Things you never need to buy.

I planted papyrus today.

I doubt if I try to make my own paper, but it looks really cool by the pond...

I can't think of much besides personalized address labels (the ones charities send you once you've donated to them). Some are really pretty, but even if I lived to 190 and wrote a dozen letters a day, they'll still bury me with a ton of those things.

That's nice.

I almost hate to mention this, but you can easily get free bibles.

Also, if you have a family member that teaches at a college, you can get free textbooks. Book companies were constantly sending my father free books that they hoped he would order for his classes.

actually, I think it is nice as well.

Since you brought my name into this originally, I will answer that query...

No. I never lack for protein. (a lot of times I have serious troubles digesting protein)

I have a half case of canned tuna (50 cents a can sale at wally's a while back)

some nights stinky and I just split a can of tuna and I have some broccoli or asparagus. mine is producing now at a rate I can eat some of it.

and I buy frozen fish whenever I can find it on sale. usually tilapia or pollock. about $2 a pound on average. frozen individually so I can have a small portion.

lots of rice. peanut butter and eggs.

gonna try and raise my own eggs next year.

I also receive commodities from the county once every two months. there is prolly a program like it near you, but you have to go look for it, they don't advertise much.

good luck to you...

I lack protein, inventive as I am. I have about two dollars in my bank account.
You buy frozen fish and so on. Good for you.


Well, the question is, how do I keep posting. Month by month, trust me.

You may not consider garden plants essentials, but I do.
Especially when quite a number of mine died & needed replacement, as a result the years of drought we experienced here .
When I first started gardening & didn't know any better, I wasted heaps of $$$$ on plants at nurseries.
Now many of my newer acquisitions are derived from cuttings & root divisions of overgrown plants from friends' gardens.
A whole border of succulents, for example, is so easy to grow, simply by planting some small cuttings. They cost a small fortune at the nurseries.
It's also nice to give friends plants they've admired in my garden, which I've propagated for them.
You live & learn these things as you go.

There are 3 food banks about 3.5 miles from us -- nothing closer according to this site:

http://www.nmfoodbanks.org/get-help/find-help-in-your-area/

Here's another longer list. They don't have a locator thingy so I can't tell how far away some of these are.

http://www.hsd.state.nm.us/pdf/FoodDistributionLocations.pdf

Osso, if you'd like a ride to one of them, let me know.

my internet bill is a struggle as well.

fortunately they are very forgiving when I call for an extension.

do you mebbe have a neighbor in similar straights?

Smoky and I pool resources, and share quite a few meals. as much for company as anything, I guess.

oh yeah, succulents are the plant that keeps on giving.
Sedums just start to grow wherever they are dropped.

I had a Jerusalem Sage that my neighbor always admired.
When it finally went down, and I was digging it up, I found a small separate plant that had sprouted up.

I was over that plant by that time, so I put the baby in a pot, let it get established, then gave it to him.

Thank you. Do you have to pay at food banks?


Anyway, I gathered my wits re property taxes today.

Tomorrow, an early morning interview. If that comes out badly, I'll have to protest.

Thank you, rocky.

Osso,

Take a look at the info here on the NMHSD site:

http://www.hsd.state.nm.us/isd/

you're welcome.

the food banks are free to those that need help.

good basic foods, and some really yucky canned stuff.

please look into the ones near you...

I am dealing with them, thank you.

Another lover of succulents.

A few years ago a neighbour admired mine in my front garden. So I just told him to come & help himself to cuttings, whenever it suited him. He did. That was good for me, too, as they were getting a bit overgrown.

And quite a number of herbs are very "transportable". You can give them to people for free, which saves them $$$$.

Like Vietnamese mint (which is practically a weed, it is so easy to grow!)
Or the parsley seedlings that grow all over my garden, from last year's plants' seeds. They are always welcomed by friends who don't already have any parsley in their gardens.

A few years ago, when I had a much bigger garden than I do now, I would pot heaps of tomato seedings (once they'd reached a reasonable size) which would spring up in my garden, from my compost. I took heaps of them to work & just left a "help yourself" note for anyone who wanted them.
I swear, they'd all be gone within 10 -15 minutes!

Nothing is near me (don't get me started) but I'll pay attention, and maybe bfn can help - but she has enough to do as it is.

Too bad I'm no longer catholic..

Anyway, thanks.

I'm truly sorry to hear of your difficulties, osso.
I'm hoping that the suggestions posted here will be of help.
Best of luck to you.
And I would hate it if you couldn't keep posting here!

When I lived in Florida, we rented a duplex that had a HUGE mango tree in the back yard.

I worked at a nursing home, and I swear I would bring in trash bags with 60 plus mangos in them, a couple times a week, to share.

PLEASE, take some.

Catholic charities helps anyone that need it, in my experience.
they won't care if you are lapsed or not.

I'm not a big pope fan, but most of his people down on the street are pretty damn real folks...