Frugal Food Challenges

[Amaranth]

In May, LiveBelowTheLine did a food challenge to eat for five days for US$1.50 per day. (Total of $7.50 per person for 5 days.)
Info on the challenge:
https://www.livebelowtheline.com/us-how-does-it-work/

Link to a frugal cookbook here:
http://www.livebelowtheline.com/us-guidance/

What would you eat for your 5 days?

Did anyone here participate in this years LBTL challenge or plan to do it soon or later in the year?

Have you come across any other frugal food challenges or poverty awareness challenges for 2012? I heard that some places might do some food stamp type challenges, but don't know what's planned.

[razz]

I checked out the two blogs and cannot imagine eating at the level for a long period of time. I will keep checking to see what others have to post about this type of challenge.

[catherine]

My daughter worked for a leading hunger coalition in NYC and they sponsored an event like this last year--(actually, they might have been part of this one). Anyway, I was away on business so I couldn't do it. But DH did. However, he is NOT a planner or a good eater at all. So his approach was to eat, every day, Campbell's chicken noodle soup, peanut butter, and saltine crackers. That was it!! I'm sure he would have suffered health consequences in very short order.

I've always wanted to try a challenge like that. One of you guys turned me on to the One Dollar Diet Project (http://onedollardietproject.wordpress.com) which was a project by two teachers to see if they could eat on a dollar a day. Very interesting, and better than Campbell's soup and saltines.

[Amaranth]

Razz, It would be hard. With help from people here, I think we would have the best chance of success. People here are really skilled at making tasty frugal food.

Catherine, what about doing the challenge here and choosing your own schedule?

Batali Found where Mario Batali's family did the NY Food Bank's Food Stamp Challenge using the average of US$31 per person per week. They also used herbs, spices, and condiments they had on hand.


Info
http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/blogs/Food-News/Mario-Batali-Food-Stamp-Challenge-Master

Grocery List:
http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/blogs/Food-News/Mario-Grocery-List

His strategy for shopping and making it through the week
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enkeHcJbbFI

Menu:
http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/blogs/Food-News/Mario-Batali-Food-Stamp-Challenge-Menu
Some of Batali's recipes
http://www.foodbanknyc.org/blog/index.cfm/2012/5/24/How-Mario-Batali--The-Chew-Helped-Me-Enjoy-Food-Again

Like that he made food that many people would enjoy eating. Can see a few things that he could have swapped out to be more frugal and get more food yet have similar things to eat and then more food. Can also see where a food could be used in a slightly different way and result in a portion of it used to create another dish. How would you maximize the use of the food?

Harvester's Recipe Booklet of Frugal Recipes for Challenge
http://www.harvesters.org/_FileLibrary/FileImage/FoodStampChallengeRecipes.pdf

[try2bfrugal]

I could do $1.50 a day pretty easy but I think a lot depends where you live. I have a lot of local mom and pop markets that sell produce for 20 - 30 cents a pound. Potatoes can be as low as 10 cents pound. Chicken legs sell for 50 - 99 cents a pound on sale. Usually some local store will have 99 cent eggs. Dried beans and rice are really cheap bought in big bags from Costco. I have tried to do a dollar a day for food just to see if I could do it. Last year it was possible. I could do a dollar a day this year without using any coupons and not go hungry but it is tough getting in all of the vitamins and minerals. But yeah, I could do a dollar a day and probably still eat healthier than most people do in the U.S., but maybe not get all of the official daily nutrients requirements. To get all of the nutrients I'd have to go up to $1.50 or so.

[small & friendly]

I could do $1.50 a day pretty easy but I think a lot depends where you live. I have a lot of local mom and pop markets that sell produce for 20 - 30 cents a pound. Potatoes can be as low as 10 cents pound. Chicken legs sell for 50 - 99 cents a pound on sale. Usually some local store will have 99 cent eggs. Dried beans and rice are really cheap bought in big bags from Costco. I have tried to do a dollar a day for food just to see if I could do it. Last year it was possible. I could do a dollar a day this year without using any coupons and not go hungry but it is tough getting in all of the vitamins and minerals. But yeah, I could do a dollar a day and probably still eat healthier than most people do in the U.S., but maybe not get all of the official daily nutrients requirements. To get all of the nutrients I'd have to go up to $1.50 or so.


Where in the world do you live? I have not seen prices like that (not even on the discount/markdown racks) for decades.
Without revealing more than you are comfortable with, are you on the west coast or the south?

[small & friendly]

To answer the OP's question: that would depend on a lot of factors. I.E. do I have a place to live or am I on the street? If I have my own place are the cupboards completely bare or do I have some condiments and seasonings? Do I have any staples like beans or rice? Is the money, whether $1.00 or $1.50 available all at once (which would make it a little easier to plan), or is it only available a little at a time with never enough at one time to get a bag of potatoes or onions or rice or beans?

So, I think one would have to know some of these things in order to answer meaningfully.
And then, my personal opinion, I don't really think it does the poor much good to do these challenges. It would be better to give the money outright to someone you know personally who is struggling. I would think some suffering person would look at me and say, "big deal, you got the warm fuzzies, but I'm still hungry."

[Amaranth]

In this challenge you can buy all at once. You can also use salt, pepper, herbs, and spices you have on hand as long as you add the prorated cost into your amount.

True that it wouldn't help poor people much to do the challenge and stop there. Question becomes now that you are doing or have done the challenge and have this new experience and knowledge, what do choose to do to help reduce hunger?

[try2bfrugal]

Where in the world do you live? I have not seen prices like that (not even on the discount/markdown racks) for decades.
Without revealing more than you are comfortable with, are you on the west coast or the south?



I live in California.

[mm1970]

I live in California.

Okay, I'm in California, and I'm impressed. I definitely don't see those kinds of prices in Santa Barbara.

[try2bfrugal]

Okay, I'm in California, and I'm impressed. I definitely don't see those kinds of prices in Santa Barbara.

I live in Northern California near a lot of Asian and Hispanic markets where the produce is less than a third the cost of Safeway type stores. We also have a a couple of pack it yourself warehouse stores that match all of the sale prices from all of the local retail grocery stores, plus their own weekly specials. I also am on the mailing list for all of the retail grocery stores and some send personalized loss leader prices to get me in the the stores, like the 99 cent eggs for a month. I just go to stockpile the loss leaders and try not to get much else at retail prices. I think the retail stores may lose money on me but as long as they keep sending the personalized coupons I will keep using them.

[Amaranth]

Try2bfrugal, with prices like that would you be willing to contribute to the 33 cent meal thread? Bet you could do some great Asian and Hispanic meals, and especially interesting ones with eggs.

[try2bfrugal]

Try2bfrugal, with prices like that would you be willing to contribute to the 33 cent meal thread? Bet you could do some great Asian and Hispanic meals, and especially interesting ones with eggs.

Thanks for the suggestion Amaranth. My husband and kids are more meat and potato types so I do not have to many exotic recipes stored up. They are quote happy with stir fry chicken, stir fry veggies in sesame oil, rice and a smoothie for dessert.

I will see if I can come up with something interesting for 33 cents based on what is on sale this week.

[Amaranth]

Here's one that was done by a college class. There's a blog for each student on the left side.
http://umdfoodstampchallenge.edublogs.org/

Seeing their daily posts made it possible to see where their struggles occurred. Most could have been helped by a course in frugal healthy scratch cooking before the challenge.

[mm1970]

I live in Northern California near a lot of Asian and Hispanic markets where the produce is less than a third the cost of Safeway type stores. We also have a a couple of pack it yourself warehouse stores that match all of the sale prices from all of the local retail grocery stores, plus their own weekly specials. I also am on the mailing list for all of the retail grocery stores and some send personalized loss leader prices to get me in the the stores, like the 99 cent eggs for a month. I just go to stockpile the loss leaders and try not to get much else at retail prices. I think the retail stores may lose money on me but as long as they keep sending the personalized coupons I will keep using them.

That's great! We don't have very many Asian grocery stores in town. One or two tiny ones with decent prices. I do have a local Hispanic market with good prices on some types of produce. I haven't shopped there in awhile, as it's not on my normal "route".

[try2bfrugal]

The key thing I have found is to not shop at stores that spend a lot on marketing. Costco, the local warehouse chain and the ethnic markets seem to have the best prices in general prices because they have low overhead. This is to get inexepnsive whole foods. I seldom use any coupons because I try to not buy a lot of processed foods, paper towels or commercial cleaners, but I guess people who are masters at coupons can get food and other grocery store items for even less money.

[jody]

Check out this site, The Prudent Homemaker. Along with her garden and shopping sales, she feeds her family for about 40 cents a day.. Great recipes as well.