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IRAQI CULTURAL OFFICE

Intern: Bill Reedy

Guide to Living in the United States

Living Cheaply in the United States:

Food:

• Ramen Noodles is a cheap meal ($.20-.30 per packet). They can be bought in most grocery stores. You only need to boil water, add the noodles, drain the noodles and add the seasoning. See figure 1

• Many cheap meals require boiling to cook them. If your apartment/dormitory does not have a kitchen, you might want to purchase an electric hot pot (Rival has a nice model). A hot pot is usually $20. See figure 2

• Spaghetti can be made and eaten for multiple nights very cheaply. Spaghetti noodles are usually under a dollar and spaghetti sauce can be purchased cheaply as well. Simply boil the noodles, drain them and add sauce. Beef and parmesan cheese can be added if desired. See figure 3

• In the United States, meats have different prices depending on the animal.

o Beef: Americans a lot of beef. There are many different types. Ground beef is the cheapest and comes with varying amounts of fat. Steaks and roasts can be purchased and prices are usually from $2.99-9.99 per pound.

o Chicken: different parts of the Chicken have different prices. The wings and drumsticks (legs) and thighs are usually the cheapest. The breasts are the most expensive because they have the least amount of fat.

o Turkey: Turkey is usually more expensive than chicken but is still very tasty and a classic American food. Turkey is also usually has very little fat.

o Fish: fish is usually more expensive than other meats. It can be purchased fresh or frozen.

o Shellfish: Shrimp, Crab, Mussels, Oysters and Lobsters are usually very expensive and are served only during special times or in a nice restaurant.

• Macaroni and cheese can be purchased at grocery stores in boxes. They are made by boiling noodles and adding the cheese sauce. It is easier to buy the macaroni and cheese with the liquid cheese sauce because then you do not need to always have butter and milk to make macaroni and cheese. This meal costs around $1. See figure 4

• For cheap deserts and snacks, Grocery stores, Gas stations, and Pharmacies have $0.50 And $0.35 cakes and pastries. Pharmacies, gas stations and grocery stores usually carry these snacks. See figure 5

Shopping:

• Certain grocery stores cater to people on a budget. The cheapest food in the whole United States can be found at a store chain called Aldi’s. Last time I went to Aldis, I bought 3 weeks of food for $55 and had various foods like hot dogs, Chinese food and more. This link is to the Aldi’s website where you can find the closest Aldis to you:

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o See figure 6

• Other cheap stores include Wal-Mart, Target and K-Mart. The websites to locate the nearest stores are below. These stores carry everything such as clothes, food, tools, furniture, electronics, appliances and more. See figure 7

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• Dollar Stores such as the Dollar General and Dollar Tree provide a selection of goods such as tools, food, clothing which generally are around $1.The sites to find the nearest stores are below. See figure 8

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• For the cheapest clothes, the Salvation Army is a charity which sells used clothes for a small fraction of their new price. T-shirts are around a dollar and even nice coats are no more than $10. See the store locator below. See figure 9

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• When buying things like food, medicine and personal products like shampoo and deodorant, there are brands that are called “generic brands” or “brand x products.” They are copies of name brand products and are much cheaper but almost identical to the name brand products. For example, instead of buying Pantene brand shampoo, you can buy CVS brand shampoo from the CVS pharmacy (or Walgreens etc.) for less money. See figure 10

• For used TVs and furniture, you can look at the Salvation Army (above) or you can go to a pawn shop. These are shops were people sell items like TVs and jewelry to the store and they then sell them. These stores sell everything from wedding rings to music speakers. But, you must be careful because sometimes people will sell you broken items so you must be sure that your item that you buy works well.

Keeping Islamic Dietary Restrictions

• Some foods (especially nice European style restaurants) may be cooked in wine. When alcohol is used in cooking, the alcohol is cooks out of the food and the cooked food has the amount of alcohol as fruit juice. But, if you ask if there was any alcohol (usually wine) used in the food, the waiter will tell you.

• Americans in general eat very few pork products. There are however a few exceptions. American breakfasts generally have sausage and bacon and they both contain pork. Barbeque also usually contains pork (like ribs, pulled pork, etc.) but most barbeque places have barbecued chicken as well as pork. Pizza can also contain pork if the pizza has sausage or pepperoni on it. See figure 11

• Unless a food says it is Halal, you cannot assume that it is. However, there are usually Kosher sections in grocery stores. Food that is kosher will have a symbol on the package to tell you it is Kosher

o See Figure 13 for a list of symbols telling you the food is Kosher

• If you are in a bar/restaurant and want to try a mixed alcoholic drink without alcohol, simply tell the waiter you want a “virgin _____.” For example, if you would like to have a margarita without the alcohol, simply tell the waiter that you would like a “virgin margarita.” Also, most restaurants have non-alcoholic beer available.

• Cigarettes and tobacco can be bought almost anywhere but they can only be smoked in specific places. It is acceptable to smoke outside however every place inside a building is non-smoking. Also, the price of cigarettes changes based on the county they are sold in. For example, a pack of cigarettes in one county might be $7 while a pack of cigarettes in the neighboring county might be only $3.

• A good time to shop for gifts is after Christmas. Stores have many unsold products and stores usually have very large sales.

Communication

• To cut down on international phone calls and if you have a computer or access to one, download Skype. You can call across the world for pennies a minute and you can talk for free with people who also have Skype on a computer.

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• Phone cards can also be bought in gas stations, some grocery stores and pharmacies. They are a cheaper way to call another country by telephone.

Earning Money

• Even if you can’t legally work in the United States, you can still make money by participating in surveys. Organizations and companies will pay you to take surveys or try new products. They will give you money or gift certificates. Check your local campus for any of these opportunities. Compensation can range from $20 for an hour to $700-800 for surveys requiring many visits.

Websites with Tips on saving Money:

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General Guides to Living in the United States:

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Figure 10

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(This Advil is $9.49 while the generic equivalent is $6.99)

Figure 11

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The first picture shows a typical American breakfast. The second pictures shows pork ribs from a barbeque.

Figure 12

[pic] A virgin Margarita

Figure 13

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