Honestly sometimes saying it in the room IS the right call.

Forty cents a day just to use the internet? That is nuts, and it adds up fast when you are there for weeks. The part that really gets me is how a cheap VPN flipped it off like nothing, which kind of proves the tax was never about collecting money. Slowing people down is the whole point, and it is wild how well that works when folks can not afford to fight it.

Your math is a little off on the chili though. $9 for six meals is a buck fifty a plate, not $1.20, unless you're getting your beans and meat cheaper than I ever manage. Not a huge deal, but if we're comparing to that $5.30 freezer meal price, the gap is even wider than you think. Anyway, my go-to is a big batch of pulled pork in the crockpot, shred it, freeze it in small bags with a little of the juice, and it reheats great because it's already soft. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and warm it slow, not in the microwave on high, that's what turns most stuff rubbery. What kind of freezer space are you working with?