I have spent most of my life well below the poverty line and have had to make every cent pull it’s weight. As a child I worked in the school cafeteria to earn my lunch for free and have the opportunity to bring extra food home to my family. I lived in a single parent home and my dad suffered from depression likely due to the hardships we faced and the struggle it was to keep food on the table and warmth in the house. Because of my upbringing I learned very early what the true value of a dollar was, to this day I see money not as what it is but what it could buy in hard times (ex $4 doesn’t seem like much but 8 boxes of macaroni and cheese could feed the kids for a couple days if ever it was truly down to that). I also learned work ethic and that even a child can positively impact the success of their family. I wouldn’t trade the hard times for good but I do work hard to provide for the next generation and use the resources I have to live the best life possible.
Mr Dirt Cheap and I have 5 children. We have also fostered 17 children during our marriage although we are not currently fostering. Our oldest son is 16 and off working most days. He has the type of spirit that is never satisfied and always confident in himself. That can be a blessing and a hardship. I imagine he will move out in the next year or so but until then he eats both of us adults under the table and is picky to boot. Our only daughter is shy and introverted. She is the type of picky that would choose not to eat all day if the only options were things she disliked. She is creative and tough and all animals love her. Our next son is only ours because his biologic mom shares him with us. He was our foster as a baby but his mama worked so hard and totally changed her life to get him back. She has had him full time for over 5 years at this point but has allowed us to act as a second set of parents. He is over a lot and is a really big eater…. not picky at all though. Our pre-k son is smart and well spoken. He loves to learn and will likely be our intellectually gifted child. I have no doubt that he will know more than I do before he is grown. He says he only likes chips and happy meals….. can’t win em all. The baby … the last baby. He is fun and smiley. He snuggles well and is a perfect end cap…. glued at the hip to his daddy since he was born during lockdown and daddy has had to work from home his entire life. Mr. Dirt Cheap has never been able to spend this kind of time with one of our babies and it has been amazing to watch him soak it all up.
Mr. Dirt cheap and I are trying to run this site and the supporting youtube channel together with the hopes of helping other families trim their food budgets enough to make real impacts on their overall budget and thus their quality of life. We know what the process of moving up through the levels of poverty look like and we know that the food budget often has the only wiggle room. I will share everything I have learned and am open to any questions or comments. Happy to help any way I can!
Snowanna AKA Mrs. Dirt Cheap
Dirt Cheap Dinners 