View Full Version : Going for the $1.50 a day food challenge
Someone reposted Marianne's $1.50 a day challenge.I read the whole thread and was impressed.
Here are my self-imposed rules.
1. Since I started on Nov.4th,I get $40.50 for the month.
2. My goal is to make it to New Years Day.
3. Thanksgiving Day,Christmas Day,and one already planned corporate getaway weekend doesn't count.
4. I won't bore anyone with my daily mundane menu.Instead I'll post what I have spent money on for the month.
5. FREE works for me.Example,someone gave me several slices of uncooked ham that was too salty for them.I don't anticipate anymore food gifts.I'll be hunting and fishing to supplement my food budget.With the drought my garden was a complete bust this year,so no garden veggies to supplement diet.
6. I won't be including the cost of my rather pricey vitamin supplements.Since my milk intake will be reduced significantly,I'll also add a calcium supplement.
Nov.4,2012 grocery purchases.
Stopped by a local Aldi's style food store after church today.
Whole oats $2.19
Half& Half 1.29
small block cheddar cheese 1.49
2 bell peppers 1.00
3 small sweet potatoes 1.43
10lbs. pintos 5.00
small bag brown rice 2.00
large container cajun seasoning 3.00
salt .69
1/2 bag Downey(sp) coffee 5.50(I'm a coffee snob.I'm on auto-ship for a bag a month.It comes from somewhere in Europe.I'll just budget it in,easier than canceling auto-ship and then restarting after challenge.Gotta have some coffee or I'll go nuts).
Total $23.59
Had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.w/coffee of course
beans and rice for lunch and dinner seasoned w/free ham.
One really cheap and healthy food that is frequently overlooked: sprouts. I bought a 2# bag of moong beans at an Indian grocery for $3. I use 1 Tablespoon of beans that when sprouted make at least 2 cups of sprouts. I calculated that the 2 cups of sprouts cost 4 cents. They add a lot of nutrition and crunch, its good to have something fresh. I eat them on salads, as well as putting them in stir fries. I haven't calculated the cost of alfalfa sprouts but I bet it is similar, an 8 ounce bag seems to last forever, and they are good on sandwiches and in salads.
Not to burst your bubble, herbgeek, but sprouts probably are best grown and consumed at home. There have been numerous reports over the last several years of commercial sprouts harboring salmonella an E. Coli due to contaminated seeds, improper handling, and the fact that they are not cooked enough to destroy these bacteria. I don't even buy sprouts at the co-op. Fortunately, it is not hard to grow them at home. You can easily have a continual supply from a batch small enough to monitor carefully.
Steve, that was my point. Growing them at home costs me 4 cents per batch. I don't buy them at the store, as they are way more expensive, they always look rotten, and I can't be sure of their purity.
That's a great idea with the sprouts,thanks.
I love alfalfa sprouts.I was wondering how I was going to get my veggies on this tight budget challenge.I've never sprouted my own.Will look into it.
Broccoli sprouts are supposed to have excellent benefits - they have a higher concentration of many of the healthy compounds found in cole-family vegetables.
All it takes is a jar, and someway to cover the jar (ie cheesecloth and a rubber band). I initially soak the seeds for 12-24 hours, then rinse and drain twice a day. It's important to make sure the seeds/sprouts aren't sitting in water, or they start to rot. Takes about 5 days to get to full size. One tablespoon of seeds makes a LOT of sprouts (2cups) so plan accordingly. I use a pint mason jar, and have a lid similar to this, but this is not necessary: https://www.superseeds.com/details.php?id=H757
try2bfrugal
11-5-12, 10:30am
Great idea on the sprouts, herbgeek.
Steve, that was my point. Growing them at home costs me 4 cents per batch. I don't buy them at the store, as they are way more expensive, they always look rotten, and I can't be sure of their purity.
Gotcha. Somehow I missed that you were growing them at home already. :|(
Lentil sprouts are also fantastic.
Hit a brick wall today.I did not want to eat more beans and rice.So I had a bowl of soup for .75 and .15 worth of potato chips(less than one handfull).
I'm going to have to get over this.Nead to keep telling myself that beans and rice are my friends.
How about putting them in a homemade tortilla? Flour, shortening and water. Or maybe a bean soup? Or fried rice if you had any bits of other food around to add, if not just egg? Or bean patties made like burgers? Or a bean spread, with homemade pita or homemade crackers? Rice pudding (made with water and some of the half and half you bought)? You didn't mention buying flour yet, but if this is the whole month, you can make a lot of homemade things very cheaply with flour (like crackers and tortillas and pita bread). You could keep some of any batch and add more flour to it, and then not have to buy more than 1 package of yeast.
I know I would be hard pressed to live on that small amount of money, particularly if I didn't have my pantry to rely on.
There's nothing wrong with eating something else once in a while. You don't want to burn out on eating a staple food in your diet. Maybe instead of disguising rice and beans, it's time to take a break even for just a few days?
Hit a brick wall today.I did not want to eat more beans and rice.So I had a bowl of soup for .75 and .15 worth of potato chips(less than one handfull).
I'm going to have to get over this.Nead to keep telling myself that beans and rice are my friends.
Food fatigue. Well, if nothing else, you've proven how difficult it can be. And what it's really like to only have a small number of options for food.
Food fatigue. Well, if nothing else, you've proven how difficult it can be. And what it's really like to only have a small number of options for food.
Yes,I think you are correct.It has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated.I haven't given up yet.I have hope that my body will adjust to this healthier diet before I give up.We'll see.
Also, can you expand into onions, carrots, potatoes and similar? because if you can do that, then you can make soups (you can also make stocks and such which will add a lot more flavor to even simple beans/rice. Can you add in miso -- also tasty as a soup base instead of making stock.
Hi there Cx3!
Just wanted to wish you the best on this challenge! I work in human rights and development, and I think it's fascinating to see what happens when someone in the West sets out to feed themselves with a poverty line budget! And you've given me some great ideas for cutting down my own grocery bill too!
Hugs,
Lucas
Meezer_Mom
11-7-12, 8:44pm
I've determined that I dislike lettuce. I also want to eat healthier, increasing fiber & protein yet keeping calories and fat low, as well as cost. Enter bean salad. I'm getting a tremendous amount of variety by mixing up different beans with other ingredients in my cabinet (i.e., olive oil, different vinegars, etc.) Made a Honey-Balsamic bean salad today (google it), and it came in at about 41 cents per 1/2 cup serving. Would have been lower if I'd started w/dried, but it's still awesome!
Best wishes!
Sue
It seems to me, that cX3 spent the $1.50 a day upfront on the food supplies. So, if more items are purchased to lessen the monotony, the challenge is "lost" because it's gone over budget. If this is the case and you are endeavoring to continue, I might suggest finding more free things. A lot of bigger gardeners give away their crops on freecycle, Craigs list, or to local charities that do food boxes. For instance the local Salvation Army near my house gives away free bread. This time of year, (I was there yesterday) there were boxes and boxes of chiles, green beans, tomatoes, green tomatoes, walnuts and pears and potatoes, from someones local garden, free to whoever wanted to take them . If it's ethically ok for you, and you know someplace that does something like that, you could add an amazing variety to your daily diet for free.
I think that if my food budget were $10.50 per week, I would probably do a pantry building process. Week one would be oil, vinegar, beans and rice; week two might include miso paste, mustard seeds (you can make your own mustard and the seeds are cheaper), beans, rice; week three might be beans, rice, root veggies. week four would probably be a repeat of week three, and then week five would be looking to replenish any 'pantry items.'
Foraging is really great for herbs. Here in NZ, we have several native herbs that are good to use, as well as now-wild european herbs. Parsley and fennel grow like weeds here -- very easy to get (and you can pretty much eat the whole fennel plant). Other things are more seasonal, but can be found throughout most of the year.
Also, since the beignning, NZ towns have planted edibles in common areas. Persimmon, quince, and lemon trees are most common. Rosemary, lavender (which you can cook with), and sage are also common our green spaces. Many of our parks are fenced with berries (blue berry hedges or raspberry canes) -- and all of this is free for the taking in our community.
Community gardens are also an option for gettign "free" produce. It's easy enough to get on a working bee, and in several months (or days in our case), you'll get an email about what needs to be harvested and "take what you want." It's a great way to get simple, seasonal produce. Asparagus is on the rise here (it's spring). It's 3.25 a bunch (1/3 kilo), but it's free for us.
I wouldn't necessarily go to a mission to get food -- as I believe that is for the actual poor, not the exercising poor, but I feel it is ok to contact them and ask if there is any produce on it's last legs that they are looking to give away before it goes to waste. Waste not, want not as the say.
Finally, dumpster diving. Always sounds terrible, but you can ask your local grocer if you can have their stock that they are removing for compost. our community garden does this, and most of us simply take the best produce home, leaving only the stuff that is truly inedible for the compost bin. It's a nice way to get fruit, honestly.
I know the original challenge had something to do with "human rights and development".I don't know anything about the struggles facing third world peoples because I've never seen it firsthand. I just accepted this challenge for the sake of being challenged.That being said,I do see the economic hardships people face here in the US daily.I'm a sales rep for a company that offers Medicare Advantage plans as well as Medicare Sup. plans.Most,but certainly not all, of these hardships resulting from bad choices made during their lifetime.
I need to do another calculation but I think I still have around $13 left in this months budget.I have come down with a mild cold.Nasal congestion and raw scratchy throat.This has allowed me to break through that brick wall I mentioned previously,because I have lost my appetite for now.
try2bfrugal
11-8-12, 1:28pm
One way to eat reasonably well on $1.50 a day is to figure out what foods cost per calorie and multiply that times how many calories you need in a day. I have a chart like that and there is really quite an assortment of food to be had in the $1.50 and under chart, especially if you combine some of the under 50 cents a day type foods like rice and beans with higher cost ones. It gets tricky getting 100% of the DVs of everything, but based on prices in my area one could still have an interesting and varied diet with meat, fruits and veggies.
I think the pantry building is the only other reasonable addition aside from finding freebie food and be able to stay on the challenge. I commend you.
I had a really inexpensive eating day yesterday.My usual oatmeal for breakfast.Stewed fall squash and blackened fish(free from someones garden and local pond) for lunch.Two eggs, a slice of sausage and self grated potato hashbrowns for dinner.Most expensive of these items being the slice of sausage.My wife made the dinner.I had to figure up the cost of my meal and deduct it.I didn't buy a bag of potatoes or a carton of eggs originally.I was concerned my wife or kids would eat these things and throw my challenge into chaos.I haven't worried about them dipping into my bags of uncooked rice and beans.We have two containers of oatmeal in the cabinet. One marked Dad on the lid.One of my clients offered me a package of left over Halloween candy.He was diabetic and didn't want it in his house.I jumped on his offer," like a hobo on a ham sandwich",as my grandmother use to say.
I have been watching postings at the Post Office looking for local churches offering free meals.All I found yesterday was a fundraiser chilli supper for $3.
I did another calculation.I'm doing better than I thought.I have $18.33 left for the month.I added a stick of butter and a frozen bag of peas and carrots to my pantry.The rest of the deductions have been pay per meal calculations.It's a real pain to do per meal calculations.For example the hashbrowns I had last night. I figured I used 2 potatoes.The whole bag of potatoes cost $1.49.I guessed $.25 for the hashbrowns.I'm doing the best I can with the calculations.
My other thought for a frugal addition to having a bag of flour and some kind of fat, would be to buy a head of cabbage. A head of cabbage can go very far. Sauteed in oil and added to beans or potatoes it is very tasty and a good source of vitamin c, B vitamins and folic acid and some minerals.
SteveinMN
11-11-12, 11:39am
Another suggestion is to "eat off the mainstream". At the local farmer's market, the familiar vegetables like spinach go for a couple-three bucks a bunch. But a bigger head of something most people have never heard of, like amaranth leaves or sweet-potato leaves, goes for just a dollar and is fully as nutritious. Similarly, if one eats meat, eating "variety meats' like tongue and organ meats typically is cheaper than eating steak cuts or even manually-processed items like chicken wing drummies. It adds some variety to the diet, too.
I admire your initiative.
What about a break with a can of sardines for some new flavour and good source of protein as is or added to tomato sauce etc?
There was a link posted here about a family in NY city who found a way to live on a very low food budget but I cannot find it.
Just stopped by the store for a few things. I always walk by the rack in back where they put clearance items just to see what's there. A stocker was putting out 1# bags of dried elbow macaroni (imported from Italy no less!). They were $.50 each. I asked him what they would do if I took all of them and he said $.25/ea. Sold! Now I don't need 35 pounds of pasta, but plan to keep 10 or so and drop the rest off at the food bank. Still I thought 35 pounds for $8.75 was a pretty good deal!
SteveinMN
11-12-12, 5:47pm
Nice score, Gregg! And good show for sharing your good fortune!
Another suggestion is to "eat off the mainstream". At the local farmer's market, the familiar vegetables like spinach go for a couple-three bucks a bunch. But a bigger head of something most people have never heard of, like amaranth leaves or sweet-potato leaves, goes for just a dollar and is fully as nutritious. Similarly, if one eats meat, eating "variety meats' like tongue and organ meats typically is cheaper than eating steak cuts or even manually-processed items like chicken wing drummies. It adds some variety to the diet, too.
The time of year is rough for urban foraging, but there might be nut trees that have shed their nuts in public places. Apples, pears, rose hips come to mind. I suggest these things, because I admire what you are attempting. But it's hard. And when food becomes the scarcest thing, you find yourself devoting more time to obtaining it. As I said, your motives might be otherwise, but I'm just trying to think of ethical ways to supplement your diet and stay on course.
It's a little late for urban foraging, but there may be nuts and fruits still available in your area. Rose hips. In public places. I know there are lots of places that offer free meals and often free bread and other items that are donated by the stores to places like St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army and local churches who do food help. When my kids were small, and food was a big issue to get, I stalked such places. Find one and hear about another. That's why I mentioned that sometimes local gardeners are giving their surplus to such places. Here, in the frost of November I still see walnuts, green tomatoes, fresh herbs, onions and potatoes being offered in baskets at the back of the Salvation Army. There's a few churches who do similar things, usually on certain days. Community gardens are becoming very in now, and t hat's great because some places are growing their own produce and giving it away also. I'm not sure where you are located, so I don't know what's in your area. To me, the challenge is to meet the parameters, but you may have to be creative to meet your goal. Just offering suggestions.
Doing this for a longer period of time seems like it would help in that you could get a more diverse pantry going.
If you'd like to post some of what is in the pantry, we could brainstorm some ideas for varying the food.
Getting either a sourdough starter going, or using the Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day books/website could give you a good variety of bread items without the ongoing expense of yeast.
In your area now there might be chickweed, dandelions, and violets for foraging in addition to the rose hips.
In addition to sprouts, you could also do microgreens.
Amaranth,
My pantry items are listed on my second post page one.I've only added a stick of butter and a bag of frozen peas and carrots. Also have access to about whatever I want,I just have to figure up the cost of what I use.Bought a large bag of flour from Sam's a few weeks ago so I'm sure the cost per cup would be very reasonable.I have a family friend that I'm going to be seeing in a few weeks.I'm planning on getting a sourdough start from her.There is a health food store about 25 miles from here,planning on purchasing some sprout seeds when I get down that way.
Still not fully recovered from my cold yet.Appetite is not back to 100% which is working great for this challenge.
Around this time, there are usually really good deals on sweet potatoes, potatoes, winter greens, onions, and apples, often in the .20 to .33 per pound range. Smaller eggs may be on sale here and there as newly raised chickens start to lay. Intermittantly there may be good deals on canned tomato products and pasta. You could make pasta noodles though with your flour.
After the thanksgiving meal, cook the turkey bones 2-3 times in pots of water and freeze the the broth for a tasty free broth.
Varying the flavors of various servings of the rice can help. For example with fried rice you could do these flavors
slivers of bell pepper
peas and carrots
ham
onion--if you get some onions
On the beans, a cajun spiced bean spread may give you another flavor.
Also for other people doing the challenge, it can help not to have all your spices mixed together. If you have say five 50 cent bottles of separate spices and 50 cents of garlic heads in place of 3.00 of mixed cajun spice, you can make foods taste differently at different times. For example if you chose cinnamon, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian, and Poultry Seasoning, plus the garlic heads, you could create cajun flavored meals plus many others. And if you could catch one of the 3 or 4 spice bottles for a dollar sale, you would have even more choice. If I could have more I'd add as many as possible from chile powder, oregano, coriander, mustard seed, cloves.
Also think about how you can change up textures and forms of a food. The list given previously in this thread of different forms of beans is a good example.
If you have onions and sweet peppers they will taste different if made into
onion and pepper relish
fried onions and peppers
diced onion and pepper salad
omelet
soup
stir fry
You can also combine cusines. Consider apple rice pudding or cajun spiced oatmeal(there is a spicy cream of wheat dish called upma in Indian cuisine.)
Look at how you can divide portions of a dish and flavor it differently. For example, take one serving of bean spread, say half a cup, and divide it into 4 parts. (And I would normally do this with chickpeas and am not sure how well all the ideas would work with a pinto spread, so please consider these ideas as very experimental.) Flavor each part differently. For example
Cajun spice
Sauteed onion
Minced bell pepper
Black pepper
I'm calling off my little challenge.
I hadn't failed.There just have been some complications.As I mentioned,I had a cold for a week that reduced my appetite.I got over that only to catch something else,some kind of chest cold.This is unusual for me,as I rarely get sick.
Since my appetite has been nearly non-existant. I haven't given this challenge the attention it deserves.Its not much of a challenge when I'm repulsed by the idea of eating.When the hunger pangs have been to the point of discomfort,I have just been eating whatever my wife makes and trying to calculate the cost per serving.That has proven to be very challenging in itself.
I may try this again in the Spring.I'm reading Four-Season Harvest now.In the Spring I may be able to supplement with fresh vegies.
Amaranth
11-30-12, 10:53am
Over the holidays you may be able to find some good deals on flour and freeze it for the spring.
Four Season Harvest is a very helpful book. Their website has some additional photos that are inspiring this time of year.
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