#free food

[battlefordreamdiner]

18. Eraser

#TWO DAYS LATE BUT POSTED Q WILL BE BACK TO NORMAL IVE JUST BEEN WRAPPED UP W/ STUFF #eraser #bfb #bfdi #free food #are you okay? #squishy cherries #i lil' rushed BUT THATS OKAY HES POSTED!!!!!!! #eraser bfb #tpot #eraser tpot #eraser bfdi

[tightwadspoonies]

Dumpster Diving and Salvage Shopping

If you asked me what my role in the ecosystem is, I'd say I'm a scavenger. I hate confrontation and I hate spending money when there are other options. I will gladly just take whatever you don't want in order to avoid such unsavory obligations.

So dumpster diving, salvage stores, and incidental meat registries and I get along pretty well save for the anxiety. This post, hopefully, takes some of that away for my fellow scavengers who would love to dumpster dive but just don't know how yet, or are afraid of getting in trouble.

Dumpster Diving:

First of all, dumpster diving is legal in all 50 states of the US, but check local ordinances because rich people get fussy about people digging through trash to the point of some cities condemning the practice. It's on a bunch of other posts but it's worth saying.

Cops, of course, will lie or imply otherwise on this. A good way around that is to look like someone who is "not breaking the law". AKA: look like a suburbanite: Wear some khakis and a polo shirt, carry a Starbucks cup, and act as white as you can possibly get away with. If approached, smile, call the cop "officer" or some such referential title, and explain that you thought it was legal. Not that you know it's legal- that you thought it was legal. If they tell you to scram, do so. No argument with law enforcement is worth what is in that dumpster.

Note that it is illegal in many places to put stuff into dumpsters that aren't yours, though, so if the cops are having a slow night, be careful about them asking you to put stuff back.

You also don't want to be the reason dumpster diving gets banned in your community. Do this primarily by never getting into a dumpster. I know the container of perfect strawberries is just out of reach, but if you fall or are unable to get out you are not only up a creek yourself but potentially causing an anti-dumpster-diving frenzy that your town's grocery stores will never recover from. Also, people have legitimately died from getting into a trash compactor.

Now, "legal" does not mean "pro-store-policy". One of the main reasons for this is that is dumpster diving can be somewhat dangerous and no store wants to be the store that's known for letting people break legs on their slippery dumpster juice or what have you.

Avoid too many store policy issues by waiting until the store closes, doing a pass-by to ensure no one is waiting to see if anyone is picking out of their dumpsters, and (again) looking like someone who wouldn't be diving in dumpsters.

Store management tends to worry that they will be sued for letting you eat expired or unsafe food. If you do get approached by a manager who isn't excited to see someone picking over their dumpster selections, it is a good idea to impress upon them how very many dumpsters you pick from and how you wouldn't possibly be able to prove it was their dumpster that gave you food poisoning. Also, if you're feeling particularly bold, let them know that you are saving their store money by decreasing the weight of their waste. Probably not by a lot, but hey, you're on their side here. If told to scram, once again, do so with haste.

On that note, there are safe and unsafe foods to pick:

Generally Safe:

Packaged shelf-stable foods even with damaged outer packaging

Milk if still cold

Cheese

Eggs

Bread (including frozen bread if still cold)

Whole Veggies and Fruits, even with bad spots

Fermented anything

Non-Food Items like dry pet food, hand sanitizer, soap, cleaning products (except bleach), etc...

Generally NOT Safe:

Sliced lunch meats

Cheese touching meat

Cut salads or veggie trays

Prepared hot foods (even if still hot)

Pre-cooked refrigerated meals

Frozen veggies (unless still mostly frozen)

You want to make sure you have some time the next day to process your haul. Everything needs to be carefully sorted, cleaned, peeled, and in the case of perishable food like eggs and veggies, cooked prior to eating.

One final thing:

Be considerate. Leave everything how you found it and make sure you're not making more work for employees. Also, if you know others in your area dive, leave some stuff there for the next person.

Salvage Shopping:

Perhaps you aren't completely up for dumpster diving but still like living your lil raccoon life? Thats fine!

Salvage groceries are a great option. Essentially, instead of throwing food away that they can't sell to traditional consumers, grocery stores sell near-dated or damaged products to salvage grocery stores for pennies on the dollar, and that savings is passed along to the consumer.

Most salvage stores are smaller than traditional grocery stores, and some are cash-only. Some have fresh or frozen sections, but the smaller ones are pretty much all packaged goods. If you are living exclusively on salvage stores, you may want to supplement with some dumpster diving, foraging, or gardening (or even maybe going to a grocery store, but that's hella expensive).

Salvage groceries are not necessarily going to be perfectly food safe. There will be expired goods (doesn't mean bad). That just means you will have to do some due diligence. For example:

Make sure that an item you want to purchase is still in a sealed container

If there are more than one of an item, make sure they are the same color

Prioritize un-dented cans

If you must buy a dented can, make sure the dent isn't on an edge or seam

Don't buy expired canned tomato products

If you open a food and it smells bad, looks like it thawed and re-froze, hisses or bubbles- THROW IT AWAY

Generally be more cautious than you would normally be at a grocery store.

In my area these are pretty much always run by the Amish and Mennonite communities, but check around in your area. They are becoming more and more common outside these communities.

Not all of them will be listed on google maps. Look for a shop called "Bend and Dent" or "Salvage Groceries" or a small store advertising "Discount Groceries". Once you find one, it's easy to find others by asking at the checkout, since they tend to cluster together.

A drawback is that, because they do tend to cluster, they may be farther away than other grocery options. If you are far away, I highly recommend getting a few friends together and making a day of it. I can't say this about most things, but the extra cost in gas is well worth the savings, even if you are driving over an hour.

#free food #food #dumpster diving #USA #homesteading #tightwadery #adulting #reference

[toxictoxicities]

Ruru says hiiiiii !

(doodling in class and throwing her at u lol)

Thanks for the snack~

#toxart #QNA #free food #You should of seen this coming #>:)

[dandelions-of-doom]

CHICKEN MUSHROOM!!!!

#foraging #mushroom foraging #mushrooms #fungi #mushroom #mushroom hunting #free food #chicken mushrooms #chicken mushroom #chicken of the woods

[nkp1981]

#burger #burgers #free food #funny signs

[therogueduchess]

Two weeks ago I made crock pot stew and decided what the heck, I’ll take the celery bottom I chopped off and try the Free Celery Hack. I put it in a small shallow bowl on the kitchen windowsill and change the water every day when I’m waiting for the water in the kettle to boil. After a few days the bits in the middle started to grow, and this week they became undeniably taller than the rest of the cut celery surface. And today?!

Free Celery Hack has not only branches on one stem, but has ACTUAL TINY LEAVES

#free celery hack #free food #kitchen garden #celery #life in the duchy

[someduckwithagun]

medkit doodles to stave off the obsesión

#I like the first one; he looks cool #anywho Medkit enjoyers have this #free food #phighting fan art #luminary’s art #phighting art #phighting! #roblox art #medkit fanart #medkit phighting

[cravefoodie]

We are going to start posting all the cheap/free food deals we find. Who doesn’t love free food?

TACO BELL APP

Every single Tuesday you can redeem a sausage or bacon Breakfast Crunchwrap for FREE!!! It is only available till 11 am so go get yours!!

#free food #Taco Bell #food #delicious #yum #yummy

[cricketcat9]

🥹

#free food #humanity

[spadeskitty]

Toji the type to go trick or treating with megumi and steal the whole bowl of candy.

#free food #lol #toji fushiguro x reader #toji fushiguro #jjk megumi #megumi fushiguro

[battlefordreamdiner]

23. Foldy

#just fanart this time 'round haha #i couldnt get anything for ideas #foldy #foldy bfb #foldy tpot #tpot #bfb #nondesign #the strongest team on earth #free food

[bobsbergerz]

Cantharellus phasmatis, the "Ghost Chanterelle"

#ghost chanterelle #chanterelles #cantharellus #nature #hiking #in the woods #naturelovin #forest #mushrooms #foraging #fungifanatic #fungi #free food #Cantharellus phasmatis

[fruit-salad-ship]

Some more dumb pirateAU things.

After that long alive you earn a reputation. No one approached Peach, no one dared, she put out this air of hostility to keep folks at arms length, and on those days where someone was either drunk or stupid enough to get tangled up with her in a little shady port’s tavern room, well, that was usually a brief, cold encounter. Have some meaningless, pointless sex and then leave to go back to drinking. More to kill time than anything else, there was rarely even an attraction factor to the act. When you become a myth amongst men, trudging through hundreds of years worth of existence, fear clouded most peoples thoughts of her. She was a monster after all.

This all seemed to shift however, the captain was experiencing a multitude of memories from this pirates wife, private moments, caring, sensitive kind moments, things she never considered of this woman. She was seeing Peach for who she truly was, or at least once was all those years ago. Time had made her tired now but she was this romantic pillar of adoration for her partner, someone who’d dote on her loved ones and throw her own wants and needs aside. The more Plum learnt, the less Peach’s hostility and blunt nature seemed to bother her, it was an act, one she was starting to see through. Dreams would come to the captain most nights, but each felt like a new moment in time that she’d never experienced. They were tangible, the pain stung, the joy was light in her chest, the affection received as if she was actually being held. Plum was young, she’d not experienced a lot, but something she’d wanted to find was true undying love, a secret little hope in her heart that someone somewhere would accept she would not just stay at home and be a dutiful wife, that she’d find adventure and excitement beside someone who’d chase ghost stories with her, search for monster and mystery. Despite never finding it herself, she at least had some comfort in living through memories of someone who had. Plum knew that this was not her fate, but it was certainly nice to feel that for a moment, pretend like it was still a possibility, even if she looked like…well. A monster. Her hope dwindled every time she remembered or passed a mirror. There was no blending in, no meeting someone on the fly, she didn’t even have hair anymore, just these stupid tendrils that seemed to get her in more trouble than she’d have liked. Perhaps this was her curse for chasing her dreams instead of accepting a mediocre life. Her crew at least adjusted to her, didn’t seem to mind, she was still the woman who led them, and they respected her regardless of how she looked. It’s not like any of them were oil paintings either, each with their own little quirks and flaws, things that made them unique and special.

In all these memories she experienced, there was one thing she couldn’t figure out. Where did Peach’s soft side go? She saw her, how she truly was, the real version before this misery that fell upon her like anvils, beat the joy right out of her with each slam of the years ticking by alone. She was a shadow of who Plum saw in the flashes of the past. She had a long time to figure out how to bring her back, or at least try, navigating the little gestures that would try to stoke the last embers of any real hope in the woman. Plum started small. Cut fruit the way Peach use to for her wife, making cute animals like crabs or birds with apples, spiralling up some kiwis so they made cool shapes, just for the fun of it. Lord knows there were a lot of failed attempts. Peach found herself lost in the attempts, some wonky looking creatures but there was an attempt, it was sweet, plum had left them in communal spaces for everyone so it wasn’t too obvious what she was doing. The immortal woman didn’t have to eat, but picked at some of it, just…nostalgic, you could see her drift away, glaze over and dive into the past. This amped up when plum got a song stuck in her head, humming it quietly to herself as she worked, thing is, it was not a song that anyone knew. Peach wrote that for her wife, it was never composed properly or shared, hell, Peach didn’t even have the original papers with it written on anymore. The song however was sweet, something that pulled her back to better times. In the depths of the night on deck Plum would hear her second in command playing it after it had been refreshed it in her mind, the tired looking woman had gathered a couple of instruments as she’d travelled, things to entertain the crew. This however was for herself, a tune no one would even know to request. Sat up with an accordion in the dark, playing a tune no one knew, with words no one could follow along with, the only other living person who knew it was the captain. It sounded the same as the memories, and she sat against a wall around a corner listening for as long as Peach played.

With this increasing frequency of moments, one thing stood out to plum, like REALLY felt alien. For all the tough words and hostile actions, Peach in her memories was not like this. Briefly she saw it flare up in the past, a fleeting moment of anger or sadness, quickly halted by her wife with one simple little act, a gesture that’d always seemingly pull this woman from her misery and refocus her. Maybe…It would still work now? Or maybe it was just something her wife was able to do. She didn’t know, but was it worth trying? Plum called her second mate in late, when all the long jobs were done, other crew members handling the night watch. There was a lack of reason at first, but plum found an old folklore book and brought up wether or not some of the tales of treasure in them were real or not. Peach had some ideas, but a handful were a mystery still. She found a small joy in watching her captain grow excited over the hopeful what-if of a treasure hunt. Perhaps this is where they’d sail to next, pulling charts to start spitballing routes to supposed locations related to this old story. The pair sat on the floor pouring over plans, a worn rug underneath, drinks in hand, a pleasant calm back and forth between them.

The more time they spent the more certain Plum was that it wasn’t the time to test a theory, watching her company and chuckling to herself about the notion of even attempting that stupid idea. This caught the broader woman’s attention, glancing up with a raised eyebrow. “What?” The pause as she sipped her drink and let her gaze fall back to the maps as Plum waved it off.“it’s nothing- I had some dumb plan and it just feels like the worlds worst idea now.” Her laugh was bright, something Peach couldn’t help but smile a little at, the flash of sharp teeth and these bright eyes that didn’t look to her, a little embarrassment in her disposition. “Can’t be that dumb, you came up with it. Surprisingly smart all things considered.” The gentle smack to her arm in jest was received well, peach was only teasing, she knew Plum was sharp as a tack, its why their crew kept alive and pulling in good loot hauls. “No really, It was totally out there, I think for once a drink has made me more rational.” Peach grew curious, leaning her head on her hand to glance over, not asking, but the look was almost waiting for a more in depth explanation. The captain topped her glass up and side eyed the woman, clearly searching for something on her, trying to read her expression or mannerisms. “Fine-fine but no sass from you, I know it was a dumb idea already, don’t need you to back that up.” The old pirate held her hands up, a gesture of being honest and less of a dick no matter what’s said. Plum huffed, laughed once more to herself and leant in a little, like she was spilling gossip. “You know I’ve been muddling through these old memories, and you use to be so happy, I thought I’d try to help you get back there a bit- but, the method I had in mind is a little… uh, I guess inappropriate. Feels like something I shouldn’t do, we’re just getting along again, it’d be a shame to ruin that now.” That answer shed no light at all on the thing Plum wanted to do, only confusing Peach more scrunching her nose a little as she thought, a behaviour plum never missed, she had a thinking face, it was very sweet. An old habit that refused to die, clearly. “Guess it’ll be a mystery forever.” Peach shrugged and went back to the maps, maybe it wasn’t the worst thing to do? “I- hm… I’ve just noticed a pattern in the memories and I don’t know, maybe it was something your wife could only do, maybe it’s just something you like, I’ve got limited information to go on here.” And here’s where the nerves kicked in, Plum had taken this off the table as an option, but her companion was putting it back on? Peach shrugged, kept calculating the distance from port to port. “At this point, nothing surprises me. Hell, you could stab me repeatedly in the throat and I’d still be fine with it, least it might get some of your frustration out. So do what you want. Not like it’s going to kill me so who cares?” Her logic and dismissive attitude was somewhat reassuring if not a little concerning that her thoughts went to violence firstly, there was really no loss to be had, so at this point what did it matter? Plum watched her scribble down some notes, not taking her eyes off the task at hand, ring clinking against her glass as she picked it up. The creaks of the ship were loud, the only real sound in the space as that notion lingered, being contemplated by the captain until she came to a decision.

Peach found the glass in her hand being pulled out of her grip very slowly, one tactile little tentacle moving it to the table with surprising dexterity. This was something the old sailors wife would do for her, Plum had seen it a hundred times in flashes of the past, and it always broke her bad mood, or reassured in a unique way. Her heart was beating so hard it felt like it’d jump out of her chest, but she had to just push that down and give this one go, an attempt to connect with what was lost in this woman. It took a small movement to roll across a little and straddle her second in commands lap, trying to be brave, trying to emanate the confidence she’d seen work so well before. Each tentacle found itself drawn to Peach as if polar ends of a magnet, they wrapped up around wrists and ran along her skin, nestled up in the tangled mane of hair, brushing it back from her neck gently. There was a gut reaction from the tired looking woman to turn into them, her cheek rubbing against one, catching herself and returning to a central position as if she got lost in that sensation for a moment, had to grab the reigns again, make sure she didn’t slip. Plums forehead bumped lightly against hers, the two of them suspended in that moment, feeling Peach move to look away, tilt her head to one side slowly in an evasive way. Guilt squeezed at her heart, had enough time suffering alone not passed? This was a rare moment of fear, of apprehension. “You’ve got to do something for yourself for once.” Plum muttered, her hands finding this woman’s face, small and soft fingers keeping her from running or dodging this. How many times had her wife said that to her? How many times had it fallen on deaf ears, she not once thought to spend even a fraction of her time on herself, not when she had such an incredible partner to focus on, to devote herself too. But she was gone, and Peach was alone. Or, maybe she use to be. Now she wasn’t so sure. Plum saw her, the real her, the person she was before she even gained this cursed timeless body, before she grew sad and tired. She knew what she liked, didn’t like, what she would avoid or gravitate towards. The insight she’d gained made it so difficult not to feel like she truly knew this woman.

The hands that held her face gently pulled a little, and Peach gave no resistance despite her fear, accepting that she had to let go of her self loathing a little. Since she lost the love of her life, one thing had escaped her, or more appropriately, she’d made sure it never happened again, keeping everyone who tangled with her at arms length as much as possible. Perhaps it was too intimate and personal, or maybe it was a form of self punishment, a way to make sure she never forgot what she lost, to keep it fresh in her mind that she needed to shoulder the blame for what happened. Truth be told Peach didn’t know anymore. The captain gave her all the time to stop this, to say she couldn’t, and yet the woman didn’t say a word, couldn’t even hear her breathing anymore, she’d totally frozen up. The distance between them closed, that sweet tentative kiss not just a passing heated decision, there was familiarity to this, there was a sense of home. Both felt it, felt that sadness, that longing well up in their chests, it was coming home to open arms, it was resting your head on a lovers shoulder, the sensation that something that was very lost had been found. That sweet little kiss stayed, didn’t dare leave, deepening, Peach felt her hands be put on the back of this little woman’s torso, she’d not realised she’d stopped moving, so consumed with what for a brief moment felt like where she so desperately longed to be once more. Back with the woman she’d married, who she’d given everything up for. This was something she had denied herself since the loss, choosing to reject the softness and connection she truly loved, hoping it’d let her hold onto the past for longer. If she was harsh and mean and cold it’d make those soft memories more potent, make them stand out amongst the pointless interactions she’d had over the years. 500 long, lonely, sad years. This broke that cycle.

There was no words, they stayed there for what felt like hours, both wondering if this was actually a reunion. It felt like it. Both had a deep tight squeeze in their chest that couldn’t be explained. If Plum had been handed her wife’s memories, her leviathan appearance, even some of her old habits, would it be such a stretch for this to actually be her in some kind of younger form? Questions neither would have answers for. That kiss did not stop. Not when Peach got up holding the captain, not when they moved to the bedroom off to one side of this central room, not when that door got kicked shut. They had a lot of catching up to do.

#sometimes my brain spits out chunks like this and you all get it #so #free food #fruit salad #brainrot #pirate au

[insertjokehere]

Remember that invasive plants and animals are free healthy food, and you help out your local ecosystem in the process! Not to mention it's an excuse to go outside and experience new things like people keep telling you to do.

#foraging #invasive species #economy #free food

[dandelions-of-doom]

foraging excursion

someone took literally all the chickens in one patch :/

Not sure what these are but they look cool :)

FOUND MORE CHICKEN THAT ESCAPED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OTHER PERSON!!!!!

#foraging #mushroom foraging #mushrooms #fungi #mushroom #mushroom hunting #free food

[i-was-today-years-old-when]

i learned that the San Francisco restaurant Casa Sanchez closed in 2012, but people who got free tacos for life because they got tattooed with their logo can get free pupusas from the restaurant that took over their lease (x)

#today i learned #facts #truth #tattoo #free food