking to make dog and cat biscuits to sell at dog or cat shows, and I spoke to the FDA at the local government level about having a kitchen for that. He said that the rules for human and animal food are different, so he was trying to tell me I shouldn't worry too much about making the biscuits in my kitchen. I sold some on ebay, and got rave reviews. But I didn't go ahead with it. Although it's a thought. (Not for me, though.)
When I was young, I had to move back in with my parents a couple of times. I've visited a few financial slots. My parents had good and bad years. My husband and I had good and bad years. I've never owned my own business, but I'm now retired.
I've never been truly poor, but I've also never been solidly upper middle class. I've been to some nice places, and shopped in thrift stores. A couple of times I paid serious amounts of cash to have things done to my hair, though I fixed the toilet, waxed the car, and went to a Community College night class to learn basic woodworking. I knew how to sew, cook, and knit, but I didn't know enough. Can we ever know enough?
I have money to buy new stuff now. But I haven't bought something new for years. I'm a frequent visitor to thrift stores. One church store sometimes has free produce. I take a few things sometimes. My husband is not as frugal as I am and we've had many years of unhappiness because he would put things on credit and we paid exhorbitant interest. But finally we resolved that to a large extent when my father died and left enough money to pay the bills and now we buy only with what we have cash for. We pay with credit card, and I'm still the frugal one but at least we don't owe money like we used to. Just to mention, if you get 1-2% from the credit coImpany, it's more than the bank gives you. It's nice you can do basic fixing, these things can cost a fortune. That is why I'm considering renting eventually in a senior complex rather than owning a condo. We have a condo and I have to add up the bills to see just how much more I would spend if we rent rather than pay the condo bills.
I Anyone who would never ever consider taking a pizza box with a pizza in it out of a garbage can should probably count their blessings to have never been that hungry. .
I agree. People who don't have to do this have had a blessed life.
I have money to buy new stuff now. But I haven't bought something new for years. I'm a frequent visitor to thrift stores. One church store sometimes has free produce. I take a few things sometimes. My husband is not as frugal as I am and we've had many years of unhappiness because he would put things on credit and we paid exhorbitant interest. But finally we resolved that to a large extent when my father died and left enough money to pay the bills and now we buy only with what we have cash for. We pay with credit card, and I'm still the frugal one but at least we don't owe money like we used to. Just to mention, if you get 1-2% from the credit coImpany, it's more than the bank gives you. It's nice you can do basic fixing, these things can cost a fortune. That is why I'm considering renting eventually in a senior complex rather than owning a condo. We have a condo and I have to add up the bills to see just how much more I would spend if we rent rather than pay the condo bills.
I have enough money to buy new stuff, but I like thrift stores and consignment shops for some things. My underwear and socks were bought new. I have no idea how many people have tried on my "new" pair of shoes.
I was taught that it was a virtue to not waste. Nobody said there was a Schedule A of things that you should not waste, a Schedule B of things that it is OK to waste, and Schedule C of things that it is socially obligatory to waste.
I just watched the award winning movie called "Dive!"..It's on netflix now..Definitely an eye opener about 96 BILLION pounds of food getting thrown away every year in America..
Does anyone dumpster dive? After watching that movie I'm thinking about it! I can afford food I just hate the idea of wasting so much food that is perfectly edible! I know when I worked at dunkin donuts it made me really sick to have to get a giant trash bag at closing time, and throw away hundreds of donuts and bagels that didnt sell..throw away as in..into the dumpster..what a waste!
I would never dumpster dive, even if I was starving I would try to find some organization to get food from. As a last resort if you are near death then I would if I had no other choice.
it's too bad places like Dunkin Donuts don't offer their left over stuff to food pantries or homeless shelters or places that can use it. Or even sell it at closing for a buck or two per grocery bag.
I think some places will donate if you ask. I used to live in an area where once I was walking my dog and a neighbor asked me if I liked bagels. It was an odd question but he said as a senior they would give him some for free from the left overs.
In other words, if leftover food is sanctified by a food pantry, it is OK, but not if it goes directly to the consumer,
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