# $1.00 Meals



## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

Take off from another thread:

Your challenge here is to come up with a varied week's worth of meals/menus which will not average more than $125 per week for five people for one week (average of $1.19 per person per three meals a day). Also expressed as you can't spend more than $5.95 a day to feed five people.

Restictions:

- No home grown, all purchased.

- You have to include a factor for seasonings such as salt, pepper and sugar.

- Long cooked meals, such as a crock pot, are fine but include a factor for electricity.

- Meal size can vary, such as a light breakfast, light lunch and larger supper or a Sunday after church brunch and supper. (When I was a kid it was somewhat a tradition to have a very light breakfast (say buttered toast and milk), the big meal at 2 PM and a snack as supper.)

- Buying on sale from several supermarkets is fine.

- Frankly I don't know how to include school lunches in here so assume it is summer.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2010)

I do it all the time by combining sales with coupons, particularly loss leaders. And I buy some stuff regular price when the coupon will get it for free (today I will be getting 1# bags of Mahatma brown rice free with coupons. I also stay stocked up on Muir Glen 8oz cans of tomato sauce. They are 99Â¢ a can and I get them with $1 coupons).

So... let me come up with a couple of meat-based meal scenarios with stuff I have on hand that I know how much it cost. These will be suppers, which is the costliest meal of the day, probably 2/3 of our food cost.

*#1: Sloppy Joes.

This is enough for TWO meals (did this a few days ago).*

*1# ground pork 79Â¢* (was expiring the next day. I got all 14 trays for the freezer)
*1 can Muir Glen tomato sauce FREE*
*1/3 bag 100% whole wheat bread 33Â¢* ($1 at the day old bread store)
*1 package Dole salad 50Â¢* ($1.50 - a $1 coupon)
*spices and seasonings, 5Â¢* I suppose

*Total of $1.67 2 meals for 2 people.* (42Â¢ per person per meal)

=================================

*#2 Roast turkey dinner. 

ONE meal

1 roast all natural turkey leg 50Â¢* (expiring the next day, purchased with coupons. I got a bunch of them)
*1 package Bird's Eye frozen veggies 38Â¢* (they were 88Â¢ and I stocked up using 50Â¢ coupons. I also have tons of Cascadian Farms frozen veggies, cost 50Â¢ to $1 by combining sales/coupons)
*2 baked potatoes 20Â¢* (10# bags were $2.50)
*4 100% whole multigrain dinner rolls 33Â¢* These were marked down after Tday to $1. I put plenty in the freezer.
*Spices, seasonings, butter 15Â¢* guesstimated

*Total: $1.56 1 meal for 2 people*. (78Â¢ per person)

More expensive than many meals, because I fix many meatless meals (concentrating on beans and whole grains), and I also fix a lot of casserolles based on pasta or rice, veggies, and very little meat, and a lot of stews with little meat. When I feel like typing more, maybe I'll give some examples of those. They are very cheap and delicious eating!!


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

When I lived in the Dayton, OH area I knew some folks would subcribe to the Sunday newpaper only because of the food coupons in it. I understand you can get them on-line now.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2010)

Ken Scharabok said:


> When I lived in the Dayton, OH area I knew some folks would subcribe to the Sunday newpaper only because of the food coupons in it. I understand you can get them on-line now.


The Sunday paper here isn't worth subscribing to for the coupons.

Read posts #72 and #73 here: http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=310978&page=3


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

I will be following this with a great deal of excitement. I really need to try to cut down on my food dollars, since I have chopped the HECK out of every other financial aspect of my life!


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## TJN66 (Aug 29, 2004)

Oh..me too. I am going to be watching this. I buy a sale piece of meat and then stretch it for 3 to 4 meals. But I have not figured out what it costs me for each meal. Good thread!


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2010)

beccachow said:


> I really need to try to cut down on my food dollars, since I have chopped the HECK out of every other financial aspect of my life!


You need to be reading my coupon threads.


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## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

Another factor: You don't own a car. You can only do your shopping at a place with walking/bus distance.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2010)

I should mention breakfast and lunch.

My breakfast is cereal and milk. Usually Bear Naked granola ($1.50 to $2/pkg with coupons), but I frequently get Kashi cereal for anywhere from free to 50Â¢ a box. The Kashi helps stretch out that more expensive Bear Naked. Cereal + milk: less than 25Â¢ for one person.

*Lunch is usually either regular breakfast, or leftovers from dinner:*

Some of the "Breakfast for lunch" choices are (for TWO people):

Whole wheat toast either buttered, or with preserves/jelly. Bread cost is about a dime, plus a few cents for butter or jelly.

Oatmeal. The cost is a few pennies

Cream of wheat. The cost is pennies. I'm VERY well stocked after combining coupons with a sale.

Whole wheat or multigrain pancakes. Sometimes from scratch, sometimes a boxed mix I stocked up on extremely cheaply by combining a good sale with good coupons. I paid less than 50Â¢ per big box, and 1 box goes a LOOOONGGG ways. The cost for one meal is pennies.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

TurnerHill said:


> Another factor: You don't own a car. You can only do your shopping at a place with walking/bus distance.


the nearest grocery store is 14 miles from me.

in the 80's i fed 5 people very well on $40 every 3 weeks, but we had a lot of wild meat and a big garden. 

to meet this challenge, the diet would need a piece of meat to stretch for 3 meals, and rely heavily on the stand bys of rice and beans. many of the recipes might lean heavily on pasta and stews.

does a crock pot use more electricty to cook, say a stew, that it would on an electric range?? it seems like the crock pot would take less energy, mainly because it's smaller, even tho it's on a lot longer.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

I eat oatmeal every day. We buy the huge box at Sam's. The very nice Penzey's cinnamon I use on it probably costs more than the oatmeal, but I don't add any sugar or other flavorings. Lunch is usually leftovers from whatever we cooked the night before. I[ll have to think abiout dinners.....


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2010)

MushCreek said:


> I eat oatmeal every day. We buy the huge box at Sam's. The very nice Penzey's cinnamon I use on it probably costs more than the oatmeal, but I don't add any sugar or other flavorings. Lunch is usually leftovers from whatever we cooked the night before. I[ll have to think abiout dinners.....


Just curious.... how big is the huge box at Sam's and how much is it?


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

ladycat said:


> You need to be reading my coupon threads.


I can and will, then! Thank you!


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

The box of Quaker quick oats is 9 lbs (102 servings) and I think it was about $7, but can't remember exactly. That's 7 cents a serving, although I usually make it milk for the added protein and vitamins.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2010)

MushCreek said:


> The box of Quaker quick oats is 9 lbs (102 servings) and I think it was about $7, but can't remember exactly. That's 7 cents a serving, although I usually make it milk for the added protein and vitamins.


That's about what I can get the bulk organic for. I alternate organic with the cheap Quaker.


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## primroselane (May 10, 2002)

12 oz grape jelly .51, 24 oz peanut butter 2.50. 1 loaf bread 1.19, 3 granny smith apples 1.80.

That's 12 pb&j sandwiches for $4.20. Give six people 2 sandwiches ea. and half an apple and it is a dollar each.


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

they do this at work daily. the average cost of a meal at the institution i work at is .80 cents, of course they have economy of scale working in their favor as they cook 9000 meals a day. for the most part the food is not that bad and is designed by a full time dietician.


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## primroselane (May 10, 2002)

26 oz can chicken noodle soup (add 1 can water), 1.79; 10 slices bread, .50; 15 oz peanut butter, 1.50; 3 bananas, .76; 20 crackers, .25, total $4.80.

10 oz bowls of soup, 4 crackers each, 1 peanut butter and bananas sandwich each.


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## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

primroselane, are you under the impression that the meals you are posting are nutritionally adequate?


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## Shygal (May 26, 2003)

Most of these cheap meals have a HUGE amount of carbohydrates in them


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2010)

Shygal said:


> Most of these cheap meals have a HUGE amount of carbohydrates in them


Whole grains are very good for you.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

How many packages of Top Ramen is it safe to consume per week?


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## NamasteMama (Jul 24, 2009)

Easy. We shop at a discount grocery store that purchases overstocks from various places. I could feed my entire family of 8 for $60 a week.;0~ Check out American Discount Foods at Opps their website is not working, but if your in Az 480-649-4495
308 S Extension Rd # 108 Mesa, AZ 85210

Editing again to say for under $4 for a family of 5 I could do a yummy minestrone soup, some whole grain bread, and a salad. ;0) Or maybe cheeseburgers and fries if I was feeling naughty!


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

it's really hard to find 100% whole grain products that are affordable.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2010)

marvella said:


> it's really hard to find 100% whole grain products that are affordable.


Not for me, but you do have to work at it a bit.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Ken Scharabok said:


> ... will not average more than $125 per week for five people for one week (average of $1.19 per person per three meals a day). Also expressed as you can't spend more than $5.95 a day to feed five people.....


I think you need to recalculate that:

$125/7 = $17.85 per day to feed 5 people

$5.95 would be average per meal

$1.19 per person per meal


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

My emergency food supply consists of 100# of dry pinto beans and 100# of long grain rice. That should feed a small family for about a year, and costs about 50 cents per day for the family. That's maybe 15 cents per person per day. I suppose there a little energy consumption for cooking & refrigeration after cooking, and it costs something for things like margarine & salt.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2010)

Nevada said:


> My emergency food supply consists of 100# of dry pinto beans and 100# of long grain rice. That should feed a small family for about a year,


That would be one hungry family. That's less than 9oz total a day (4+ oz beans, 4+ oz rice). Even after it's cooked, it would be what- 3 or 4 cups? That would be one cup daily of cooked food per person for a family of 3 or 4.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

ladycat said:


> That would be one hungry family. That's less than 9oz total a day (4+ oz beans, 4+ oz rice). Even after it's cooked, it would be what- 3 or 4 cups? That would be one cup daily of cooked food per person for a family of 3 or 4.


I didn't know, a pound of dry pinto beans cooks-up to be a pretty big pile of beans. I suppose you'll need to shoot a squirrel every now and then to make life interesting, but the beans & rice will keep you alive.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Alive, but with scurvy?


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

willow_girl said:


> Alive, but with scurvy?


Well, you'll also need a margarita every now and then.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2010)

Nevada said:


> I didn't know, a pound of dry pinto beans cooks-up to be a pretty big pile of beans. I suppose you'll need to shoot a squirrel every now and then to make life interesting, but the beans & rice will keep you alive.


By your reckoning, a pound of beans and a pound of rice would be about a 4 day supply for a FAMILY. :shrug:

1# of dry pinto beans makes about 6 cups of cooked beans
1# of dry rice makes about 6Â½ cups of cooked rice

Now, lets figure this all up.

100# of dry beans = 600 cups of cooked beans
100# of dry rice = 650 cups of cooked rice.

600 cups of cooked beans / 365 days = 1&#8532; cup
650 cups of cooked rice / 365 days = 1Â¾ cup

1&#8532; cups beans / 4 people would be appx 1/4c + 2Â½T (about 6.5 Tablespoons)
1Â¾ cup rice/ 4 people would be appx 1/4c + 3T (about 7 tablespoons).

Nobody could live for long on 13.5 tablespoons of food daily.


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## primroselane (May 10, 2002)

TurnerHill said:


> primroselane, are you under the impression that the meals you are posting are nutritionally adequate?


It is one meal, and I believe each is more nutitionally adequate than what 3/4 of the people on food stamps have for any one meal. Is every meal you have nutritionally adequate? If so, what percentage of the population do you figure you belong in?


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

For protien you need 1 part beans and 5 parts rice. You could sprout the beans before eating them and increase vitamins.


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

primroselane said:


> It is one meal, and I believe each is more nutitionally adequate than what 3/4 of the people on food stamps have for any one meal. Is every meal you have nutritionally adequate? If so, what percentage of the population do you figure you belong in?


I have wished for about 8-9 years now that all of those who quibble about any meal that is posted would post a week's worth of what they actually eat! Post every meal and what is consumed and how you obtained it. I doubt they eat as purely as they like to think they do.

For example if one posts that they had chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese, someone will come along and say how horrible a meal that is <Gasp> Where are the leafy green vegetables in that meal??? Good grief, give me a break. If I post I had chicken noodle soup that means I raised the chicken, butchered it, made my broth and filled the soup with carrots, celery, garlic, onions (all of which I also raised myself) and made the noodles from organic flour, real eggs (from chickens that I also raised myself) and that grilled cheese? I made the cheese and the bread. So am I concerned that I missed a serving of leafy green vegetables? Not really...

Throughout a week people will eat a variety of foods and can mix a few less healthy choices in with the healthier ones. And it doesn't have to cost a fortune. I have fed six people and numerable guests for years now on $50-60 a week. We do grow a lot of food as most people really could if they wanted. It doesn't take much space and no more time than an hours worth of television a day.


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2010)

Melissa said:


> I have wished for about 8-9 years now that all of those who quibble about any meal that is posted would post a week's worth of what they actually eat! Post every meal and what is consumed and how you obtained it. I doubt they eat as purely as they like to think they do.
> 
> For example if one posts that they had chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese, someone will come along and say how horrible a meal that is <Gasp> Where are the leafy green vegetables in that meal??? Good grief, give me a break. If I post I had chicken noodle soup that means I raised the chicken, butchered it, made my broth and filled the soup with carrots, celery, garlic, onions (all of which I also raised myself) and made the noodles from organic flour, real eggs (from chickens that I also raised myself) and that grilled cheese? I made the cheese and the bread. So am I concerned that I missed a serving of leafy green vegetables? Not really...
> 
> Throughout a week people will eat a variety of foods and can mix a few less healthy choices in with the healthier ones. And it doesn't have to cost a fortune.


Good post!

If your overall diet is reasonably healthy, and you have a varied diet, some meals will have more veggies, some will have less. Some meals may be more starchy, and some less. It all evens out in the end.

You can also boost your nutrition by having healthy snacks. We eat a lot of fresh fruit, and if I want something salty/crunchy, I can choose between whole grain crackers (many of those organic), popcorn (popped from organic popcorn), raw or roasted nuts (many of those organic), and tortilla chips (natural or organic).

We also drink fruit juice, vegetable juice, or WATER instead of carbonated drinks (I think many people have forgotten that you can actually drink tap water!)


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

We do the same thing ladycat, and sometimes we just have a Pepsi and some hot wings!


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2010)

Melissa said:


> We do the same thing ladycat, and sometimes we just have a Pepsi and some hot wings!


I have a Dr Pepper once in a while, and rarely, a candy bar. I get potato chips now and again, too. 

But if you eat a generally healthy diet, a little bit of junk food occasionally isn't going to hurt you!


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## QuiltingLady2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Ken Scharabok said:


> Take off from another thread:
> 
> Your challenge here is to come up with a varied week's worth of meals/menus which will not average more than $125 per week for five people for one week (average of $1.19 per person per three meals a day). Also expressed as you can't spend more than $5.95 a day to feed five people.
> 
> ...


Ken I like the direction of your thread but........

This is not how many of us eat. We grow most of our own food. We don't have livestock so we do purchase 1/2 beef, 1/2 pork and chicken for the freezer. We grow and can most of our fruits and veggies. And yes I use coupons when I find items that we eat. We don't eat much processed foods. We do buy whole grains such as wheat berries which we grind into flour for breads and baked goods. We do purchase rice, oatmeal and other grains and beans.

So for me and mine our grocery bill runs on average 35. - to 50. per week for 3 adults. That's with a milk drinking and dairy eating group. Trying unsuccessfully to tell them that milk doesn't do a body good. lol 

Anyway, we don't use much in the way of processed foods. Mustard, ketchup, condiments, paper products, we do buy eggs and other dairy.

Anyway, can't do your challenge but, we do and live by our own. Doesn't seem like much of a challenge now. It's just the way we live and love it.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2010)

QuiltingLady2 said:


> Ken I like the direction of your thread but........
> 
> This is not how many of us eat. We grow most of our own food.


Ken posted it because of the arguments in the other threads about whether people can get enough to eat and/or whether they can eat a healthy diet on food stamps.

And there are people on this forum who buy all their food, with or without food stamps.


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## QuiltingLady2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Someone challenged a full days meal. This was ours yesterday.

B - Oatmeal w/ home dried fruit and brn sugar cinnamon

L - Home ground and made Bread w/beef roast and greens from the greenhouse. 
Tea w/local honey
Popcorn snack - purchased in a 20lb bag from cash n carry.

D - Slices of beef roast leftover with garden onions and dried hot peppers and h canned tomatoes - on hm flour tortilas. 
Dried apple pie 

Think we're pretty balanced. Don't you?


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## farmmom (Jan 4, 2009)

One of my favorite cheap meals is Turkey Noodle soup
Turkey bones (I paid $8 for the 14lb turkey, ate several meals off him first) so maybe 50 cents?
gallon of water maybe another 50 cents
2 Boxes of gluten free noodles ($1.47 each)
Spices maybe 25 cents

This lasts at least 3 meals for my family of 3 = about .47/person/meal


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Nevada said:


> Well, you'll also need a margarita every now and then.


I could go for that.


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

The challenge was everything had to be bought, nothing home grown.

$125 a week to feed five people, which you can take to be two adults and three children of unknown ages.

I didn't exclude restaurant or fast food meals.

Hope is meals would be satisfying and at least nutritious and certainly not limited to three a day.

And I was hoping for a discussion of shopping opportunties. For example, even though this county isn't a heavily populated one we have a Save More (use to be a Save-a-Lot). They have a sale on of $.39 canned corn, peas and string beans. One or one and a half cans can't serve a family of five as a major part of their primary meal?

Beef may be costly, but what about chicken?


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## NamasteMama (Jul 24, 2009)

Nevada, I ran a family of four through a food storage calculator and you would need 1200 pounds of rice for one year and 240 pounds of beans. Thats a bare bones meal. You need to add more to your storage, your at about a 1 months supply right now.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

Hum. . .a dollar a meal for 31 days with 3 meals per day for 3 people works out to 279 a month. I checked two months at random from last year, I picked January and March. In Jan we spend about $345 and in March it was around $210 on groceries AND this includes junk food and sodas. That means our meals in JAN were $1.24 each and in MAR about 71 cents each with an average of $1.00/meal/person.

I don't have numbers handy but rice, potatoes, dried beans and onions are cheap in bulk (they are not even that expensive not in bulk) last a long time and can be use to make or bulk up meals. Frozen or canned veggies aren't that expensive if you buy off brands. Ditto for basic spices. Chicken leg quarters run about 6 bucks for 10 pounds, I usually get between 10 and 16 servings (depends on who I'm feeding) out of those 10 pounds. 

I usually pay about $1/loaf of bread (was $0.78/loaf last night) a pound of bologna is usually under a buck. Ramen noodles usually are under $0.20/pack. A bologna sandwich and a bowl or ramen is a filling meal for me. Add a handful of frozen mixed veggies to the noodles and it gives you a bit more balance.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

NamasteMama said:


> Nevada, I ran a family of four through a food storage calculator and you would need 1200 pounds of rice for one year and 240 pounds of beans. Thats a bare bones meal. You need to add more to your storage, your at about a 1 months supply right now.


There's no way we could possibly eat 100# of dry beans and 100# of rice in a month. Heck, there's only two of us.

When I make up 2 pounds of beans it lasts about a week. Granted, we have tortillas and other things with them, but we're not rationing or eating rice with them either. If a family of 2.5 people puts more than 10 pounds of beans away in a month, they're eating an awful lot of beans.


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## primroselane (May 10, 2002)

20 oz dry spaghetti ($2.20) will provide about a five lbs of cooked pasta; 7 oz Italian dressing .97; 2 oz parmesian cheese .95; 1 lb fresh tomato (slices) .88.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

$125 a week for 5 people!!! 

Chickens are 69c/# for $10 worth (15#)
Pork chops are $1.29 $10 (8#)
Potatoes 5# for $1 $10 (50#)
Onions 5# for $2 $2
8# Oranges $5
Salt $1
Pepper $2
crushed red $1
Ital. season $1
Cinnamon $1
Brown Sugar $2
White sugar 5# $2.50
Pinto beans 4# $3.50
Oatmeal 69c/# $4
Shank ham 99c/# $9
Milk $3.49
koolaid pkts $2
Tea bags $2
Multi-vitamin $6
frzn veg store brand16oz 10/$10
LG white rice 10# $5
Angel hair pasta 5# $4
canned spag sauce 1.5/jar $6
Hamburg $10
sausage $5
eggs 1.5/dzn $3
2 cake mixes $2
veg.oil $2

Feed tray from bakery (about 10 loaves of bread) $2.50

total 125.99 but I think I could easily go 2-3 weeks for 5 people electric not necessary...we have wood.


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

I sincerely wish I could have someone go shopping with me and tell me what I am doing wrong buying groceries! Sometimes I can get by pretty frugally, but then again sometimes not so much. Most of you know that I get food stamps...170 bucks a month and that is to feed 2 adults and 4 kids(one kid is here on weekends, 2 kids are gone every other weekend, the 3 yr old is here always). So seriously, I need to learn how to do this with foods that my kids will eat(DSS8 is very picky, he won't even eat mac and cheese!). 

And if I can pick one person to go shopping with me, I pick ladycat I was getting your emails of freebies and stuff and I got alot of Kashi samples and some others...have you not been sending them anymore?


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

for one thing fussy is not an option at my house.....although in complete honesty my family would have a hard time with store eggs and milk....fine to cook with but alone would be gross! but they'd adjust or go without.

My youngest learned to read by going over the sale flyers with me!


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

> A bologna sandwich and a bowl or ramen is a filling meal for me.


I can't believe anyone would tout this as a healthy or desirable meal. ARGHH!


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

whiskeylivewire said:


> So seriously, I need to learn how to do this with foods that my kids will eat(DSS8 is very picky, he won't even eat mac and cheese!).


I'm not being snotty here and I don't know your kid but there's one of your problems. You are the parent he's the child. Of course you don't go to extremes, we all have foods we just don't like but, you fix food and he has the option of eating it or going without. I'm sure you would not feed him nothing but cake and ice cream because "that's all he'll eat". So tell him there are times when he'll just have to eat what there is.

BTW, you can 'spice up' mac and cheese. Try adding some chili, the cheap stuff w/o beans. Or a little spaghetti sauce or add some chopped up meat (we like ham).


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

I grew up in a family to where you either ate what was served or you went hungry. Period. No options for special dishes. Well, OK, on your birthday you could request a special meal. Whether or not you got it was another question. For my younger sister it was chili without mushrooms, which the rest of us loved.

I have a neice who basically has three picky boys. She'd prepare 3-4 options for each meal for the five of them. Fine with me, but I wouldn't have done so. Eat or die. I don't particularly care.

What makes any food taste really good?





*Hunger.*


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

With my kids, we each had 3 items on our 'Do Not Eat' list. They were allowed to change it AFTER a meal, not before. It worked well, because there were 3 things I did not want to eat. So I had to follow thru myself.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

whiskeylivewire said:


> I sincerely wish I could have someone go shopping with me and tell me what I am doing wrong buying groceries! Sometimes I can get by pretty frugally, but then again sometimes not so much. Most of you know that I get food stamps...170 bucks a month and that is to feed 2 adults and 4 kids(one kid is here on weekends, 2 kids are gone every other weekend, the 3 yr old is here always). So seriously, I need to learn how to do this with foods that my kids will eat(DSS8 is very picky, he won't even eat mac and cheese!).
> 
> And if I can pick one person to go shopping with me, I pick ladycat I was getting your emails of freebies and stuff and I got alot of Kashi samples and some others...have you not been sending them anymore?


Cooking from scratch is key. 

Splurge and get a whole chicken, season it and roast in in the oven with potatoes and carrots or serve it with something simple like canned green beans and maybe some whole wheat bread (really cheap if you bake it yourself).

Eat/use all the chicken meat, then use the carcass to make stock. Just throw it in water with some cut up carrots, celery and onions with whatever herbs you like (thyme, rosemary and sage are good) and a splash of vinegar (draw out the minerals from the bones) and gently simmer it for up to 12 hours. Strain and feed the leftovers to the the chickens if you have any.

You can now make chicken soup by adding back the leftover meat (if you have any) along with chopped carrots, celery and maybe brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Or you can make a tasty gravy/sauce to serve over a starch such as potatoes, noodles or rice.

For each cup of gravy, melt a T of butter and add 2 T of flour to make a paste, then add 1/2 C of the stock and 1/2 C of milk. Simmer and stir until thickened. You can add browned burger and serve over cooked pasta for a Hamburger Helper-type meal.

You can also use the stock to flavor rice and beans.

The stock is full of vitamins and minerals.

A cheap breakfast is brown rice pudding. We use 9 C milk, bring to boil and add 1.5 C brown rice, then reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally until thickened, then add 1/2 C sugar and 2 T vanilla. You could even add raisins or other dried fruit. It's good hot or cold.

Anyway, just some ideas. No idea how much this costs poer person, but it's cheap and nutritious.


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## primroselane (May 10, 2002)

Went to HEB last night. Regular price for 24 oz of their dry spaghetti is 1.92; regular price for 26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce was 1.89. Large loaf of fresh, unsliced bread was .99. 

20 oz of spaghetti and 16 oz of sauce should be sufficient. That would leave a couple of oz of pesto at 1.15 for the bread.


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

Yea, I know I need to make him eat whatever is here, and usually do. I'm still trying to master making homemade bread(with a bread machine that cost me 7.50) but haven't done good so far lol. The kid will usually eat chicken strips so I've started frying up those for him(not ones I bought, I get the chicken breasts on sale and bread them and fry them). But honestly, if I go to the store and buy just the stuff to fix meals for the week, with everyone eating, I'm going to spend 60 bucks. And yes, living in a small town groceries are higher. Closest Aldi's is 40 miles away. I'm just going to start keeping better track of what I'm buying...and use more coupons!


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Food stamps were never meant to be enough to feed your family, they were only supposed to help.
i know a family of 2 adults and one 2 year old. The mother is pregnant again.
They get $500 on food stamps, $1000 in cash and have an apartment they only pay $100 a month for. I think they have to pay their own utilities. And they cann't make it. they still hit what ever food banks they can find through the month. i couldn't eat the way they do, Frozen foods all the time.

The secret to making your grocery money go farther is time. You need time to make bread, soak beans, shop the sales, do the extra dishes from cooking from scratch ect. most people either don't have the time to do these things or just don't want to. I cann't say that i blame them either. i have spent on some days, all day cooking and that food can be gone in a matter of minutes.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

i have spent on some days, all day cooking and that food can be gone in a matter of minutes.

I have 2 teenagers and this happens a lot. $500 a month for food is big money.....

From the lds catalog store online...one can order a case of #10 cans oats (144 servings), a case of pintos (288 servings) and a case of rice (320 servings) for a total of $90....add a few loaves of bread, some sale meat, eggs, spices and a multivitamin and you have plenty for a month for an avg sized family for way under $200 a month.


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## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

For breakfast - eggs or oatmeal both just a few cents a serving
For lunch - leftovers, grilled cheese, fruit, PB&J, tuna salad, egg salad
For dinner canned veggies, chilli, vegetable soup, tuna melts, homemade breads baked potatoes

I think the key is sticking with basics and not cooking too many elaborate dishes. You mentioned you have a Save A Lot - ours had bags of salad and chicken pot pies for fifty cents this week


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

mpillow said:


> i have spent on some days, all day cooking and that food can be gone in a matter of minutes.
> 
> I have 2 teenagers and this happens a lot. $500 a month for food is big money.....
> 
> From the lds catalog store online...one can order a case of #10 cans oats (144 servings), a case of pintos (288 servings) and a case of rice (320 servings) for a total of $90....add a few loaves of bread, some sale meat, eggs, spices and a multivitamin and you have plenty for a month for an avg sized family for way under $200 a month.


I find it sad that we have to resort to a multivitamins instead of food. From what I undestand most multi vitamins are not usable by the human body.

I was amazed when they told my DH they were getting so much food stamps and were running out before the end of the month. it's been 6 weeks since DH and I have been shopping, except for milk.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

whiskeylivewire said:


> Yea, I know I need to make him eat whatever is here, and usually do. I'm still trying to master making homemade bread(with a bread machine that cost me 7.50) but haven't done good so far lol.



I think there is something my body makes that kills yeast. I've made bad, really BAD bread with a bread machine.




whiskeylivewire said:


> The kid will usually eat chicken strips so I've started frying up those for him(not ones I bought, I get the chicken breasts on sale and bread them and fry them). But honestly, if I go



Here's something to cut the cost. Buy chicken leg and thigh quarters. Separate them, bone out the thigh and use that to make your chicken strips. A lot cheaper than breast and taste fine.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I agree no picky eaters allowed. Eat or not. Do not complain because I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT! I had a foster dd who did not like peas. I fixed a casserole with peas (didn't know she didn't like them then) and she never said a word. She quietly picked them out and left them on her plate. It was easy to take out some of the casserole in a separate dish before I put in the peas next time. That type of thing I would do for the kids but I would never ever fix a separate meal. I couldn't afford to. 

It makes me sad at Aldis to see people buying flats of canned spaghetti o's, canned soups, boxes of sugary cereals, stacks of frozen pizza, frozen waffles, etc. with food stamps. You know they are not getting proper nutrition and will run out of food before the next food stamp handout. 

I don't think $125 would go far if you were buying everything each month. Some things like seasonings will last for months/years. Someone mentioned high carbs. Well, high carbs is how you fill empty bellies for $125 a month. That is why you see a lot of fat poor people. 

Buying 10# of chicken hind quarters on sale for 69Â¢ then cooking and canning them means you have chicken available for many dishes at very little cost. I cook with onion, carrots, celery then remove skin & bones, chop the chicken and can in pints. The skin and bones get cooked, strained, cooled to let the fat solidify, remove fat and canned as broth. Its wonderful when you're sick to have broth that isn't 500% salt. A pint of chicken is 2 cups which combined with 3 cups of cooked rice, cream of chicken soup or homemade white sauce will feed quite a few people for very little cost. A couple eggs & some flour made into noodles that when cooked are combined with pint of chicken and pint of broth will also feed quite a few people when served over mashed potatoes.

A pound of ground beef with make huge meals when made into spaghetti or chili or a casserole. Small amount of meat, large amount of carb & good seasonings.

Another way to save is to watch serving size. Its a well known fact that most Americans eat too much. A deck of cards is the proper serving size for meat. Give active kids, hard working men, and teenagers into sports lots and lots of carbs, but for anyone who doesn't burn off the carbs they need to cut way back on what they're eating especially carbs.


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

I've cut myself to 1200 calories a day...not because I lack food but because I am trying to lose weight lol. Lots of veggies and fruit. Thanks for the good ideas, folks. Squashnut, I know it's not supposed to be all our grocery bill what we get on food stamps, but I'm trying to make it happen because we don't have alot of extra cash.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I agree about the multi-vitamin....I only use them during flu season.

Problem is (and forgive me for generalizing) I don't think there are many food stamp recipients that keep track of proper nutrition or care to spend frugally and stock their pantry. 

My brother has been recently disabled due to diabetes and a recurring lung infection...he is single .....the state qualified him for $200 food stamps monthly....his weight had gone down to 185 when he got out of hospital right before Christmas....as of like Jan. 10 he has gained 29# back....those food stamps are doing his health a whole lot of good, huh?
$25 a week or $100 a month would keep him much healthier.


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## MN Gardener (Jan 23, 2008)

It would really take me a lot to figure out how much a meal costs. We have a huge garden and raise beef. We sell enough beef to cover the cost of what we consume (and then some). Then we exchange some of the beef for some of a friends pork. DS and DH hunt and fish. Really the only meat I ever purchase is chicken and I am hoping to get a few this year too. I would say 60% of what we eat, we produce. 
I know my mom was poor when we were growing up. We ate free breakfast and lunch at school. She would then make a pound of hamburger strech for days. Lots of chilli over rice. I hope we never have to rely on store bought food. It is amazing home much having a garden and a few cows saves on the grocery bill!


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

whiskeylivewire said:


> I've cut myself to 1200 calories a day...not because I lack food but because I am trying to lose weight lol. Lots of veggies and fruit. Thanks for the good ideas, folks. Squashnut, I know it's not supposed to be all our grocery bill what we get on food stamps, but I'm trying to make it happen because we don't have alot of extra cash.


I am sure alot of people are in the same situation. Which is why this is a good thread even if you aren't on food stamps. Any ideas on how to eat good food cheap would really help.

I was wondering can you buy vitamins with food stamps?


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I believe vitamins have a TF designation....taxable but "foodstampable". TF was the designation used for taxable "snack" items in my state but then with the push of a key the tax was exempted when food stamps were tended...but its been a good while since I was employed at the grocery store so things could have changed.

Also when I was working plant starts and seeds could also be purchased with food stamps...not sure if this remains a fact today.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Another trick to stretch food has been mentioned here before...

Instead of using a whole pound of burger for spaghetti sauce, use a quarter pound (about $0.60) and a can of black beans (maybe $0.69). If you serve it with whole wheat spaghetti, it makes a complete protein even if you skip the meat entirely.

I did it and while DW noticed (she had kind of been tipped off by my demeanor), the kids never noticed until we told them.

Leftover spaghetti sauce can be also used to make pizza bread.


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2010)

whodunit said:


> Another trick to stretch food has been mentioned here before...
> 
> Instead of using a whole pound of burger for spaghetti sauce, use a quarter pound (about $0.60) and a can of black beans (maybe $0.69). If you serve it with whole wheat spaghetti, it makes a complete protein even if you skip the meat entirely.
> 
> ...


Most of my meals are heavy on the whole grains. Sometimes I fix meat as a serving, but more often stretch it to the limit. Animal-derived protein comes from limited amounts of milk, cheese and eggs used in cooking. Additional protein comes from lots of beans, either as a side dish, or as the basis for the main course. I use as many fresh and frozen steamed veggies as possible, and a lot of salads. 

As long as I'm using plenty of whole grains, the combination of those with the veggies and non-meat or minimal-meat protein sources makes for a good amount of complete protein.

Minimizing the amount of animal proteins helps to drastically cut down on the food bill, and if the diet is otherwise balanced, it's certainly healthier.


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

I don't know if you can get vitamins on foodstamps...I've never tried. I just now started taking vitamins, and my dad gave me them. I read that magnesium can help with ADHD(which I have) so I wanted to try it. I decided I did not want to be medicated with legal speed for the ADHD, so I cut sugar out of my diet, eat as many whole foods as I can and drink lots and lots of coffee I quit buying pop and I know that saved us a ton of money on the grocery bill. DD10 drinks probably 1/2 gallon of milk a day, I've told him he needs to cut back and drink some water as well because milk is so expensive.fvkfkvvfvjvv(got up for a minute and DD3 typed you a message lol) I decided to cut back on meat myself at least for the cost and because of losing weight. Good thing I love beans The man is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, who is perfectly happy eating a hamburger for every meal, that's not too costly, if you buy it on sale.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Nicole---

When I have to buy milk (rare we have a bunch of dairy goats) I get whole milk....then I cut it in half for the 2% factor...since you have surplus powder milk you could powder 1 gallon and mix with the reg. store milk...my mom did this because there were 6 of us and powder milk is just yucky by itself.

As for cutting meat...protein is way more filling and better for sugar stabilization and warding off hunger when dieting. Think Atkins diet. I've done it, it works. My sister has lost nearly 100 pounds since March this way...buy only sale meats 

With the powdered milk, rice and fruit....add some sugar and eggs and make rice pudding.....

Do you have a few chickens or a pig? Feed any waste or stuff like the muscle milk to them...they'll produce on it...my kids like to fish so we feed the junk fish (cooked) to the chickens....they gobble it right up.

Quick oats bought at a healthfood store are much cheaper than the grocery store....they are plain but its not hard to throw on some brown sugar or cinnamon..
I buy turning bananas for 15c a pound and freeze them right in their peels...most kids love mushed up ban. as oatmeal addition or muffins


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

Thanks, mpillow. I get protein from beans and nuts and my mother in law gave me some quinoa that I'm going to try. No animals here except the ones that just east(we're downsizing on dogs as soon as we can...anyone need a coonhound? lol) I wish there was, but we haven't been able to buy them yet. I want chickens, goats and rabbits. 

I eat oatmeal every morning. I put in a tbsp of honey, some cinnamon, a splash of milk and some walnuts...good stuff!


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## Dutchie (Mar 14, 2003)

I frequently run into people who don't know how to cook from scratch and buy all prepared foods. That is so sad. Although I believe that certain things should be taught at home, perhaps highschools should start teaching kids how to do certain things like cooking and sewing.


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## tamilee (Apr 13, 2005)

Ken Scharabok said:


> I grew up in a family to where you either ate what was served or you went hungry. Period. No options for special dishes. Well, OK, on your birthday you could request a special meal. Whether or not you got it was another question. For my younger sister it was chili without mushrooms, which the rest of us loved.
> 
> I have a neice who basically has three picky boys. She'd prepare 3-4 options for each meal for the five of them. Fine with me, but I wouldn't have done so. Eat or die. I don't particularly care.
> 
> ...


That's how everyone was raised . This meal options for kids thing is relatively new in the course of human history. My dil has raised my grandsons to eat chicken nuggets, french fries and frozen pizza, sodas and kool aid. They tell everyone that they have no food in the house if they don't have these items and will go without eating until they can get another relative to cater to the sad sob story. It irritates me.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

very good thread. i am also looking to cut costs, and i think for my own personal issues, portion control is huge. i need to work on that for my health, the cost is a benefit on that one. 

my garden is starting to pay off, as are my dairy goats and we raised a beef last fall, and are raising 2 pigs now, plus had chickens, will have laying hens when they get older. some of it doesn't make the food bill cheaper, but we couldn't otherwise enjoy some of the better stuff.

i give my kids options for meal times--eat. or don't. simple. if i make something like fish which one hates, i try to make a side dish she does like, like pasta. otherwise, there is always oatmeal or peanut butter on bread, which i make. i cannot buy bread as good as i make, and the price for the stuff that's not too bad, wow! almost $4 loaves??

i would use much more beans and rice, but i always seem out of time when those things take so long! so, can i make up a HUGE batch of either, and freeze them? that way i could have them in bags, toss them into the dish, cook, viola! fast food! 

and i am getting so's eating anything i didn't make jsut tastes bad. i eat out and think, dang, for $5 (or more?! eek!) i coulda made this, and done a better job, and fed us all! 
now my kids even say, 'we want european lunch!' which is a little made up thing, i buy or make cheese, fruit and crackers, and instead of eating out we have that when we go out for the day. they love it and are getting to prefer it over fast food. they also have gained taste for whole wheat--we go somewhere with regualr mac n cheese, and they say its 'weird'. i'm really happy about that!

if possible, i would like to hear more on how to make beans a complete protein. i like to add half beans, half meat to many dishes, DH likes that, one kids doesn't mind, the other sees beans and asks if we're poor. huh? eating beans = poor? where did that come from?!

read dorothy ainsworth's blog--she has some great meal ideas too.


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## FoghornLeghorn (Nov 13, 2008)

SquashNut said:


> Food stamps were never meant to be enough to feed your family, they were only supposed to help.
> i know a family of 2 adults and one 2 year old. The mother is pregnant again.
> They get $500 on food stamps,....


I just wanted to see if I would qualify for food stamps (which I obviously can't get) and it seems that I would qualify for $851 in food stamps for the month. Interesting since I don't even spend that in month on groceries for a family of 6.


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## Guest (Jul 6, 2010)

FoghornLeghorn said:


> I just wanted to see if I would qualify for food stamps (which I obviously can't get) and it seems that I would qualify for $851 in food stamps for the month. Interesting since I don't even spend that in month on groceries for a family of 6.


The amount of food stamps I see some families getting astonishes me.


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

You qualify, but can't get them. Don't understand.

As I have said before I don't have a problem with SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) as a lifeline. I just think it ought to be run more like WIC (Women, Infants and Children) to where what can be bought is restricted to what are considered to be healthier items. No candy, no soda, no bottled water, no snack foods, etc. With todays electronic checked it would seem to be no harder to implement and maintain than WIC.


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## FoghornLeghorn (Nov 13, 2008)

Ken Scharabok said:


> You qualify, but can't get them. Don't understand.


I live in Canada and we don't have them here.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Got it! 

Pinto beans all 3 meals, everyday of the week. 


What do I win?


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

Well, if you're using leftovers, you can buy a bag of corn tortillas for a bit over a dollar and make either tacos or enchiladas out of just about anything, except for sweet stuff.

We regularly make them. Use leftover meat in any form; grilled, roasted, fried, hamburgers, etc. (Some folks like fish tacos, but we don't). Add leftover beans in any form, and even leftover vegetables. Some of the best enchiladas we ever had was when dh made them out of leftover roast beef with potatoes, carrots, onions and celery. Kind of mashed it all up together, rolled them up, and poured a can of homemade verde sauce over them and they were very good. 

Or make soft or fried tacos. Cheap, nutritious, and uses up leftovers.


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## Michael Kawalek (Jun 21, 2007)

Nevada said:


> My emergency food supply consists of 100# of dry pinto beans and 100# of long grain rice. That should feed a small family for about a year, and costs about 50 cents per day for the family. That's maybe 15 cents per person per day. I suppose there a little energy consumption for cooking & refrigeration after cooking, and it costs something for things like margarine & salt.


Not ours! We are rice eaters every day and I buy 50 lb bags every 3 months. I'd have to double that for our family of four.

Try insulative cooking for beans. Soak your beans overnight, discard the soak water and bring the beans to a boil. Turn off the stove and immediately put the beanpot in a insulated container, like a styrofoam box. Set aside for about 2 hours and check. Beans should be done but still firm (good chilli beans). For very soft beans (for refried beans and such) bring to a boil again and let soak for another 2 hours.

Here's how I get 5-6 meals out of a chicken. Get a fresh whole chicken, skinned, and debone the meat. Divide the boneless meat into two to three portions and refrigerate or freeze.

Stir-fry the chicken bones in hot oil, adding onion, garlic, and spices after the bones are browned. Add 4-6 cups of water, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer the bones for about 3 hours. Add whatever vegies you have in the frig at the time. Spinach leaves, peppers, a tomato, chinese cabbage, carrot, celery, ect when you start to simmer. After three hours, laddle out the bones and set aside to cool. Gleen of the last little peices of meat clinging to the bone and return to the pot.

You've ended up with 1-2 lbs of chicken meat and 4-5 cups of rich chicken stock. You can either freeze or can this depending on what you want. Use the chicken meat in stir-fries or curry, and the stock for things like risotto or lentil/bean soup. I often place the meat into about 6 canning jars, pour the stock on top, and pressure can for 60 minutes. You can heat up a jar of chicken meat/stock, dump in some day old rice, and make a nutritious porridge.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

I just got back from the grocery store.
Here are some of the prices.

Collard greens--2 bunches $1.00
Carrots--$.89/2 lbs.
Fresh corn--$.10/ear
Strawberrys--$1.39/quart
Bananas==$1.49/lb
Lettuce--$.69/head


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

pancho said:


> Bananas==$1.49/lb


Doesn't sound right. Are you sure it wasn't 49 cents/lb?


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

Nevada said:


> Doesn't sound right. Are you sure it wasn't 49 cents/lb?


No, I am sure. I bought some of them. That is usually a reasonable price here.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

pancho said:


> No, I am sure. I bought some of them. That is usually a reasonable price here.


Strangely we pay $1.49/lb for apples around here, but only about 1/3rd of that for bananas.

When I see that price for apples I have to remember the apple tree we had when I was a kid growing-up in Ohio. We used to discard apples by the trash can load. I'll tell you this, if I could have gotten $1.49 for apples back then I could have retired before I got out of elementary school.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

Nevada said:


> Strangely we pay $1.49/lb for apples around here, but only about 1/3rd of that for bananas.
> 
> When I see that price for apples I have to remember the apple tree we had when I was a kid growing-up in Ohio. We used to discard apples by the trash can load. I'll tell you this, if I could have gotten $1.49 for apples back then I could have retired before I got out of elementary school.


You are right. Had to look back on the ticket. The bananas were $.49/lb.
For some reason apples do not sell that good here.
There are a lot of home grown vewgetables in the store now. Not many people selling along the road, except for watermelons.


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## FunnyRiverFarm (May 25, 2010)

Wow--interesting thread. I know that I would be hard pressed to feed a family on that amount if I had to purchase everything...at least with my current diet. I am slightly grain/gluten intolerant and if grain-based foods make up more than about 15% of my diet I really start to feel crummy. I eat about 75% fresh fruits and veggies...the other 25% is beans, nuts, dairy, a small amount of whole grains...and I eat meat about 3x's a week. With the cost of most fresh vegetables it would definitely be a stretch...most of the cheapest foods are grain based...

I guess my point is that if anyone in the family had special dietary needs or restrictions it could really make things difficult...


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## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

It's funny how it seems easy for some and so hard for others. I feed one person for $20 a week. That involves some waste that families wouldn't have because cutting recipes into smaller portions often involves partial cans and containers that I can't always incorporate into other meals. I'm a vegetarian so that also includes some specialty products like veggie burgers and tofu which are high priced.

I'm working on reducing that now that I have a garden. I've been told food stamps to cover seeds, so for people with yards gardening is still an option. You can find shovels by asking on craigslist or freecycle or watching on trash days. Composted manure is often being offered on the sites already listed and many cities compost their yard waste and offer it to residents.

I agree that the problem is often that people rely on convenience foods rather than cooking their own. Or pick gourmet recipes with many and unusual ingredients. I like to spend time on recipezaar looking through their 5 ingredient recipes or filtering by recipes that use inexpensive ingredients like pasta, rice, beans, potatoes, etc. I save more money by buying dry goods in bulk from the co-op and have just made my first order from LDS (which should arrive today actually!), who have even better prices for the few things they offer. There are lots of frugal cooking cookbooks to be found at the library too.


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## ladybug (Aug 18, 2002)

One easy trick in our family that helps to stretch our budget is to make meals like yellow rice and ribs ( the ribs are just 2 country style ribs cut into chunks and added to the rice),Chicken and Dumplings, or homemade Chicken noodle soup, pork,potatoes, and onions rolled into tortillas with salsa on the side, red beans and rice seasoned with a smoked piece of turkey or ham, or even a ham bone. We use 2 lbs of red beans for each time, letting it simmer overnight in the crockpot with minced garlic,diced onions, and a bit of parsley and Tony Chachere's~ Talk about eating like royalty! The red beans feed us 3-4 meals for our family of 7, and the kids actually love it! Vegetable soups with a PB&J sandwich are also a good one. In my area I have found it easier to feed the family as long as I pay attention to sales and stock up when things are very cheap! Now if I could ever get my garden to grow I would be doing perfect!


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2010)

FunnyRiverFarm said:


> Wow--interesting thread. I know that I would be hard pressed to feed a family on that amount if I had to purchase everything...at least with my current diet. I am slightly grain/gluten intolerant and if grain-based foods make up more than about 15% of my diet I really start to feel crummy. I eat about 75% fresh fruits and veggies...the other 25% is beans, nuts, dairy, a small amount of whole grains...and I eat meat about 3x's a week. With the cost of most fresh vegetables it would definitely be a stretch...most of the cheapest foods are grain based...
> 
> I guess my point is that if anyone in the family had special dietary needs or restrictions it could really make things difficult...


You can substitute oat flour for wheat flour. There are tons of recipes on the internet for doing that. Oatmeal is one thing you can get incredibly cheap by combining sales/coupons. I grind it into flour using the Vita Mix. Not sure if you can could do that with a blender, but there are all kinds of grinders out there.


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## bigfoot2you (Oct 3, 2007)

Melissa said:


> I have wished for about 8-9 years now that all of those who quibble about any meal that is posted would post a week's worth of what they actually eat! Post every meal and what is consumed and how you obtained it. I doubt they eat as purely as they like to think they do.
> 
> For example if one posts that they had chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese, someone will come along and say how horrible a meal that is <Gasp> Where are the leafy green vegetables in that meal??? Good grief, give me a break. If I post I had chicken noodle soup that means I raised the chicken, butchered it, made my broth and filled the soup with carrots, celery, garlic, onions (all of which I also raised myself) and made the noodles from organic flour, real eggs (from chickens that I also raised myself) and that grilled cheese? I made the cheese and the bread. So am I concerned that I missed a serving of leafy green vegetables? Not really...
> 
> Throughout a week people will eat a variety of foods and can mix a few less healthy choices in with the healthier ones. And it doesn't have to cost a fortune. I have fed six people and numerable guests for years now on $50-60 a week. We do grow a lot of food as most people really could if they wanted. It doesn't take much space and no more time than an hours worth of television a day.


:goodjob::goodjob::goodjob::goodjob::goodjob::goodjob:

Sooooooooooo much petty bickering on here lately........must be the heat?


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## bugstabber (May 12, 2002)

ladycat said:


> You can substitute oat flour for wheat flour. There are tons of recipes on the internet for doing that. Oatmeal is one thing you can get incredibly cheap by combining sales/coupons. I grind it into flour using the Vita Mix. Not sure if you can could do that with a blender, but there are all kinds of grinders out there.


Totally not bickering here, but...:lookout:
Vigilant needs to be purchasing certified gluten free oats, and even then he/she may not be able to tolerate them. Regular oats can be contaminated with other small grains.

This is a good thread, at least concerning inexpensive meal ideas.


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## Pouncer (Oct 28, 2006)

I'll give this thread a careful read later, but I am pretty sure this cannot be done anywhere in Alaska.

Even the cheapest, on sale canned item (veggie, soup, whatever) is at least a dollar. Beans are about $1.50 a pound and up. Rice is very high too. So are ingredients for making breads. Cheapest meat I can get is chicken legs or thighs at $1.39 a pound right now. On sale ground beef is about $3.50 (or more at grocery stores!) A cheap loaf of bread with its 20 slices is almost $2 each. Milk is about $4 a gallon (a little cheaper in a few places) and eggs are about $4 for an 18 pack.

Just can't be done here. 

I am so thankful that I buy in large amounts when things are on a screaming hot deal, and that I garden as best I can, and that I preserve everything I can get my hands on. Almost nothing goes to waste because I have laying birds to feed-and their food is much higher than in L48.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2011)

Pouncer said:


> I am so thankful that I buy in large amounts when things are on a screaming hot deal


That's how I do it.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

The ones that brought this thread to life again, you do realize it is from a year ago.
I would imagine the prices have risen since then.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2011)

AngieM2 said:


> I would imagine the prices have risen since then.


Yes, they have. I'm eating less meat than a year ago! :stars:


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## nduetime (Dec 15, 2005)

I remember back in the early 80's, things were pretty tight. i fed a family of four on 20.00 or less a week. It was tough, thank God my mother taught me to garden, can, and cook from scratch. Now...I have my own cow, laying hens, meat chickens, goats, garden, fruit trees etc etc. Makes me feel guilty for the $$$ I do spend when i remember how thrifty I was before.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

Rice, long grain, *3lb* â 1.99
Carrots, whole *2lb* â 0.99
Potatoes *10lb* â 2.99 
Chicken 1 lb - 1.29
Beans, dry, pinto, 32oz â 1.59

Veggie Seed packets = .99 cents for 100s of seeds

VS??

Mac and cheese, Velveeta shells and cheese knockoff *5.5 oz *â 1.29
1 Pizza, frozen, self rising â 3.89
Processed Deli lunch meat 16 oz â 3.49

One day I may understand the poor can only afford junk food debate...Till then, the prices don't add up.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

It would be easy enough for someone who home grows some things to participate, just substitute the store price of whatever you use in your recipes. If you use 1 lb of homegrown pork chops and pork chops are $2.39/lb in the store, write in 2.39 for the cost of them. 

It's still a comparative study in the economics of eating both cheaply and healthily. 

That said, the mileage restrictions are not reasonable for a large number of HT members so that'll still cut out a lot of participation. I'd have given if a shot if not for the mileage restrictions.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

I used to be a Mess Sergent in the Army. I looked at what most have posted and yep you can for 1 meal. But to provide a 2,000 Calorie meals each and every day in 1980 it would cost you $8 per person per day and that is only food. 2,000 calories per day is what it takes to work or heal if in the Hospital. Most of us eat too much and that is why we are fat and I doubt that we eat a balanced diet.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

TurnerHill said:


> Another factor: You don't own a car. You can only do your shopping at a place with walking/bus distance.


I'm screwed then....


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

A dollar per person, per meal? That shouldnt be too tricky. at 2 bucks a pound for any one of several good cuts of meat... lots cheaper for chicken legs or quarters, bread costs me about 75 cents a loaf to bake, and would easily serve five people two meals, two dollars will more than serve up a salad for five people. eggs run about 15 cents each sooooo

breakfast
two eggs and toast 37 cents plus 3cents worth of butter, glass of milk... another dime so we are looking at 2.50 for a breakfast for five. (the other 2.50 goes in my special savings fund)

lunch

the other half a loaf of bread for sammys 40 cents, a bucks worth of balogna bought out of the managers special bin at a dollar a pound... slice of cheese on each sammy... little mayo and mustard and we are outta there for less than two bucks, including the milk and peanut butter, the little ones arent that big on balogna. (The other three bucks goes into my savings jar)

Supper... 

we splurge for the evening meal. we get into the pork loin, around a third of a pound per steak, grilled, steamed aspargus on one side... and a baked tater on the other... cost about a dollar per person... with nothing for my special savings jar.... but.. with the other 5.50 I saved on the other two meals, times seven days that gets me nearly 40 bucks a week in my special savings account. 

Lots of variations on the above... stir fry veggies with the tenderloin, biscuits and gravy for breakfast... almost as much as eggs and toast... leftover biscuits and such for lunch, then theres always the pasta dishes for supper that is cheaper than the above described meal. 

Another big seller around our house in the winter is the chili pot... cost maybe 2 bucks to make, and feeds five for two meals easy. 

Once a month I take my "special savings jar" to the liquor store and restock the important things.


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## Rusty'sDog (Oct 14, 2010)

It is hard to put meaningful numbers on things. The amount a family of any size gets in food stamps varies from state to state. The cost of groceries varies regionally. When I moved from L.A., CA to Seattle, WA, I saw an immediate 20-25% rise in grocery prices. And it wasn't because I was buying items that are regional to SoCal. That (same brand/size) 3# bag of Washington apples that cost $2.79 here sold in LA for 1.79, but due to more competition in LA, there was always a store that sold them for 99Â¢. I can buy our local (WA) salmon cheaper in LA than I can here.

The bottom line if you want to save money on groceries is that you need to learn how to cook instead of buying prepared foods. Frito-Lays is getting $8.00 per pound for potatoes. (And with their volume, they are probably paying half what a supermarket is for raw potatoes.).

The reason a fast foods restaurant won't give you a cup for water is because the cup costs them more than the Coke does.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

||Downhome|| said:


> I'm screwed then....


A bicycle is one of the most efficient modes of transport there is. You can easily cover 30 miles with a load in a day. Well most people can.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2011)

watcher said:


> A bicycle is one of the most efficient modes of transport there is. You can easily cover 30 miles with a load in a day. Well most people can.


I'd be screwed, too. Since my RA got so bad, I can't ride a bike for half a block without my knees locking up, and then being swelled up like cantaloupes for the next week.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Old Vet said:


> I used to be a Mess Sergent in the Army. I looked at what most have posted and yep you can for 1 meal. But to provide a 2,000 Calorie meals each and every day in 1980 it would cost you $8 per person per day and that is only food. 2,000 calories per day is what it takes to work or heal if in the Hospital. Most of us eat too much and that is why we are fat and I doubt that we eat a balanced diet.


Ok, I think I see the problem with our outrageous national debt... if you had to have 8 bucks per person, to serve a single meal in 1980 doing it the "Army way" and food prices have at least doubled if not tripled since then.... and we have numerous posters here doing it for a dollar or less per day... today... doing it the civilian way..... yep, houston... we have a problem!! 

During the 70s my grandfather worked as a garbage truck driver at Ft. Ord in Ca. He spent all day hauling truckloads of "surpus" food from the base to the dump where it was buried. we are talking large truck load filled with frozen steaks, cases of canned goods, boxes of cheese... all good food, but was simply the surplus that had been ordered in, and not used.... This went on all day every day for years.... and it might have something to do with those 8 dollar meals. I think it was also about this same time period that I heard one of the military fat cats bragging about how the army could feed, clothe and house a soldier for a mere 97 dollars a day!! Bear in mind this cost was nothing to do with equipping, transporting or training.. just your basic three slops and a cot. The funny part was, he was serious and thought that was quite efficient!


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

bumped for old times sake!

This what the original post asked (RIP, Ken):



Ken Scharabok said:


> Take off from another thread:
> 
> Your challenge here is to come up with a varied week's worth of meals/menus which will not average more than $125 per week for five people for one week (average of $1.19 per person per three meals a day). Also expressed as you can't spend more than $5.95 a day to feed five people.
> 
> ...




.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

I posted a gazillion more links to HomesteadingToday threads that are similar to this one (see link below). 

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/ge...-famous-$1-00-meal-thread-revived-goodun.html

.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Is this one of those silly 'food stamp challenges?" Where the agenda is to discover how hard it is to feed people on food stamp limits while ignoring every other source of income and benefit?


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## unregistered353870 (Jan 16, 2013)

where I want to said:


> Is this one of those silly 'food stamp challenges?" Where the agenda is to discover how hard it is to feed people on food stamp limits while ignoring every other source of income and benefit?


It seems to be that may have behind it at the time it was posted, but the agenda doesn't matter that much to me. It might actually help some people.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

where I want to said:


> Is this one of those silly 'food stamp challenges?" Where the agenda is to discover how hard it is to feed people on food stamp limits while ignoring every other source of income and benefit?


I didn't see any reference to food stamps at all, anywhere in this thread, but maybe I missed it?

Well, here's something that's not silly: the link I posted earlier is full of cheap and good meals (and no challenges or agendas, other than lots of good food that will help save a bunch of $$). 


.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

i miss ken...i loved his articles about visiting his distant relatives in europe he wrote about in countryside and small stock journal.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

jtbrandt said:


> It seems to be that may have behind it at the time it was posted, but the agenda doesn't matter that much to me. It might actually help some people.


It was the oddly specific amount specified that made me wonder. And the response was because I was particularly irritated at other things havng been whined and dined.


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

An aside, I also remember Ken's recounting of his trip to the relatives', I believe in the Czech Republic or Croatia. Enlightening!


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