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Frozen veggies are $1 a bag - one bag a day.
Lentils/beans. Sooooo cheap. Protein and fiber and complex carbs.
Rotate a different fruit every week (1-2 a day).
Vine ripened tomatoes (4 for $3) for the splurge.
I only drink water anyway and have drastically reduced my meat consumption. I also don't eat much (crap) bread.
The risk for health problems on a Taco Bell diet is high. I wouldn't eat there if you paid me. My body would go into shock. Hope dude at store has plenty of leave and health insurance. I'm betting he doesn't have either. He's basically getting zero vitamins or fiber. Since he is working I wonder why his food budget is set so low. Times are tough for many people but it appears to me he is in over his head as far as other expenses he can possibly cut back on.
This is a depressing thread. Reading all of this unhealthy food listed made my eyes sore so I had to quit
High cost metro. He probably makes $11 /hour part time. And pays $700/mo to rent a room in a crappy area that is an easy bike ride to his job. I don't know anything about him but honestly it is pretty pricy to live in our area and there isn't really a cheaper option.
High cost metro. He probably makes $11 /hour part time. And pays $700/mo to rent a room in a crappy area that is an easy bike ride to his job. I don't know anything about him but honestly it is pretty pricy to live in our area and there isn't really a cheaper option.
You bring up an interesting point. Instead of shopping at our normal grocery store in the Fancy Pants part of town, I should probably start my experiment by driving to where food is much cheaper.
You know what? I can go to the store tomorrow and use 25$ only and see how far I get.
More interesting if we all try doing it and report back than just pontificate.
Gosh I was feeling frivolous because I had spent $25 that day on a few random (and premium) things.
Nitrate free bacon, beans, brown rice, organic milk, organic yogurt, onions, some spices, and organic oats. Just enough for planned slow cooker experiments. My weekly budget is 3x more than his and fluid. If my favorite yogurt is more it isn't a big deal.
I think I will go to a cheaper grocery store and see what I could get.
You bring up an interesting point. Instead of shopping at our normal grocery store in the Fancy Pants part of town, I should probably start my experiment by driving to where food is much cheaper.
I have been fortunate enough not to have to worry much about food. Sure there were a few days here and there in my 20s that I had a cash flow problem and was living paycheck to paycheck, but my pantry and/or freezer always had workable stuff. And I could have afforded $5 for a protein to round out my pasta or a can of beans. I always had plenty of staples, rice and spices. That bad week for me might have meant a $25 food budget with a well stocked pantry. Quite easy to deal with if you only needed meat, breakfast and produce for a couple of days.
This thread does nothing except illustrate the differences in food costs throughout the country. I haven't seen a loaf of bread for a dollar in years, let alone a jar of mayo or a pound of chicken thighs or legs.
A number of stores charge $1 for bread. Locally, the 99 Only sells all the bread for $1.00; Walmart sells its Italian and French bread for the same amount.
The carrots and onions are to flavor the lentils. Eggs for breakfast and dinner potentially. Raisins and possibly peanut butter to flavor and bulk up the oatmeal. Or toast and eggs or peanut butter sandwiches can also work for breakfast.
I picked lentils as they cook up quickly. If one of those items were a bit cheaper, I'd buy 2 slices of bacon at the butcher and use them in my lentils. The veggies as a side for dinner.
Not uber healthy but doable I think. And easy to cook for a single without much time. I have an assumption there is already salt, pepper and oil.
The poster I responded too assumed $100 a month with some weeks where more than $25 was available. This didn't appear to be the case for my example the $25 was fixed. Sometimes the suggestions assume people have access to amounts larger than their budgets temporarily.
Why is the $25 fixed? Is it some sort of weekly government program that is a use it or lose it type deal? If I were to only spend $15 one week, why can't that $10 I didn't spend go towards next week's groceries?
I have a grocery budget, but it's spread out over a month and not a week. I don't spend the same amount each week, because I don't buy the exact same things every week. Some weeks I might only need a few items while other weeks I might be buying food that's keeps longer and lasts for weeks. I'm not going to buy rice, pasta or condiments each week. Otherwise my pantry would be overflowing with those items.
Like this week we went grocery shopping and bought
2 Greek yogurts ($1 each)
Bell pepper (3 for $1)
Mozzarella ($3)
Can of corn (.69)
roma tomatoes (.98 a pound)
Avocados (.98 each)
Peanut butter ($2)
Sour dough bread ($3)
So about $15. Are those complete meals? No, but I already have pasta, rice, black beans, tortilla shells, onions, grapefruit, chicken, steak, bread, almond milk, cereal, flour, sugar, spices, chicken stock, jelly, lime juice, lemon juice, potatoes etc. at home to complete my meals with.
Last edited by Sundaydrive00; 01-13-2015 at 01:00 AM..
I forgot about potatoes, dead cheap (can be as little as 30 cents a kilo) and very filling. I'd get a kilo of potatoes too and some cream or cheese for some of the meals.
Would be interesting to actually try living off that money for a week. I went to the shop today and spent my 21 euros and all I got for it was some salad ingredients and bread.
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