[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by dead_battery

funny i was online shopping for bulk buys tonight and found costco uk and it sucks bigtime.

the food front - soylent/joylent is ok but not suitable for every meal and not perfect so i need other foods. i have one fridge and one freezer compartment available and need to get some sort of bulk buy organized so i can make a pack lunch for everyday and finally stop the massive hole that daily food grabs are making on my budget.

housing wise i am renting a room. its not ideal but its cheap for the city apparently.

chest freezers are the way to go--cheap to buy, energy efficient, quiet, etc. it is possible to keep one in one's room (if new/quiet). but if you have to move often they can be a major bitch. still, great for buying perishables in bulk (meat, vegetables, fruit, etc). also to store foods cooked in bulk (e.g., buy a large cut of meat, cook it, split in portions, freeze for future use). find a good deal on sale, buy & stock.

don't know what you eat, but lentils are a pretty great sweet spot in terms of portability, durability, ease, etc. go to some immigrant store & buy cheap in bulk. same with white rice which stores a long time (unless it has bugs but those are protein ha ha). you could make a meal of lentils, onions, rice, spinach & olive oil and probably live indefinitely on it with some oranges for dessert-- unlike other legumes lentils are high in lysine.

oh, shit, garbanzos rule. whenever i eat garbanzos for breakfast i can skip lunch easily. i cook them in bulk in a pressure cooker. then for breakfast i heat them with tomato, olive oil, spinach, then steam some eggs on top = work all day.

oh, look into electric pressure cookers-- programmable, fast, energy efficient, etc. i make white rice in 15 minutes in one of those (5 to build pressure, 10 to cook, 30 sec to vent the steam).

learn the art of fermentation-- from yogurt to sauerkraut super easy to make and probiotics are good. if your irish guts tolerate gluten, learning to bake is a good skill. today i made a fantastic onion pizza to satisfy 2 people with healthy appetites for about $2 (probably could feed 4). other days i bake bread, make granola in bulk, etc.

okay i need zzzz now.