Another Bates picture I'd like to discuss

[Witsec7]

Well, this is the dry goods. If they did have fresh produce, it wouldn't be there because it would be in the fridge. The treats like chips and cookies look like they would be a reasonable amount for so many people, but if it were just one or the other. Instead it's chips, cookies, and donuts. The saltines and bread are just a cheap way to feed a bunch of kids. It looks like they have some canned tomatoes, and the pickles aren't so bad as far as snack go, but I would like to see a lot more preserved fruits and vegetables. Why not a couple giant boxes of raisins instead of the other types of snacks? I'm also surprised that they don't buy bulk staples like pasta, rice, and oatmeal. I'm more concerned by what's not there than what is there.

In my own pantry for just one person, there are cans, jars, and boxes of pears, mixed fruit, applesauce, pineapple, raisins, green beans, diced tomatoes, peanut butter, pickles (technically a vegetable, I swear!), peas, rice, lentils, oatmeal, kidney beans, and pasta. I have some snacks too because I really love my snacks. I don't begrudge anyone their junk food treats, but you can't make a meal out of cookies and chips (at least not very frequently). I don't consider myself a healthy eater, but I do try to get fruits and vegetables and I keep the preserved kind around for when I don't have any fresh. And a lot of the other stuff is just because I'm cheap and lazy and it's so easy to just boil something on the stove that only costs a few pennies.

I have food insecurity so I keep a rather large back stock in my dry food storage area. Most of my stuff is stored in qt or half gallon mason jars. Its dried green beans, onions (from a friends garden), cherries (friends), dried organic cranberries (from fresh @$1 a lb the day after T day), beans (7 kinds), quinoa (2kinds), 2 qts of WW pasta, dried apples (friends), dried tomatoes (friends), dried blue berries (friends) and a qt of nonfat powdered milk. I keep 5 lbs of red rice in the fridge. I also have a case of organic tomatoes I bought at the crash and dent out in the shed.

I left my headship before my garden was harvested and he was a cheap rat bastard who would not let me take the fruits of my labors with me. My pals lent me a dehydrator and started bringing in fruits and veggies from their gardens as soon as I moved in.

[crassy]

Perhaps the Bateses are secretly Juggalos:)

Someone needs to photoshop the Bates family as Juggalos/Juggalettes. That would totally make my day!

[tacky]

I loved Faygo Red Pop when I was a kid. I didn't know it was a regional brand.

[Witsec7]

Someone needs to photoshop the Bates family as Juggalos/Juggalettes. That would totally make my day!

Yea I'd definitely put that on a t-shirt. :lol:

[Visionoyahweh]

We've had Faygo here in FL for at least the last 20 years.

[tropaka]

had to look it up - Faygo is made in Detroit...available in several markets in US and Canada...

[sassyNoz47]

had to look it up - Faygo is made in Detroit...available in several markets in US and Canada...

I must be living in a bubble I've never heard of it!! I'm also a admitted Pepsi adict but my kids will drink store brands..even at Aldi's never seen it. My kid is laughing over just the name.

I'm also a cheez it freak having some now but... those aren't Cheez-it my kids wont even eat the generic -chips yes but not cheez it. And the off brand canned cheese is gross why even spend money on it. Cut some real cheese up. Paper plates and cups well I'm quilty of using those to much to. How long will doughnuts sit on a shelf?

[meow139]

Not much different from my junk food cabinet, except a lot bigger. They probably keep all the healthy stuff somewhere else. hopefully...

[doggie]

we have it here in Portland or. well my daughter has found it.

[luckylibrarian]

I loved Faygo Red Pop when I was a kid. I didn't know it was a regional brand.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. That was good stuff - very distinctive taste. I didn't like the other flavors, just red.

[doggie]

Not much different from my junk food cabinet, except a lot bigger. They probably keep all the healthy stuff somewhere else. hopefully...

yes they keep it at the store :dance:

[crassy]

yes they keep it at the store :dance:

Well played!

[Third]

They could probably eat a lot cheaper if they ate real food. I wonder why these mega families don't garden - probably because you can't plant soda seeds.

While yes doing dishes after every meal for 21 people is a lot but seriously that's lots of money to throw away even if you write names on the cups.

I shop at Aldi - they sell rice in 10lb bags and other healthier cheap food. Now granted this could simply be the junk food and we all have it but if you have to go asking your child to buy FOOD for his siblings it's time to cut out the waste.

Grr.

[Jessica]

I told them about all the bulk food you can get at Costco and Kelly responded that they didn't want to go there because it was 45 minutes away, while Walmart is only 15 minutes away. You can get the Executive membership and get either 1 or 2% back, plus gas there is usually 10 or 15 cents cheaper than anywhere else. But nope! Gotta save an extra hour!

[Third]

I might be missing something Jessica but you told Kelly? Do you know them personally?

[Witsec7]

I told them about all the bulk food you can get at Costco and Kelly responded that they didn't want to go there because it was 45 minutes away, while Walmart is only 15 minutes away. You can get the Executive membership and get either 1 or 2% back, plus gas there is usually 10 or 15 cents cheaper than anywhere else. But nope! Gotta save an extra hour!

Its not like they have jobs to go to what the heck is an hour for them. Besides Lawson does the shopping.

[FloraDoraDolly]

Its not like they have jobs to go to what the heck is an hour for them. Besides Lawson does the shopping.

I wouldn't drive 45 minutes to buy groceries. It's a waste of time and a waste of gas.

[lexiloumarie]

As others have said, I doubt this the only food they have. They do have 19+ people, one bag of chips is not going to last very long.

And I'd genuinely like to know what the hell is so wrong with Aldi's. I mean if you only use it to be TTC I could see the issue but they do have more than can good there.

[Jessica]

But if you're paying over 2 thousand dollars a month and have the opportunity to pay several hundred less AND get a percentage back? They wouldn't have to go every few days but maybe once a month. They could send 2 kids off with a truck instead of the bus and fill it up with all the staples plus some fresh foods (they have big 15 pound bags of potatos, 10 lb bags of carrots and apples, 2 lb bags of spinach for very cheap). Doesn't Lawson already go to the store every 3 days or so anyway? Why not just go once and stock up and go to the closer store to refill on things like eggs and milk?

[Koala]

yes they keep it at the store :dance:

:lol:

[Deleted03]

But if you're paying over 2 thousand dollars a month and have the opportunity to pay several hundred less AND get a percentage back? They wouldn't have to go every few days but maybe once a month. They could send 2 kids off with a truck instead of the bus and fill it up with all the staples plus some fresh foods (they have big 15 pound bags of potatos, 10 lb bags of carrots and apples, 2 lb bags of spinach for very cheap). Doesn't Lawson already go to the store every 3 days or so anyway? Why not just go once and stock up and go to the closer store to refill on things like eggs and milk?

maybe with the bigger house it would be more conceivable (you need space to put away those groceries), but they would still need to go every week. I thought the boys were working at their dad's business?

[debrand]

I wouldn't drive 45 minutes to buy groceries. It's a waste of time and a waste of gas.

Not if you are buying in bulk. Do they have a Sam's Club nearby? For such a large family, buying dry goods in bulk would be worth the gas cost. Besdies, if they go to the store every single day, they are spending a lot on gas.

The pantry doesn't seem that terrible to me.

[freejugar]

It makes me really crave some junk food and there's none of that in my pantry

[browngrl]

Am I surprised? No.

Those fundies have got to have their "fun food" - what other sensual pleasure are most of them(at the the single ones) allowed to have?

[Feberin]

Looks about right to me if a teenage boy is doing your shopping. Heck he's paying for it if he wants soda and snacks then he should be allowed to buy it.

Also the amount of paper plates and cups don't seem outrageous given the size of the family. Not like they are doing it on a daily basis. We have a big stack of paper plates and some cups that I got on sale to use for parties or occasonally if we're eating something like pizza for dinner then running out the door and don't want to have to mess with dishes. We use them very rarely like a few times a year but they don't go bad so I'd rather pick them up on sale.