Could You Feed Yourself on $5.83 a Day?
Could You Feed Yourself on $5.83 a Day?
That’s roughly $2.00 per breakfast, lunch, and dinner (certainly not a “happy-meal” from McDonalds).
Some people, however, have little choice. Apparently 1 out of 10 Americans rely on food stamps and federal assistance to put food in their mouth every month. That’s 31 million hungry tummies!
A CNN reporter recently decided to try living on a food-stamp budget. He applied for federal food- stamp assistance, and received a miserly $176 per month (that’s around $5.83 a day, or $2.00 for more like a “hungry- meal”). His experiment poses an interesting question…
Is it possible to feed yourself on this kind of budget (without feeling a wee bit hungry)?
I think so.
Here are a few tips that can help you stretch your grocery money:
1) Buy in Bulk
Purchase dry foods like beans, rice, pastas – not individually pre-made entrees. A box of risotto rice will cost about the same as a pre-made microwavable TV dinner, but will make more meals.
2) Cook in Bulk
Cook meals in large quantities and freeze the leftovers. This is also a good way to minimize the time you spend cooking in the kitchen, as we all know time is money these days! So the next time the kids complain that their hungry, you’ve got an easy solution to get a quick meal on the table.
3) Shop on the Outside Aisles
It’s cheaper (and healthier) to buy food items around the perimeter of the grocery store. The inside aisles are generally pre-packaged and pre-processed foods that are more expensive. In fact, a lot of what you end up paying for is the cost of the packaging and the food preparation. Think about all of the money it cost manufacturers to put together a pre-packaged box of “Hungry-Jack” instant oatmeal packets that are all individually wrapped?
4) Buy Frozen Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and vegetable go bad very quickly, whereas when purchased frozen they last for months. One can easily end up putting a day’s labor down the waste disposal!
Plus, frozen tends to be cheaper. For example, a bag of spinach at Publix cost around $3.00 whereas a frozen box of spinach cost exactly $1.25 (including tax). Throw in some cheese and a can of artichokes ($2.79 ) and you’ve got yourself an easy and healthy spinach and artichoke dip that’ll feed those hungry kids and make your wallet happy for a total of $4.04.
5) Use Coupons!
Keep your eyes peeled for coupons—they really add up! There are many resources online that offer great coupon savings. Check them out:
6) Peruse Through ‘Store Savings Catalogs’
You might also want to pick up a Store Savings Catalog. Many grocery stores advertise special savings throughout the week, which you can pick up at the front when you walk in. These catalogs tell you exactly what food items are on sale throughout the store.
7) Create a ‘Price-Record’
Record the cost of individual grocery items in a small notepad. Then compare prices. An additional benefit of keeping a price-record, allows you to visually see if your food items fit into your grocery budget—so you don’t overspend!
8) Don’t Be Fooled by Sales
Just because an item is on sale doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily cheaper, or a good buy. For example, the other day I almost bought a 12 oz can of diced tomatoes that were on “sale” at the front of the grocery store. I decided to compare prices, so I ventured to the canned food aisle. To my surprise, I found a 24 oz can for half the price of the advertised 12 oz can! The lesson I learned was, to not get sucked into “impulse” buys. A little price-comparing can really pay off.
9) Don’t Shop When Your Hungry!
Ever notice that your hunger appetite tends to dictate your shopping?!
——
We know it’s harder to put food on the table these days. Maximizing your dollar at the grocery store, however, will put more in your grocery basket and more in your mouth at the end of the day.
We’d really love to hear some of your smart-shopping tips?
24. February 2009 at 10:28 pm :
I don’t know if I could feed myself on $5.83/day (unless I settled for 1 meal a day — not going to happen!), but I can say I have cut back considerably on all those luxury items like bottled water (goodbye Acqua Panna), yummy cheeses, snack foods, processed foods, and expensive organic fruits & veggies.
25. February 2009 at 10:12 am :
I have fed a family of 4 adults on $5 a day. It can be done. It’s not fun…but it’s possible.
Cutting meat completely out of the diet, cutting red meat out, or at least cutting meat down to the actual recommended daily amount will greatly save on food.
Really…what is wrong with PB & J a few nights a week? Did you know that a peanut butter sandwich with real fruit spread and glass of milk is a complete balanced meal?
Eating tastes good, we sometimes forget that we eat for a reason. To keep our body alive and healthy. Half of what we actually enjoy eating is not even healthy for us, and often we eat far more than we need to. If everyone really had to live on $5 a day, we would all learn to change our eating habits, shop at neighborhood fruit and veggie stands and become much more creative with out meals….but then we would really hurt the factory farmers.
25. February 2009 at 1:49 pm :
I love PB&J’s!!!! Best meal ever!
26. February 2009 at 1:30 am :
If I was given 5.00 a day, …well, let’s see, one thing I live on is a great big bag of pinto beans…with onion, and bacon cooking in a crock pot…usually make a huge big pot, and that always lasts me a long time..
I go to the thrift bakeries,…and stock up on bread, flour tortillas, and get so much more by buying it that way and freezing it..
Also,…lots of canned food and I look for the ten for ten dollars ones..
I get powdered milk, and mix half and half water and milk, if I really want to spread it longer..
Gotta have my coffee..but what I did…was a while back, bought a two cup coffee maker, so i’ wouldn’t waste any.
Remember to buy canned goods on sale…one day it might be green beans, the next day, it might be carrots, etc…all of those can be thrown into a crock pot..
Listen to this…
One big can of Chicken Broth,..two cans of stewed tomatoes…
A can if you want, of chicken…or two..
onions, green beans, corn,.carrots, celery…salt and pepper…makes a huge big stew..and lasts for a few meals…I like that with a big peice of french bread,and butter..
also good old Top Raman..
We used to buy those cheap hot dogs…then we would buy tons of top raman…and then cook it, drain it, and put garlic,butter, and cooked hot dogs in it…top it with parmesean cheese..
I am telling you kids…there is a way to make it…
Ive gone to the thrift bakeries, and gotten eight loaves of bread for maybe five dollars or less depending…
so just be imaginative, and if I think of anything else. YOU GOT IT!
26. February 2009 at 6:54 am :
Our family of four has also lived on a $5.00 a day budget, and I agree it can be done. Although there are people out there who will tell you that it’s not.
There have also been days, years back, where having $5.00 a day for food
was a luxury.
When we were able, we would plant a garden, full of vegtables a strawberry patch, Rhubarb and Sun Flowers, our kids would work with us, and we made it a fun family thing, some we would sell for extra cash if we could and some we shared with our neighbors. We’d can all of our own veggies….I sure miss that now, but I’m glad that I was able to pass it on to our kids and their generation.
26. February 2009 at 10:40 am :
Hey, you don’t have to give up organics, just look around for a small time farmer. Most are staying away from chemical farming and moving towards organics. Any farmer will be more than happy to tell you all about his soil and insect program…he will talk both your ears off then might just give you a few extra veggies for listening.
26. February 2009 at 3:17 pm :
Great points! There are plenty of ways to save money and eat for less – just have to know how!
Becky – Organics around here are triple the price, and the small time farmers are the worst!!!! $2 for a tomato!!!! One Tomato!!!!
27. February 2009 at 11:33 am :
I have found that along the roads out toward the country, you can find the best vegatable stands…and that is the best deals in town! You can get a big bag of oranges for three dollars, or less..you can get ten avacado’s for two dollars,..at least where I live you can…
so for twenty dollars, you can really stock up your refrigerator, which is great if you have a big family
28. February 2009 at 11:55 am :
We have learned to eat alot of soups. A couple of our favorite meals is soup and peanut butter and honey sandwiches or chicken pot pies. One of those pies can sure fill me up.
We wait till things go on sale and then use coupons. If you watch you can get somethings for almost free. It takes more time but, sure pays off in the end.
There are a lot of good ideas here. Hoping everyone is having a good week end.
MJ
28. February 2009 at 12:21 pm :
Something my father used to make, that went a long way…
He would make chicken soup…but then, he would thicken the soup with chicken gravy.
He would add some potatoes, and carrots,celery etc..
green peas…
he would either use a whole chicken,or by chicken breasts…then, he would make pie crusts, or buy them pre-made.
He would fill the eight in pie crust with the filling, and put a top on it..
It was the worlds largest chicken pot pie!
Two of those with some mashed potatoes goes a long way…and it made use of the chicken soup!
1. March 2009 at 1:56 am :
Wow, Michelle sorry our local farmers are worse. We get really good luck here in the rural area. I can get huge zucchini over a foot long and about 3 inch diameter for 75 cents, summer squash I can get a whole lunch bag full for a dollar and I get about 8 huge tomatoes for a dollar. Fruits are really cheap. We have a flea market about 30 minutes from my home and there are stands everywhere of local farmers selling their wares. When I was without a scooter I couldn’t go, but now we can get good fresh veggies really cheap.
Our family avoids canned and salty foods. Both foods are low in nutrients and far too high in salts that restrict the absorption of the available nutrients so we don’t shop for canned, prepackaged or frozen dinners very often because the trade off is worse than eating unsalted crackers and peanut butter. When you are denying your body proper nutrients and eating foods far too high is salt and preservative you are feeding fatigue and a lowered immune system, adding to irritable bowl syndromes, muscle cramping and weakness as well as of course circulatory problems resulting in less oxygen in the brain and the inability to properly handle stressful situations or those that require good cognitive ability.
Reducing your body and brain reduces your ability to handle the problems that are causing you to eat poorly to begin with. If you find you are forced to either buy a pack or raman noodles, can of soup or a canned vegetable for dinner. Maybe look at the produce isle for a sweet potato, squash, or some kind of veggie instead. Pick up a bag of rice or a box of plain pasta. Bag of beans, can of oatmeal. Any of those options would be better than the low nutrient high salt foods.
Study the daily nutrient needs, study the foods that help other foods in the belly so you have foods that work together to maximize the nutrient absorption.
2. March 2009 at 9:44 pm :
Michelle wrote:
“I don’t know if I could feed myself on $5.83/day (unless I settled for 1 meal a day — not going to happen!)”
Michelle’s daily dietary intake: Candy Hearts
<3
4. March 2009 at 8:36 am :
Aww…I can’t eat candy hearts, I’m diabetic! That’s a tease
My daily dietary intake: Coffeeeee
5. March 2009 at 3:41 pm :
I have to say…coming from a mother of 3, that even cutting yourself out of the equation that I truely feel there no way to feed yourself heathy on $5.83 a day…Chuildren need more proteins and vitmins to grow heathy and strong….I know people have to do, what they have to do, but again that goes to show how our own world is running….There is so much ugly not enough beauty…smile at a stranger…hug a bully…and smell the roses…..God Bless
5. March 2009 at 5:59 pm :
Well it is very hard to feed yourself with that much. My dad recieves foodstamps and you have to be very selective in what you buy. We eat spaghetti and meatballs a lot, and make your own tacos. Anything that there will be leftovers for the next day. He likes to make turkey or whole chickens so that he can make soup with the carcus, and wraps or sandwhiches with the extra meat. You have to make the most out of the food you get.
Believe me it can be hard sometimes when you really want that snack food or orange juice that costs way too much, but when your dad can somehow turn anything into a gourmet meal on a foodstamps budget it is a lot easier…
7. March 2009 at 4:33 pm :
If you are experiencing hard times financially, regardless of the reason, it is important to incorporate a mind-set when shopping!
1. When basics are on sale – stock -up now.
2. Adopt the mind sent of looking at the percentage of savings in all you purchase..this will go a long way in stretching your dollar. The percentage of savings add up quickly monthly/yearly.
3. Be honest with yourself first, and then tell freinds and family one at time that you cannot afford the level of gifts/activites you used to engage in…true caring friends and family will understand, and in my case, this motivated them to visit with gifts of food and other items. Harbour no shame..it is life and called being HUMAN!
8. March 2009 at 2:57 am :
The good old 99 cent store is always a great place to shop also…You can find many good deals there, but be sure to look and see if you are really getting a deal or not.
I love to get spagetti there, canned anything…and buying cooking aids,…very cheap..
Where there is a will there is a way!
8. March 2009 at 1:12 pm :
If I only had five dollars a day, I wouldnt make it in this world. I do love peanut butter and bread, but not everyday.
9. March 2009 at 2:13 am :
I fight fatigue by taking vitamins. B 12 is great for energy. Then, I take my multi, caltrate, and vitamin e. Were in the big world with a lot of stress, which can wear you down. Take care of the temple God gave you. Most of us have children who need us.
11. March 2009 at 12:31 pm :
Hi Christy…yes,…b 12 is a lifesaver!
I need to take my vitamins again myself, and thanks for reminding me!
Funny you would say how much you love Peanut butter and bread…that is all I used to eat..
You can go to the thrift bakery, and buy bread for half of what you normally would, and even cheaper some places…freeze it, and then there you go.
I also like to buy their goodies,sometimes you can buy their apple pies, etc…for five for a dollar where i live..
Hey sometimes you can’t always eat as healthy as you want, but i love a little treat with my coffee!!
It gives me energy!
1. April 2009 at 2:33 am :
There have been times that I only have $5 for a week and let me tell you coupons and anything else you can find sure helps. If you watch the coupons real close you can get things totally free. Have a good night everyone!!!
5. May 2009 at 5:27 pm :
Hey everyone!! Ok, I’m the queen of thrift here….sometimes my family really gets on me because I can stretch a big pot roast almost all week!!! Ok, here’s one idea – and I have a family of 4, me, my husband, and our kids, and our son who is a huge eater, as most growing boys (he’s 19 now) are!! We hunt, which I know is not feasible for everyone, but for us it is essential. We do all the cutting, wrapping, etc., ourselves, so my only cost is for the license, the wrapping paper and tape! So I will put a big pot roast in the crock pot with potatoes, carrots, celery, onions…one package of onion soup mix, and let that baby cook all day. Wonderful roast for dinner, complete w/veggies – add a salad and wala. And the generic brand corn muffin mixes are awesome instead of rolls – add a spoonful of honey to the mix, and it’s great with your next meal too!! Ok, so you have pot roast the first night. To the leftover meat, add bbq sauce – you can have bbq sandwiches, you can have bbq roast over the cornbread, or….add can of red kidney beans, can of pork n beans, then your bbq sauce, a little water, and there again, you have a couple great ideas. Ok, so after night number 2, and you’ve had your bbq roast sammies, use the remaining bbq meat, put a couple spoonfuls on a flour tortilla, add some shredded cheese (I buy the big bag and divide it into say, 5 smaller bags to use as needed), some salsa (the dollar store variety is great), and some sour cream, shredded lettuce, and you are good to go!! Ok, so maybe that pot roast only stretched for 3-4 days, but you can buy a good quality roast for $8-9, and if it even lasts for 3 days, or even 2 for that matter, you are giving a good meal for a family of 4 for not much more than pennies.
And I agree, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a mom’s best friend!! For a twist, I add honey instead of jelly….slice up a banana, maybe add some raisins, and there you have a good, healthy, inexpensive meal. And another one (my family is burned out on this one) is oatmeal. It is a very healthy, heart happy meal, that can be wonderful any time of the day. The big containers of it are very inexpensive, under $2 and can give many, many meals for your family. Oh, I have to share this one too, and that is a turkey – they don’t have to be just for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I will buy one after the holidays, they generally go on sale then, and fix it without all the trimmings. I cut it up, take enough of the meat for the meal for that same day/evening, etc., then divide the rest, place in ziplocks and freeze them for later. One 12lb. turkey can provide at least one month of dinners, turkey casserole, turkey enchiladas (yep, we love Mexican food), turkey sandwiches, shredded turkey salad, your choices are limitless, and with some dried herbs and seasonings it give awesome meals your family will love.
…..oh, and then there is the old favorite, hot dogs and mac n cheese!!! WOW I’m hungry, so I’m off to decide what to make…….
Blessings everyone!!!
Keryl
5. May 2009 at 5:38 pm :
alright, I wasn’t going to write any more on this, but I have to add a couple things that I learned from serving in Haiti – granted, I know the cost of things are so incredibly different from there to here, but I do believe, if we had to, that we could provide meals for our families on $5 per day. Rice and beans are a staple in Haiti. If absolutely necessary, you could live on that – they do, and on much, much less. Rice is a good carbohydrate and can be cooked in ways that are healthy. Rice can be used for a breakfast meal, adding a small amount of milk, brown sugar, raisins, can be used like oatmeal. Beans are a great source of nutrition, and are very inexpensive. You can cook up a pot of beans and stretch it out across many meals, adding fresh veggies, or frozen or canned, for variety. Beans are good for breakfast too, if you have eggs available, you can scramble some eggs, add some beans to the side, and you have a good combination of protein and healthy carbs. Ok, I’m done for now!!! Everyone have a great day!
6. May 2009 at 3:54 pm :
Keryl – hahah – great suggestions!
29. May 2009 at 3:04 am :
[...] The Hungry: A bus driver’s tale of good deed Could You Feed Yourself On $5.83 A Day? Posted in Fundraising, Micro Charity by The MicroGiving Team Tags: donor cancellation report, [...]
2. June 2009 at 8:49 pm :
I can easily feed my family on under $6. First off – I hardly eat – so that is easy. Then my daughter has such limited things that she can chew and swallow still that the household staples are – PB&J, Macaroni, Spagetti, Chicken Patties, Bologna, Corn, ice pops, etc..
I have also found that the “Dollar Tree” store has a TON of foods she can eat, and likes! I have my groceries down to under $30/ week. (usually $15)
Tricia
12. July 2009 at 8:38 pm :
Oh Oh yes the DollarTtree …thank you God for that chain! Another way to save b/c of a limited budget is alot of mega churches have a food pantry that they open up after church services……they understand that times are hard right now.,..and thats why they are there to help feed the many that cant make ends meet right now.Some churches will even give you a card… and you can go to the pantry every Sunday after church while in need of help with food.
18. August 2009 at 10:57 am :
As far as I know when the cancel the US version of unemployment and kick you over to food stamps that is the only federal welfare payment made. So how do you pay for accommodation, clothing and the energy to cook your cheap bulk buy basic ingredients.
18. August 2009 at 11:40 am :
$5 a day comes out to 50 packs of ramen. Thats a hell of a lot of ramen. I fail to see how anyone could literally starve on $5 a day.
19. August 2009 at 8:43 am :
Try this site and then google Rep. John Dougal. On the foodstamp challenge he lived on 1.05 per meal. sure he ate a lot of pb&j(bout 1 meal a day) but 1.05 per meal(3.15 per day) is a lot less than 5.83 per day. So doing what Rep. John Dougal did and adding in the extra money that he didnt have it should be a breeze to make it.
http://www.coolestfamilyever.com/2007/05/21/week-on-food-stamps-you-were-supposed-to-suffer-not-innovate/
22. August 2009 at 9:32 pm :
Hi Brian, I really don’t think people would starve on $5 if they concentrated on things the body actually needs and not so much on what is wanted. Meats and cheese seem to be what really raises the cost of groceries but those are two food sources the human body actually needs the least of (besides sugar and fat) I know I can buy a bag of rice and a bag of beans with just enough left over to get a bag of frozen mixed veggies and I can feed a family of 4 adults on that. If I have left over chicken or fish from another meal it’s cut into tiny pieces and frozen to toss one of these meals for the added protein. Ramen can be used in so many creative ways that it’s a great staple food to keep on hand. You can add different kinds of cereals to a leafy salad instead of croutons and pack some nutrients in that way…it’s about creativity I think and coming away from the idea that meat has to be the main part of a meal when even science has shown meat is only needed in small quantities and most meats play a part in circulatory disorders.
Robert, I have been homeless and on foodstamps only when I was with my first ex-husband. Cooking my food was no problem, I used fire. We traded for use of a piece of land. You trade what you have to trade with, labor, skill, extra food, or whatever you had in your home before you lost your income. It’s not an easy way of life, but again it’s possible. I think it’s because other than 6 years in my entire life when I was living with a man who made a good income…I have been at or below poverty level and many times could not pay the rent and wound up having to survive one way or another and since I’m here today I guess I did pretty good. When you are not paying rent you don’t get welfare checks or foodstamps so whenever I have lived somewhere that didn’t have a mailbox I didn’t have any help, you can only get that help if someone is willing to say you rent a piece of land from them and since that holds them responsible, nobody will give you a rental agreement to pitch a tent in the woods behind their house or in their back yard, or on a hunting tract they own…nobody will claim you are living in their outside dirt floor cellar. That means you have to trade what you can for food, and a sterno kit to cook it if you are in a building and use fire if you are outside. If you are lucky enough to have someone say you live on their property and you can get food stamps, you can often trade food for needed things. Yes…it’s wrong to trade food bought with food stamps but on the other hand, food stamps are meant to keep your family alive and if trading food is what you have to do to survive well….
You are right though…life after unemployment is a rough road. All I can really say is while you do have income, study some of the information about “the end of the world as we know it” there are some excellent survival methods to learn because when you are suddenly without income, it really is the end of the world as you knew it and you have to know how to survive without money or the modern conveniences you have always understood to be basic needs….The cavemen did it, we have evolved and are more intelligent we can do it, we just need to remember how.