Let me make it more simple: In this day and age being a homemaker is a privilege. Why? Because of capitalist, white supremacy, homophobia and transphobia. Most minorities want to stay at home, work from home, bond with their children, work for their communities, but they never had that choice.

So many people commenting "if a woman decided to stay at home good for her" or "nothing wrong with traditional female gender roles" or whatever, not understanding my entire point that only white cis women are given the Choice to stay at home, and being a homemaker is only a traditional role for white cis women. The watering down of this post into white feminist rhetoric, completely and utterly misses the point when I spelled it out so blantantly, and is unfortunately a chilling example of how white women have been able to control this rhetoric of homemaking, both by making it seem like a negative thing, and by flaunting their privilege on this issue as something they can just choose to do.

instant oatmeal packets with fruit in them - $3 probably and this can be breakfast all week and maybe even a lunch or dinner too since you usually get 10 packets

bag of rice - $2-3 depending on size. 1 cup dry rice makes enough for about two meals depending on what you add in. if you get cheap rice, rinse it before cooking

canned beans - usually under $1 per can - mix the can with your rice and you have a meal. chili-spiced beans will make bean tacos. Rinse non-spiced beans before adding to anything.

Tortilla - usually around $3 but you get like 8-10 of them. Tacos, wraps, and quesadillas are all fair game here

lettuce - $2 max around here, either a head of something or bagged precut depending on preference, use as a salad or on tacos

protein other than beans of some sort - probably $5-7 for meat, $2-3 for eggs. sometimes I can get bags of frozen chicken breasts in this price range and each is usually 2 meals if I add in a bunch of veggies. fry/scramble eggs and add to any of the options. 

your favorite stir fry sauce - $3ish

vegetables - $5ish. literally anything that you can 1. fry in a pan and 2. you’ll eat. fresh carrots are usually pretty cheap. get frozen if it’s cheaper and you’re strapped for cash/prep time on this part. 

alternative to stir fry:  pasta (~$2), fresh tomatoes (~$2), cheese (~$3). 

Adding also: the single most nutritious food on earth is potatoes in their peel. Potatoes + some milk and butter = everything you need. They don’t last all that long, but they’re fairly cheap and the quickest cheat to “How do I not fuck my body up.”

(Cooked potatoes’ll last a while in the fridge. Potatoes nearing the end of their useful lives? Cook them to half-done first, figure out what to do with them later.)

Easiest baked potatoes: slice thinly but not paper-like, spread like cards, brush with oil (a silicone baking brush is totes worth the little it costs), spread salt and pepper (a little less than you think you’d like), cover with foil, stick in oven or toaster-oven at 150C for 40min. (If you have the patience, at that point click up to 180C, remove the cover and add 10-20min.) Reheats well, lasts in the fridge longer than it’ll take you to nom.

Dead-Animal-Free Whole Protein: some legumes + some grain. AKA rice and lentils, or rice and beans. (Maybe some fried onion for flavor; onion’s cheap and stays good a descent while. Fried onion makes everything taste better and keeps forever in the freezer, so frying up a bunch and keeping portions is not a half-bad idea.) (If going for the beans option - lentils are cheaper around here but fuck if I know what it’s like in your area - dump some tomato sauce and oil in; canola or soy are best health-wise, and far cheaper than olive; avoid corn.) Oh, what does instant couscous go for in your area? It keeps for fucking ever, it’s usually cheap, and it takes well to any and all added taste.

If you get to choose, black lentils taste the best and need the least soak-time (0-20min), green lentils are best for cooked stuff and red lentils are best in soups. (Red lentils + potatoes + root vegetables of choice + spices; cut into small pieces, cook, run through the blender if you wanna [stick blender’s awesome], freeze in portions.)

When possible, get instant soup mix. Get the good instant soup mix. (The kind that’s not made primarily of sugar, yeast or both. The rest is optional.) Dump 1/2tsp (or more, but start on the low end) into couscous, or chicken, or sprinkle over potatoes being stuck in the oven. Whatever. It’ll make most cooked-food-type things taste better. And again, lasts forever on the shelf.

And speaking as someone who is also living off oatmeal, beans, and brown rice, if you need recipes, I have them! 

Today I made 16 bean soup with chicken sausage and it was crazy good and I got 8 servings out of the one batch (froze half). I usually get the cheapest beans I can find, and GOYA bags of beans are usually $1-2. I soaked them overnight,rinsed them, and threw them in a gallon lidded saucepan with 2 boxes of chicken stock (also on sale for $2), two bay leaves, sauteed green pepper, onion, and celery, some garlic from a jar, about two tablespoons of dried herbs de provence,and the “fancy” bit was adding $6 bourbon and apple chicken sausages. You can actually sub veg stock for chicken and skip the sausage and make it vegan and it would still taste great.

Oh and I’ve been doing steel-cut oats. I don’t buy the name brand ones, I just pick whatever store brand/generic I can get for less than $4. They take about ½ an hour to make, but they’re super tasty and I make 2 cups of dried oats at a time with dried cranberries and that’s breakfast for 4 days at least. 

As a college student, currently really hungry with nothing to eat, I understand how hard it can be to get food. Sometimes you really just don’t have the money to eat and when you do, you waste it all on fast food instead of stocking up on cheap things because you’re so tired of Ramen Noodes and canned food you could barf. So, I’ve composed a list of recipes and resources that will fit a college kid’s budget and appetite. Don’t go hungry! <3

Ramen Noodle Recipes:

Ramen Noodle Stir Fry

Sirloin-Snap Pea Stir Fry

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chili Cheese Ramen

Egg Drop Ramen

Spinach and Ramen

Ramen Spaghetti

Ramen Alfredo

Cheesy Ramen Noodles

Mug Meals:

Cheesy Eggs Mug

Cheese and Broccoli Mug

Mac and Cheese in a Mug

Meatloaf in a Mug

Nutella Mug Cake

Cheesecake Mug

Coffee Cup Quiche

Coffee Cup Chilaquiles

Mug Egg Scramble

Microwave Recipes:

Potato Chips

Corn on the cob

Scalloped Potatoes

White Rice

Fried Rice

Baked Potato

Chicken Casserole 

Garlic Chicken

Chicken Soup Casserole

Caramelized Onion Baked Potato

Soft Chicken Tacos

Pancakes

Recipe Generators

My Fridge Food

Fire House Chef

Dinner in 15 Minutes

Advanced recipe Generator

Cuisine

Recipe Matcher

Super Cook

Recipe Puppy

Cook Thing

Recipes by Ingredient

Recipe Key

Not Beans Again

Ideas 4 Recipes

Big Oven

Other Resources

Actual College Student Cookbook

Restaurant Coupons [1] [2] [3] [4]

it’s not surprising to me that most people don’t actually… KNOW how to cook vegetables, which is really, really sad. so imma help y’all out. 

- grill your fucking vegetables? if you have a grill, or even a little dinky george foreman–grill those bitches. brush them with olive oil–or a mix of olive oil and balsalmic vinegar if you’re fancy, grill, salt, pepper, fresh herbs if you want, BAM. delicious. if you don’t, roasting is your next best option. you can also (if you have a gas stove and are ambitious) “grill” on the stove top. many a time i’ve stuck a sweet pepper on the stove and lit that bitch up! 

- braise those bitches??? good for leafy greens and vegetables like turnips and radishes. finely chop some garlic, onion, or scallion (or all three if you’re bold) and sautee them in a little oil. once they’re almost cooked, add your veg. keep it moving, don’t let anything burn, and add a capful of white wine, or cooking wine. DELICIOUS. 

- FRESH. HERBS. ARE. YOUR. FRIENDS? if you cannot get fresh (admittedly, i live on a farm, so i’m never short on things like dill, parsley, thyme, scallion, or cilantro) but they’re amazing on fresh veggies. sauteed in them in a pan? add some herbs. roasted them in the oven? add some herbs (and brown sugar if you want a savory sweet vibe)

- roast them in the oven if you don’t have time (or spoons) to stand up next to a hot ass stove for 5-20 minutes! vegetables that are good for roasting are typically ones that take a long time to cook, eggplants, potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, etc. of course, you can roast any veggie you like!

- MARINATE THOSE BITCHES??? literally you can make delicious marinades out of items most of you already have in your homes: honey/brown sugar, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, etc. 

- FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK STOP ADDING EVERYTHING TO THE PAN AT THE SAME FUCKING TIME. time out your veggies when sauteeing them for anything. if you’re doing a bunch of different ones, add the veggies to the pan first that take the longest. Making stir fry? put those motherfucking carrots in first, because they take FOREVER. onions, carrots, potatoes? put those in first. corn, broccoli, sweet pepper, zucchini? closer to the end, my dude, because they cook FAST. 

- ginger and scallion go excellently in stir fry btw. if when you make your stir fry it tastes like it’s “missing something”, that’s what you’re missing. add that shit. 

- you do NOT FUCKING NEED CHICKEN/BEEF STOCK FOR YOUR GODDAMN SOUP IF IT DOESN’T HAVE MEAT IN IT! sautee your veggies first, and you can use either powdered or canned coconut milk as the body. it makes for deliciously creamy soup. don’t worry about the coconut taste–it’s pretty much gone by the time your soup/stew is done cooking. coconut milk (especially powdered, and soy milk works for this too, no vanilla flavoring obviously) makes an excellent base for sauces for veggies, even if you eat meat! 

lastly, give it the ol’ ratatouille. smell your herbs and spices together. if they seem like they go well, odds are, they’ll taste bangin’ once you combine them. experiment. everything you make will not be good, but you’ll get more comfortable cooking. i’ve been a chef for like two years and i burned some bread today, so it’s okay. you’ll make mistakes. that’s how you learn. don’t be afraid to cut or burn yourself–the more afraid you are, the more likely it is to happen. 

-If you’re subbing coconut milk for a meat-based stock you’ll probably want to add more salt than the original recipe calls for. And some garlic

-Actually, everything needs more garlic.

-The Ratatouille Method Works.  It works best when you’re feeling indescisive about what to make for dinner, so you go snack on whatever herbs/veg/sauce you have around and think about the flavors.

-Don’t be afraid to do this with fruit too!  Even if you’re a meat person like me, fruit goes great with lots of things and can benefit from many of the above cooking methods.  The main difference is that fruit tends to cook REALLY SUPER FAST so add it in at the last minute, or even last second.

-Looking Up Traditional Recipies.  Not eating enough plants is a very recent problem, and nearly every culture on earth has got some great veg recipies. Look up basic things like “French Carrots and Leeks Recipes” or find multicultural food blogs or heck, Actually Call Your Grandma* and ask what she did for vegetables.

Before you move into your new place you need to do two things (if you’re renting)

Have a walk through especially if you have a large security deposit Bring a camera with a date option and take pictures of every stain, hole, weird looking thing in the place. You don’t want to have your security deposit revoked because you’re being blamed for a previous tenants red wine spill. Make sure you bring these up with the owner and show them the pictures and have them sign something saying they acknowledge that these problems are not from you and were in fact from previous owners. Secondly Bring cleaning supplies. It is so much easier to do a deep clean when there is nothing in it. Even if they have maintenance come in before and clean it. Clean it again. Because we all k ow you’re not going to move your giant sectional every time your sweep unless you rearrange your furniture. So clean those spots real REAL good. What to bring - Vinegar & Baking soda (if your cheap and can’t bring your parents cleaning supplies) - Carpet cleaner and vacuum (if you can) - Broom and dustpan - Windex - Bleach - Gloves - Mop and bucket if you have laminate - Paper towels - Carpet powder or borax if you don’t have a carpet cleaner - Spray bottle

Remember never mix chemicals.

Always dilute your bleach and vinegar when cleaning.

When using chemical make sure you open the windows and doors to provide ventilation.

Use vinegar to clean down counters, sinks, bathtubs, anything that’s ceramic or metal. Don’t use it on wooden surfaces. You can use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar in your sinks to help clean and dislodge anything Use an equal amount for each and then run hot water after its done. You can also use both to clean your toilet. As long is its a non-porous surface like marble or wood you should be fine.

Vinegar is a natural solution to bleach and does most of the job but if you need bleach always dilute it with 3-4 parts water with every 1 part bleach. You can use it on all the same things as vinegar but make sure you wear gloves and have the windows and doors open for good ventilation. Never mix bleach with any other chemicals as it can result in lethal gas.

Frozen veggies, especially peas, can be microwaved and eaten in minutes

Fruit cups

Bagged salad

Orange, banana, apple (but not if you have braces). Takes literally seconds to wash, don’t be lazy.

Berries (frozen or refrigerated), can be blended, cooked, or eaten as is (non-frozen berries need to be rinsed)

Canned lentils because protein and vitamin B

Eggs can be boiled or scrambled in bulk and saved to eat throughout the week

Deli meat. Can be mixed into dishes or eaten by itself.

Crockpots are great, throw in some meat and/or veggies and sauce, turn it on low, go to work/class, it’ll be done when you’re back and you can refrigerate or freeze left-overs for when you’re really in a rush.

Worst case scenario: pour milk or other protein-based beverage into a thermos the night before, leave it in fridge, grab it on the way out. Put a small package of food such as trail-mix and a bottle of water in your backpack/workbag the night before in case you somehow forget the thermos.

It’s okay to go without eating every once in a while, or binge on random vending machibe food in an emergency, but please try to eat healthy and as often as needed. I lost 60+ pounds just from being too busy to eat and experiencing non-stop stress. I lost fat and muscle tone, so my skin hangs loose on my body and my clothes don’t fit right. Even though I did need to lose weight, this was not the healthiest way to do it (because I lost muscle tone).

Oil: - honey colored oil is good, coffee colored is bad and means you need to change it soon - never check oil on a hill - you can go 3000 miles over your designated amount of miles for an oil change - bigger engines burn more oil, remember that when you’re making a purchase

Under the hood: - if your car has trouble getting past 45-50 mph (stalling) then you could have issues with your spark plugs - dimming headlights? Check your battery you could need a new one, walmart offers free battery checks and free disposals - clean under the hood please, take a cloth and wipe it all down, hell you can even spray it on a low power setting with the car on, just don’t use soap. - if you’ve noticed leaking it could be any sort of liquid just keep an eye on how your car is running and what you’ve have to fill up on more recently, and get it checked out asap.

Interior: - tuff stuff gets so much dirt and grime out, it can even lift stains. Trust it. I even use it for my house - seriously you don’t need to take your car in to detail it. It’s a waste of money. Get yourself a car cleaning kit and go nuts. - a clean car is a happy car and will last longer than one that you leave trash all over in - buy an emergency kit from Walmart seriously they come with jump cables, first aid, flash light, blah blah blah