These cuties are growing in abundance on horse poop areas in Nothern California near Mt. Shasta. I hadn’t realized that when I brought my horse home, mushrooms would follow ~ it’s been a fun adventure learning about all these mushrooms! Thank you for helping me to identify them. I’m enjoying being in this community. I do know that some mushrooms are toxic and am not putting these atop my pizza at the moment. Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts!

My father has never travelled abroad. He has always talked about wanting to see the pyramids but never made the effort to make plans since he doesn’t speak English and is cautious about travelling that far. I wish to take him there while he is still able and healthy. My daughter and I have tons of experience travelling but we have never visited Egypt or Nothern Africa in general so all kinds of tips are appreciated.
I know he has a sensitive stomach and is suspicious of foreign or new foods. I would appreciate tips on restaurants that serve western foods (besides things like pizza and fast food), and general tips on how to avoid stomach bugs there and what has been helpful for you if you did catch one.
Also I’ve read that Cairo is not the safest place to stay, so I would just like to hear where you guys have stayed when you have visited the pyramids in Giza.

Hey, I am a 25 year old male, living in nothern Germany and would really like to have a friend. Preferrably from Germany too, since my English is not too great. Today the loneliness is exceptionally bad, so I thought I'd try it. I like reading manga, my go-to genre is seinen. I also like reading books, although admittedly I don't read as much as I'd like to. In the past I mostly read classics but those tend to be rather dry, so nowadays I prefer fantasy or horror fiction novels more, they are just more fun for me. I also like to sink some hours into video games, but like with manga I finished too many to tell my favorites without a huge wall of text. My favorite movie is either Taxi Driver by Martin Scorcese or Sonatine by Takeshi Kitano. My favorite food is probably pizza, because of the endless variations you can have. My favorite color is sky blue. I kinda like those little building block tanks. And I'm currently in the third year of my apprenticeship and will be done in a few months if I pass the tests, which I honestly doubt I will. I don't really have any social media accounts, but making them should not be a problem if someone wants to hit me up.
(This is a copied post from the first one I made at MakeNewFriendsHere, I hope that's okay)

Hey, I am a 25 year old male, living in nothern Germany and would really like to have a friend. Preferrably from Germany too, since my English is not too great. Today the loneliness is exceptionally bad, so I thought I'd try it. I like reading manga, my go-to genre is seinen. I also like reading books, although admittedly I don't read as much as I'd like to. In the past I mostly read classics but those tend to be rather dry, so nowadays I prefer fantasy or horror fiction novels more, they are just more fun for me. I also like to sink some hours into video games, but like with manga I finished too many to tell my favorites without a huge wall of text. My favorite movie is either Taxi Driver by Martin Scorcese or Sonatine by Takeshi Kitano. My favorite food is probably pizza, because of the endless variations you can have. My favorite color is sky blue. I kinda like those little building block tanks. And I'm currently in the third year of my apprenticeship and will be done in a few months if I pass the tests, which I honestly doubt I will. I don't really have any social media accounts, but making them should not be a problem if someone wants to hit me up.

Hello, i'm a 24 year old guy from France.
I experienced a lot of things during my different streaks in 2 years. But life is becoming really tough if you are on SR in France.
I thought life will be beautiful when you will start retaining your semen and enjoy life like many others on this sub.
But many obstacles are coming with SR, especially when you think about sexual transmutation.
I/ When you are retaining, you can do whatever you want because you have the energy and the motivation to do it. Many young people in France don't have any.
When you start to work you see a lot of coworkers spending their time on talking about absolutely nothing, taking a pause of 2 hours just to drink 2 little cups of coffee. So, they are spending 7/8 hours of their time doing nothing interesting and 1 hour working. And you see that this behavior is totally accepted by the bosses and the whole society... There is a lot of jobless people (+10%) who want to work but these guys are occupying the job they want.
II/ Jobless people are not transmutating their energy. Girls are spending their time watching boring series and boys are becoming slaves of their sexual desires. I don't wanna sound racist but this is especially the case of French people of African descendent(Arabs and Subsaharian people).
Their only criteria about women is that the woman has a vagina. (100% of them have one..).
They are absolutely low quality boys, seeing absolutely every young women like goddesses.
III/ When you do SR, you became a high energy person, this will cause french society to see you like the "weird" guy. You know what i'm talking about. Many of you were named "weird guy" before doing SR in many different country, but in France it's totally different. Becoming friends with people will be very difficult because they will not be on the same wave. You will start to be friend with older people (+40 y.o.)..
IV/ Many women will hate you instead of liking you. Feminazism is very popular and women are hating men but wanna act like them at the same time. Being physically feminine is encouraged but if you have a feminine personality, the society will reject you and insulting you for free. This problem is especially the case in nothern France but the south is normal.
EDIT
V/ French people are according more importance to little things than important things. For exemple, if you make the best pizzas of the city but if you don't keep smiling at their faces like you have a problem in your mouth you will never have more the 3,9 stars on Google ratings..
Finally, i know that french people will come and say that i'm a liar etc etc but i'm really fed up with these anormal situations.
What do you think about my article and the problems i mentioned ?

So i went diging for pizza gate stuff and all the underground tunnels the videos god the videos iv watch run the gunlet whith frinds didnt really bother me but the ones i seen were so much worse its nothern thats not all ready out there tge girl tied to a tree and had her face cut off and put on like a mask hunts me the most we should do evrey thing in our power to put the monsters to the light of justice daus vult brouthers and sisters

Attempting to clear out some inventory. Will accept non-crate items such as ncvr, nci, ncr, and uncommons for smaller items. Please do not ask what I value items at, just make an offer. Thanks for looking!
Also have 24 NCI for 27 keys.
 
 
Wheels
 

Item	Paint	Cert
Alchemist	Sky Blue
Almas	Sky Blue
Ara-51
Asik	TW
Asik	Crimson
Asik	Lime
Cauldron
Chakram	TW
Chakram (PCC)
Chakram (CC1)
Decenium	Pink
Decenium	Pink
Decenium	Pink	Guardian
Decenium	Burnt Sienna
Decenium	Black
Dieci	Orange	Playmaker
Draco	Cobalt	Tactician
Draco	Black
Draco	Orange	Striker
Emerald x5
Emerald x2		Playmaker
Emerald		Juggler
Falco	Pink
Falco	Purple
Gaiden (ACC)		Striker
Gaiden (ACC)	Grey
Gaiden (PCC)
Infinium	Crimson	Paragon
Infinium	Lime	Tactician
Invader	Cobalt
Looper	Black
Lowrider	Cobalt
Lowrider	Forest Green
Meridian
Meridian		Sweeper
Meridian		Sweeper
Meridian	Pink
Meridian	Pink
Meridian	Forest Green	Sweeper
Octavian	TW	Sniper
OEM	Burnt Sienna	Aviator
OEM	Orange
Peppermint	Burnt Sienna
Pyramidia	Grey	Striker
Pyramidia	Saffron
Pyramidia	Sky Blue	Sweeper
Pyramidia	Pink	Goalkeeper
Pyramidia	Crimson
Pyrrhos	Forest Green
Reaper	TW
Reaper	Crimson
Reaper	Crimson
Saptarishi	Lime
Septem	Cobalt
Stern	Purple
Stern	Grey
Sunburst	TW
Thread-X2	Black
Triplex		Sweeper
Tunica	Orange
Veloce	Black
Veloce	Forest Green
Voltaic		Striker
Yamane	Cobalt
Zowie (Infinite)	Black

 
Bodies
 

Item	Paint	Cert
Cyclone
Cyclone	Grey
Mantis	Orange	Playmaker
Nimbus		Turtle
Road Hog	TW

 
Decals
 

Item	Paint	Cert
Takumi: Anubis
Dominus: CRL Eastern	Sky Blue	Victor
Dominus: CRL Eastern	Burnt Sienna	Acrobat
Dominus: CRL Eastern	Crimson
Dominus: CRL Eastern	Sky Blue	Guardian
Octane: CRL Nothern	TW
Octane: CRL Northern	Burnt Sienna	Juggler
Octane: CRL Northern		Striker
Dominus: CRL Southern	Lime
Dominus: CRL Southern	Lime
Dominus: CRL Southern	Black	Sniper
Breakout: CRL Western	Saffron
Breakout: CRL Western		Sweeper
Breakout: Distortion (CC4)
Octane: Dot Rush		Sweeper
Breakout: Froggy		Juggler
Dominus: Funny Book	Crimson
Octane ZSR: Funny Book	Burnt Sienna	Striker
Hotshot: Hi Tech		Striker
Lone Wolf (PCC)	Sky Blue
Lone Wolf (PCC)	Grey
Lone Wolf (PCC)	Lime
Lone Wolf (PCC)	Forest Green	Scorer
Lone Wolf (PCC)		Striker
Lone Wolf (PCC)	TW	Striker
Lone Wolf (PCC)	TW
Lone Wolf (GG)	Grey
Gizmo: Mean Streak		Striker
Breakout: Nice shot
Breakout: Nice Shot		Juggler
Dominus: RLCS	Burnt Sienna
Dominus: RLCS	Grey
Dominus: RLCS		Acrobat
Dominus: RLCS	Saffron
Dominus: RLCS	Sky Blue	Victor
Dominus: RLCS	Sky Blue
Dominus: RLCS	Lime
Dominus: RLCS	Lime
Dominus: RLCS	Lime	Sniper
Dominus: RLCS	Forest Green
Octane: RLCS	Cobalt
Octane: RLCS	Burnt Sienna	Tactician
Octane: RLCS	Purple
Animus GP: Rose King	Forest Green
Octane: Royal Tyrant	Black
Dominus: Savage
Breakout: Snakeskin (CC3)		Tactician
Breakout: Snakeskin (CC3)
Jager: Starlighter (PCC)	Crimson
Jager: Starlighter (PCC)
Breakout: What a save	Saffron
Breakout: What a save	Crimson

 
Boosts
 

Item	Paint	Cert
Blast Ray	TW
Blast Ray	Purple
Blast Ray	Cobalt
Blast Ray	Lime
Blast Ray	Saffron
Blast Ray	Forest Green
Blast Ray	Forest Green
Blast Ray x6
Blast Ray		Tactician
Comet (Triumph)	Orange
Fusion	Saffron
Fusion	Saffron	Goalkeeper
Fusion	Black	Guardian
Fusion	Lime
Fusion	Grey
Glitch	Saffron
Hexphase (PCC)	Black
Hot Rod	Lime
Hot Rod	Pink
Hot Rod		Showoff
Hot Rod		Scorer
Hot Rod		Aviator
Ion	Black
Lightning	Crimson
Lightning	Grey
Magic Missile	Lime
Pixel Fire
Plasma	Lime	Striker
Powershot
Powershot		Tactician
Standard	Crimson	Turtle
Standard	Crimson
Standard	Burnt Sienna
Standard	Forest Green
Synthwave
Yuletide

 
Toppers
 

Item	Paint	Cert
Biker Cap		Sweeper
Birthday Cake	Purple
Bobby Helmet		Striker
Bowler	TW
Bowler	Cobalt
Brodie Helmet	Sky Blue
Brodie Helmet	TW
Brunnehilde		Goalkeeper
Brunnehilde		Scorer
Catfish	Sky Blue
Chainsaw	TW
Cherry Top		Striker
Cherry Top		Sniper
Cromulon	Pink
Deerstalker		Sweeper
Devil Horns	Pink
Devil Horns	Pink
Devil Horns	Cobalt
Devil Horns		Scorer
Drink Helmet	TW
Drink Helmet	Grey
Fez	Lime
Fire Helmet	TW
Fire Helmet	Grey
Fire Helmet	Saffron
Fruit Hat	Lime
Fruit Hat	Orange
Fruit Hat		Striker
Graduation Cap		Guardian
Hard Hat	Burnt Sienna
Hawaiian Lei	Saffron
Hawaiian Lei	Sky Blue
Ivy Cap	Saffron
Mariachi Hat	TW
Pirates Hat		Paragon
Pirates Hat		Scorer
Pizza Topper		Tactician
Plunger		Striker
Portal Cake		Showoff
Rasta		Juggler
Stegosaur	Saffron
Stegosaur	TW
Top Hat	Pink
Trucker Hat	Crimson
Trucker Hat	Lime
Trucker Hat	Orange
Two-Timer x6
Uncle Sam		Paragon
Unicorn	Black
Witch's Hat	Orange

 
Trails
 

Item	Paint	Cert
Binary	TW	Sweeper
Binary	TW
EQ x6
EQ	Lime
EQ		Guardian
EQ		Tactician

 
Banners
 

Item	Paint	Cert
Bobs Ramen	Grey
Bobs Ramen	Lime
Fighter Junk x21
Lift-Off
Lift-Off	Sky Blue
Lucky Stars
Retro Fresh x17
RL Esports x18
Solar System x16
Tagged	Lime
Triplicate x8
Winning Streak x4
Zombie

 
Paints
 

Item
Pearlescent Matte (PCC)
Pearlescent Matte (Acc)
Straight Line

 
Crates
 

Crate	Quantity
Accelerator	10
Elevation	42
Ferocity	67
Impact	77
Nitro	18
Overdrive	5
Triumph	5
Turbo	12
Victory	15
Zephyr	41

My DM wanted me to write out a character from my character's backstory, so that maybe they could be used in our Campaign at some point. How did I do? What are your thoughts? Any changes I should consider making?
Here ya go...
U.E.A-47 (Yuae)
Appearance-
Yuae is a warforged designed to look very similar to a humanoid in terms of form and movement, with an especially intricate face capable of mimicking any emotional expression. Aside from their hat (explained later) Yuae doesn't typically wear actual clothing.
Main Elements-
1: The Unit, Envoy, Assassins/Agents were a class of enslaved Warforged commissioned by the leaders of The Church of The Hidden Beast, an authoritarian cult that was no less than the 9th different authoritarian regime to rule over the Nothern City State of Limbosia in the past 1000 years.
2: by far the best of these Units, made with the purpose of hunting down rebels and revolutionaries who flee the country, was Agent 47; here and after referred to as Yuae.
3: for the decade of their existence, Yuae couldn't be said to either like or dislike their forced destiny, having been psychologically engineered to have no real opinions, desires, or complex emotions whatsoever… then there was Gruno.
4: Gruno Biordano was most difficult case any Limbosian assassin had ever faced; a gifted wizard, inspiring revolutionary, and a cunning tactician all at once, he'd managed to flee Limbosia for 30 years after his revolution was finally crushed, presumed to have been using the time trying to find another way to defeat the church.
5: Nevertheless, Yuae, accompanied by 2 human assassins for backup, eventually tracked down Gruno to Dublokyo, Capital City of The Eastern Nation of Tuven; and assassinated the 70 year old as they dispelled their Pizza Boy disguise, cutting off the half of his head with their built in short sword... then there was Hannibus.
6: You see, Yuae had never had to deal with their victims loved ones before; so when Hannibus Toogfyrre walked in and saw his Master dead, when his smiling face contorted into an image of pure horror, shock, and loss, and when he somehow unleashed some disturbingly raw bursts of Arcane energy that disintegrated their human companions, Yuae was just… broken. The whole sight had shattered the chains on their mind, opening them to an infinite universe of thought and emotion.
7: though their mind was free, Yuae's body was still bound to obey their wicked masters. Yuae screamed desperate apologies to still shocked Hannibus as they uncontrollably dove out the window and ran into the night. Yuae hid and ran and changed between dozens disguises as they fled Dublokyo, eventually making their way back to their city in the Old Horror mountains of the far North.
8: When Yuae returned, their masters were furious regarding the deaths of the human assassins, and decided that Hannibus Toogfyrre was the despicable successor to Gruno the Heretic; and ordered Yuae to find and kill the Elf "By any means necessary! And no matter how long it takes, you pathetic golem!" Yuae was horrified by the idea of causing anymore pain to Hannibus, or any innocent person for that matter! But… they had to. They honestly couldn't even make themself speak to the masters, let alone refuse their orders.
9: With security around Hannibus having been massively increased by the Toogfyrre's after Gruno's murder, Yuae started to have hope that they'd never even be able to get near Hannibus, let alone kill him… but it didn't last. Mostly as a joke, Hannibus campaigned in the election to replace his recently deceased uncle on the High Council of Tuven. When he accidentally won the election… he left; stowing away on one of Tuven's flying ships as it sailed far to the west… with Yuae not far behind.
Personality- Since their awakening, Yuae has internally become kind soul who wishes to fight injustice and live free, but their arcane programming forces them to still take on the actions of the soulless assassin they had been for years; planning encounters weeks or even months in advance, not being above allying themself with other monsters or even current enemies of Hannibus.
Strengths- Weapon proficiencies- 1: Proficient with any bow or crossbow. 2: Proficient with any Slashing sword. 3: Proficient with daggers and small knives. Languages- Common, Elvish, and Goblinease Bonuses- 1: +5 to Initiative. 2: +3 to stealth attacks. 3: +3 to Deception. 4: +3 to stealth. 5: +4 Medicine. Special- Assassinate: advantage on attacks made against targets who haven't taken a turn in the current round.
Disable: Yuae's advanced Medical knowledge allows them to make disabling attacks on enemies by cutting important tendons, nerves, or by simply removing limbs for a more lasting disability. If you attempts to make a disabling strike against one of your limbs, you need to make a Constitution Saving Throw, or lose use of the limb until after a Long Rest. If you fail Saving Throw 1 and Yuae makes a second attack on the same limb (must be with a Slashing weapon), you must another Saving Throw or have the limb severed; losing it until it can be reattached, regrown, or replaced.
Weaknesses-
Elemental-
Fire: Yuae's partially wooden body makes them weak against Fire Damage, meaning +5 Damage to any fire based attack.
Lightning: electrifying the metal parts of their body disturbs the magical fields that keep them animated, meaning that Yuae must win a Saving Throw, or be paralyzed for 1 turn. If Yuae drops to 0Hp from Lightning Damage, they will fall unconscious for 1D8 hours instead of dying, and then wake up with 1HP
Magical-
Anti-Magic: as an artificial being kept alive by magic, Yuae cannot live in an area where Magic isn't currently working (Anti-Magic field, tear in the Weave, etc). Entering such an area will cause Yuae to immediately die, only coming back to life should their be body be removed from the area within 1 week. While dead, Yuae's Soul will go to the Outer Planes just like that of any permanently dead individual.
Special-
I Want to Break Free: Yuae's conscious desire to break free from their programming means they have to make a Saving throw once per turn during combat, losing their Action and half of their Movement on a fail. 3 fails in one Encounter and Yuae truly breaks free and stops all hostile behavior.
Redemption: If Yuae is fighting Hannibus Toogfyrre (or someone they believe to be Hannibus) they will have Disadvantage on their Saving Throw. If Hannibus uses his turn to Persuade Yuae, a Successful Persuasion also gives Yuae an additional -3 to their Saving Throw.
Equipment-
1: 1 Hand Crossbow (built into left arm).
2: 1 Long Sword (built into right arm).
3: 20 poison tipped crossbow bolts. (In quiver on back)
4: 6 poisoned throwing daggers. (In utility belt)
5: 1 Hat of Disguise in the form of a black fedora, allowing Yuae to cast Disguise Self once per turn. (On head… obviously.)

Usage has been surging recently for our favorite Gold-type NLSS member. Despite that, however, people often come away disappointed, and as a result Goldman remains firmly in UU tier. In this article, I'll be examining the typical Goldman build and why it fails to impress, then discussing how to properly wield a Goldman for the OU meta, and possibly even in Ubers.
First, let's examine a typical Goldman build:
Mixed Sweeper
Goldman @ Sword
Ability: More Dangerous Without It
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Lonely/Mild Nature
- Chrome Dome
- Overheat
- Stammer Block
- Unsheathes Sword
Looks good, right? Chrome Dome and Overheat are two strong offensive moves. More Dangerous Without It combines with Unsheathes Sword to boost your attack to absurd levels. Stammer Block keeps Goldman from getting hard-countered by Bad Rats. Overall, a strong offensive package.
Here's the problem: It's not a Goldman package, it's a Northern package. The Unsheathes/More Dangerous combo is the gold standard for offensive Northern builds, and neither Chrome Dome nor Overheat are ever going to hit harder than Bad Damage. Further, Northern doesn't have a weakness to Bad Rats, so they can often skip Stammer Block for more offensive strength in Protest Bomb. At the end of the day, this build is just a worse Northern impersonation: good for NoNLSS leagues, but otherwise underwhelming.
However, this doesn't spell the end of Goldman's competitive viability. Here's my Goldman build, with an explanation included.
Pizza Flood
Goldman @ Swedish Pizza
Ability: Grounded in Reality
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bree Dee Dee
- Onion Layer
- Stammer Block / Real World Problems
- Jelly Form
This list, as you can tell, differs from the usual Goldman approach. Rather than focusing on boosting Goldman's offensive power, the list's objective is to stall out and chip away at the opponent.
The first slot is dedicated to inducing Mind Flood. Boobalee and Bree Dee Dee are both options, but since Boobalee's offensive buff is often irrelevant, Bree Dee Dee takes the slot.
Goldman can make good use of all the ogre-themed abilities, but Onion Layer stands above the rest. With its 50% heal and Smelly debuff, the move is best served on a stalling set, and therefore fits perfectly with this Goldman build.
Stammer Block we carry over from the original set. The ability to mitigate enemy Bad Rats is just as important as ever (if not more so, since this Goldman will spend longer in play). If you find yourself in a metagame light on Bad Rats, consider replacing this with Real World Problems for additional damage and Mind Flood.
If there's one stroke of genius in the original set, it's crossbreeding to obtain unique moves that are otherwise restricted to the JellyNek line. Instead of taking Overheat, however, we grab Jelly Form, a potent defensive buff that greatly enhances Goldman's survivability.
Overall, this variant of Goldman is an incredible addition to any team, and especially shines for teams that require stalling power. However, there are still a few weaknesses to watch out for:

• Bad Rats. Every Goldman build runs Stammer Block, and this is why. In the ideal case, you should find a way to avoid them entirely.
• Mind Flood. Even with Grounded In Reality, Goldman is somewhat weak to Mind Flood. Gheesling's unique move Voicemail exemplifies this weakness by causing Mind Flood in a single use. Make sure to bait out the enemy Gheesling before Goldman enters play.
• Nugs. True of any stalling build, this nonetheless bears repeating. Even the best staller cannot withstand nugs indefinitely.

Example Matchups
"Sure," you say, "but how does it actually play out?" Let's go over some of the more common matchups in today's metagame.

• versus Nothing Personnel Northern: Jelly Form blunts Nothern's initial offensive strength, which will generally give Goldman time to Mind Flood. Since Northern cannot function while Mind Flooded, their only chance is to get lucky crits with Bad Damage spam. If Northern is teched for this matchup, however, they can swap their held item for Strongest Potions. End result: 8/10 Goldman, 6/10 against teched Northern.
  
• versus Overlay MALF: It's an all-out debuff war. In the end, Bree Dee Dee should outpace Be Advised, leaving Goldman the winner. However, some MALFs will replace Barbara Wires with Nugs, giving them the advantage. Overall, 7/10 Goldman.
  
• versus Streaking Cobalt: Jelly Form can avert most of Cobalt's offensive potential easily. However, Cobalt's unique ability, Run Breaking, allows him to replicate any other ability once. Which includes Bad Rats. Overall, 3/10 Goldman. This drops to 1/10 if you teched out Stammer Block.
  
• versus Whatchaplayin K8: K8 normally thrives against stall, getting twice as many moves with Tomo Buddy. In this case, however, none of her debuffs can overwhelm Goldman's Grounded In Reality. Furthermore, her offensive potential is weak against the Gold type, and cannot outpace Onion Layer's healing. Overall, 10/10 Goldman.
  

As you can see, despite occasional bad matchups, this Goldman set has what it takes to be viable in the competitive scene. I hope to see more competitive battlers come to wield Goldman as a powerful addition to their lineups. For more on Goldman, or competitive battling in general, check out my youtube channel at nicememe.com.

Hey Weddingplanning! When my now-husband and I were planning our wedding, we found this sub, and wedding recaps in general, super helpful. Now it's our turn to share all the details of the planning and execution of our wedding, in the hope that it helps anyone who is planning a destination or small wedding! We were so incredibly happy with how our wedding turned out, and hope you guys enjoy this post!
First, here is a small sampling of our favorite photos from the wedding by the insanely talented Bryan Surgener, who was an absolute joy to work with.
Details Date: August 2016. The same day of my grandparents' wedding anniversary and my husband's grandma's birthday. Number of guests: 40 Ceremony: 12 - 1 PM Catholic/Filipino ceremony at the Santa Maria Assunta church in Orta San Giulio, Italy. Reception: 1 PM - 5 PM at the Palazzo Penotti Ubertini, located next to the church. After allowing guests to leave and change, we had a ~1 hr boat ride with cocktails around the lake, before being dropped off at a restaurant in another town on the lake for an informal dinner (but we kept our wedding digs on, obvi!). The boat dropped everyone off in town at 11PM, where guests walked to their hotels (tiny little town, all hotels/apartments were a short walk away).
Highlights Where to begin! Considering that we planned the wedding in all of 5 months, it is incredible to us that the whole process went smoothly and turned out spectacularly. Much of that is to the credit of our wedding planner at Il Pavone Bianco Wedding and Events, who helped coordinate everything from the wedding details, to all of the Catholic documentation that had to be sent from the US to Italy, to even the travel and accommodations of our guests. She was also the most responsive and had the most reasonable rates of the many wedding planning companies that we contacted in our target location. We communicated over email and skype extensively because I'm super detail-oriented and had some very specific ideas for things, but she absolutely exceeded my expectations for how everything came out!
The location - we chose Lake Orta because it is a beautiful, intimate lake that is MUCH less expensive than the more developed/famous Lake Como. We have both been to Italy many times but had never been to Lake Orta, so it was a bit of a gamble. But we were emboldened by the beautiful pictures and descriptions of the scenic, medieval town of Orta San Giulio we saw online. It was everything we had been hoping for, and more - intimate, romantic, scenic, charming, affordable (~$70/night for nice accommodations, excellent restaurants without jacked up tourist prices), and convenient for guest travel (< 1 hr from the international airport in Milan). I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a gorgeous location in Italy to get married or just to visit!
The food - simply incredible. Delicious food was one of the biggest reasons we wanted to get married in Italy. Our wedding planner had an excellent caterer, and we fit in a tasting before the wedding day. All of the options were fantastic, but we ended up with a menu consisting of a cocktail hour with 3 different "islands" - rustic (think Italian cheeses, breads, meats and sooo much amazing prosciutto ugh), seafood (oysters on the half shell, ceviche, small seafood bites, shrimp, etc), and vegetable-based apps. For the sit-down meal we served a first course of risotto with melon and majoram (to die for), followed by an apple sorbet palate cleanser, then veal with Barolo wine sauce and purple whipped potatoes. Seriously...I still have dreams about that risotto. For dessert, we had assorted small dessert bites and a crepe station, alongside our wedding cake. I designed our wedding cake (as much as I could over email) to be a semi "naked" cake consisting of lemon ricotta cake with mascarpone filling, topped with fresh fruit. The caterer was spot on. So.good.
The musicians - since we had a daytime wedding, we opted for live musicians to play the music for the church ceremony and during the cocktail hour, rather than a DJ. We looked at many options for singers, violinists, accordion and trumpet players, but ultimately decided on a classical guitarist and mandolin player. They absolutely MADE the reception. They played mostly classical/folk music from nothern Italy, and it was the perfect aural backdrop for the festivities. They also indulged us for a few serenades/singalongs, including "That's Amore" (so cheesy, but so perfect).
Everything else - our awesome day-after photo shoot with Bryan, watching our families bond and hang out with each other, even when we weren't around, my 90-year old Grandma not only attending, but gifting me the jewelry that her mom passed down to her as my "something old," eating ALL the Italian meats, cheeses, pastas, and pizzas, and just generally spending time with our dear families in a beautiful place. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but it was everything we had dreamed of for our big day.
BUDGET Ceremony, reception venue, planning fee and staff, catering including unlimited wine and champagne ($120 per person for 40 people), musicians, all rentals, florist, decor, boat rental with alcohol, day-of stationary including menus, programs, fans, place cards, etc: $13,496 paid as a lump sum to the wedding planner.
After-party dinner: ~$1600 for 40 people for a 5-course meal, generously gifted by my Father-in-Law.
Attire, including wedding dress (Maggie Sottero Miela, ~$1800) and alterations, tux ($185), shoes, veil, bolero, alterations, belt, etc: $2,860, with my dress, alterations, and veil generously gifted by my parents.
Rings: $1,215.00, with $760 covered by my parents.
Invitations and Save the Dates: $110 designed on vistaprint, we used electronic RSVPs.
Pre-Cana for Catholic marriage: $125
Travel Expenses: $4000
Total amount we spent, minus gifted expenses: $20,197
We had budgeted ~$20,000 - $25,000 for the wedding, so we were very happy with the end result. We saved money by doing my own makeup and having a family friend do my hair (last-minute, I had been planning to do it myself too), choosing more affordable options where we could, taking advantage of credit card points for travel expenses, etc. For a destination wedding planned in a somewhat short amount of time, we also had to be flexible on the specifics. At the same time, we didn't feel like we had to compromise our vision for our wedding. That was due to a combination of sheer luck, the talent of our wedding planner and her team, and support of our guests and loved ones, and to some degree the organizational/budgeting skills we had at our disposal.
Thanks for reading, and thanks to this sub for being a great source of support and information throughout the process!

08-31-2016
The truck was returned today and I am told by the mechanic that the vibration is gone. I had him put the new rotor on which I think was the problem. The mechanic then took the car for it has a few exhaust leaks, it POPs out of reverse and again the fuel gauge doesn’t work. We were able to pour half of the footings for the fish pond today. I had hoped to do it all but workers arrive between 8-9 and leave by 3. The motor on the large cement mixer needs new rings and an in line fuel filter. Hopefully it will be ready when we want to pour the floor.
We ended up using the small mixer but it arrived only at 10:30am so we got a late start. The Altar boys came and helped carry the concrete.
09-01-2016
We finished pouring the footing for the fish pond today. There were torrential rains tonight. I had the boys put sticky traps in the ceiling the other day due to the large rats who have made our attic their home. They got one today.
09-06-2016
The priest from Benin made three comments before leaving.

1. The African will not develop in this world but only in the next.
   
2. He was impressed and encouraged by the priestly friendship
   
3. He felt spiritually rejuvenated as he said we live an almost monastic life.
   

On Friday we brought a woman to the hospital but were told it was too late in the day; 1pm. We were told to came early on Monday. Doing so we were then told to return early on Wednesday. We will see what they say on Wed. It is always amazing to me that anything ‘works” amidst such anarchy. Fr Timothy has the Holy Helpers meeting every Tuesday now and is leading the parish in a short meditation after morning Mass. He is also getting the girls to clean and decorate a small room for an old man who would like to live here so he is able to attend daily Mass and pray for us. The fish pond is coming along slowly. Chukwudi drove to Enugu 2 hours away to buy ‘locally made wheel borrows as the ones imported from Chine as like everything else imported from China is complete junk.
9-10-2016
We now have two African priests visiting us who are being penalized by their bishops for wanting to offer the Latin Rite. They are both quite young yet and are troubled about what will become of them. There is really no hope for them in Africa for all of the bishops are very much opposed to the Latin Rite. How Africa is the hope of the Church is simply beyond me. Yesterday all the fuel stations in Imo closed due to a tanker truck driver being shot and killed by the police. Fr. Abba one of the visiting priests says that last month one of the diocesan priests in Benue got kidnapped and killed. We have finally gotten an exhaust pipe for the large generator, so now the generator is much quieter. The girls have finished beautifying the guest room. Fr & I are very impressed with what they have done. We still get torrents of rain each day so work on the pond is very slow. Our male pig after 10 days and lots of medication is still unable to walk. He simply drags his rear end around. Perhaps we will simply eat him.
9-12-2016
The exhaust pipe has broken off the generator due to the vibration. It will need a flex pipe if it can be found in this country. On Sunday the 2 visiting priests offered the parish Masses so Fr and I had an ‘easy’ day. Fr. Abba even gave catechism in the evening. For lunch on Sunday we had the 20 members of the choir join us . It was a wonderful day. At the new Shop Rite which is a South African Mall Fr and I watched a movie and had a pizza this past Wednesday. The pizza was very good but the theater was simply too loud. With all their P.A systems they put it to the highest setting. It is symbiotic of everything they do here: the cruets are always filled to the very brim, water glasses likewise, wheelbarrows and any other form of transportation or conveyance are packed to the utmost possible. So, an 8 passenger van never carries less than 18-20 people; A 2 ton truck never hauls anything less than 9 ton; a small station wagon can carry 2 live full grown brahman bulls, and if it doesn’t weigh much then they stack it as high as the electrical wire and sticking out on all sides. Anything goes as long as you have a few hundred naira to bribe the police and military on the way. The previous Minister of power is building his own power station to run the neighboring state of Abia! I guess he stole enough money he can now build his own plant!
9-13-2016
It has rained continuously all day yesterday and continues today. There is little that can be done is such weather. It is perfect weather for reading. A small rabbit drowned last night trying to get a drink. Every other day a chicken dies and yet I have never seen chickens so well attended to. Paul gives them medication almost each day and the coop is kept spotlessly clean.
Perhaps the medication is all fake which is a very real possibility.
9-14-2016
United Airlines has stopped flying into Nigeria due to the anarchy and volatile situation. The largest domestic airline has shut down until further notice. Another airline has simply folded. The naira is continuously dropping. The wife of the former president has laid claim to an anonymous 13.5 million dollar bank account in the U.S. Everything is doubling in price but salaries have not budged. Robberies, Stealings and kidnappings have jumped and now it is no longer safe to go into town. Even the police are becoming more unreasonable and make any travel difficult. But here it is just a way of life! This too will pass! The internet has slowed considerably though Zukerburg was just in Lagos saying that he was going to help everyone get high speed internet. Last week I called the architect; he said he would come Monday morning. Monday afternoon he texts and says Tuesday morning Tuesday afternoon again he says Friday and this is how it always is. Chrysoganus our sacristan always waits until we are out of wine, hosts, or candles before he says anything and this is typical in all things and businesses. We sold 5 small rabbits today. So far they have given us the best return though we have eaten only 1 of them. We are raising 200 chicks to be ready for Christmas.
9-18-2016
The architect called Friday afternoon and said he couldn’t get in touch with the engineer so he gave me his # and said I ought to do it myself. I was down with malaria again yesterday so I spent the day in bed. The doctor came this morning and put me on I.V. and gave me some pills. We have now finished the septic system for the pigs. We had the boy from Dan Guinelo come out and see our pig who couldn’t walk for 10 days. He gave it one shot and it is walking again. Paul cooked lunch for the choir last Sunday and this Sunday for the St. Maira Goretti girls. None of the girls eat at a table; it takes up too much space in the house and is costly. Yesterday Akaedu went to a funeral of a spinster whose family refused to bury her in the compound for not being married she lived a wasted life!
9-19-2016
We have found a flex pipe for the generator exhaust and hope to get it installed today. They boys’ school starts today. The 3 of them will go to St Mary’s but will room and board here. They are able to still help with chores.
9-21-2016
Of course we were unable to get the flex pipe to work because it was too small, so I sent Paul back to the market for the correct size and of course it doesn’t exist for the size he got is too big! But there is no other! Nothing is simple in Africa! Fr and I went to a Parish Meeting with the Bishop. They decided to allow many stipends for one Mass, they will refuse to teach ‘Religious’ education but insist on continuing the Protestant “Christian” Religious education and several other items at which Fr and I wanted to crawl under our seats. The roads daily become more impossible, the naira continues it’s crash and the people become more hungry. We are warned to be extra careful as thungery and kidnapping has increased and we become daily a more enticing target. The girl at the petrol station was clearly going to cheat me of 500 naira until I very calmly but clearly demanded justice. She finally acquiesed. But it is simply a way of life here. It makes life difficult when you must not/cannot trust anyone anytime with anything. They find ways of cheating that are even genius at times! Paul needs expensive eye medicine but it is going to take 2 weeks to get and cost 20,000 naira. We have a boy who needs an eye ball but none here can do it. Supposedly in Kaduna a Nothern State there is a group of Sudanese doctors who can do it but nothing can be trusted. He must be used as a guinea pig for it is the only way to find out! Paul tells me now that the chicken and rabbit feeds have jumped 600 naira more!
09-22-2016
Last night Chukwudi and his brother were seriously ill. Fr Timothy went and anointed them and brought them to the hospital. Chukwudi seems to be much better today but his brother is only slightly improved. This morning I took Peter-Mary and Paul to Owerri and Fr did all the communion calls. I dropped Peter-Mary off to go check the bus lines to find out which ones go to Kaduna a city in the North where there is supposedly a Sudanese eye doctor who is able to fix a small boy’s eye. I am sure it will have to be extracted but I hope they are able to put a glass one in its place. Peter-Mary will leave tomorrow with the boy and his mother and being in the North he will look for a tiller for seemingly that is where they are as there is much more agriculture in the north. Paul did some banking for me then got another flex pipe for the generator exhaust as the last one was unable to work. I then went to the license and renewed my license for another 3 years. This evening Fr is out on another emergency sick call.
9-23-2016
Tonight 3 young men have shown up as candidates for the seminary. I was informed by the chief today that someone stole our spent grain at the brewery. We will make a case out of it and hopefully they will ban him from ever getting grain again. But that leaves me with trying to get grain for I have been without for more than 6 weeks. Today Fr, Paul and I went to the Active Carmelites. Their chickens are well but their flowers are quite overgrown. The one Sr is back in Croatia on vacation. They want to start a vegetable garden.
9-26-2016
On Saturday the 3 young men helped me pour more concrete in 3 of the pig pens trying to correct the ‘level’ floor so that it will drain. After dinner and conversation they left early Sunday morning without even attending Mass. We can’t figure out if it was the food or the conversation! Fr. showed the children the movie Lillies of the Field and being on a big screen it was something they have never been exposed to so it was quite the day as he bought them popcorn as well. On Sunday Fr gave his 2nd lesson on the differences between the NOM and the E.F.
This morning Chief and I went to the brewery to sort out the Friday mishap. After more than 3 hours it seems we will get a load on Wednesday.
A pig littered this morning with 7 piglets. We have still not sold all the ones from last time though so we are actively pursuing customers. The price of grain and everything else is going right through the roof!
9-27-2016
Today Fr Timothy was very busy as he went to Orlu and then to Owerri. I find it exhausting to go into the cities as traffic is terrible, things are almost impossible to find and it just ins’t a very nice place to be. Peter-Mary and the Dr. took a boy and his mother to Kaduna, a State in the North for the boy to get eye surgery. They will have to remove the eye as it is not repairable. Hopefully they will be able to put a glass are in it’s place rather than nothing. Peter-Mary bought a rotor tiller for me while there and had it shipped overnight. We hope to get it tomorrow. They actually had one in the store as they do much more farming in the North than here. Here in the South they simply use a hoe to cultivate the fields, thus obviously the fields are very small. There are a few large farms but they are owned by politicians or Igbos in the U.S. So farm equipment is simply not sold here. We will have to figure out how to water the garden as the dry season is soon upon us.
I hope to make my annual Retreat with the Fransiscan Sisters in Abia State next week so please keep me in your prayers.
In Jesus’Love
Fr Angelo

Come here to create a nation you want to lead in this game. Since the map hasn't been released yet, you won't be able to choose a section of the map to start off on, but while we wait you can get this done!
Here is a creation template. You can use this to create your empire, or you can make a block of text. Whatever floats your boat:
Name: The Dictatorship of Funland
Leader: Mob the Glorious
Lore: (can be as long as you want, but we're looking at quality over quantity here) The Dictatorship of Funland is one of the newest factions in the realm, but certainly not one with the smaller history. It's roots run deep into the annals of history, beginning the same time as the Party Pals, for that is where Funland emerged. Mob_cleaner was on board the ship that the Party Pals took, and experienced it's crash. And, like the rest of the men on that ship, he settled down in Gateon Port.
But trouble began when Mob_cleaner began to grow restless. He was one of the more fanatical people in that faction about happiness, and he sometimes found people depressed in Gateon Port. Against all his ethics, Mob_cleaner was enraged, and left the city in search of a happier future.
But in the other factions it was worse. Violence and mayhem was lurking behind every corner, especially in the Isles of Rum. Mob could not handle it. Finally he cracked, and when he found the nearest village he could he entered it, proclaimed he was now leader, and built a wall around the village so no one could leave. Although it was a small wall, it stopped them leaving and they began listening to his every order. Anyone not happy would be shot, and happy birthday would be played at their funeral. Within months his circle of influence grew, until he was classified as one of the 20 competitors on the world stage. Due to his roots with the Party Pals, they maintain close relationships, but he will never forget the sadness he saw in the men of the other factions.
Section of the Map: Near a river, and right on the tip of the Ugric Sea.
That's all that's needed right now, I'll revisit this when the map is finished or something else comes up. Have fun!

List of Nations

Nation	Leader	User
Spardshock	The Orator	Mob_cleaner
United Alaric Tribes	Banterix I	bantha-food
The Republic of Ugrian States	Decimus Neneus	ThyReformer
The Kingdom of Monablade	Shanic the Capable	Shanicpower
The Empire of Zeit	Tundar the Red	Tundra1232
People's Republic of Nothern Eria	Avresch the Magnificent	Frodo0201
The Wholesome Community of Mäseslandern	Dr. Freul Faustus	faustandfound
Federation of Aceros and Nailli	Reef the Second	ReefLimit55
The Divine Empire of Oskan	Hikam IV "The Holy Hangman" of Oskan	TurretBox
Kingdom of Kieva	King Peter the Brave	canadahuntsYOU
The United Confederation of Nexus	President Lego	legobloxcraft2
Eruch Empire	Emperor Cyrus I	fargoniac
The Tenutic Communion	Presider Arcat	Pizzarcatto
The Zarvoxican Empire	Darth Lunatic	Lunatic49
Republic of Eleria	King Anselin IV	nijomemo
Witchdom of the Forest	Witch-King Alarax	Fossilhunter15
Kelpston Kingdom	Quenn Amandus	ama98
The Chiefdom of Urkan	Chief Kalgroth "the Bear"	Fenrir555
Unified Sheltik Collective	Emual the Wise	chickengun99
Esrealm	Kaloolon Astauand	44A99
The Polish Conglomerate	Kosciusko the Great	IcelandBestland
The Heptarchy	The Khalif	PrincedeTalleyrand
The Axis of Revolution	Grand Führor Eric von Nottenheim	TheSlimeXY
The United Isles of Denesia	Chief Councillor Niccolo II	MachiavellianMan
Aryanic Empire	Father Aryanos	Dying_of_Boerdom
The Kingdom of Baconcraftia	Kirby XLVIII	KirbyATK8
The Qygen Bay Company	The Voyager's Council	TinkyWiknyIlluminati
Tagaarchek Nomadic Empire	Fhegüghin Majyarek	Stavd
The Meritocratic Republic of Astvonkia	A Shadowy Cabal	d9_m_5
The Gilganian Princedom	Gilgamek Hoek	OgGorrilaKing
The Tracing Wolves	Zendik Tracer	zetawolv
The Kingdom of Isles	King Edward Tyson II	EJisblazing
High Chiefdom of Taeremen	Haenamir	OccamsBroadsword
Volkania	Eternal Leader Volkanos	volkanos
The United States of Perditia Nova	Christo II	MrEnderGhast
Oligarchy of Liona	Havapal Nacabus I	darkIvor
The Bullshit Slayers Templar	The Grand Arbiter BullshitSlayer
Khan Hegemony	Krall Khan	Shade_of_borg
New England Empire	King Pizza the Griphon-Hearted	ParsnipPizza
The City State of Frietig	John-Paul The Pious	LeftRedStutter
The Argêntór Empire	Maximus Ignisor	crocpotodile
Helvetic Confederacy	Alfred Escher	1BlackPhoenix
United Republic of Eastern Utaria	Chief High Councillor Ajax Tammerdorf	LifeBeyondLiving
The Empire of the Sun	Emperor James Lee Britannia	Delliott90
The Conspiracy of Id	Sir Edmund Larderhoof	drcorchit
The New Talance Empire	First Governer Aeros	elykl12
The Protectorate of Antilla	Lord Protector J. L Gunzal	CubaNotSoLibre
The Autonomous State of Hunyan	Chairman Lin Shaoqi	kunuri
The United Kingdom of Nordica and Scandinavia	Emperor Nikolaas the Sixth	FyreLord77
The Slave Realm	Slave God Sitend	Sitend
Kebab Royal Legion	Ramires the Third	Spirit9871
The Industrial Plutocracy of PuleionTech	CEO Jeod Puleion	HeDiddleBiddle
The Kingdom of Excalia	King Richard the Uniter	Thehypershadow
The Keldon Republic	Glinn the Lesser	InnocentTailor
Revolutionary Antartica	Julius H. Caesar	iSandpeople
The United Theocracy of Great Polar Tribes	Grandmaster Bulzek IV	tundra_gd
Checkem Empire	King Bateman	QuiteSoIndeed
Eighth Column of Steel	Alaric Stahlhelm	Steelhelm
Grøatüüa Communist Jarlate	Chairman Snääpjer	RedTheSnapper
United Kingdom of Bitches and Money	Lucifer Von Partydick	TeslaFTW1895
Toastville	Toaster the III	HuskyForgie
Kingdom of Orovgon	Vladysavius III "The Unbroken"	Mazechamp
Confederation of Sky Pirates	Sky Baron Rafael Vaerum	KnightCyber
Rona Confederacy	King Daniel Wojcik I	dwwojcik
United Kingdom of Xucharia	King Alcibiades VIII	SyscalineGaming
The Most Serene Republic of Aldebaran	Ahmed Procyon	FlyntFlossysMustache
The Alliance of Northmen	Sten Svensson	Yaphi
The Ankhari Empire	Emperor Gorn Reynus III	GBlazeMan
The Kingdom of Agenland	King John III of House Westbrook	hungrytacos
Mylkthyn (Forest of Bloodwood)	Sallyk IX	Meteowritten
Salvadare	Captain Mendoza	Kingtiger1945
The Kingdom of Iilarium	Merchant King Mad Tanker	Mad_Tanker
The Township of Stouff	Elder Joe	anOntarian
State of Katanga	Jean Schramme	amongthelilies
The Republic of Corosica	Alexander Highwind II	classicgamer20
USSR 2.0	Leon Trotsky	bringbackcommunism
The Free State of Onyx	Zenith of the Black Sentinels	zekrom05
The Bushman Confederacy	Head Chief "Aquatic" Sasquatch	AquaticSasquatch
'Okole	Ka'awaka Makeloa	Bryndol
Kingdom of the Void	Chief-King Vaal'aruz XVII	bc112354
Kingdom of the Dying Sun	Vitrouvik IV "The Broken King"	canch5
Timmy's Land of Fun and Friendship!	Timmy	potato_ninjuh

Verified? (This bot cannot verify AMAs just yet)
Date: 2012-04-30
Link to submission (Has self-text)
Link to my post

Questions	Answers
Are you not eligible for food stamps???	I did apply once but they gave me $16 a month which wasn't a huge help. I didn't use it so they ended up canceling it and I never sought assistance afterwards.
Are there any disadvantages to signing up for it? Cuz that's like 10% of what you spend on food, you might as well take it right?	The only disadvantage really is burdening a failing system further. I'm living comfortably now and don't really need it as much as some might.
Do you have kids or just the two of you? any particular reason she doesn't work?	No we don't have kids but we have several pets. Two dogs and three cats. 50lb bag of Diamond Hi-Energy for $24 and 18lb bag of Premium edge hairball control for $26 is what they get a month. They're fed twice a day.
	As for not working it's the general state of the economy. It's been hard finding work.
Are more pets really worth sacrificing how you live? I mean 1 dog and 1 cat is fine maybe..	$50 a month is not very much for the peace of mind they bring when I sleep or leave my wife home alone. Cats take care of any mice that might think to get into the food stores. Ideally I'd like to only have 2 of each but getting rid of any is not an option.
Have you considered couponing?	I'll snag in store coupons but I don't get the paper or search online for them. I mostly take advantage of sales in store.
What about food stamps? I believe you would qualify! In my state I think that they give $200.00 per month toward food.	The state gave me $16 a month which I never bothered using. I make just enough to not be "poor".
What the fuck, how is 19k for 2 people not poor?	Well that's after taxes but the "poor" levels sat at something around 18K I think.
I see you buy Cheerios, surely oatmeal is cheaper and more nutritious ? Do you buy rice/pulses in bulk at those Asian/ethnic supermarkets?	I do have oatmeal but sometimes cereal is just plain easier to prepare (and wash). I do buy rice in bulk but just at the local store.
Regular oatmeal in the micro for a minute or so. Boom done. How's that hard?	Not terribly hard to make but without some sugar and oil it tastes like crap. If it doesn't get cleaned out immediately it forms a hard crust/paste that's hard to clean.
If you have any oriental/ asian stores in town, spices are usually 50% cheaper there, and you can get them in bulk. started doing that 6 months ago.... and haven't been back since because i still have plenty :)	I recently just restocked on a lot of spices. Each week I'd buy one and now I'm back up to par. I use a lot of cracked red pepper, garlic, and basil.
Oil??	I like mine with a teaspoon of butter.
Awesome. just about everything i cook is heavily garlic'd :) Been doing more with ginger and cumin lately - it's surprising how much the flavor pallet of a dish changes by just swapping out a single spice. Cheers!	Try cracked red pepper, just a tiny bit goes a long ways to flavor a dish.
Do you ever get food from the food banks?	No. I wouldn't know where a food bank was located. There are people more in need than us.
My friend, if all you can afford is $40 a week, you need as much help as those people.	Really I could afford more but then that would leave me living pay check to pay check. This affords me the ability save back cash for emergencies like when I wrecked my truck last year. I was able to buy a beater and fix it up and still have cash saved back. (I don't like payments so when I can I pay in full.)
You may have no debts and you may pay your own bills and own your own land, but you're starving yourself. How can you expect to live healthily on what you've got? I can't imagine it's in any way healthy.	We're by no means "starving" we just don't live excessively. We try to keep foods varied but when we can't we have vitamin supplements to aid us.
Do you have room for a small garden where you live? its great to have some fresh veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes - lots of options.	Was not an option last year but I've begun working the soil and have seeds. I'm just waiting for the weather to stabilize a bit.
if you don't have kids, do you feel your financial situation is the reason not to?	For me the money is a big part of it. For her it's mostly the pain of child birth. We both aren't particularly fond of kids to begin with.
So why doesn't she work. What does she do all day?	Takes care of the house, animals, that sorta thing.
I'm a skinny dude, but I feel like I'd tear through that in a half a week at most. Are you hungry all the time? Also, cough drops and foil every week?	No not every week. We ran out of foil recently and it needed replacing. Small expenses that involve food get thrown in with the food budget. The cough drops got thrown in because I have a cold. I wouldn't say I'm hungry all the time but rather go back for seconds I'm more aft to put it in the fridge for later.
Cough drops are just a temporary symptom mitigator. They do not assist in eliminating the cause. You can omit them from your list.	They were just for this week. I bought some OJ to help kick it. I'm tired but feeling better than I was yesterday.
Could you outline a basic menu for a couple of days?	I will try.
	Today was shopping day so I may have splurged with lunch.
	Started with 3 waffles and syrup. Box of 10 for $1.50 from last week. Wife had 2 waffles w/PB Glass of OJ (normally don't buy it but I'm fighting a cold)
	Free pop/toast at work. Did not bring a lunch per normal. Wife had a burrito.
	Got home and cooked lunch. 3 eggs and $1.50 of this week's bacon. Wife had leftover pizza slice.
	I'll make something later. Veggie burgers for the wife and a PB&J for me.
	But that's about how it goes normally. I'll eat something before work. Cereal or a sandwich regularly. Not eat at work unless it's toast and then I have unlimited pop so I drink about 24 oz of soda 5 days out the week. Not healthy mind you but I need calories to function in a physical job.
My chem class taught us (via a lab) that the advertised vitamin C levels are way higher than what's actually in there because vitamin C breaks down in water+oxygen so it's best to just take vit. C pills if you actually need it.	That's an interesting observation. There was a company sued making "false" claims of it's nutritional claims. I wonder if it was accidental in the way you describe. It was a drink so maybe they added those level of vitamin C and it broke down in bottling process.
Ribena (GSK?) got in trouble for misstating the vitamin C levels.	Yup that's the one. Someone did a TIL post on it a few days back.
What are some occasional luxuries you purchase?	I treat meat as a luxury. But hmm I guess I would have to say sweets. Pop, icecream, sherbert, cocoa powder. I sprung for bacon this week. It was the bits and ends but it was $1.99/lb and tasty. I fried my eggs in the grease afterwards.
I thought you said you had unlimited soda at work? also, what is it that you do?	I can't provide that information but I will say that I work in customer service biz but that I am not the frontline staff.
Are you chopping and snorting Centrum to get by?	I have bought supplements but don't use them nearly as often as we should.
I would love to see your grocery list or a weekly meal plan. I strongly suggest that you consider supplementing your diet with additional foods that may be freely available in your community to people with lower incomes. Is that way off base?	I did provide one in another post. We do try to keep it varied though. I used to be on food aid when I was unemployed but since finding a steady job I haven't had as strong of a need for it.
Do you manage to eat many vegetables? If so, which ones are cheapest? Or, do you grow them in a garden?	Potatoes are cheapest. Great many ways to cook them too. I do have a garden planned this year when the weather is better.
I mean, potatoes are from plants, but I think they would fall more under the starch/grains category nutritionally--I was thinking more along the lines of carrots, lettuce, peppers, spinach, broccoli, etc. etc. Those kind of vegetables.	Closest we come then are tomatoes in pasta sauce or diced bell peppers on a pizza.
Vegetables are vital to your health, my friend!	Aye but they're expensive. I pop a vitamin supplement when I feel nutrition is lacking.
You really should get more veggies in your diet. A grown man is supposed to eat 9 servings a day, grown woman 8.	I know but I try to balance with a vitamin supplement every now and then.
I find produce to usually be a good deal cheaper at ethnic grocery stores. Specifically the Asian markets where I live.	Unfortunately all I have are two local Village Markets.
Have you two ever thought about "extreme couponing"?	No, that's not a viable option for me. It would take a great deal more organization than what I'm capable of. I watch the ring-up like a hawk to make sure everything rings up correctly. Often an on sale item will ring up at the full price and you won't notice until you're walking out the store. I'll add this tip to my guide.
I'm not trying to criticize, but if you're the one working perhaps your wife could find the time to do this?	Sorry, I responded out of context. Might be worth looking into.
I just want to stress that this is a legitimate option-- a friend of mine with very humble means eats like a king due to extreme couponing	This has been suggested and definitely worth giving a look into.
What kind of meat is 2$ or less per lb?	Ham, hotdogs, round roast, and chicken. I can never find hamburger at this price any more though. I usually catch things on sale and if I don't, I don't eat meat that week.
What kind of fruits do you eat? (I saw bananas, but what about citrus, berries, apples, tomatoes, etc?)	Bananas is pretty much the extent until fall when our trees bear fruit.
What kind of veggies do you eat? (I saw potatoes, but what about greens? Carrots? Leafy veggies?)	Pretty much whatever goes into a stew or on a pizza. Potatoes, onions, carrots, red bell peppers. Sometimes buy lettuce but it goes bad if it doesn't get eaten fast enough.
How often do you get sick? Do you have high cholesterol, blood sugar, or blood pressure?	4.I get sick rarely but currently have a cold that I feel is partially Reddit's fault. I have a poor sleeping schedule and regularly only get 4-5 hours a night. Preceding my cold I have a few nights with 1-3 hours or sleep. Haven't been in for a check up in ages but my blood pressure seemed to be with-in normal ranges according to those machines set-up inside some stores. My job keeps me actively fit.
Do all you eat is tacos and cereal?	No we eat a great variety of foods but when in doubt I will default to pasta and sauce. We have sandwiches, soups, pastas, pizza, etc.
Where do you live that you can buy a house for 46k? certainly not New Jersey.. Any advice on saving money when eating out? Im a bit of a health freak though , wont touch fast food.	I go to Taco Bell so all I can really suggest is to not got out. It costs a ton to go to a decent restaurant. I guess if you must my best advice would be not to gouge. Take leftovers home and eat them in place of another meal.
If you don't have kids, why not work more? why not both work? FYI - I make approx 60k/year ,I can still barely afford a house in NJ.. I spend about $100-150/ week on food for myself... mainly because I work around 50 hours a week and I don't have time to cook.	I enjoy my time to myself. I don't want to become a workaholic and do nothing but eat, sleep, and work. That and it was hard enough finding the job I have now. I am seeking work closer to home cause gas is killing me at $50+ a week.
	Had a cuz move out to Cali because jobs were offering more pay. Short time later he's back in Mich because he couldn't afford to live there. Jobs were better but the cost of living was too high.
Who's a better chef? What's your fav recipe (best bang for your buck)	I'm the better chef and one of my favorite creations was spicy tuna pasta. Basically fry up a cornbread/tunafish mixture and set it aside. Boil water and noodles it same pan unrinsed. drain and combine and add pasta sauce plus cracked red pepper, salt, and 1/4 cup oil.
with this budget, would you say you're, healthy, too skinny, overweight? This is pretty incredible, props for you if you're happy and are able to stay healthy.	I've maintained the same weight since highschool. I'm 5'10" and 160-165 lbs. I'm currently sick with a cold but I attribute this to lack of sleep more than I do diet. I regularly get 4-5 hours of sleep and the past week I've gotten considerably less. Nutrition is important but so is sleep and I've been ignoring that. (I hold Reddit partially responsible.)
Why doesn't your wife work???	Michigan has one of the highest unemployment rates in the US and with or without reliable transportation it's difficult to find work.
I figured they would be more expensive, but possibly the vitamin value will be worth the slight increase in price over regular potatoes? Then he could save money on buying supplements like Centrum. Just an interesting thought.	I believe they are but they're not much good if I don't eat them. I'm not fond of sweet potatoes really.
Sweet potatoes kind of suck. Squash, carrots, turnips, love em. never understood the sweet potato love.	I don't like squash by itself but it a stirfry it's pretty good. I take a peeler to it and make strands. The same with carrots. Fry it up with some celery and green onion. Little soy sauce topped over rice makes for an excellent stirfry.
BUT THEY'RE ORANGE!!! How could you not like a food that is orange?	Potatoes are not supposed to be sweet. It's an alien substance I'd prefer not to ingest.
I refer to them as "sweets" in my head in order to break that line of thinking and eat them for dessert.	That's an interesting thought. Perception really makes a difference. I can't tell you how horrid it is to grab a drink think it's something like milk and find out not until you drink it down that it was actually orange juice. I eat a potatoe I expect a certain taste.
Have you considered getting chickens? I know someone who keeps them primarily to get rid of tics and other bugs in the yard, but he says they take next to nothing to feed and you get some eggs out of the deal.	Wonderful question. I am in fact picking up some that I order a month ago. To keep costs to a minimum I'm constructing a coop from re-used lumber. A frame built from old house trusses left behind by the home's previous owners and sided with free pallets from a tractor dealership. I can't actually haul the pallets so I have to break them down board by board on site.
	I selected Black Australorps for their cold heartiness and dual breed. I'll have them set up in a brooder(wood crate) for the next month while I finish the coop.
Health wise, how is the cooking? Like are you living on Ramen 3 meals a day (that'll kill ya), or guying the "buy local, buy fresh" route of cheapness?	I try to keep it varied but yes I avoid ramen because of the sodium content. There was a point I was eating 2 or 3 of the ramen cups a day but I started having issues with that so I stopped.
Do you have Gordon's Food Service store or something similar in your area? It's like Sam's Club with no membership. You can get stuff like bulk bags of quality frozen chicken breasts on the cheap. Eating cheap can be healthy and delicious, it just takes a little planning and effort.	No the larger cites are about a 50 mins drive out of the way so I usually hit the stores nearby. I pass two so if one doesn't have the greatest deals I can look at the other.
It seems possible, but not that much fun. What's the best meal of the week, and if it's always changing what was the best meal last week. Also how do you pay for booze?	Best meal is pizza. I make the dough and use pasta sauce instead of "pizza" sauce. Same thing really, add a little spice to the pasta sauce like cayenne and basil and it's good to go. Light spread of mozzarella on the top and sometimes a diced veggie like red bell pepper.
Buy cans of the whole-peeled stewed tomatoes. They're the best quality tomatoes you can buy short of getting fresh, and if you crush by hand and add a little salt, garlic, onion, and basil it makes a hell of a spaghetti and/or pasta sauce.	Per ounce canned tomatoes of any variety tend to be more expensive than pasta sauce.
Nice I do that same meal. It is indeed cheap, but it takes a while waiting for dough to rise and such.	Time is a reason I don't often make it. Takes forever to make the dough, kneed it, etc.
If you make your own pizza dough, why don't you make your own pasta? It is just flour and water and the pasta maker would pay for itself.	I do sometimes but I buy the store stuff for convenience. It's easier to buy a pound of pasta for a buck than it is spending an hour rolling out pasta.
Does the $40 a week include breakfast and lunch or just dinner ? I just told my wife I want us to try this also,we are going to get $20 each a week for breakfast and lunch.	This covers all food and drink for the week. We tried $30 during the winter when my hours were cut shorter but that was boring.
Man this is going to be tough...	It hard starting out but it becomes easier as you go. I started buying things in bulk and after a while I found myself with food leftover at the end of the week. Rice goes a long ways. A definitely learn to freeze it. Make soup in bulk and freeze portions for later weeks.
How are you physically built? I'm imagining you and your wife are rather skinny.	I get sick very rarely. That being said, I currently have a cold but I attribute this more to my poor sleeping schedule. There were a few nights last week that I only got a few hours of sleep as opposed to my regular 4-5 hours.
How often do you guys get sick?	As for builds I'm 160 lbs 5'10". My job keeps me actively fit. I would call myself a medium build. Not a toothpick but not fat or bulging with muscle. My wife is about 20-30 lbs lighter.
I'm not sure how price efficient sweet potatoes are, but they are considered the most nutritionally complete food, have you considered eating them to supplement your diet? Source: Link to www.foodreference.com.	No I buy Idahos or reds mostly.
What part of the country do you live in? If you live near central Arkansas, I would be honored to cook you guys a meal.	Appreciate the offer but we live up North. The Nothern LP of Michigan. Would be hesitant to take up the offer from someone online (no offense).
Instead of eating out, my man takes a can of 98% fat free Turkey Chili with him for lunch. He's lost all his extra weight so he swears by this lunch. Sometimes he'll take a soup. Usually I get those on sale at FM for .98 per can to 1.28 a can or so. I don't buy things that aren't on sale.	It's hard to pick. If treat = sweets, then I like when we have enough to buy a $7 tub of ice cream that lasts weeks. Rather instead, I like the $2-3 things of sherbert. They only last a couple days but it a tasty treat.
My biggest secret though is the Steamers you microwave. My kids LOVE the macaroni and cheese one with broccoli. It's 1.39. Maybe not the most healthful thing, but sometimes, I don't care... I just need to feed faces on the cheap!	Oh that's fine but I would like to address the mac and cheese. I've found a cheap tasty solution to this. Just cook up any pasta noodles, turn burner off, drain, add teaspoon or two of oil, stir in some salt and basil, add two slices cheese, 1/4 milk or more if desired. Stir until your cheese is melted and you have alfredo.
Edit: I forgot this was an AMA. Sorry! What is your favorite splurge treat?	Favorite splurge treat...
Why would you buy cans of beans instead of just getting bulk dry beans+rice?	Buying bulk dry goods isn't much of an option at the local stores. They sell small bags don't make a huge difference in price. That said I do have a bag of dried beans. It just takes more work to prepare. Sometimes convenience is worth the cost.
Sam's Club or Costco?	Village Market.
No, I'm suggesting places like those for increasing cost efficiency.	Driving 30-50 minutes out of the way to get to a larger city often negates any savings.
You know what, I wonder if there's a subreddit for eating on the cheap? Anyone know?	Frugal would be a good start.
Are you Freegans? I bet you're Freegans.	I'm not sure what that is. I eat whatever and she's a pescetarian.
Pescetarians are cannibals who only eat people whose horoscope symbol is pisces. is that correct? because if thats correct, i hate you for murdering people and then eating their flesh.	Pescetarian refers to someone who eats plants as well as fish.
	Although cannibalize would solve two problems at once. Overpopulation and world hunger. Can't say I'd be fond of any Soylent products though.
Freegans are people who dumpster dive for their food, I think. Separate note: do you catch fish? Hard to find it for $2/lb, I would think. Impossible, maybe.	I buy it every once in a great while. Most often I'll pick up a few cans of tuna and make tuna noodle, spicy tuna pasta, or tuna patties.
What is your job that pays you 19K after taxes? Just curious. Stay strong!	I can't disclose that information for I work for an oppressed people rebuilding their nation. It keeps me fit though. I run, I sprint, lift things, basically on my feet all day.
I just want to say that $40 for two people is pretty darn cool. Do you eat a lot of the same things? I wouldn't mind it, but the gf likes to cook crazy things...	Sometimes. It does get boring to eat the same thing though so we've had some success freezing foods. Such as soups or burritos. You can make a large pot and freeze smaller portions to eat other weeks.
Where do you go shopping for groceries? Albertsons, ralphs, dollar store?	Village Markets. They both carry spartan brands.
I just couldn't imagine living on a budget like that! What about fresh fruit and vegatables? The meat you buy must be filled with saturate fat that is bad for your heart!?! I easily spend $200 a week on food between my husband and I.	I don't actually buy meat very often. Only when I can find it for under $2/lb. As far as fresh fruit and veggies they're limited to things like bananas and potatoes. As for fat and calories my job keeps me rather active so I need the calories. The amount of soda I drink is unhealthy I imagine but it free so I take advantage while I can.
I am surprised you buy your pasta sauce and don't make it on your own. How close are you able to get to eating your 9 servings of fruit/veg a day? What is your primary food, carbs?	Tomatoes are expensive. It's cheaper to purchase them already processed into sauce. I'm likely no where no the food pyramid's guide to health. I still get a fair variety of foods. I wouldn't really say I have a primary source. Lot of grains and dairy. I try to get a lot of protein in my diet to recover from wear and tear on the body.
Do you ever steal?	I wouldn't say I steal but I have on occasion not corrected a mis-scan at the register that favored me.
I try to stick to the same $2 rule but usually only find that on bulk meat. Do you find the same and freeze?	Sometimes. I'm such a pain about it sometimes to. Found a 10lb ham on sale for $1.29/lb or something like that. Lot more than I like to spend on one item but the price was too good. It was in the meat department and I associate the meat department with raw meat so I took it to the deli and asked them to slice it up for me. I bag it into portions when I get home and freeze what I don't need.
Sorry if this has been asked before but its difficult to sift through 400+ comments lol. So what is the rest of your life like? Like do you keep showers super short to conserve water? Unplug all electronics when you aren't using them to save power? Keep the temperature hotter in the summer and colder in the winter?	We have a well pump so I'm not really concerned with saving water. Keeping them short would save on the electric bill but I like my 20 minute showers. I try to keep most small things that we use rarely unplugged. Things we use more often stay plugged in. I used space heaters which made the electric bill double. Next year I plan to hook up a woodstove. We have no AC in the summer but the basement stays fairly cool. Sometimes I'll run a fan upstairs.
Cereal and no milk? Do you always eat it dry?	I already have milk on hand. I don't buy just what I eat that week. I buy in bulk so that things carry on to other weeks.
Ah okay. I knew home prices in the states were low, but didn't realize that low! I did look up homes for sale in Detroit. Cheapest I found was for $1900 bucks. I'm guessing no one wants to live there though...	We did pass up other houses that were far cheaper but they were in locations I didn't like or needed expensive repairs.
Whats for dinner on Tuesday nights?	I don't actually plan meals out. I cook whatever suits me (and that I have on hand). I haven't made pizza in weeks so I'm sure the wife would enjoy that. Might do a tuna noodle.
Could you summarize the typical meals you eat in a week?	Pastas, sandwiches, cereal, eggs, rice, rice and chicken, milk, pancakes, baked potatoes , tuna noodle, and more I'm forgetting.
	Sorry I gotta sleep. Just listed some things we eat through out the week. This is part of why I got a cold in the first place I think. Reddit. It's almost 9pm and if I wake up at 2am that gives me 5 hours of sleep.
Wow, you can't get much of that where I live for $40 a week. Just a week's worth of that will run you $70 easy.	You have to purchase when things are on sale. And if you don't use immediately, freeze it. I often leave bread in the freezer until I need it.
When did you realize you could do this, and that everyone around you have not been smart with their money? I looked at a thing of oatmeal that would cost me less than four dollars and give me breakfast for many weeks and thought "well that was easy".	I was forced to when I lose my job, my home. I had to get by so I sucked it up and asked for assistance from the only place I was able, the government. They gave me $150 a month for food. The equates to $34.5 a week. So being forced into the situation, I had to learn how to budget otherwise I'd starve by the end of the month.
What is your occupation?	Sorry I can't disclose that information. I will say that I work a physically demanding job that often has me sprinting, carrying heavy loads, or standing on my feet for hours.
So you preload trucks for UPS/Fedex?	Close. I take things and put them other places.
Whats the catnip for? Does it have uses bar getting cats drugged?	Likely, but it's just for the cats.
I feed 3 people in my house-and my budget is $50 a week. If you know how to shop-it can be done. We actually eat quite well-and twice a month I splurge and buy a roast. 1 I cook with potatoes,carrots onions-the other I shred and make 2 huge pans of enchiladas. I also do thick-cut boneless pork chops once a month with homemade gravy.We eat a lot of spaghetti/chili/grilled cheese and I also do breakfast for dinner at least once a week (eggs/bacon/hash browns) Do you ever splurge on anything special ?	Yeah soups/stews go a long ways. I make bean and rice burritos and freeze them.

Last updated: 2012-05-01 15:00 UTC Next update: 2012-05-01 16:00 UTC
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