Hungry For a Month

[FI@35]

This is a pretty funny blog. This guy did an experiment to see if he could eat for a month on $30. We enjoyed it and had a few laughs as well.

http://hungryforamonth.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_hungryforamonth_archive.html

I don't think I would try to get my food expenses that low but it challenges you to think about how low you could go. We struggle on food. Seems like no matter how much you buy on sale it still adds up fast.

How low could you go?

 

[crazy connie]

I could do $25 but that would be for perishables and living off pantry and freezer. Without the store in my house, I think the lowest I would feel safe would be $50. That is somewhere I would rather not go. This is a very thought provoking blog to read. Thanks for sharing!

 

[justin]

It would suck but I could probably do it.

$0.40/lb rice from asian grocery store.
$0.60 day old loaves of bread
$0.33 cans of beans
$0.08 ramen noodles
$0.88 jars of pasta sauce (probably add water to make it go further)
$0.50/lb pasta
$0.19/lb bananas
$1.20 for 18 eggs

I just did a quick calculation - plain pasta would cost $0.60 for 2000 calories worth.

A jar of pasta sauce and 1/2 lb (4 servings) of dry pasta would provide 1200 calories at a cost of $1.15. Too expensive based on the $1/day budget. Probably have to throw in some other items, too.

I guess I could scrounge up a couple of meals per week (the homeless food line on Sundays in the park, "free" items restaurants give away as a promotion, etc).

If I had the chance to prepare for the $30/month challenge, I could probably grow my own vegetables and some fruits.

I'm basing my costs on walmart's regular prices. I know there are slightly cheaper options out there if I shop around (Aldi, regular grocery store sales).

Between classic sources of protein such as eggs and meat, it seems pretty hard to get more than 1200 calories for $1.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

nice analysis justin. i love the detail of this group.

this topic immediately brings to mind hurricane season here. when a storm approaches store shelves are stripped bare. there's not even a can of sardines to be found. who eats those?

i'm pretty sure i can live on peanut butter and jelly for as long as required. i don't know what these other people are thinking: oh no, a hurricane. i only have three weeks of food in my house. i better go shopping.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

And batteries. Dont forget to buy another 50 batteries.

Bottle of vitamin pills, a sack of dry beans and a sack of dry rice from costco. TWO months of food for $30.

 

[sailor]

nomad_chick from Simple Living boards (few posters from here post there too) has a $100 monthly grocery budget for a family of 4.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

And batteries. Dont forget to buy another 50 batteries.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI -- The Florida State Emergency Response Team has $1.8 million worth of ice cubes, enough to fill 225 trucks, sitting in cold storage in Bartow and Jacksonville. The bill for monthly storage at minus ten degrees - approximately $90,000, according to state emergency management spokesman Mike Stone.

The ice was supposed to be for emergency use, but a mild hurricane season made that unnecessary...Like most consumables, the ice has an expiration date. It will go bad if not used by around June 2007, the start of the next hurricane season, Stone said.

 

[saluki9]

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI -- The Florida State Emergency Response Team has $1.8 million worth of ice cubes, enough to fill 225 trucks, sitting in cold storage in Bartow and Jacksonville. The bill for monthly storage at minus ten degrees - approximately $90,000, according to state emergency management spokesman Mike Stone.

The ice was supposed to be for emergency use, but a mild hurricane season made that unnecessary...Like most consumables, the ice has an expiration date. It will go bad if not used by around June 2007, the start of the next hurricane season, Stone said.

I don't suppose the state also put away a couple tanker trucks full of Bacardi did they? If so, fire up the blenders

 

[Nords]

This is a pretty funny blog. This guy did an experiment to see if he could eat for a month on $30. We enjoyed it and had a few laughs as well.

Must be one o' them there gourmette foodies.

Lessee... 93 meals in a month, ramen sells for 13 cents a bag... probably carrying about 20 pounds of bodyfat that I'll never miss... yup, I get to celebrate with a McDonald's burger every week and still beat $30/month!

 

[laurence]

I actually did this for six months. Pop tarts for breakfast, Ramen for lunch and dinner, and on weekends I ate the grocery store pizza ($5 for two pizzas you baked yourself - one pizza per weekend). I actually was close to weeping at the end and gave up on living on my own at that point, moved in with Dad.

Next semester, I re-enrolled in college.

 

[Eagle43]

Heck, I could eat beans and rice for a month with a little bread. I did it growing up. If I bought them in bulk, I could use the savings to invest in another Vanguard Index Fund!

 

[Khan]

When I was first out of college, not getting paid much, and living in an expensive area; I lived on cheap food including office party leftovers (cake, donuts, cookies).

I developed several health problems, which fortunately went away when I caught on to the connection.

I don't want to think about what would happen if I tried the vitamin-free diet at my present age (56).

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Lets also pay homage to the benefits of the supermarket salad bar when nobody is looking...

One of my roommates could make a half dozen hard boiled eggs and a half pound of ham disappear in under 4 seconds.

 

[lets-retire]

I say to go to Sam's and enjoy the free buffet tehy have at luch time.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

That too...Gabe loves shopping at sams or costco. He knows which aisles have the food tables and lets me know about it. Just yesterday he got a fishstick, a meatball, two raviolis, a cup of juice and a cookie.

Cant say much for the nutritional content, but he was pretty happy about the whole situation.

 

[justin]

Chick fil A was giving out a free sandwich on Thursdays for a few months. Wendy's used to give out free small frosty's for a while. Wendy's also was giving out some kind of cinnamon bun for free during breakfast hours during the month of december. The mcdonalds on my block just had a grand re-opening where they had a different free food item each day for a few weeks. They also give out free coffee every day (or maybe just Wednesdays?) I also frequently get free coupons in the mail/online that entitle you to one free small fries/burger, etc. at various fast food restaurants. You might be able to check around and find enough of these deals to greatly aid your $1/day budget and add a little flavor.

However all the driving around that is required to take advantage of these type deals (plus the sams/costco free food) would probably cost more for gas than it would save you on food. So if your goal was to only spend $30/month on food, you would strictly meet your goal, but if frugality was your overall goal, you might be "chopping off your arm to spite your hand". I could walk to sams/costco/tons of fast food from my house, but I'd probably burn more calories walking than I would intake from eating at these places for free.

(This post is a signal to all fast food haters to commence the "OMG, Wendy's/Chickfila/Mcdonalds is the crappiest food evar" posts - but remember, beggars can't be choosers)

Maybe hit up a different church each wednesday and sunday for potlucks and tell them you're looking for a new church since you just moved to town? I think I've seen enough community groups/meetings that have free appetizers or cookies/cake refreshments to feed me a few nights per week.

If you're near a university, just walk around a few of the educational buildings during lunch or dinner time, and there's always a club of some sort having a meeting with free pizza or sandwiches ("of course I'm interested in joining the underwater basketweaving society! that's why I'm here" ).

 

[Sheryl]

Lessee... 93 meals in a month, ramen sells for 13 cents a bag... probably carrying about 20 pounds of bodyfat that I'll never miss... yup, I get to celebrate with a McDonald's burger every week and still beat $30/month!

8 cents on sale (12/$1.00).

I think I could survive without too much discomfort on ramen, peanut butter, day-old bread, tortillas, beans and rice. As long as spices I already have don't count in the $30. But I'm not all that inclined to actually try it.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

(This post is a signal to all fast food haters to commence the "OMG, Wendy's/Chickfila/Mcdonalds is the crappiest food evar" posts - but remember, beggars can't be choosers)

Eh, you tell them to leave off the cheese and mayonnaise or special sauce, skip the french fries, and have a diet coke, milk or juice and fast food is not really that bad for you. The fat and calorie content really drop.

Of course, it tastes like crap after you take all the good stuff out, but hey...

 

[sailor]

However all the driving around that is required to take advantage of these type deals (plus the sams/costco free food) would probably cost more for gas than it would save you on food. So if your goal was to only spend $30/month on food, you would strictly meet your goal, but if frugality was your overall goal, you might be "chopping off your arm to spite your hand". I could walk to sams/costco/tons of fast food from my house, but I'd probably burn more calories walking than I would intake from eating at these places for free.

Justin - I think you are overestimating calories burned while walking ( 250 kcal / 3.5 miles ). Also bicycle will make it even more efficient (400 kcal / 10 miles).

 

[justin]

Justin - I think you are overestimating calories burned while walking ( 250 kcal / 3.5 miles ). Also bicycle will make it even more efficient (400 kcal / 10 miles).

I'm a heavier than usual guy. The online calculator I went to said I'd burn 400 calories walking 3 miles at a rate of 3 miles per hour based on my height and weight. That's how fast I walk and the approximate round trip distance to Sam's from my house. I might get that many calories in a Sam's club buffet on a good day if I ate everything regardless of what it was.

If mcdonald's gives away their small french fries, I'd get 250 calories from the fries and burn 133 calories from walking there and back (1 mile). Plus all the ketchup I could eat (at 10 calories per pack ).

I wonder what's the highest calorie to cost ratio is for a fast food/prepared food item? $1 for a "ghetto big mac" at 560 calories (mcdonald's double cheeseburger plus big mac sauce)? Wonder how many calories in a whole sam's club pizza for $8? I think taco bell has some value menu tacos around 500 calories for $1.

Would it be possible to get anywhere near close to $30/month on a fast food diet?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Plus all the ketchup I could eat (at 10 calories per pack ).

Hey, that counts as a vegetable. Well, maybe only if you eat it as part of a school lunch in the 1970's. Hmm..

 

[Nords]

I'm a heavier than usual guy.

On any $30/month diet... not for long!

 

[justin]

On any $30/month diet... not for long!

Yeah, I could probably last quite a while on a $30/month diet - there probably wouldn't be enough calories. Add that to walking miles extra every day to take advantage of free food offers, and I'd be thin as a stick in a short while.