I Just Finished The Raven Boys And Oh What Wouldn’t I Give To Live In A World Where Trees Speak Latin,

nothing will ever compare to the first time I listened to alley rose

if you're not obsessed with anything weird and niche please try harder. stop going outside for a while. consider getting weirder about the things you already like

E.M. Forster from Maurice (1971)

Broke af?

But still interested in feeding yourself? What if I told you that there’s a person with a blog who had to feed both themselves and their young son…on 10 British pounds ($15/14 Euro) per week?

Let me tell you a thing.

This individual (Jack Monroe, who has come out as nonbinary) saved my life last year. Actually saved my life. I had a piggy bank full of change and that’s it. Many people in my fandom might remember that dark time as when I had to hock my writing skills in exchange for donations. I cried a lot then. 

This is real talk, people: I marked down exactly what I needed to buy, totaled it, counted out that exact change, and then went to three different stores to buy what I needed so I didn’t have to dump a load of change on just one person. I was already embarrassed, but to feel people staring? Utter shame suffused me. The reasons behind that are another post all together. 

Cookingonabootstrap.com is run by a British person who was on benefits for years. Things got desperate. They had to find a way to feed themselves and their son using just the basics that could be found at the supermarket. But the recipes they came up with are amazing. 

You have to consider the differing costs of things between countries, but if you just have three ingredients in your cupboard, Jack Monroe will tell you what to do with it. Check what you already have. Chances are you have the basics of a filling meal already. 

Here’s their list of kitchen basics. Click the bold text for links!

Bake your own bread. It’s easier than you think. Here’s a list of many recipes, each using some variation of just plain flour, yeast, some oil, maybe water or lemon juice. And kneading bread is therapeutic. 

They have vegan recipes. Including a chocolate/beetroot cake. YUM.

A carrot, a can of kidney beans, and some cumin will get you a really filling soup…or throw in some flour for binding and you’ve got yourself a burger. 

Don’t have an oven or the stove isn’t available? They cover that in their Microwave Cooking section. 

/links

They have a book, but many recipes can be found on their blog for free. They price their recipes down to the cent, and every year they participate in a project called “Living Below the Line” where they have to live on 1 BP per day of food for five days. 

Things improved for me a little, but her website is my go to. I learned how to bake bread (using my crockpot, but that was my own twist), and I have a little cart full of things that saved me back then, just in case I need them again. Jack Monroe gives you the tools to feed yourself, for very little money, and that’s a fabulous feeling. 

Tip: Whenever you have a little extra money, buy a 10 dollar/pound/euro giftcard from your discount grocer. Stash it. That’s your super emergency money. Make sure they don’t charge by the month for lack of use, though.

I don’t care if it sounds like an advertisement–you won’t be buying anything from the site. What I DO care about is your mental, emotional, and physical health–and dammit, food’s right in the center of that. 

If you don’t need this now, pass it on to someone who does. Pass it on anyway, because do you REALLY know which of the people in your life is in need? Which follower might be staring at their own piggy bank? Trust me: someone out there needs to see this. 

Edit November 2016: I updated the post a long time ago to reflect Jack’s gender identity, but now I’ve fixed the links too.

PASS THIS ON, PEOPLE. 250k notes means that there is a real need out there, and this could save someone’s life. Even if you’ve reblogged before, do it again so that the new links are circulated. 

Thanks, ya’ll.

i love you vaccines i love you research i love you reading the book instead of having chatgpt summarize it i love you critically thinking rather than reacting to a headline i love you investigating the source material i love you science i love you math even though you are personally my enemy (math/yn slowburn) i love you writing even though you try to stab me a lot i love you Experts in Your Field i love you Using The Brain

jack edwards on booktube commenting on ryle 😭😭😭

[it ends with us]

me asf this summer

being mysterious or hard to read or whatever is all complete shit. nobody cares abt u enough to be on their sherlock shit and try to get in to your mind or heart. nobody is wondering nobody is curious just go ahead and be normal

it's crazy how, if you're not conventionally attractive but you're confident and know your worth, it will both attract people who are also confident and comfortable in their own skin, but also act like one of those dog whistle frequencies that absolutely drives the most miserable, insecure people (men AND women) out of their minds. people will see you just living your life and not being paralyzed with insecurity with every decision you make and go "oh pretty girl let's hate on her" and honestly all you can do with that is chuckle and move on

happy my mother said I could be anything I wanted but I chose to live monday