i know you're always worried about being seen to be condescending to poor people with these budget challenges, but you're actually showing how difficult it is. i enjoy them because necessity is the mother of invention, and you do provide a lot of inspiration and enjoyment in a way that's accessible to people with less money because you're not using expensive or aspirational ingredients most of the time in your cooking videos overall. thank you for bringing us along on all your adventures.
I live in the Texas boonies. Literally it is an hour drive to a town big enough for big box stores or a supermarket. My nearest town is 1 mile in diameter. The Food Bank comes out once a month and dumps food on us. Never know what we might get. A few months ago I got 2 cases of beans in tomato juice. By itself it was so bland. But I had just recently watched one of these budget videos, which gave me ideas on how to use the beans. Very thankful as I've been able to make some yummy meals using the beans.
@@keptleroymg6877 Poor people don’t have the surplus mental energy to do all of this, and that’s not their fault. As you’ve clearly observed, it’s expensive to be poor.
Only at Atomic Shrimp can you expect a nice breakfast muffin and get an incredibly detailed spreadsheet of _every_ possible expense and a philosophical commentary on what it really means to cook frugally and live on low income. Fantastic video as always, Shrimp.
Yeah he doesn't even do a good job at that... he had to get to the shops and there is no allotment for gas, vehicle maintenance or public transport costs. Sure calculating the price of electricity seems smart except that the price of going and getting the food is going to be more.
@@thomgizziz Perhaps he should make up some imaginary numbers to satisfy you? He mentioned he got as much as he could carry, indicating he was walking home from the shop.
As a poor person myself😂 I feel the need to say, I have never once thought these budget food challenge videos are anything other than that, a food challenge you set for yourself. I absolutely love to see the creativity you put into these dishes, and to be 100% honest you've given me multiple ideas for when I'm extra skint 🤣 you've taught me that I don't have to just buy food from the supermarket and that it can be found all around us if you only look closely. I'm really happy to have a new food challenge video, they are very enjoyable to watch ☺️
agreed. i've made probably a dozen of these budget recipes over a year or two when things get tight. love that he's done all the experimenting for me already
Shrimp isn't like those other UA-camrs who go around town and say "how I survived homeless for a week" and it's all just insulting b.s. Shrimp is just an everyday joe
Your rant was wonderful! As I’ve mentioned before, I’m formerly homeless, I’m disabled and I spent many years living on very little. I cooked well, if not as creatively as you do. The time factor is vitally important - I often worked very long hours for very little money, and the time and energy to cook weren’t there even if the money was. You’ve highlighted all the right things here. Thank you for your intelligent and compassionate approach. It’s so refreshing.
I'm so glad you mentioned the hidden costs. I've been poor, where I've had to wait until midnight for my paycheque to clear, so I could go to an all nighter and get something for breakfast because there was NO food in the house & I needed to feed my daughter. If you can't afford bus fare you have to shop locally. You can only buy what you can carry so you can't take advantage of the bulk offers or cheap supermarket prices. You can't afford convenience meals so everything takes so long cooking from scratch. After a long day at work, just ensuring you can cook 3 meals a day is tiring, then you have to do everything else. Fortunately I'm very comfortable now but I still remember those days. It would be wonderful if some of the meaner people tried to live on a £ a day for a month and see how they coped. They would learn a very valuable life lesson, I'm sure.
Yes! Transportation costs can be limiting. We have food deserts here in the US where folks must travel 30, 45, 50, 60 minutes for decent and more affordable groceries!
@inutamer365 very rural and/or poorer areas where public transportation is non-existent. Or, if there is a market, the fresh food is priced higher. But even with public transportation, it is hard to buy in bulk and carry that onto a bus.
@inutamer365there was a John Oliver video recently about Dollar Stores, where he mentioned that that can pop up in food desserts and so even if they are bad through X, y, and z business practices, they aren't going anywhere as they are the only place to buy some basics
❤ This gives myself and my wife hope, we have 5 beautiful children, 1 of whom has autism and money is very tight, living hand to mouth most days. We long for more comfortable days but still have fun as a family trying to make new and fun ways to use our ingredients.
The same people who say your challenges prove the poor can eat cheaply, are the same people who criticise the poor for not cooking to keep their children healthy. These buns are cheap but not healthy. And healthy food, generally, isn’t very cheap. That’s why it’s a challenge. Thank you for your entertaining and thought-provoking videos
Mike this video is incredible. I feel so seen and I'm not even remotely amongst the most deprived, low income, chronically ill or other adverse circumstances in this country (UK) and certainly not the world. Thank you so much for your deeply kind consideration and thorough clarity. I have no idea how you expressed that with such depth in 24 minutes but I applaud you. If I could hit like on this video a thousand times I would.
Hot tip as a baker, bake them in a muffin tin. You can even roll the tops and bottoms separately (bottoms being a bit bigger and they have to fill the tin). this will also make it easier to add other ingredients like eggs without making a big mess. This was my first video of yours that i have watching and I think you did a great job breaking everything down, so thank you for the great video!
Do you know the Muffin man The Muffin man, the Muffin man Oh, do you know the Muffin man Who lives on Drury Lane? Oh yes, we know the Muffin man The Muffin man, the Muffin man Oh yes, we know the Muffin man Who lives on Drury Lane? Oh, we all know the Muffin man The Muffin Man, the Muffin man Oh, we all know the Muffin man Who lives on Drury Lane?
The political rant was a balm for the soul to hear in a time of increasing poor-shaming, and it explained something I was frankly too stupid to fully understand myself, although I already partly understood it (time to cook, waiting for yeast to eat and reproduce, electricity/firegas/coal/firewood, other costs, poor access to land meaning no gardening, confidence with foraging, time to forage, stress making one slower at things). Damn though, £1 5s 3 for each bun. That's probably the closest to a true cost we'll get in a while. You have factored out the hidden costs better than I think anyone "at the top" is willing to.
And somehow he did it without using the superior Freedom Units to measure anything. What a champ. The consideration of time, and hidden costs also known as Freedom per second (FPS) (Also used to measure the speed of Freedom a fire arm can put out.) is very important and I am happy that others are now using it outside of Burgerland.
@@nonamex6536what are you raving about? It would be right to assume that the author would use metric since they're used to it compared to imperial. Use what you're used to and leave other people to shout to a wall.
It's so refreshing to see that, even from your position of comfort and financial stability, you completely understand that people's circumstances have a huge impact on every part of their lives, and that it's not as simple as "just cook using cheap ingredients". Thank you for speaking up about that! You are one of my favourite voices of reason.
@@sarahmoss4224 Yeah because you are a good guy if you go with the easiest path possible and we all know that taking the path of least resistance always leads to the best results. By your thinking you should never punish anybody or question anybody doing wrong because they wouldn't be compassionate or "normal" and as the OP said there are "circumstances" so any criticism is off the table. The funny thing is you dont understand why your world view is naive as you can get.
Learning to cook cheaply is also a skill, and not it's not something anyone can magically know how to do. I think another "hidden cost" is whether you have had people teach you how to do it, or if you've had the luxury of having time to learn. Anyway, these videos are massively inspiring, and it's quite sobering to see it laid out just how much time and effort goes into each one!
That's a good point. Shrimp clearly has a lot of confidence in the kitchen, but to gain that skill takes time. The first few attempts will take twice as long as you expect, and might end up inedible. The potential for waste there is hard to account for
Yes it is. You go buy a magical tome called a cookbook, one that specifically talks about budgets and how to do the shopping for a whole menu all at once. Baking bread is one of the more time consuming things you can do and this isn't where you are going to start. Most recipes are going to be less than 30 mins start to finish and the book also has instructions start to finish. Stop making excuses and just go do it, you can spare 30mins a day and you go to the store anyway.
@@thomgizziz I think it's hard to understand how someone can lack a skill that you can't remember learning. If you don't cook, you don't know how much effort different recipes will take. And if you're a novice, a "30 minute recipe" is going to take you a lot longer, because you don't know to start cooking one think while you chop another, for example. Demeaning someone is hardly the way to get someone to listen to you, by the way
I can cook reasonable cheap, learned it. One fundamental thing is having spices and dry herbs in house (and they also cost money). Also making a basic sauce from flower, butter and the (vegetable) stock (put in some spices ) can lift it up.
@@gingganggoolie I can cook reasonably, but i like to chop everything before start cooking (unless it is slow cooked meat), and it takes longer but i also have no stress that it needs to be cut in time (It means i agree with you) Less stress and a better result in the end (most of the times)
as someone that counts their dollars and cents on a calculator every time I go to the store and bases my groceries for the fortnight on whatever is for sale that is on special, I have never once felt like any of your challenges were punching down at me, instead they have inspired me to actually try and COOK with what I can get. please don't ever stop them.
@@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos I’m not American. I’m Australian so I understand perfectly well, we share a political system and a class system that our shared ancestors transported with them.
@@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos British people always complain about "US centrism" and yet they are just jealous that they're not the only country, Americans think only America exists, British people think only America and UK exist lol
@@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos Also in both UK and Australia there are different accents for different classes. I did notice that in UK people are more classist than in Australia (I live in the UK now) but from my observations of US from the outside they seem quite classist as well. In Australia there is a "bogan" accent which I guess would be similar to the "poor" accent in UK
Carl Sagan once said “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe”. Nothing is without cost, nothing just pops into existence fully formed, and it's a constant source of frustration to see some politicians disregard that through ignorance or malice. Thank you for illustrating the point so eloquently.
No need to apologise for the /rant. I enjoyed the video up to the 16p point, and then well and truly had my eyes opened when it came to those additional costs. Considering the poorest tend to get the worst energy rates (which is a crime all in itself), and time becomes part of budgeting - this video is a real eye opener. Gregs makes so much more sense having watched this, especially when equipment, knowledge, health, time, opportunity are all factored in…
as someone who is on social assistance and uses my local foodbank regularly, these types of videos that you have made over the years have been invaluable! even outside of crunching numbers, these videos that you have made have really opened my mind cullinarily and taught me how to cook way more scrappily! june's budget eats is another yt series that helped a lot! the main problem i face regularly is i get 2 boxes from the foodbank and half of the ingredients i have never used before! the contents of the boxes are usually items that no one else was buying at the grocery store so you need to get really creative in the kitchen. i am unemployed so i have the extra time to research and fool around, but for those who are employed or have to take care of young children while relying on food services like this dont have the luxury to learn how to use these ingredients... i could ramble about these sorts of struggles all day and how they can affect a person and their family but at the end of the day the real problem is no one has enough money to go around because it is being hoarded by those who claim we have no business having a livable income.
I feel your paid. I'd suggest Google those unknown/ unfamiliar ingredients, also there are websites and apps where you put in the ingredients you have and you are offered recipes to incorporate them. Best of luck 😊
I'm a big fan of June's budget eats too. Such a shame the series is over with delish but I do still try and catch her live streams from time to time. This channel and budget eats made me fear winging it when cooking so much less. Before I needed recipes for everything but these types of videos gave me the confidence to have a go at just hashing things together and trying things out and I learnt a lot
I’m an enormous fan of your work. You prove that effort to understand the complexity of poverty can really pay off. You’re the least condescending person on YT. Limited budget challenges open up the real struggles people trying to feed families. Thank you for what you do.
Your whole "rant" was a breath of fresh air. It's nice to know how seen people in low income households are through videos like these. The hidden costs are so often overlooked, and seeing (just as you said) those with the power to change things not change a thing, is rather frustrating. Your videos are informative, entertaining, and are genuinely helpful for a lot of people. Your videos have definitely changed the way I look at budgeting and food preparation in a time where the change was needed, and I'm grateful that you're able to not even charge a penny, despite how many hidden costs are going in to these videos. Thank you for all the time and, how much you spend on these videos
He gets over 100k views... he isn't making these videos for nothing, this is literally his job. Do you thank your plumber or electrician in the same way? They are just out there looking to be helpful and the workers don't charge you anything the company does.
@@thomgizziz I highly doubt modern UA-cam pays its creators anything comparable to any kind of salary, if we're not counting those few exceptions with ultra-popular channels. _And yes, I do thank people for doing their job. It's called "being polite" here in my country._
@@thomgizziz Now tell me what is your problem ? Isn't mental healthcare affordable for you or isn't there any place (there are long waiting lists, my suggestion get on it before it becomes a private company). Or do you disagree with his rant, and please tell me why you disagree ? But i guess you can eat and prepare 3 meals a day for 30 Pounds in 30 days (1 pound a day in a 30 day month)?
@@erikaverink8418he's made a few comments on here and I've noticed he's got a attitude problem he seems to be getting angry over UA-cam comment for no reason
Dont know if anyones done this yet and am probably to late for this comment to be seen by many but I made some notes for myself and wanted to share them with everyone. Bread dough 12: - 500g flour - 1 packet of isntant yeast - pinch of alt mix - 300ml water stir/knead just to combine cover in warm place to develop/proof for couple of hours knead a little bit on a floured surface (to knock some air/big bubbles out off) form into balls, roll them out a bit (dont want it to be too thin) put fillings in (grated mature cheddar, onion, baked beans, bacon patty) carefully fold edges of dough overtop into the middle put into tray to proof again for half an hour brush with a bit of water on top preheat oven [Temperature not mentioned?] (internet suggests 180-230C) bake for 35 minutes (slighly brown on top) Filling: Bacon patties 12: - cooking bacon (ofcuts mishapes & trimmings) - 400g bacon - 1/2 cup/50g oats (help bind and soak up juices) - teaspoon of sage - 1/4 teeaspoon chili flakes in the foodprocessor till its liek sausage meat cook/brown patties in pan with a bit of oil Onion: half and slice onion put in pan add a tiny splash of water onions should end up browish
I grew up poor enough to think Ramen was a fancy side dish, lol. I've spent my life being as frugal as possible, so videos like this really resonate with me. Foraging, scrounging for deals at the store, getting as much as possible out of whatever ingredients I have to hand gives me a lot of happiness. From MY perspective at least, I love these budget challenges as you always come up with ideas that inspire me in my own frugal living. Fear not Mike, there are many of us out here who appreciate your efforts and support your work. Growing up with little taught me to never waste food, and maximize every penny I spend, and while it wasn't FUN, it DID shape my life in ways I find beneficial decades later.
@fluffy-Muffin Heh, here in the States, the "proper" Ramen from Japan is almost 5 dollars a pack. Good, but sad point about it actually BEING a fancy side nowadays, when I was a kid I think I remember the cheap stuff being something like 10 cents.
ASDA packet noodles used to be 11p each when I was young :D But then they went up in price and it took an hour to walk there :( amazing how far your willing to walk for a 'treat' XD
I really appreciate that you broke down the hidden cost related to time. This is often overlooked by those that never have to worry about those costs. Keep up the good work!❤❤❤
Who never has to worry about the costs of making food??? Even very rich people understand them. How are you all so detached from reality while pretending to be very down to earth?
Mike, I am a 6th generation butcher and I am so thankful for this video. The real cost of production is generally speaking lost on the public. The cost that we sell out produce is fundamentally down to overhead costs and the labour that is not seen by the end consumer. Thank you for raising some of the subjects here. I thoroughly enjoy my job and I get an awful lot of professional and creative satisfaction from it but the one downside to it is the lack of understanding of production costs. As a producer I do believe it is our job to educate. Love your work and look forward to the next video. Best, Dan.
Yes, I know he wanted to make the point about the real costs to those on low income, but it would have been nice to see comparison to what a cafe might charge. As well as all the 'hidden' costs he mentions you have overheads like shop rent, insurance, NI. True they might get cheaper ingredients, but as we've seen those are pretty minor.
Surprisingly the local butchers is almost half the price of the bigger grocery stores, it's insane but I love it, funny the best stuff is also the cheaper option
I feel for you buddy but you've said the crux of the matter there, if I can go somewhere get a steak/mince for £3 or go to a butchers and pay double it's just to much, I would love to support smaller businesses
@@bigdaddydons6241it might be worth mentioning it's not that way in the UK,but that's because uk producers can't compete with the prices of imported products
I'm poor, and these videos have been an enormous aid in managing to get through it. Your push to ensure you end up nutritionally okay, while spending such little money, it gives me my own push to experiment & try to eat better and for less. I will always ensure to check out your work. Thank you endlessly.
I agree with you 100% and I've never lived in poverty nor can imagine the full scale of what that's like. I feel like there is no compassion in the world for those who struggle, just people screaming at them because they don't want to believe that could be them one day.
as someone on benefits, struggling to make money last, this is an inspirational video. it is the first of yours i have seen. seeing the ''actual'' cost is wonderful. yes the ingredients are cheap, but time is always an overlooked factor as is the cost of cooking. it is possible to survive on very little but to live always costs more. i look forward to watching more of your content.
100% behind you on the 'rant'. I think you are incredibly level headed and more people need to think carefully about jumping to judgement on others when they have no idea what their life circumstances are. Thank you for continuing to be an entertaining, comforting and inspiring person, looking forward to seeing you next time 😁
I often get overwhelmed with the cost of living, trying to eat nutritiously balanced food, and often resort to the same handful of meals that require very specific ingredients. This leads to food waste, low mood caused by lack of variety, and a heck of a lot of room for money saving. Your videos give me great ideas, inspire me to be creative, make me smile, reassure me that it’s possible to eat healthy on a budget, and most importantly encourage me that eating healthy and cheaply doesn’t have to be monotonous and boring. Thank you, I hope you make many more and enjoy doing so! From a 25 year old living alone and figuring out how to adult independently as I go
Might help you depending on how you cook, but for me ethnic markets and bulk food stores are great. I usually get most of my calories from certain staple foods (things like grains, rice, legumes, apples, potatoes, etc) and then incorporate other ingredients to add nutrition and variety. What's helpful for me is having different types of those staple foods, so instead of just white rice I'll have brown and black, or brown and red lentils. This forces you cook differently and use different recipes as the MAIN ingredient is different. I can find everything for less than 1.50USD a lb, usually less than 1.00USD.
See this is what happens when you coddle people and pretend that nothing ever needs improvement, you get 25 year old people that are so lazy and inept that they won't find a solution to their issue or they know what the solution is and are to lazy to implement it. There are tons of books and even apps now that will give you whole shopping lists and all the recipes you need to keep food waste down, costs down(if you want) and make a variety of foods. I'm sure you know this but you don't want to put the work in, I know I have been there done that but I didn't go around playing the victim, I knew what I was doing and wasn't acting like a child and taking zero responsibility for my choices.
@@thomgizziz The cheapest noodles and rice and sauces I've found have been in the Chinese wholesalers near me. Might be worth checking out if you're close by to one. Obviously if you don't have one nearby then the fuel / time cost of going might outweigh the price savings but it's worth looking.
You have given people good ideas to save money but no, you haven’t solved peoples poverty, so I’m right behind you on the message of your video. I love your channel, not because it solves anything, but because it’s inventive, imaginative, informative, creative, humorous and sometimes, just crazy. It really makes me think about a lot of things that I might not have without the your instigation. I love your little foraging sojourns and now you have me looking up plants on my country walks. I’ve learnt a lot. Thank you, so much xx
I'm watching this video while making pizza from scratch and waiting for my bun dough to rise. I will probably spend at least 6 hours in the kitchen today. Even as someone who is recently done with university and working 4 days a week while looking for a better job, I can't imagine spending this much time in the kitchen every day, and not even once a week! And imagine if I also had to work all week and had kids to take care of at the same time! I think it is great that you speak up on how stressful it must be for those who are less fortunate and that has to work so much harder to get food on the table
Cooking and taking care of kids at the same time isn't that difficult... I have done it many times before. Stop it with the over exaggerated BS especially when you have no idea what you are talking about.
@@thomgizziz I may not have kids of my own, but I have a father who has recently gotten 3 new kids and a new wife who has gotten unwell. I have tried taking care of all 3 at once to lessen the load for my father. I can tell you it in not that easy, especially with a 3 year old who keeps wanting to run up the stairs and a 4 year old who likes to make a mess when no one is watching. Yes, I can do a simple dish while taking care of them, but no way would I be able to make pizza from scratch and cinnamon buns at the same time. I admire my father for what he does, but there is no way I would be able to handle all 3 all the time. Everyone has different circumstances, and just because you are able to handle it all at the same time does not mean it is the same for somebody else.
@@thomgizziz just because you find it easy doesn't mean everyone else should! You need to drop the attitude I've seen a few of your comments on this video and you seem really angry for no reason so what's the matter didn't mammy or daddy pay you enough attention growing up?
I make pizza from scratch. I throw the bread base ingredients into a bread maker set to dough. Takes a couple of minutes to roll out. I have home canned tomato pizza sauce - open and use all year round, or use tomato paste and dried herbs. Toppings? Mozzarella, mushrooms, spinach, all take minutes. I calculate it takes a total if 30 minutes prep to make 2 huge pizzas, excluding to 10 - 15 minutes in a hot oven. How did you spend a whole day? Genuinely, is it a real question, because home cooking is often about time management.
@@lat1419 When I wrote bun dough I was talking about a separate dough to make cinnamon buns. I was making both on the same day. I also make my tomato sauce from scratch. I also use more labour intensive toppings
You are so right about those people who judge “poor “ people. I live on a small budget too, not because I want to, but because I have to due to my health. Until now I manage fine. And I love to challenge myself to make a healthy decent meal that costs less than 2€ (I’m from Belgium), energy costs included. I can totally recognize myself in your way of cooking and enjoying little things in life. Thanks again Mike!
I’ve been watching your videos for a while now, in anticipation of moving to the UK from the US next year, and I’m going to have to live on Social Security, so I need to know how to live cheaply in the UK, and your videos have been absolutely wonderful for that end. I just wanted to thank you before I forgot.
Thank you for the 'Rant', it seemed incredibly well thought out and empathetic to me. I came originally for the budget challenges and stayed for the excellent eclectic content, so happy to see another video of this series. Although I am very fortunate compared to many others at present, my winter electricity bill last year was so high it made me throw up. These hidden costs of cooking have meant me barely switching the oven on all year, not buying things that can only be baked for 40-45 minutes or more (jacket potatoes, always seen as the bastion of frugalness, are 'out' completely as a result), and wearing a ridiculous amount of layers so I don't have to switch the heating on while preparing meals in a very cold kitchen. So thank you for highlighting these costs, and I think it's an excellent direction for the series to take.
I make jacket potatoes in instant-pot (no-brand of course)... still take electricity but for like 15 minutes? I'm really sympathetic to all who need to use electricity for cooking or warming themselves... I use gas for those - still expensive but not so much...
The people who comment on your videos criticising the poor are the kind of people clearly just read the title and don't bother watching. Anyone who watches your videos all the way through will see how difficult your challenges are to complete and how often you have to eat unappetising and not very nutritious meals, although your ingenuity and resourcefulness does mask this to some extent. Keep up the good work!
incredible video, I love your budget challenges but this one was outstanding. I have been looking into "hidden factors" for a while and it was great that you have addressed this. You rant was also spot on. Thanks for your videos.
"Stay out of politics Mr. Shrimp"- The people who brought you into them in the first place, probably. Thank you for the thoughtful commentary. You are a gem, sir.
I never saw your budget videos as trying to preach to the poor. I have always enjoyed the way you can make something out of so little, and also how you use foraging in some of the videos. These are skills that were common when I was growing up, but sadly seem to have been lost over the years. I applaud your rant about certain politicians and their ill-informed rubbish. They have no idea how the ordinary person has to live. It is not just the cost of the food that people struggle with, it's the cost of cooking fuel, and the amount of time needed to prepare and cook ingredients, not forgetting the meal planning involved. I celebrate the day when I stumbled upon your channel, I look forward to every weekend. Thank you.
Mike, this might be one of my favorite videos from you and why I love your channel and have so much respect for you as a person. I am only 23 and have been watching your videos for about 5 years now. Your attitude towards life is truly inspiring and you have played a major part in me discovering many of the interests (I have recently made significant progress towards turning mycology into a career) and philosophies that I pursue in my life. I know this probably sounds like weird pandering to try and get a response from you or something, but I genuinely just want to say I appreciate you as a person. Cheers.
I honestly loved your "rant". So totally true. Honestly some of these politicians have never struggled a day in their lives and have no f*cking idea how difficult living from paycheck to paycheck can be. Thanks for spelling it out and using actual data and taking the time to calculate all of these things. Hero.
22:40 Your limited budget challenges have honestly been a huge inspiration in my cooking journey, and I'm so glad I discovered them I used to lack the confidence to cook really, other than off a recipe I found online, mainly because I was always worried I'd screw it up, and besides every one of my family members always used a recipe to cook, unless it was something simple like bacon and eggs or whatnot. Your cooking content in general has kinda been a huge eye opener seeing you just walk in and decide something, instead of blindly following a recipe. Ever since I've watched it, it's really given me the confidence to actually experiment with ingredients, and I've made some really great dishes since then. Even if I have to use a recipe, I try to experiment with different ideas I think will work better with the recipe, instead of following it blindly. Honestly, I've been kind of interested in doing a limited budget challenge myself, mainly to really challenge myself culinarily. Also, since I live in America, I've always wanted to figure out what a limited budget challenge would even look like over here (for example, I feel like food is generally sold in larger portions and costs more regardless over here, even considering the currency difference between gbp and usd, and the fact you look for only the cheapest food items; i've looked at the items you decide against buying there, like cheese, and it's usually always more expensive) But even if the budget were adjusted for that (I'd adjust it anyway since I'm not as culinarily experienced as you are), It'd almost certainly be different, just because the prices of things relative to each other are different. Like over here in Florida, plantains are super cheap, relatively speaking, (only 27c per plantain at my local walmart, and they're one of the few food items that's gotten cheaper over the last year or so), so they'd definitely be a part of any limited budget challenge where I live, just because they're a cheap source of energy and starch and stuff.
I for one appreciate your stray into politics, it wouldn't hurt to repeat that mini rant into more of these videos to really drive that message home. Anyway your thoughtfulness of the real complexity behind simple messages is one of the reasons I watch you, I wish I'd had a parental figure like you growing up. Thank you.
I have a strong appreciation for you and how you call people on their BS as they try to loudly make untrue claims. More people should be doing this, the loud and proud hiding behind Internet anonymity have been allowed to get away with their negativity for far too long.
As someone of lower income I do really appreciate your final speech. ❤ I also still appreciate your budget videos. Like you said, they're more meant to be challenges and thought experiments, but the way you handle limited ressources has taught me alot of skills, and appreciation for being able to use literally anything in my cupboard. And I honestly think anyone can appreciate and learn from that, no matter what income.
I really appreciate that you went into detail on the time spent cooking. That's often something that "budget healthy recipes" disregard entirely, and it's an extremely important factor if you're working 12 hour shifts and come back home completely exhausted. Living on a budget should always include time spent on said budget recipes, as a lack of time is often a crucial part of poverty.
I consider myself to have almost always been a naturally frugal person, and now that I am in uni in my own flat with a shared kitchen I am fully able to measure and practice my independence and frugality, these videos have genuinely prepared me to view my spending in a healthy and efficient way (too good to go is actually working out pretty well for me)
Hell yeah, lmao. When I as in uni from 2015-2018 I could do my weekly shop for as low as £12 XD Granted that was on the occasions where I ate nothing but porridge, sardines with pitta and spinach, sweet potato wedges, and quorn and rice... but it was still fun seeing what I could do when I set limits on myself! I also happened to get in great shape around that time because of the lower calories, granted I was exercising alongside it too.
I love how you made all those spreadsheets to analyze all the costs and time and everything. I too love spreadsheets and being nerdy over a very specific thing. I think it's so great you get to share your special interests with the world, and people are interested in what you have to say! I thought your commentary was so thoughtful too. Your cooking videos always inspire me to try something different, I'll have to try making stuffed buns now.
I never would have thought of bacon patties, but that's a fabulous idea for breakfast sandwiches/filled buns. Your creativity is delightful to watch. It's an interesting experiment to see how time consuming it is to cook from scratch and how much energy that uses as well. Some folks who have never had to think about how to feed their family spend a lot of time saying how it's cheaper to make from scratch. They have no idea the effort, skills, and time it takes to make a meal. Your rant was spot on. The way you go about things demonstrates what kind of effort and knowledge are required to get creative with limited resources.
Cooking from scratch normally is cheaper but definitely not as convenient as takeaways . Cooking skills obviously can be learned & the effort required depends on the meal . So i have a foot in both camps & never judge others ! Except the “ Can't afford restaurants every day & coffee on speed dial ” Not my problem m8 .
I don’t come to these videos to think about politics. I come to relax, unwind, and be impressed by your creativity and wide thinking. I would rather that you didn’t stray into politics, but have some sympathy if you feel your content is being misrepresented. I enjoyed this video, and look forwards to finding out what you decide to make next!
Please keep doing the occasional budget challenge. I'm a self employed middle aged white man so probably the least opposed sort of chap, I also have savings, so much lucker that some. But I like to cook and get ideas for making things go further not just for cost but my bit for the environment. Less energy use and less food waste saves resources as well as saving me some money. Writing this sat by my wood burner cooking dinner on top of it, which I see as a win.
Re: your rant at the end. Honestly, your budget food videos do far more for me than any politician could ever dream of doing. I don't find them condescending at all either. They're very informative, interesting, and inspirational. Really, I can't thank you enough.
I'm fortunate enough that (in the last couple of years) I am not struggling financially. A huge thing you've identified, that is often overlooked even for people NOT struggling financially, is TIME. I'm lucky enough to be able to afford one of those weekly meal kits - even knowing how overpriced they are. BUT I will happily do this, because deciding what meals to cook, making a shopping list, going to the shops (+fuel!) takes a couple of hours each week. I thoroughly encourage even the more fortunate people to re-assess how much they value their own limited time. Thanks again Mike for making such a well nuanced video that can speak to so many people.
The cost of living is hitting me hard. I work full time and my commute alone is £200 a month. I don't see your videos as belittling people with little money, I see them as great instructive videos that show that in the worst of times, people (myself included) can still eat well. I'm going to try these and I'm very sure I'll enjoy them. Amazing video Mr Shrimp. Thank you
I often worry that people I enjoy watching could hold some unsavory opinions about the less fortunate; I’m very thankful to know definitively that you understand and have compassion (not that I had much doubt, you give the disclaimer pretty often about not disparaging the poor). There is something about humanity that leads people to overwhelmingly believe that their achievements are the direct result of their merit alone, with any mitigating factors being seen as an attack on their character.
hi Mike, Our household likes to keep our spending within our means and always experience your budget challenges as more of a creativity challenge. Could i be so bold as to suggest a video around combining three or four key veggies into several meals to reduce boredom or waste? (sometimes courgettes, green beans and broccoli receive little love when presented the third time in a week) thanks for all you do!
I've been poor all my life and i LOVE your budget content. I think about these things ALL the time and i love to see and hear your perspective in every video.
I love this video/disclaimer. As cost of living rises significantly faster than wages, it's easy to say "oh you just can't afford luxuries" but it's so much more than that. Thank you.
Well said. I watch these videos for inspiration and to keep using everything in my fridge / cupboard and not letting things go to waste (and the enjoyment of listening to Atomic Shrimp of course). Thank you for all of the effort you put into your videos.
I have seen most, if not all, of your budget food videos and I find them thoroughly entertaining and never thought they were an attack on anyone. There are two things that stand out to me in them. Firstly, you're at the whim of the supermarkets, i.e. the products they carry at your local shop, and any reductions they make. Secondly, the ingredients that you are able to select tend to follow the same pattern, I know you've limited yourself to try and select other options, but the bias towards these staples is inescapable. With this in mind, and directed to those you highlight towards the end of this video. Yes, you can exist on pittance; but at what cost? I am sure causing people to live off the same few things will cost more overall and not just in financial terms. In this video at 21:41 is a clear indication of what enables the creation of these videos. Not everyone has this safety net. Get a grip. Get some sympathy. I applaud you for not staying out of politics in this matter. Don’t let people subvert your videos to further their own ideas, they can make their own content for that. I bet they'd struggle on the budgets you set yourself.
I appreciated the rant. People need to stop focusing their frustration on the poor and/or disabled and start focusing it on the top 1% who take all the profits.
I actually just like watching you overcome a limited-budget challenge. Some great "set it and forget it" playlist content, with a lot of handy ideas and suggestions for improvement. Don't let the elitist snobs bring you down, it's always worth the effort to show what can be done with so little.
Appreciate you always highlight these videos aren't for shaming the poor. I loved your little foray into politics, I agree wholeheartedly. So pleased UA-cam finally suggested a channel I'm actually really enjoying, so, many thanks.
Back in 2016 I did research calculating how realistic it was to survive on min wage in the us in my local area. I pulled data from 10 local and chain grocery stores, did calorie and nutrient calculations, and researched utility costs. Assumed 32hrs a week (also did a calculation for 29hrs per week since its common for employers to only give 29 hr to avoid paying benefits), 4 room mates (splitting rent and utilities evenly), health insurance at an individual plan (sample size for this was roughly 30 different plans I called to get prices), and state income tax assuming no other income. An important variable here is that this person is assumed to have NO debt and no children. I tried to account for every single variable to make sure that a person living on this wage would have enough calories to not be wasting away and to have enough nutrients (like vitamins) to not become malnourished. The food was basically a 50lbs bag of rice, beans, eggs, and butter. With a few other items thrown in to help the nutritional profile. I also accounted for basic needs like water for bathing and drinking (assuming NO filter), electricity, and internet (worst possible plan was selected, I called several ISPs). Also took into account a monthly bus pass and assumed a commute of at least 8miles. Theoretically by my calculations this kind of person would have about $100 per month to spend on things that are not in the survival category. Such as: spices, clothes, shoes, emergencies (can range from a broken appliance to a healthcare co pay). Also keep in mind that if this person does not have the initial capital to buy food in bulk than that $100 per month diminishes significantly since its more expensive to buy 10 5lb bags of rice than it is to buy 1 50lb bag. I haven't done more recent calculations, but I'm sure that its only gotten worse.
honestly, the main thing that your budget videos did for me was make me more open to trying new foods. I was a very fussy child growing up but ive since tried so many new foods because of you!
forget the critics Shrimp, they’re not doing anything useful nor entertaining. Your videos are wonderful inspiration to do some budget-friendly cooking at home. We love them! ❤️
The politics are important, now more than ever. Thank you for spelling it out. There is no escaping the politics (of food or anything else), and we all have a duty to push back when people distort reality by glossing over negative externalities and hidden costs. Really good video, Shrimp. Thought provoking.
Having watched most of your food videos over the last few years, I think most of the rant was already very strongly implied. It's always been pretty clear from your videos how you view this whole topic and more broadly the level of thoughtfulness and empathy you bring to everything you do. I don't think the type of commenters you call out will watch far enough into the video to engage with the criticism, but that doesn't really seem to be the point. All that said, I'm very glad you did it. The point about silence feeling like complicity is 100% spot on and I think we could all do to remember that a bit more often in our lives. I can absolutely sympathise with people who are just looking for an escape in the media they consume, but nothing exists in a vacuum and it can be very frustrating when people want to pretend otherwise.
While by no means poor - I do make my families breakfast for the week(my way of proving to the wife that I am not completely usless), have done many things burritos, tacos, sandwiches(frenchtoast, waffles,and pancakes) never thought of buns. The cooking bacon looked amazing for what it is intended for. Thanks for the great content
I just find the "challenge" very interesting to watch. Especially how you format it with spreadsheets usually. They even give me recipe ideas or enlighten me on uses for some things I didn't know or think of. I'm very glad you did this video - not many people seem to understand those "hidden costs". It all adds up, and can take a huge mental toll as well. Everything I do in my life is calculated like this, factoring in time/money/enjoyment/ect out of everything, it's horrible, but it's a habit I got from growing up very poor.
As always we loved your video. It is also refreshing to hear what you said about the cost of time. Myself and my partner (the we I speak of) have low energy levels and have to plan around that when it comes to everything including cooking. Also, we greatly appreciated your "rant", as you so eloquently articulated that those with the power to make actual positive changes, are flippant about the real cost of effort, time, and the psychic drag of poverty and the stresses it entails.
To let you into a little secret - as I mentioned in the video, the initial plan I had for this to be a week-long project was stupidly ambitious in terms of video production effort, but it goes beyond that; I had in mind that I would trot off to the shops and come back with a spring in my step and begin cooking the first batch item that afternoon. It's about a 6 or 7 mile round trip to the supermarket on foot, and the total weight of my shopping was 14kg - when I got home, I just wanted to rest, so I did that, and worked on some other stuff that afternoon instead. The next morning, it was dawning on me that the scope of the project was obviously too big, and I didn't feel like I wanted to even start on any of it. I almost scrapped the whole idea. I don't think I have ever felt quite that defeated about an idea for a video.
@@AtomicShrimp We completely understand. We are both "mobility challenged", and (pre-pandemic) did all of our own shopping with a wheelchair and a rolling walking frame. I'm sorry you had to feel that kind of frustration, but grateful for the visibility. I sincerely hope you see the strong thread in the comments on this video, that we-all who love your videos, completely understand where you are coming from about your challenges. We loved this video and look forward to more, but we also dearly love the other version of your challenges as well, in the spirit they are meant. We *have* been indigent, at one point providing food for two adults and a chihuahua on $89 USD/mo (though we are now stable/no longer food-insecure). Your videos are good fun in the spirit intended, while *also* having some fantastic tips-and-tricks for stretching things :) We gratefully appreciate that *you* appreciate the luxury of having the time and wherewithal to make such foods. (We spent years where our only food-heat source was a microwave, for example.) We never doubted that you understood the difference, and feel frustrated that someone apparently left you negative feedback, because you bring such joy for us :) (We watch your Food playlist to wind down in the evening, and eagerly watch any new video on the morning we find it :) ) Thank you again.
Your rant made me cry. It's is so true. And I agree that people who can't see it are the problem. Thank you for ALL your hard work, and hidden costs. This was 24 minutes well spent.
I bsolutly agree with your points about poor people, just to bash them and say them they can cook cheap an healthy is a joke. It would be great if healthy food becomes aforable for all people. We should save money on oher places. Really nice video. My mother in in the hospital right know because of a heart problem. I watched multiple of your videos the last days and they helped me to relax when I am home for a while. Thank you very much for that.
Love this Mike, and THANK YOU for your "rant"! As someone who constantly has to weigh my time (or energy level) vs my budget I very much appreciate this endeavor! Having said this I've learned that as far as the time to assemble, you can reduce that by repeating the same motion, for example... You want to roll out all of your discs at once then assembly line all of your feelings onto those discs then close them all at the same time, you will always be more efficient when you're repeating the same motion as I'm sure you know because you are awesome❤
@@helza LMAO 😂🤣😂 indeed! Assembling your feelings comes BEFORE assembling the fillings, I should've been more specific lolol you still have me cracking up
Your ‘rant’ was so, so refreshing and honestly made me feel so seen - I take great comfort in this channel, it’s a bit of calm escapism as well as a channel that’s informative and entertaining, but you do see some awful takes in some of the comments. The attitude of those politically in charge right now stinks, and it’s a balm to know that it’s not just me who is sick of those who don’t have a shred of empathy or decency. You’re a great presence on UA-cam, and those who aren’t wilfully ignorant won’t misunderstand your intentions. Thank you for continuing to create and share your work, for fighting the corner of people who are struggling to keep afloat, and for brightening many, many people’s days and providing some inspiration when you upload.
Loved listeneing to you talk about the complexity of poverty. This is why your channel is such a comfort for me. Great content with good underlying morals
Mike this is superb! It’s always interesting to see someone set themselves a challenge and how they cope, and I’ve always understood that’s it’s not a poverty safari or telling others how they ought to live. Your words are spot on and it’s so refreshing to hear someone talk about these issues with proper understanding and without a hint of condescension. Thank you for another great video and please keep going, you’re a hero! :)
Hi Mr Shrimp, I just wanted to say that, as an infrequent commenter, and as someone who doesn't normally like politics encroaching on videos, I really didn't mind your rant and appreciated the very good points you made. I really hope people don't take your challenge videos the wrong way.
Bravo Shrimp. I’m sick of seeing people tell entertainers to avoid politics, as if they’re not people too, as if their audience is not comprised of people, directly affected by politics. Felt a little swell of emotion or pride when you told them to shut up. It was entirely called for.
Telling people to 'stay out of politics', is politics. Now I don't intend to pivot this channel into a load of political commentary, but what I said here, I really wanted to say (which I hope will make it easier to ride over the inevitable backlash that will be here at some point...)
@@AtomicShrimp agreed. And you had every right to say it, not least of because you went into exhaustive detail with numbers and analysis to back it up.
The people who don't want others to talk about such this are the same ones making everyone's lives worse by voting for the out of touch rich wankers causing the problems they say not to talk about @@AtomicShrimp
This is the BEST video you have made. Addresses a lot of the frustrations I have had reading some of the previous video comments and the complete ignorance of some
I really love shrimp's cooking videos. I don't think I've ever cooked from one of his recipes because we have very different tastes in food but his vibes are comforting and wholesome, so these videos are very relaxing to watch, especially in comparison to a lot of UA-camrs who make food videos incredibly dramatic.
I think a calm, justifiable rant is legitimate when supported by practical demonstration of the reasons. In fact I think there should be more rants like this. There are so many obstacles that people face in the search for a quality lifestyle and people who have security of family, employment, housing, finances, education etc often forget or have never experienced living with one or more of these securities missing. This is exactly the sort of content we all need from time to time to remind us or educate us that there is more than one way to live a life. Many people would love to change their life but simply don't have the hours in their day to make room for that change.
I always appreciate when you break down how much time and effort goes into making things. Both for the food and video production, it's really interesting and shows just how difficult some of these seemingly simple things are to actually do. Edit: Your "rant" at the end is totally justified imo. Sadly though , people will probably still continue to just take whatever message fits their own viewpoint. The commenters you called out there probably didn't even watch more than a few seconds of your previous budget challenge videos before coming to their conclusions because nothing about them has ever appeared to me as you saying anything even close to their conclusions that "poor people should just do this and not spend money on dumb purchases". I've always seen the budget challenges as the exact opposite: showing how difficult it would be to be on such a limited income.
just to echo the many comments here, keep up the good work. bringing attention to something like this can be touchy but you have the right heart for it and really are doing good work. as you said its not about the issue but more challenging yourself despite that youve made some great and conscious content.
These are really interesting, and probably exactly the sort of thing i want to fall back on when my adhd means i have 5 minutes between pulling myself out of bed and needing to leave the house. Another added cost you missed was owning all the cooking utensils; a baking tray and frying pan are quite likely to be found in the majority of houses (and I actually think it was more genuine that you baked these all on one tray; some people may only have one tray, or the other tray might be dirty from another meal etc), but you also used a food processor to get the bacon into a patty. Sure, one could use pre-processed sausagemeat, but the minced bacon is a nicer flavour. And I know some people in studio flats who don't even have an oven, just a microwave and a couple of burners!
I love these videos, your rationales and problem solving is great especially when it comes to trying to provide unbiased data as clearly as possible. I’m sure it’s hard becoming more and more popular over the years and with more eyes on you, you may be seeing more negativity and bad takes, but always remember there a plenty of people like myself who have been around forever and fully understand where you’re coming from with these kind of videos. Big up the Shrimp, you’ve been my favourite UA-camr for years now 🙌🙌
I favourited, not only because I always enjoy your content, but I thank you for taking a stand. While I'm okay right now, I grew up not so well off. It's important we actually talk about the reality of our current world, especially with so few places for meaningful public discourse, and pointing the ridiculousness of our modern problems shouldn't be something controversial at all.
Just being frugal is not showing off or talking down to people in tough economic circumstances. It is a common sense approach and you take frugality to the limit just to see how far it can go. Very worthwhile and enjoyable videos. And I am motivated to have a go a these bacon brekky buns, seems they would be quite satisfying both to make and to eat. Thanks for the effort, and looking forward to more in this series.
I agree with other commenters. Your videos are proving how extremely difficult it is to cook on a low budget. Not only is it difficult to buy ingredients at this price point, there is also zero room for error. Not to mention the cost of energy and the equipment.
Thank you so much for making this video, and for the level of consideration you've placed on addressing a difficult topic. Your points about hidden factors and politics - which I wouldn't call a rant but rather a principled statement - are spot on. Thanks for all your hard work on these interesting and inspiring ideas (forgive the alliteration...).
While I'm pretty comfortable financially, I get a lot of inspiration to add variety to my cooking by watching your videos. The way you take simple ingredients and infuse them with flavor is always welcome! I have the advantage of using all my spices too, but seeing that the base of flavor comes from the ingredients is something I'd not considered before watching this series. Thank you!
My husband son and I sit down and watch your videos when we get the chance for a slow day and we will literally binge them all. Sometimes I’m able to watch them closer to the date you post them but we always look forward to a binge day. Thank you for just good fun content.
i know you're always worried about being seen to be condescending to poor people with these budget challenges, but you're actually showing how difficult it is. i enjoy them because necessity is the mother of invention, and you do provide a lot of inspiration and enjoyment in a way that's accessible to people with less money because you're not using expensive or aspirational ingredients most of the time in your cooking videos overall. thank you for bringing us along on all your adventures.
I think you’re getting ’poor’ people confused with people that don’t care. Understandable.
I live in the Texas boonies. Literally it is an hour drive to a town big enough for big box stores or a supermarket. My nearest town is 1 mile in diameter. The Food Bank comes out once a month and dumps food on us. Never know what we might get. A few months ago I got 2 cases of beans in tomato juice. By itself it was so bland. But I had just recently watched one of these budget videos, which gave me ideas on how to use the beans. Very thankful as I've been able to make some yummy meals using the beans.
Anybody who gets offended by your budget challenges clearly has a chip on their shoulder.
And that is it perfectly okay to buy one onion/mushroom/carrot.
@@keptleroymg6877
Poor people don’t have the surplus mental energy to do all of this, and that’s not their fault. As you’ve clearly observed, it’s expensive to be poor.
Only at Atomic Shrimp can you expect a nice breakfast muffin and get an incredibly detailed spreadsheet of _every_ possible expense and a philosophical commentary on what it really means to cook frugally and live on low income. Fantastic video as always, Shrimp.
Precisely. Never doubted Mike's sentiment.
Yeah he doesn't even do a good job at that... he had to get to the shops and there is no allotment for gas, vehicle maintenance or public transport costs. Sure calculating the price of electricity seems smart except that the price of going and getting the food is going to be more.
@@thomgizziz In the UK it's often possible to walk to the shops, probably especially in lower income areas.
@@thomgizziz in the rest of the world shops are not on the other side of the continental shelf
@@thomgizziz Perhaps he should make up some imaginary numbers to satisfy you? He mentioned he got as much as he could carry, indicating he was walking home from the shop.
As a poor person myself😂 I feel the need to say, I have never once thought these budget food challenge videos are anything other than that, a food challenge you set for yourself. I absolutely love to see the creativity you put into these dishes, and to be 100% honest you've given me multiple ideas for when I'm extra skint 🤣 you've taught me that I don't have to just buy food from the supermarket and that it can be found all around us if you only look closely. I'm really happy to have a new food challenge video, they are very enjoyable to watch ☺️
100% agree! These videos are inspiring!
agreed. i've made probably a dozen of these budget recipes over a year or two when things get tight. love that he's done all the experimenting for me already
totaly agree the challanges was for fun . i am glad thay have helped you
Shrimp isn't like those other UA-camrs who go around town and say "how I survived homeless for a week" and it's all just insulting b.s. Shrimp is just an everyday joe
Same here. I find them good for inspo.
Your rant was wonderful! As I’ve mentioned before, I’m formerly homeless, I’m disabled and I spent many years living on very little. I cooked well, if not as creatively as you do. The time factor is vitally important - I often worked very long hours for very little money, and the time and energy to cook weren’t there even if the money was. You’ve highlighted all the right things here. Thank you for your intelligent and compassionate approach. It’s so refreshing.
I was lucky enough to have a massive wooded area near me while homeless. I build a camp and cooked ok. Froze alot though
I'm so glad you mentioned the hidden costs. I've been poor, where I've had to wait until midnight for my paycheque to clear, so I could go to an all nighter and get something for breakfast because there was NO food in the house & I needed to feed my daughter.
If you can't afford bus fare you have to shop locally.
You can only buy what you can carry so you can't take advantage of the bulk offers or cheap supermarket prices.
You can't afford convenience meals so everything takes so long cooking from scratch.
After a long day at work, just ensuring you can cook 3 meals a day is tiring, then you have to do everything else.
Fortunately I'm very comfortable now but I still remember those days. It would be wonderful if some of the meaner people tried to live on a £ a day for a month and see how they coped. They would learn a very valuable life lesson, I'm sure.
Yes! Transportation costs can be limiting. We have food deserts here in the US where folks must travel 30, 45, 50, 60 minutes for decent and more affordable groceries!
@inutamer365 very rural and/or poorer areas where public transportation is non-existent. Or, if there is a market, the fresh food is priced higher. But even with public transportation, it is hard to buy in bulk and carry that onto a bus.
@inutamer365there was a John Oliver video recently about Dollar Stores, where he mentioned that that can pop up in food desserts and so even if they are bad through X, y, and z business practices, they aren't going anywhere as they are the only place to buy some basics
❤ This gives myself and my wife hope, we have 5 beautiful children, 1 of whom has autism and money is very tight, living hand to mouth most days. We long for more comfortable days but still have fun as a family trying to make new and fun ways to use our ingredients.
The same people who say your challenges prove the poor can eat cheaply, are the same people who criticise the poor for not cooking to keep their children healthy. These buns are cheap but not healthy. And healthy food, generally, isn’t very cheap. That’s why it’s a challenge. Thank you for your entertaining and thought-provoking videos
Mike this video is incredible. I feel so seen and I'm not even remotely amongst the most deprived, low income, chronically ill or other adverse circumstances in this country (UK) and certainly not the world. Thank you so much for your deeply kind consideration and thorough clarity. I have no idea how you expressed that with such depth in 24 minutes but I applaud you. If I could hit like on this video a thousand times I would.
His name is Mike?
Hot tip as a baker, bake them in a muffin tin. You can even roll the tops and bottoms separately (bottoms being a bit bigger and they have to fill the tin). this will also make it easier to add other ingredients like eggs without making a big mess.
This was my first video of yours that i have watching and I think you did a great job breaking everything down, so thank you for the great video!
Do you know the Muffin man
The Muffin man, the Muffin man
Oh, do you know the Muffin man
Who lives on Drury Lane?
Oh yes, we know the Muffin man
The Muffin man, the Muffin man
Oh yes, we know the Muffin man
Who lives on Drury Lane?
Oh, we all know the Muffin man
The Muffin Man, the Muffin man
Oh, we all know the Muffin man
Who lives on Drury Lane?
The political rant was a balm for the soul to hear in a time of increasing poor-shaming, and it explained something I was frankly too stupid to fully understand myself, although I already partly understood it (time to cook, waiting for yeast to eat and reproduce, electricity/firegas/coal/firewood, other costs, poor access to land meaning no gardening, confidence with foraging, time to forage, stress making one slower at things). Damn though, £1 5s 3 for each bun. That's probably the closest to a true cost we'll get in a while.
You have factored out the hidden costs better than I think anyone "at the top" is willing to.
Off topic but this has to be the first time I've stumbled across someone using £sd style (or £sp now) denomination
I think this is the first time I heard Atomic Shrimp rant?
Anyway, I wholeheartedly agree.
(I still think baked beans are weird, though).
@@johanneswerner1140definitely not the first
And somehow he did it without using the superior Freedom Units to measure anything. What a champ.
The consideration of time, and hidden costs also known as Freedom per second (FPS)
(Also used to measure the speed of Freedom a fire arm can put out.)
is very important and I am happy that others are now using it outside of Burgerland.
@@nonamex6536what are you raving about? It would be right to assume that the author would use metric since they're used to it compared to imperial. Use what you're used to and leave other people to shout to a wall.
The 'hidden factors' part of this video is a FANTASTIC message, very well portrayed, I've been a fan for a long time and I'm now even more of a fan 👏🏼
It's so refreshing to see that, even from your position of comfort and financial stability, you completely understand that people's circumstances have a huge impact on every part of their lives, and that it's not as simple as "just cook using cheap ingredients". Thank you for speaking up about that! You are one of my favourite voices of reason.
#ShrimpForPrimeMinister
In oz, the 'cheap' ingredients have gone. Like the home brand or no name, all gone.
@@EmeraldHill-vo1csa lot are vanishing here too, especially as some 'cheap' brands are almost as costly as the mid range now
Would be lovely to have someone like him who is sensible,compassionate and normal .Can you imagine any of them shopping at Lidl?
@@sarahmoss4224 Yeah because you are a good guy if you go with the easiest path possible and we all know that taking the path of least resistance always leads to the best results. By your thinking you should never punish anybody or question anybody doing wrong because they wouldn't be compassionate or "normal" and as the OP said there are "circumstances" so any criticism is off the table. The funny thing is you dont understand why your world view is naive as you can get.
Learning to cook cheaply is also a skill, and not it's not something anyone can magically know how to do. I think another "hidden cost" is whether you have had people teach you how to do it, or if you've had the luxury of having time to learn. Anyway, these videos are massively inspiring, and it's quite sobering to see it laid out just how much time and effort goes into each one!
That's a good point. Shrimp clearly has a lot of confidence in the kitchen, but to gain that skill takes time. The first few attempts will take twice as long as you expect, and might end up inedible. The potential for waste there is hard to account for
Yes it is. You go buy a magical tome called a cookbook, one that specifically talks about budgets and how to do the shopping for a whole menu all at once. Baking bread is one of the more time consuming things you can do and this isn't where you are going to start. Most recipes are going to be less than 30 mins start to finish and the book also has instructions start to finish. Stop making excuses and just go do it, you can spare 30mins a day and you go to the store anyway.
@@thomgizziz I think it's hard to understand how someone can lack a skill that you can't remember learning.
If you don't cook, you don't know how much effort different recipes will take. And if you're a novice, a "30 minute recipe" is going to take you a lot longer, because you don't know to start cooking one think while you chop another, for example.
Demeaning someone is hardly the way to get someone to listen to you, by the way
I can cook reasonable cheap, learned it. One fundamental thing is having spices and dry herbs in house (and they also cost money).
Also making a basic sauce from flower, butter and the (vegetable) stock (put in some spices ) can lift it up.
@@gingganggoolie I can cook reasonably, but i like to chop everything before start cooking (unless it is slow cooked meat), and it takes longer but i also have no stress that it needs to be cut in time (It means i agree with you)
Less stress and a better result in the end (most of the times)
as someone that counts their dollars and cents on a calculator every time I go to the store and bases my groceries for the fortnight on whatever is for sale that is on special, I have never once felt like any of your challenges were punching down at me, instead they have inspired me to actually try and COOK with what I can get. please don't ever stop them.
@@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos The same thing happens in the US.
@@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos I’m not American. I’m Australian so I understand perfectly well, we share a political system and a class system that our shared ancestors transported with them.
❤
@@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos British people always complain about "US centrism" and yet they are just jealous that they're not the only country, Americans think only America exists, British people think only America and UK exist lol
@@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos Also in both UK and Australia there are different accents for different classes. I did notice that in UK people are more classist than in Australia (I live in the UK now) but from my observations of US from the outside they seem quite classist as well. In Australia there is a "bogan" accent which I guess would be similar to the "poor" accent in UK
Hi, poor Mancunian here - thanks for having the poor folk's back.
Carl Sagan once said “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe”. Nothing is without cost, nothing just pops into existence fully formed, and it's a constant source of frustration to see some politicians disregard that through ignorance or malice. Thank you for illustrating the point so eloquently.
No need to apologise for the /rant. I enjoyed the video up to the 16p point, and then well and truly had my eyes opened when it came to those additional costs. Considering the poorest tend to get the worst energy rates (which is a crime all in itself), and time becomes part of budgeting - this video is a real eye opener. Gregs makes so much more sense having watched this, especially when equipment, knowledge, health, time, opportunity are all factored in…
as someone who is on social assistance and uses my local foodbank regularly, these types of videos that you have made over the years have been invaluable! even outside of crunching numbers, these videos that you have made have really opened my mind cullinarily and taught me how to cook way more scrappily! june's budget eats is another yt series that helped a lot! the main problem i face regularly is i get 2 boxes from the foodbank and half of the ingredients i have never used before! the contents of the boxes are usually items that no one else was buying at the grocery store so you need to get really creative in the kitchen. i am unemployed so i have the extra time to research and fool around, but for those who are employed or have to take care of young children while relying on food services like this dont have the luxury to learn how to use these ingredients... i could ramble about these sorts of struggles all day and how they can affect a person and their family but at the end of the day the real problem is no one has enough money to go around because it is being hoarded by those who claim we have no business having a livable income.
I feel your paid. I'd suggest Google those unknown/ unfamiliar ingredients, also there are websites and apps where you put in the ingredients you have and you are offered recipes to incorporate them. Best of luck 😊
I'm a big fan of June's budget eats too. Such a shame the series is over with delish but I do still try and catch her live streams from time to time. This channel and budget eats made me fear winging it when cooking so much less. Before I needed recipes for everything but these types of videos gave me the confidence to have a go at just hashing things together and trying things out and I learnt a lot
I’m an enormous fan of your work. You prove that effort to understand the complexity of poverty can really pay off. You’re the least condescending person on YT.
Limited budget challenges open up the real struggles people trying to feed families. Thank you for what you do.
Your whole "rant" was a breath of fresh air. It's nice to know how seen people in low income households are through videos like these. The hidden costs are so often overlooked, and seeing (just as you said) those with the power to change things not change a thing, is rather frustrating. Your videos are informative, entertaining, and are genuinely helpful for a lot of people. Your videos have definitely changed the way I look at budgeting and food preparation in a time where the change was needed, and I'm grateful that you're able to not even charge a penny, despite how many hidden costs are going in to these videos.
Thank you for all the time and, how much you spend on these videos
100%. My sentiments exactly
He gets over 100k views... he isn't making these videos for nothing, this is literally his job. Do you thank your plumber or electrician in the same way? They are just out there looking to be helpful and the workers don't charge you anything the company does.
@@thomgizziz I highly doubt modern UA-cam pays its creators anything comparable to any kind of salary, if we're not counting those few exceptions with ultra-popular channels. _And yes, I do thank people for doing their job. It's called "being polite" here in my country._
@@thomgizziz Now tell me what is your problem ? Isn't mental healthcare affordable for you or isn't there any place (there are long waiting lists, my suggestion get on it before it becomes a private company). Or do you disagree with his rant, and please tell me why you disagree ?
But i guess you can eat and prepare 3 meals a day for 30 Pounds in 30 days (1 pound a day in a 30 day month)?
@@erikaverink8418he's made a few comments on here and I've noticed he's got a attitude problem he seems to be getting angry over UA-cam comment for no reason
Dont know if anyones done this yet and am probably to late for this comment to be seen by many but I made some notes for myself and wanted to share them with everyone.
Bread dough 12:
- 500g flour
- 1 packet of isntant yeast
- pinch of alt
mix
- 300ml water
stir/knead just to combine
cover in warm place to develop/proof for couple of hours
knead a little bit on a floured surface (to knock some air/big bubbles out off)
form into balls, roll them out a bit (dont want it to be too thin)
put fillings in (grated mature cheddar, onion, baked beans, bacon patty)
carefully fold edges of dough overtop into the middle
put into tray to proof again for half an hour
brush with a bit of water on top
preheat oven
[Temperature not mentioned?] (internet suggests 180-230C)
bake for 35 minutes (slighly brown on top)
Filling:
Bacon patties 12:
- cooking bacon (ofcuts mishapes & trimmings)
- 400g bacon
- 1/2 cup/50g oats (help bind and soak up juices)
- teaspoon of sage
- 1/4 teeaspoon chili flakes
in the foodprocessor till its liek sausage meat
cook/brown patties in pan with a bit of oil
Onion:
half and slice onion
put in pan
add a tiny splash of water
onions should end up browish
I grew up poor enough to think Ramen was a fancy side dish, lol. I've spent my life being as frugal as possible, so videos like this really resonate with me. Foraging, scrounging for deals at the store, getting as much as possible out of whatever ingredients I have to hand gives me a lot of happiness. From MY perspective at least, I love these budget challenges as you always come up with ideas that inspire me in my own frugal living. Fear not Mike, there are many of us out here who appreciate your efforts and support your work. Growing up with little taught me to never waste food, and maximize every penny I spend, and while it wasn't FUN, it DID shape my life in ways I find beneficial decades later.
At £1 a packet ramen is a fancy side dish 2023
Thought society was meant to improve, not make things harder and worse.
@fluffy-Muffin Heh, here in the States, the "proper" Ramen from Japan is almost 5 dollars a pack. Good, but sad point about it actually BEING a fancy side nowadays, when I was a kid I think I remember the cheap stuff being something like 10 cents.
@@eloquentsarcasm I use to pay 7p a packet when I was younger and lived on it.
ASDA packet noodles used to be 11p each when I was young :D
But then they went up in price and it took an hour to walk there :(
amazing how far your willing to walk for a 'treat' XD
I really appreciate that you broke down the hidden cost related to time. This is often overlooked by those that never have to worry about those costs. Keep up the good work!❤❤❤
Who never has to worry about the costs of making food??? Even very rich people understand them. How are you all so detached from reality while pretending to be very down to earth?
You need to read it again your comment shows u completely misunderstood
@@thomgizziz Did you notice they're talking about time, not money?
Mike, I am a 6th generation butcher and I am so thankful for this video. The real cost of production is generally speaking lost on the public. The cost that we sell out produce is fundamentally down to overhead costs and the labour that is not seen by the end consumer. Thank you for raising some of the subjects here. I thoroughly enjoy my job and I get an awful lot of professional and creative satisfaction from it but the one downside to it is the lack of understanding of production costs. As a producer I do believe it is our job to educate. Love your work and look forward to the next video. Best, Dan.
Yes, I know he wanted to make the point about the real costs to those on low income, but it would have been nice to see comparison to what a cafe might charge. As well as all the 'hidden' costs he mentions you have overheads like shop rent, insurance, NI. True they might get cheaper ingredients, but as we've seen those are pretty minor.
@@rogink You dont think he put enough hours into just this one vid?
Surprisingly the local butchers is almost half the price of the bigger grocery stores, it's insane but I love it, funny the best stuff is also the cheaper option
I feel for you buddy but you've said the crux of the matter there, if I can go somewhere get a steak/mince for £3 or go to a butchers and pay double it's just to much, I would love to support smaller businesses
@@bigdaddydons6241it might be worth mentioning it's not that way in the UK,but that's because uk producers can't compete with the prices of imported products
I'm poor, and these videos have been an enormous aid in managing to get through it.
Your push to ensure you end up nutritionally okay, while spending such little money, it gives me my own push to experiment & try to eat better and for less.
I will always ensure to check out your work. Thank you endlessly.
I agree with you 100% and I've never lived in poverty nor can imagine the full scale of what that's like. I feel like there is no compassion in the world for those who struggle, just people screaming at them because they don't want to believe that could be them one day.
as someone on benefits, struggling to make money last, this is an inspirational video. it is the first of yours i have seen. seeing the ''actual'' cost is wonderful. yes the ingredients are cheap, but time is always an overlooked factor as is the cost of cooking. it is possible to survive on very little but to live always costs more. i look forward to watching more of your content.
100% behind you on the 'rant'. I think you are incredibly level headed and more people need to think carefully about jumping to judgement on others when they have no idea what their life circumstances are. Thank you for continuing to be an entertaining, comforting and inspiring person, looking forward to seeing you next time 😁
People "poor" or fairly well off should be grateful for the time and knowledge you put into making such videos.
I often get overwhelmed with the cost of living, trying to eat nutritiously balanced food, and often resort to the same handful of meals that require very specific ingredients. This leads to food waste, low mood caused by lack of variety, and a heck of a lot of room for money saving. Your videos give me great ideas, inspire me to be creative, make me smile, reassure me that it’s possible to eat healthy on a budget, and most importantly encourage me that eating healthy and cheaply doesn’t have to be monotonous and boring. Thank you, I hope you make many more and enjoy doing so!
From a 25 year old living alone and figuring out how to adult independently as I go
Might help you depending on how you cook, but for me ethnic markets and bulk food stores are great. I usually get most of my calories from certain staple foods (things like grains, rice, legumes, apples, potatoes, etc) and then incorporate other ingredients to add nutrition and variety. What's helpful for me is having different types of those staple foods, so instead of just white rice I'll have brown and black, or brown and red lentils. This forces you cook differently and use different recipes as the MAIN ingredient is different. I can find everything for less than 1.50USD a lb, usually less than 1.00USD.
See this is what happens when you coddle people and pretend that nothing ever needs improvement, you get 25 year old people that are so lazy and inept that they won't find a solution to their issue or they know what the solution is and are to lazy to implement it.
There are tons of books and even apps now that will give you whole shopping lists and all the recipes you need to keep food waste down, costs down(if you want) and make a variety of foods. I'm sure you know this but you don't want to put the work in, I know I have been there done that but I didn't go around playing the victim, I knew what I was doing and wasn't acting like a child and taking zero responsibility for my choices.
@@brandon9172 "ethnic" markets? You mean the places where the bulk of the food is imported and more expensive than a normal grocery store?
Could you borrow a copy of Jack Monroe's Cooking on a Bootstrap from your library? She shows how to stretch your food / budget if you're struggling.
@@thomgizziz The cheapest noodles and rice and sauces I've found have been in the Chinese wholesalers near me. Might be worth checking out if you're close by to one. Obviously if you don't have one nearby then the fuel / time cost of going might outweigh the price savings but it's worth looking.
You have given people good ideas to save money but no, you haven’t solved peoples poverty, so I’m right behind you on the message of your video. I love your channel, not because it solves anything, but because it’s inventive, imaginative, informative, creative, humorous and sometimes, just crazy. It really makes me think about a lot of things that I might not have without the your instigation. I love your little foraging sojourns and now you have me looking up plants on my country walks. I’ve learnt a lot. Thank you, so much xx
You are never patronising. I find your budget videos entertaining, informative and useful. 😊
I'm watching this video while making pizza from scratch and waiting for my bun dough to rise. I will probably spend at least 6 hours in the kitchen today. Even as someone who is recently done with university and working 4 days a week while looking for a better job, I can't imagine spending this much time in the kitchen every day, and not even once a week! And imagine if I also had to work all week and had kids to take care of at the same time! I think it is great that you speak up on how stressful it must be for those who are less fortunate and that has to work so much harder to get food on the table
Cooking and taking care of kids at the same time isn't that difficult... I have done it many times before. Stop it with the over exaggerated BS especially when you have no idea what you are talking about.
@@thomgizziz I may not have kids of my own, but I have a father who has recently gotten 3 new kids and a new wife who has gotten unwell. I have tried taking care of all 3 at once to lessen the load for my father. I can tell you it in not that easy, especially with a 3 year old who keeps wanting to run up the stairs and a 4 year old who likes to make a mess when no one is watching. Yes, I can do a simple dish while taking care of them, but no way would I be able to make pizza from scratch and cinnamon buns at the same time.
I admire my father for what he does, but there is no way I would be able to handle all 3 all the time.
Everyone has different circumstances, and just because you are able to handle it all at the same time does not mean it is the same for somebody else.
@@thomgizziz just because you find it easy doesn't mean everyone else should! You need to drop the attitude I've seen a few of your comments on this video and you seem really angry for no reason so what's the matter didn't mammy or daddy pay you enough attention growing up?
I make pizza from scratch. I throw the bread base ingredients into a bread maker set to dough. Takes a couple of minutes to roll out. I have home canned tomato pizza sauce - open and use all year round, or use tomato paste and dried herbs. Toppings? Mozzarella, mushrooms, spinach, all take minutes. I calculate it takes a total if 30 minutes prep to make 2 huge pizzas, excluding to 10 - 15 minutes in a hot oven.
How did you spend a whole day? Genuinely, is it a real question, because home cooking is often about time management.
@@lat1419 When I wrote bun dough I was talking about a separate dough to make cinnamon buns. I was making both on the same day. I also make my tomato sauce from scratch. I also use more labour intensive toppings
You are so right about those people who judge “poor “ people. I live on a small budget too, not because I want to, but because I have to due to my health. Until now I manage fine. And I love to challenge myself to make a healthy decent meal that costs less than 2€ (I’m from Belgium), energy costs included. I can totally recognize myself in your way of cooking and enjoying little things in life.
Thanks again Mike!
I’ve been watching your videos for a while now, in anticipation of moving to the UK from the US next year, and I’m going to have to live on Social Security, so I need to know how to live cheaply in the UK, and your videos have been absolutely wonderful for that end. I just wanted to thank you before I forgot.
Thank you for the 'Rant', it seemed incredibly well thought out and empathetic to me.
I came originally for the budget challenges and stayed for the excellent eclectic content, so happy to see another video of this series.
Although I am very fortunate compared to many others at present, my winter electricity bill last year was so high it made me throw up. These hidden costs of cooking have meant me barely switching the oven on all year, not buying things that can only be baked for 40-45 minutes or more (jacket potatoes, always seen as the bastion of frugalness, are 'out' completely as a result), and wearing a ridiculous amount of layers so I don't have to switch the heating on while preparing meals in a very cold kitchen. So thank you for highlighting these costs, and I think it's an excellent direction for the series to take.
I make jacket potatoes in instant-pot (no-brand of course)... still take electricity but for like 15 minutes? I'm really sympathetic to all who need to use electricity for cooking or warming themselves... I use gas for those - still expensive but not so much...
If the hot air from your oven gets vented into the kitchen after use, it is kind of doing double duty when you cook in it.
Note that cost depends on your appliance & tariff !
The people who comment on your videos criticising the poor are the kind of people clearly just read the title and don't bother watching. Anyone who watches your videos all the way through will see how difficult your challenges are to complete and how often you have to eat unappetising and not very nutritious meals, although your ingenuity and resourcefulness does mask this to some extent. Keep up the good work!
incredible video, I love your budget challenges but this one was outstanding. I have been looking into "hidden factors" for a while and it was great that you have addressed this. You rant was also spot on. Thanks for your videos.
"Stay out of politics Mr. Shrimp"- The people who brought you into them in the first place, probably.
Thank you for the thoughtful commentary. You are a gem, sir.
Exactly. It's more like 'stay out of politics, just let me say my piece without challenge'
I never saw your budget videos as trying to preach to the poor. I have always enjoyed the way you can make something out of so little, and also how you use foraging in some of the videos. These are skills that were common when I was growing up, but sadly seem to have been lost over the years.
I applaud your rant about certain politicians and their ill-informed rubbish. They have no idea how the ordinary person has to live. It is not just the cost of the food that people struggle with, it's the cost of cooking fuel, and the amount of time needed to prepare and cook ingredients, not forgetting the meal planning involved.
I celebrate the day when I stumbled upon your channel, I look forward to every weekend. Thank you.
Mike, this might be one of my favorite videos from you and why I love your channel and have so much respect for you as a person. I am only 23 and have been watching your videos for about 5 years now. Your attitude towards life is truly inspiring and you have played a major part in me discovering many of the interests (I have recently made significant progress towards turning mycology into a career) and philosophies that I pursue in my life. I know this probably sounds like weird pandering to try and get a response from you or something, but I genuinely just want to say I appreciate you as a person. Cheers.
I honestly loved your "rant". So totally true. Honestly some of these politicians have never struggled a day in their lives and have no f*cking idea how difficult living from paycheck to paycheck can be. Thanks for spelling it out and using actual data and taking the time to calculate all of these things. Hero.
22:40
Your limited budget challenges have honestly been a huge inspiration in my cooking journey, and I'm so glad I discovered them
I used to lack the confidence to cook really, other than off a recipe I found online, mainly because I was always worried I'd screw it up, and besides every one of my family members always used a recipe to cook, unless it was something simple like bacon and eggs or whatnot.
Your cooking content in general has kinda been a huge eye opener seeing you just walk in and decide something, instead of blindly following a recipe. Ever since I've watched it, it's really given me the confidence to actually experiment with ingredients, and I've made some really great dishes since then. Even if I have to use a recipe, I try to experiment with different ideas I think will work better with the recipe, instead of following it blindly.
Honestly, I've been kind of interested in doing a limited budget challenge myself, mainly to really challenge myself culinarily. Also, since I live in America, I've always wanted to figure out what a limited budget challenge would even look like over here (for example, I feel like food is generally sold in larger portions and costs more regardless over here, even considering the currency difference between gbp and usd, and the fact you look for only the cheapest food items; i've looked at the items you decide against buying there, like cheese, and it's usually always more expensive)
But even if the budget were adjusted for that (I'd adjust it anyway since I'm not as culinarily experienced as you are), It'd almost certainly be different, just because the prices of things relative to each other are different. Like over here in Florida, plantains are super cheap, relatively speaking, (only 27c per plantain at my local walmart, and they're one of the few food items that's gotten cheaper over the last year or so), so they'd definitely be a part of any limited budget challenge where I live, just because they're a cheap source of energy and starch and stuff.
I for one appreciate your stray into politics, it wouldn't hurt to repeat that mini rant into more of these videos to really drive that message home. Anyway your thoughtfulness of the real complexity behind simple messages is one of the reasons I watch you, I wish I'd had a parental figure like you growing up. Thank you.
I have a strong appreciation for you and how you call people on their BS as they try to loudly make untrue claims. More people should be doing this, the loud and proud hiding behind Internet anonymity have been allowed to get away with their negativity for far too long.
As someone of lower income I do really appreciate your final speech. ❤ I also still appreciate your budget videos. Like you said, they're more meant to be challenges and thought experiments, but the way you handle limited ressources has taught me alot of skills, and appreciation for being able to use literally anything in my cupboard.
And I honestly think anyone can appreciate and learn from that, no matter what income.
I really appreciate that you went into detail on the time spent cooking. That's often something that "budget healthy recipes" disregard entirely, and it's an extremely important factor if you're working 12 hour shifts and come back home completely exhausted. Living on a budget should always include time spent on said budget recipes, as a lack of time is often a crucial part of poverty.
I consider myself to have almost always been a naturally frugal person, and now that I am in uni in my own flat with a shared kitchen I am fully able to measure and practice my independence and frugality, these videos have genuinely prepared me to view my spending in a healthy and efficient way (too good to go is actually working out pretty well for me)
Hell yeah, lmao. When I as in uni from 2015-2018 I could do my weekly shop for as low as £12 XD
Granted that was on the occasions where I ate nothing but porridge, sardines with pitta and spinach, sweet potato wedges, and quorn and rice... but it was still fun seeing what I could do when I set limits on myself! I also happened to get in great shape around that time because of the lower calories, granted I was exercising alongside it too.
Too good to go is alright. Have you tried Olio too?
@@CompaSystem yeah but not very popular in my area, same with tgt but it still has at least some decent options
I love how you made all those spreadsheets to analyze all the costs and time and everything. I too love spreadsheets and being nerdy over a very specific thing. I think it's so great you get to share your special interests with the world, and people are interested in what you have to say!
I thought your commentary was so thoughtful too. Your cooking videos always inspire me to try something different, I'll have to try making stuffed buns now.
I never would have thought of bacon patties, but that's a fabulous idea for breakfast sandwiches/filled buns. Your creativity is delightful to watch. It's an interesting experiment to see how time consuming it is to cook from scratch and how much energy that uses as well. Some folks who have never had to think about how to feed their family spend a lot of time saying how it's cheaper to make from scratch. They have no idea the effort, skills, and time it takes to make a meal. Your rant was spot on. The way you go about things demonstrates what kind of effort and knowledge are required to get creative with limited resources.
Cooking from scratch normally is cheaper but definitely not as convenient as takeaways .
Cooking skills obviously can be learned & the effort required depends on the meal .
So i have a foot in both camps & never judge others !
Except the “ Can't afford restaurants every day & coffee on speed dial ”
Not my problem m8 .
I don’t come to these videos to think about politics. I come to relax, unwind, and be impressed by your creativity and wide thinking. I would rather that you didn’t stray into politics, but have some sympathy if you feel your content is being misrepresented. I enjoyed this video, and look forwards to finding out what you decide to make next!
Please keep doing the occasional budget challenge.
I'm a self employed middle aged white man so probably the least opposed sort of chap, I also have savings, so much lucker that some.
But I like to cook and get ideas for making things go further not just for cost but my bit for the environment.
Less energy use and less food waste saves resources as well as saving me some money.
Writing this sat by my wood burner cooking dinner on top of it, which I see as a win.
Re: your rant at the end.
Honestly, your budget food videos do far more for me than any politician could ever dream of doing. I don't find them condescending at all either. They're very informative, interesting, and inspirational. Really, I can't thank you enough.
I'm fortunate enough that (in the last couple of years) I am not struggling financially. A huge thing you've identified, that is often overlooked even for people NOT struggling financially, is TIME.
I'm lucky enough to be able to afford one of those weekly meal kits - even knowing how overpriced they are. BUT I will happily do this, because deciding what meals to cook, making a shopping list, going to the shops (+fuel!) takes a couple of hours each week.
I thoroughly encourage even the more fortunate people to re-assess how much they value their own limited time.
Thanks again Mike for making such a well nuanced video that can speak to so many people.
The cost of living is hitting me hard. I work full time and my commute alone is £200 a month. I don't see your videos as belittling people with little money, I see them as great instructive videos that show that in the worst of times, people (myself included) can still eat well. I'm going to try these and I'm very sure I'll enjoy them. Amazing video Mr Shrimp. Thank you
Before I even start watching, this has already improved my Friday night 😌
I often worry that people I enjoy watching could hold some unsavory opinions about the less fortunate; I’m very thankful to know definitively that you understand and have compassion (not that I had much doubt, you give the disclaimer pretty often about not disparaging the poor).
There is something about humanity that leads people to overwhelmingly believe that their achievements are the direct result of their merit alone, with any mitigating factors being seen as an attack on their character.
I don't comment often but I absolutely adore your videos, Mr Shrimp. This video was awesome and your rant was triamphant. Thank you :-)
hi Mike, Our household likes to keep our spending within our means and always experience your budget challenges as more of a creativity challenge.
Could i be so bold as to suggest a video around combining three or four key veggies into several meals to reduce boredom or waste? (sometimes courgettes, green beans and broccoli receive little love when presented the third time in a week)
thanks for all you do!
I've been poor all my life and i LOVE your budget content.
I think about these things ALL the time and i love to see and hear your perspective in every video.
I love this video/disclaimer. As cost of living rises significantly faster than wages, it's easy to say "oh you just can't afford luxuries" but it's so much more than that. Thank you.
Well said. I watch these videos for inspiration and to keep using everything in my fridge / cupboard and not letting things go to waste (and the enjoyment of listening to Atomic Shrimp of course).
Thank you for all of the effort you put into your videos.
Your rant is spot on. Thank you. To be silent on it and not calling them out, is a complicit action. we need to call stupid out.
I have seen most, if not all, of your budget food videos and I find them thoroughly entertaining and never thought they were an attack on anyone. There are two things that stand out to me in them. Firstly, you're at the whim of the supermarkets, i.e. the products they carry at your local shop, and any reductions they make. Secondly, the ingredients that you are able to select tend to follow the same pattern, I know you've limited yourself to try and select other options, but the bias towards these staples is inescapable.
With this in mind, and directed to those you highlight towards the end of this video. Yes, you can exist on pittance; but at what cost? I am sure causing people to live off the same few things will cost more overall and not just in financial terms. In this video at 21:41 is a clear indication of what enables the creation of these videos. Not everyone has this safety net. Get a grip. Get some sympathy. I applaud you for not staying out of politics in this matter. Don’t let people subvert your videos to further their own ideas, they can make their own content for that. I bet they'd struggle on the budgets you set yourself.
I appreciated the rant. People need to stop focusing their frustration on the poor and/or disabled and start focusing it on the top 1% who take all the profits.
I actually just like watching you overcome a limited-budget challenge. Some great "set it and forget it" playlist content, with a lot of handy ideas and suggestions for improvement. Don't let the elitist snobs bring you down, it's always worth the effort to show what can be done with so little.
Appreciate you always highlight these videos aren't for shaming the poor. I loved your little foray into politics, I agree wholeheartedly. So pleased UA-cam finally suggested a channel I'm actually really enjoying, so, many thanks.
Back in 2016 I did research calculating how realistic it was to survive on min wage in the us in my local area. I pulled data from 10 local and chain grocery stores, did calorie and nutrient calculations, and researched utility costs. Assumed 32hrs a week (also did a calculation for 29hrs per week since its common for employers to only give 29 hr to avoid paying benefits), 4 room mates (splitting rent and utilities evenly), health insurance at an individual plan (sample size for this was roughly 30 different plans I called to get prices), and state income tax assuming no other income. An important variable here is that this person is assumed to have NO debt and no children.
I tried to account for every single variable to make sure that a person living on this wage would have enough calories to not be wasting away and to have enough nutrients (like vitamins) to not become malnourished. The food was basically a 50lbs bag of rice, beans, eggs, and butter. With a few other items thrown in to help the nutritional profile.
I also accounted for basic needs like water for bathing and drinking (assuming NO filter), electricity, and internet (worst possible plan was selected, I called several ISPs).
Also took into account a monthly bus pass and assumed a commute of at least 8miles.
Theoretically by my calculations this kind of person would have about $100 per month to spend on things that are not in the survival category. Such as: spices, clothes, shoes, emergencies (can range from a broken appliance to a healthcare co pay). Also keep in mind that if this person does not have the initial capital to buy food in bulk than that $100 per month diminishes significantly since its more expensive to buy 10 5lb bags of rice than it is to buy 1 50lb bag.
I haven't done more recent calculations, but I'm sure that its only gotten worse.
Literally one of my favourite channels across the entire expanse of youtube. We appreciate your commitment
honestly, the main thing that your budget videos did for me was make me more open to trying new foods. I was a very fussy child growing up but ive since tried so many new foods because of you!
forget the critics Shrimp, they’re not doing anything useful nor entertaining. Your videos are wonderful inspiration to do some budget-friendly cooking at home. We love them! ❤️
The politics are important, now more than ever. Thank you for spelling it out.
There is no escaping the politics (of food or anything else), and we all have a duty to push back when people distort reality by glossing over negative externalities and hidden costs. Really good video, Shrimp. Thought provoking.
Having watched most of your food videos over the last few years, I think most of the rant was already very strongly implied. It's always been pretty clear from your videos how you view this whole topic and more broadly the level of thoughtfulness and empathy you bring to everything you do. I don't think the type of commenters you call out will watch far enough into the video to engage with the criticism, but that doesn't really seem to be the point.
All that said, I'm very glad you did it. The point about silence feeling like complicity is 100% spot on and I think we could all do to remember that a bit more often in our lives. I can absolutely sympathise with people who are just looking for an escape in the media they consume, but nothing exists in a vacuum and it can be very frustrating when people want to pretend otherwise.
While by no means poor - I do make my families breakfast for the week(my way of proving to the wife that I am not completely usless), have done many things burritos, tacos, sandwiches(frenchtoast, waffles,and pancakes) never thought of buns. The cooking bacon looked amazing for what it is intended for. Thanks for the great content
I just find the "challenge" very interesting to watch. Especially how you format it with spreadsheets usually. They even give me recipe ideas or enlighten me on uses for some things I didn't know or think of.
I'm very glad you did this video - not many people seem to understand those "hidden costs". It all adds up, and can take a huge mental toll as well. Everything I do in my life is calculated like this, factoring in time/money/enjoyment/ect out of everything, it's horrible, but it's a habit I got from growing up very poor.
As always we loved your video. It is also refreshing to hear what you said about the cost of time. Myself and my partner (the we I speak of) have low energy levels and have to plan around that when it comes to everything including cooking. Also, we greatly appreciated your "rant", as you so eloquently articulated that those with the power to make actual positive changes, are flippant about the real cost of effort, time, and the psychic drag of poverty and the stresses it entails.
To let you into a little secret - as I mentioned in the video, the initial plan I had for this to be a week-long project was stupidly ambitious in terms of video production effort, but it goes beyond that; I had in mind that I would trot off to the shops and come back with a spring in my step and begin cooking the first batch item that afternoon.
It's about a 6 or 7 mile round trip to the supermarket on foot, and the total weight of my shopping was 14kg - when I got home, I just wanted to rest, so I did that, and worked on some other stuff that afternoon instead.
The next morning, it was dawning on me that the scope of the project was obviously too big, and I didn't feel like I wanted to even start on any of it. I almost scrapped the whole idea. I don't think I have ever felt quite that defeated about an idea for a video.
@@AtomicShrimp We completely understand. We are both "mobility challenged", and (pre-pandemic) did all of our own shopping with a wheelchair and a rolling walking frame. I'm sorry you had to feel that kind of frustration, but grateful for the visibility. I sincerely hope you see the strong thread in the comments on this video, that we-all who love your videos, completely understand where you are coming from about your challenges. We loved this video and look forward to more, but we also dearly love the other version of your challenges as well, in the spirit they are meant. We *have* been indigent, at one point providing food for two adults and a chihuahua on $89 USD/mo (though we are now stable/no longer food-insecure). Your videos are good fun in the spirit intended, while *also* having some fantastic tips-and-tricks for stretching things :) We gratefully appreciate that *you* appreciate the luxury of having the time and wherewithal to make such foods. (We spent years where our only food-heat source was a microwave, for example.) We never doubted that you understood the difference, and feel frustrated that someone apparently left you negative feedback, because you bring such joy for us :) (We watch your Food playlist to wind down in the evening, and eagerly watch any new video on the morning we find it :) ) Thank you again.
Your rant made me cry. It's is so true. And I agree that people who can't see it are the problem. Thank you for ALL your hard work, and hidden costs. This was 24 minutes well spent.
I bsolutly agree with your points about poor people, just to bash them and say them they can cook cheap an healthy is a joke. It would be great if healthy food becomes aforable for all people. We should save money on oher places.
Really nice video. My mother in in the hospital right know because of a heart problem. I watched multiple of your videos the last days and they helped me to relax when I am home for a while. Thank you very much for that.
It never, ever, ever, ever, NEVER occurred to me that you were getting at people who have little money!! Some people 🙄 I really enjoyed this video.
Love this Mike, and THANK YOU for your "rant"! As someone who constantly has to weigh my time (or energy level) vs my budget I very much appreciate this endeavor! Having said this I've learned that as far as the time to assemble, you can reduce that by repeating the same motion, for example... You want to roll out all of your discs at once then assembly line all of your feelings onto those discs then close them all at the same time, you will always be more efficient when you're repeating the same motion as I'm sure you know because you are awesome❤
I think maybe you meant assemble your fillings rather than feelings but feelings kind of works too 😏
@@helza LMAO 😂🤣😂 indeed! Assembling your feelings comes BEFORE assembling the fillings, I should've been more specific lolol you still have me cracking up
Your ‘rant’ was so, so refreshing and honestly made me feel so seen - I take great comfort in this channel, it’s a bit of calm escapism as well as a channel that’s informative and entertaining, but you do see some awful takes in some of the comments. The attitude of those politically in charge right now stinks, and it’s a balm to know that it’s not just me who is sick of those who don’t have a shred of empathy or decency.
You’re a great presence on UA-cam, and those who aren’t wilfully ignorant won’t misunderstand your intentions. Thank you for continuing to create and share your work, for fighting the corner of people who are struggling to keep afloat, and for brightening many, many people’s days and providing some inspiration when you upload.
Enjoyed the rant and the humanity behind it. Thankyou
Loved listeneing to you talk about the complexity of poverty. This is why your channel is such a comfort for me. Great content with good underlying morals
Mike this is superb! It’s always interesting to see someone set themselves a challenge and how they cope, and I’ve always understood that’s it’s not a poverty safari or telling others how they ought to live. Your words are spot on and it’s so refreshing to hear someone talk about these issues with proper understanding and without a hint of condescension. Thank you for another great video and please keep going, you’re a hero! :)
Hi Mr Shrimp, I just wanted to say that, as an infrequent commenter, and as someone who doesn't normally like politics encroaching on videos, I really didn't mind your rant and appreciated the very good points you made. I really hope people don't take your challenge videos the wrong way.
Bravo Shrimp. I’m sick of seeing people tell entertainers to avoid politics, as if they’re not people too, as if their audience is not comprised of people, directly affected by politics. Felt a little swell of emotion or pride when you told them to shut up. It was entirely called for.
Telling people to 'stay out of politics', is politics.
Now I don't intend to pivot this channel into a load of political commentary, but what I said here, I really wanted to say (which I hope will make it easier to ride over the inevitable backlash that will be here at some point...)
@@AtomicShrimp agreed. And you had every right to say it, not least of because you went into exhaustive detail with numbers and analysis to back it up.
I appreciate that, and trying to make this channel function as a sort of refuge is quite high in my priorities, but sometimes I need to do what I need
The people who don't want others to talk about such this are the same ones making everyone's lives worse by voting for the out of touch rich wankers causing the problems they say not to talk about @@AtomicShrimp
@@AtomicShrimpUr awesome been watching u when had very little subs 😊
This is the BEST video you have made. Addresses a lot of the frustrations I have had reading some of the previous video comments and the complete ignorance of some
I really love shrimp's cooking videos. I don't think I've ever cooked from one of his recipes because we have very different tastes in food but his vibes are comforting and wholesome, so these videos are very relaxing to watch, especially in comparison to a lot of UA-camrs who make food videos incredibly dramatic.
I think a calm, justifiable rant is legitimate when supported by practical demonstration of the reasons.
In fact I think there should be more rants like this.
There are so many obstacles that people face in the search for a quality lifestyle and people who have security of family, employment, housing, finances, education etc often forget or have never experienced living with one or more of these securities missing.
This is exactly the sort of content we all need from time to time to remind us or educate us that there is more than one way to live a life.
Many people would love to change their life but simply don't have the hours in their day to make room for that change.
I always appreciate when you break down how much time and effort goes into making things.
Both for the food and video production, it's really interesting and shows just how difficult some of these seemingly simple things are to actually do.
Edit:
Your "rant" at the end is totally justified imo. Sadly though , people will probably still continue to just take whatever message fits their own viewpoint. The commenters you called out there probably didn't even watch more than a few seconds of your previous budget challenge videos before coming to their conclusions because nothing about them has ever appeared to me as you saying anything even close to their conclusions that "poor people should just do this and not spend money on dumb purchases".
I've always seen the budget challenges as the exact opposite: showing how difficult it would be to be on such a limited income.
just to echo the many comments here, keep up the good work. bringing attention to something like this can be touchy but you have the right heart for it and really are doing good work. as you said its not about the issue but more challenging yourself despite that youve made some great and conscious content.
These are really interesting, and probably exactly the sort of thing i want to fall back on when my adhd means i have 5 minutes between pulling myself out of bed and needing to leave the house.
Another added cost you missed was owning all the cooking utensils; a baking tray and frying pan are quite likely to be found in the majority of houses (and I actually think it was more genuine that you baked these all on one tray; some people may only have one tray, or the other tray might be dirty from another meal etc), but you also used a food processor to get the bacon into a patty. Sure, one could use pre-processed sausagemeat, but the minced bacon is a nicer flavour. And I know some people in studio flats who don't even have an oven, just a microwave and a couple of burners!
I love these videos, your rationales and problem solving is great especially when it comes to trying to provide unbiased data as clearly as possible. I’m sure it’s hard becoming more and more popular over the years and with more eyes on you, you may be seeing more negativity and bad takes, but always remember there a plenty of people like myself who have been around forever and fully understand where you’re coming from with these kind of videos. Big up the Shrimp, you’ve been my favourite UA-camr for years now 🙌🙌
the rant is very much appreciated. thank you for developing and encouraging understanding of our difficulties. it is moving and needed
I favourited, not only because I always enjoy your content, but I thank you for taking a stand.
While I'm okay right now, I grew up not so well off. It's important we actually talk about the reality of our current world, especially with so few places for meaningful public discourse, and pointing the ridiculousness of our modern problems shouldn't be something controversial at all.
Just being frugal is not showing off or talking down to people in tough economic circumstances. It is a common sense approach and you take frugality to the limit just to see how far it can go. Very worthwhile and enjoyable videos. And I am motivated to have a go a these bacon brekky buns, seems they would be quite satisfying both to make and to eat. Thanks for the effort, and looking forward to more in this series.
I agree with other commenters. Your videos are proving how extremely difficult it is to cook on a low budget. Not only is it difficult to buy ingredients at this price point, there is also zero room for error.
Not to mention the cost of energy and the equipment.
Thank you so much for making this video, and for the level of consideration you've placed on addressing a difficult topic. Your points about hidden factors and politics - which I wouldn't call a rant but rather a principled statement - are spot on. Thanks for all your hard work on these interesting and inspiring ideas (forgive the alliteration...).
Fired up Mike rules. Love your defense of the working class and very subtle jabs at those who may or may not have our best interest in mind.
While I'm pretty comfortable financially, I get a lot of inspiration to add variety to my cooking by watching your videos. The way you take simple ingredients and infuse them with flavor is always welcome! I have the advantage of using all my spices too, but seeing that the base of flavor comes from the ingredients is something I'd not considered before watching this series. Thank you!
My husband son and I sit down and watch your videos when we get the chance for a slow day and we will literally binge them all. Sometimes I’m able to watch them closer to the date you post them but we always look forward to a binge day. Thank you for just good fun content.