# 20 dollar a week food challenge; day 3



## bee (May 12, 2002)

That's right, day three. I started monday and will not eat anything that brings my total over 20 dollars for the week.

I'll start off with what I can't have..completely out of budget.

coffee
creamer(well at least I don't need this one without the coffee)
canned fruits
candy
sodas


I could have pigged out on ramen @ 6 for a dollar on sale Martin's but decided to see what I could do with real food.

I set it in my head that the scene is this; I just got into a new town, paid for my fully furnished efficency apt and have 20 dollars for food while I try to find a job. A friend will send me 20 dollars a week just for food until I find a job(hey she's hurting too!!) Fully furnished as in right down to silverware but not so much as salt and pepper in the kitchen.

Manager of the complex told me the food pantries had to shut down but there is a salvage grocery store a block west and a large chain store 2 blocks east. First stop the salvage store. Purchased:
1lb dried blackeye peas...69 cents
dented family size can of green peas 29 ounces....79 cents
dented can of green limas 15.5 ounces..49 cents
5 lb bag of buttermilk corn bread mix...1.49
2lb box of white rice ..99 cents
total 4.45

On to the large chain and buy:
14 oz ring beef smoked sausage..1.49
16 oz jar name brand Peanutbutter on sale .99
12 ounce roll of pork sausage on sale 1.00

to be continued..gotta go to work!:hammer:


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

so you spent about $8?? Thats pretty good. 
maybe you could buy some fruit and some bread or crackers. Are you going to cook the sausage with the blackeyed peas?? 
How about some tasters choice coffee singles...the ten pack is about 1.25.
maybe you should get two jars of the peanut butter for your stockpile


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

sorry the list isn't finished..I did spend the 20..I'll continue tonight!


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## AmberLBowers (Nov 28, 2008)

I hope you got some eggs and milk for the cornbread mix


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

I'm at work, but will add my challenge information after I get home. (I did start with salt and pepper, LOL!)

Kathleen


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## kirkmcquest (Oct 21, 2010)

You gotta have eggs...also if you beat an egg into some hot Ramen noodle soup you get a nice little meal of egg drop soup.

Cabbage is really cheap and very healthy green. I eat on about $20 per week not counting coffee, which I'm not giving up. I know its possible for you to do it because I do it every week!


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## foaly (Jan 14, 2008)

kirkmcquest said:


> You gotta have eggs...also if you beat an egg into some hot Ramen noodle soup you get a nice little meal of egg drop soup.


Ooohhh, that's a good idea. Never thought of that.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

In my younger days I learned you can do a lot with ramen if you put your head to it. Egg drop soup is a good one. Various vegi's added is always nice. You can drain it and make a lot of different pasta dishes with it, though it's not gourmet...lol


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

Are you going to post a different thread each day or just update this one?


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

Oh and what are you actually eating each day for your meals?


Good luck!!!!!


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

Just got in from work so I will add the rest of the list of what I bought with my 20 dollars for this week and what I have been cooking with it.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts...1.65
1 medium onion...50 cents
corn oil, 24 ounces...1.99
salt and pepper picnic set...89 cents on sale
5 bananas..60 cents
100 count tagless tea bags...99 cents
sugar, one pound....89cents
Rasin bread loaf,,store brand on sale....1.79
1 dozen small eggs...99cents
1 pound peeled baby carrots...1.00 on sale
1 small pattypan squash...25 cents

looks like about 19.97 without any taxes...(correct the smoked sausage to 1.99)

Now some of the whys..the salt and pepper picnic set was cheaper than the smallest tin of pepper and will last out the month at least. This will allow me to get other things in the coming weeks.
Typical breakfast is a slice of raisin bread with peanutbutter, half a banana and hot tea.
Some meals have been smoked sausage and blackeyed peas over rice with cornbread, chicken fried rice with peas,carrots, onion and egg and chicken rice soup.
I fried out the roll sausage and saved the fat to use for flavor and frying. Added some of this crumbled sausage to cornmeal mix for johnnycakes; will make some sausage gravy later in the week.
The buttermilk corn bread mix has been good and bad..I used it to bread half the squash for frying for lunch today...semi-successful. I cooked some of the mix for mush with crumbled sausage and egg and fried this in sausage grease..good. Mix made per directions was too dry for me..no butter in the budget yet.
Getting a lot of milage out of that onion.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

carryovers(the stuff that won't be used up this week)

some rice
corn oil
teabags
salt and pepper
corn meal mix
some peanutbutter
sugar

Chicken breasts were purchased because of cost. 1.65 as opposed to larger packages of the drums and thighs that were on sale..all over 5 dollars a pack. I wanted to make stock to work with, maybe next week.
One thing is for sure,,kitchen time is a MUST to make this work if you want MEALS not (forgive me) ramen or dollar frozen pizza and tv dinners.


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## Goatress (Feb 4, 2011)

Impressive.... Milk is out of the budget, yes?


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

Milk was too expensive for this week..I should be able to get at least a quart next week.

I tried for filling foods,flavor and versatility as well as nutrition(sp).

The pound of dried peas was the real winner,,,69 cents and made a pot big enough to eat once a day all week!
Choosing meats like the smoked sausage gives the advantage of more flavor in smaller amounts used so that you have "some" meat in more dishes.
I chose the rice over potato(even the instant mashed) because it worked better with several other foods chosen. If I had bought potato, it would have been instant..no waste and potato flakes can be used to thicken soups and stews, as well as bread meats and fish.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

Milk is a rare thing in my house, and we do about 20 bucks a piece per week too, often less. We do have dry milk though, if we need some for baking.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

So Nickie...what are some of your favorites for multi-use, flavor and sheer stretchability????

Wthout some flavor it gets hard to continue..unless one MUST!


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

we by bacon from a farmer friend who makes his own, also he gives us hocks and other things for flavoring soups, beans etc....we eat a lot of beans and rice! Since I have a garden, I get a lot of flavorings from that too, homemade garlic and onion powder, basil, etc. DH gets a free ham at christmas where he works, we don't like eating ham much so most of it gets chopped up and tossed in the freezer for the times we do use it, and the bone of course gets froze and used for flavorings too. Yeah, when we were first starting out all we coupd afford per week was a package of balone and a loaf of white bread weekly. We'd go to bed with our tummies so empty it hurt every night so $40 for two people a week seems like a lot to us, especially with the garden.

Over time I have collected items to make home made stuff from people giving to us or finding at thrift stores or dumpster diving.... Other then my new cast iron pan, all my utensils and bowls and plates and even the oven were scrounged so I save even more now as I by bulk grains and make everything homemade when I have a day off from work, I spend that time cooking for the days ahead when I don;t have time to do everything from scratch. Next I want to learn how to make home made pasta.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

Oh my Nickie!! So glad times are comparibly better for you!

This will tell my age; but when I moved into my first apartment(everything included but tv,phone and food) I lived on pot pies,,then 4 for a dollar. I moved up to tuna and mac and cheese(5 for a dollar). Of course the job was waitress at .75 an hour plus tips. Check for a 40 hr week was 28 dollars and change.....


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## Trixters_muse (Jan 29, 2008)

Good job on the budget. 

I am at the point I just buy whatever I have the money to buy to stock the pantry but I have been stocking up for over four years now so I am in a good place. When I first started, I fed three of us 3 meals a day plus snacks and an occasional treat/dessert on $60 a week. That included feeding a bottomless pit teen boy and buying extras to put in the pantry. Prices are higher now and I know I wouldn't get as much for my money but it can still be done and you don't have to eat junk if you cook good food and not artificial junk. Once you get your basics established it's pretty easy to stay on budget and growing herbs and greens on a window sill helps a 
lot.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Since we are fortunate enough to raise all our meat, and some of our veges, we are able to afford coffee, cheese (we eat a lot of cheese) and my husband has some kind of love affair with Rockstar, although he has limited himself to one a day now.

I have no idea what we spend on food. I don't think its much. We do have a salvage grocery here. That is the only time we have cereal, if I get it from there. Guess I should look into it. Thanks for the motivation!


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

I ate potatoes for a whole week(well 6 days).It was all I had, when my dad heard about it 'e "like to 'ave had a cow". Was to proud to ask for help and the fix I was in was caused by me,so I jist rode 'er out.
After the wreck of'97(divorce)I was alone, disabled, legally blind and live on 93$ a month food stamps for a whole year, ate well and even had treats for youngest daughter and granson when they spent the weekends with me.:gossip:


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

bee- If only I could find some of those prices out here... I watch every penny and shop for bargains, yet I can't find peanut butter that cheap! I would have tried to find a dollar, for a pound package of margarine.

poorboy - when I was younger early/ mid 20's and working at a fish hatchery, I was once on the trout and potatoes diet for a week or two. We got paid only once a month, and I had a large vehicle repair bill that month.


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## stamphappy (Jul 29, 2010)

In my early 20's DH and I were scrappin' by. I remember for a month or two skipping breakfast, getting coffee at work and eating lipton cream of chicken soup packets at lunch (my employer supplied them, coffee, tea, and cocoa in the staff room). Dinner was beanie-weanies. We'd buy big cans of pork-n-beans and purchase the cheapest hot dogs we could get. We'd season it with garlic powder and mustard to make it more 'gourmet'. One big can and 3 hot dogs would make 2 dinners for us. Gosh, I won't forget that month or two.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I think $20 a week is doable especially if you could start with basic flour, sugar, salt, pepper, chili power, garlic powder stuff most of us have on hand at any given time. Starting from scratch would definitely be very difficult for the first few weeks. However, with the way prices are jumping up I'm not sure it will even be possible much longer. Stock your larders folks. I bought frozen lemonade at Walmart on June 22 for 78Â¢ a can. Today it was $1.18. That's 40Â¢ in less than a month. Cantaloupe has been 99Â¢ regularly at Aldis -- today it was $2.29. 

This week and last week's store ads have not had much on sale. Or maybe I should say not much that I would buy. I did buy whole chicken breast for 99Â¢ a pound but that was about it. However, we've had three meals off one chicken breast (2 of us) and there is enough left for chicken and noodles which will stretch it another 2 or 3 meals. I have frozen bones, broth & skin from our last chicken breast which I will boil up with the remains of this one to make broth for the noodles and then chop the last of the chicken breast into the noodles. I'll make two eggs of noodles and use at least half. So basically that $1.97 chicken breast has provided meat for a week.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

If you have a Mor-for-Less store they are the ones with 16.3 ounce Peter Pan Peanutbutter on sale for 99 cents limit 10.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Skrimp all the free things you can get. For example, go to MsD's and buy a 1.00 fry, then help yourself to a pocket full of free salt and pepper packages, and ketchup packages. 

There have been times on road trips that we took some extra free condiment packages at the gas station when we stopped for drinks.

There was a time years ago when we didn't have money for food. I worked at a pizza place and took home cast off pizza every night. Granted we got REALLY sick of pizza, and after I quit, I didn't eat it for probably 5 years, but free food is free food.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

InvalidID said:


> In my younger days I learned you can do a lot with ramen if you put your head to it. Egg drop soup is a good one. Various vegi's added is always nice. You can drain it and make a lot of different pasta dishes with it, though it's not gourmet...lol


Ramen hacks

http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/03/...t-noodles-japanese-what-to-do-with-ramen.html


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

radiofish said:


> poorboy - when I was younger early/ mid 20's and working at a fish hatchery, I was once on the trout and potatoes diet for a week or two.


LOL,lived next to a duck farm once,they gave me cracked eggs free,dang but I ate a lot of eggs when a starving student.

I have to say I have NO food budget now,I want it I buy it,end of story.But I DO shop bargains,nothing extravagant,meat only sales and into freezer,that sort of thing.

I dont scrimp and eat brains and chicken feet,not at all,BTDT when ANY food was good,not going back until I have to.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

I still have plenty of food to do me out the rest of the week but I have lost my appetite..heat ack!

And I forgot I RSVPed to go to a 50th birthday party Sunday..well it will be FREE food so it doesn't come out of my budget.....

Then there is my Mom; she thinks I am starving myself..what in only 5 days???

Time to fix some lunch..I think it will be smoked sausage with green limas and rice!


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Well I do have some concern that people have put to much importance on having some food left to carry over to the next week. Have you counted calories for what your eating? If your working at all I would say a minimum of 1500 a day is good.


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## pamda (Oct 14, 2004)

We are eating cheap (CHEAP) this week. I fed horses this last week end and sold 2 packs of diapers I bought with Swagbuck money, was a gift that was not needed ( I found something nicer in closet) So I went to dollar tree and found flour burrito wraps 4 packs for $1.00 and smoked sausages 4 to a pack also four packs for 1.00 . I got four wrap packs and 2 sausage packs. Wraps are better than bread to me and you can stuff anything in them. That with some frozen veggies and some chicken thighs aslo from same dollar store have feed us all week (of course I had a bunch of leftovers also) . We seem to be ok calorie wise no one is complaining so far. They had blue bonnet margerine and breakfast foods this week but know black tea and no coffee or hot cocoa, only sugar free drink mixes, which makes drinking water a good thing.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I think as long as you aren't hungry, you are probably getting enough calories...after all, it's only the first week that is a little lean while you are getting the basics. I've been doing the challenge, too, but haven't had the time to get it all posted yet. As each week builds on the last, the food selection becomes more varied and nutritious. Most Americans could stand to lose a bit of weight and being a bit low on calories or not having the best combo of nutritious foods for a few weeks isn't going to kill you. A bottle of multivitamins from Dollar Tree is cheap insurance that you are at least getting the basic vitamins.


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## Classof66 (Jul 9, 2011)

stamphappy said:


> In my early 20's DH and I were scrappin' by. I remember for a month or two skipping breakfast, getting coffee at work and eating lipton cream of chicken soup packets at lunch (my employer supplied them, coffee, tea, and cocoa in the staff room). Dinner was beanie-weanies. We'd buy big cans of pork-n-beans and purchase the cheapest hot dogs we could get. We'd season it with garlic powder and mustard to make it more 'gourmet'. One big can and 3 hot dogs would make 2 dinners for us. Gosh, I won't forget that month or two.


Those soup packets aren't bad mixed in with a pack of ramen noodles.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

lol I'll be with you in spirit next week, no $$ for groceries at all this next week or two.

Stupid car radiator! Thank goodness its a really good garden year. But I wish the pullets would start laying since i'm out of eggs.

Anyone wanna trade some peppers, carrots, basil and cucumbers for a dozen or two of eggs? I have beets and greens too~


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

NickieL said:


> lol I'll be with you in spirit next week, no $$ for groceries at all this next week or two.
> 
> Stupid car radiator! Thank goodness its a really good garden year. But I wish the pullets would start laying since i'm out of eggs.
> 
> Anyone wanna trade some peppers, carrots, basil and cucumbers for a dozen or two of eggs? I have beets and greens too~


put a post on craigslist...you might just find someone....
dont forget too, eggs keep a very long time, so if you get 4 or 5 dozen, and refrigerate them, you should still be just fine


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

beaglebiz said:


> put a post on craigslist...you might just find someone....
> dont forget too, eggs keep a very long time, so if you get 4 or 5 dozen, and refrigerate them, you should still be just fine


Thats a good idea, didn't even think about posting on criegslist! But I will see if any co-workers will be willing to trade for some eggs or at least a few bucks for some of my veggies  That will solve that issue right there.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

I know this is contrary to the challenge but very good basic prep management. I think I will not continue to spend 20 dollars a week but will instead spend as little as possible while I cycle thru some of my older preps. I have enough on hand that I may have to spend nothing for 30 days..maybe more. I even have shelf stable milk.

Bottom line is that with need or imagination eating does not have to be as expensive as the uninformed thinks it is. Some food prejudices may have to fall by the wayside on the journey. Effort is required. Motivation will make it easier to stick to the plan. If you have family involved they have to stick to your plan..or key ingredients will not be there when you need them. If you have the will power to pace consumption and are one of those who get a monthy payment like a pension; you can save money/buy more if you do so in bulk. Take my peanutbutter purchase for the challenge as an example. I could have bought 2 jars for less than the regular price for one jar but I was limited by spending for just one week instead of for the month.

I'll be back at least once more to update if/how much weight I lost. No sodas,coffee, candy or sweets other than the bananas and (believe it or not) the carrots!


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