Lower your food costs to $1 per day?

[hakrjak]

With the crappy economy people are being forced to trim their household budgets every way possible to be able to live within their means, but a $1 per day diet? Am I crazy?

Check it out:
One Dollar Diet Project

- Hakrjak

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Damn with all those hits they gotta put up some GAd-Sense or something! Don't squander away the opportunity!

 

[BeingChewsie]

I have no idea why this even made the news, many of us do this everday. I feed a family of three and a dog plus all cleaning supplies for under $100 a month or roughly $30 per person or a $1 a day..and in fact have been working on getting us down to $75 a month. We eat better than the people in this story, far better...we eat meat, fruits, and vegetables too. We don't eat out and we don't graze in the fridge or cabinets all day but we have three meals plus snacks everyday. I do this in Newport Beach CA where food prices are ASTRONOMICAL..I shop the sales and plan my daily menu in advance based on upcoming sales. The menu is posted in my kitchen for my son and Robert to see what is planned on each day of the month.

Sue

 

[mtnman]

What dummies! I don't understand why people don't buy a domain when they get exposure. :smx4:

And I have no idea what they consider eating a good diet on the cheap... Actually, the highest quality foods are the cheapest (wheatgrass, sprouts, distilled water, etc...), you just can't pick them up at any store.

 

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[kurtyordy]

I have no idea why this even made the news, many of us do this everday. I feed a family of three and a dog plus all cleaning supplies for under $100 a month or roughly $30 per person or a $1 a day..and in fact have been working on getting us down to $75 a month. We eat better than the people in this story, far better...we eat meat, fruits, and vegetables too. We don't eat out and we don't graze in the fridge or cabinets all day but we have three meals plus snacks everyday. I do this in Newport Beach CA where food prices are ASTRONOMICAL..I shop the sales and plan my daily menu in advance based on upcoming sales. The menu is posted in my kitchen for my son and Robert to see what is planned on each day of the month.

Sue

How in the heck do you do this? Food is the hardest part of our budget to stick to.

 

[Bilgefisher]

I have no idea why this even made the news, many of us do this everday. I feed a family of three and a dog plus all cleaning supplies for under $100 a month or roughly $30 per person or a $1 a day..and in fact have been working on getting us down to $75 a month. We eat better than the people in this story, far better...we eat meat, fruits, and vegetables too. We don't eat out and we don't graze in the fridge or cabinets all day but we have three meals plus snacks everyday. I do this in Newport Beach CA where food prices are ASTRONOMICAL..I shop the sales and plan my daily menu in advance based on upcoming sales. The menu is posted in my kitchen for my son and Robert to see what is planned on each day of the month.

Sue

That's impressive. I'm a bachelor and have trouble staying under $100/mo. I don't exactly eat healthy though.

 

[BeingChewsie]

How in the heck do you do this? Food is the hardest part of our budget to stick to.

Hi,

It takes a lot of discipline. I have been doing this for a long time at least 15 years so it is second nature. We had a rough patch when we all moved in together because even though he and I dated a number of years he never really understood just how frugal I am. I got off track for a little bit because he was leading me down the path of $350 a month in food...I clipped that problem though .

I rarely use coupons unless they are the store ones like Stater Brothers has 5lbs of potatoes on sale tomorrow for .99 with their in ad coupon. I buy whole chicken when it is on sale for .67 or .77 cents a pound( and I use the WHOLE chicken to get several meals). I buy Chicken breast when it is .99 cents a pound. I buy whole turkeys when they are at rock bottom prices like .39 cents a pound. We don't eat a lot of beef but occasionally I'll find steak(like ny sirloin) really really cheap and I'll surprise them with it. We routinely find london broil for a $1.59 a pound, marinated over night, grilled and sliced correctly it is to die for. I rarely buy hamburg but occasionally my son really wants spaghetti and meatballs so when it is on loss leader I try and pick up a few pounds. I buy the odds and ends of thick slice bacon for $1.49 a pound vs the strips for $6.49 a pound( ask your butcher or deli guy at the grocery store)...the odds and ends often have full strips and many thin slices that are almost ham like. I cut the pieces in half, fry them up and use them with meals or add-ons to recipes as needed. I'm an egg hunter, we like them and I have good luck finding them cheap around .99 cents a dozen..sometimes as a loss leader at .69 cents a dozen. When I lived on the East coast I had chickens so buying eggs still feels odd...especally when I look at the profit margin . When butter is on loss leader sale I load up, you can freeze butter for months!

I buy my milk and orange juice at Trader joes unless I can find them dirt cheap on a loss leader...1/2 gallon OJ is $1.99 at TJ's...a gallon lasts a month. So if I see it for less at one of the other places I shop I'll get it there instead. Milk is $2.59 a gallon at TJ's here...sometimes I see it at a lost leader for $1.99 a gallon..holy smokes I'm like the milk fairy then! I'll buy 4-5 gallons and freeze them, that holds us over generally until the next milk sale. We use 2 gallons a month. I bought a large water dispenser/pitcher, I think it is like 2 gallons or 3 gallons...I fill it up with water, slice an orange up into very thin slices and throw it in, shake, then chill...they have flavored water for 2 weeks for pennies...when it runs down I refill it. I rarely use the whole orange so then I just give the left over orange to my kiddo for his snack that day. I have used lemons and cucumbers in water too. Carbonated beverages like coke and diet coke off brand stuff gets bought but only when it is on deep sale and I ration it..I'm like a Soda-nazi . Milk and juice are given at the daily recommended amount, if we are thirsty water is just fine.

Fruits and vegetables: I buy things on sale and in season. I make use of the farmers market, loss-leaders and TJ's. I have no place here to have a garden if I did I'd grow a good amount of what we eat. Apples have a pretty darn good shelf life and if by the end up the month they start getting soft, I turn them into a nice apple crisp or add it to the oatmeal before they get it in the morning. I have found buying vegetable and fruit twice per month works just fine. You just have to shop around and if oranges are not on sale but banana's are, we don't eat oranges that month or for those two weeks.

I don't buy much junk food, my kiddo gets a bag of store brand frosted flakes once a month, usually on saturday morning he gets to have them, sometmes as his afterschool snack.

Cleaning products: This is where coupons can come in handy if you like name brand stuff. I'm not that picky, I buy a can of scrubbing bubbles for the bathrooms, and one bottle of whatever Mr clean/lysol/pinesol/smellslikesomeflowerstuff cleaner that is on sale. You can really save by using ammonia, if you hate the smell, add a dash of yor liquid laundry soap to it, smells like flowers then. It is an incredible cleaner when you do that and cheap, cheap, cheap. I buy the store brand dishwashing stuff, I don't even use my dishwasher it is just easier to wash them immediately after we eat by hand. As soon as I get home I take my old dishwashing soap bottle and pour a 1/4 of the new stuff in, add water to fill and shake...it lasts longer and you really do not need it to be so concentrated.. Paper towels and napkins( What a racket those makers have!) are one of those expenses that grates on me, so I try to conserve on papertowel use and use rags. Shampoo/conditioner/soap whatever is on sale and I ration that too.

I bake and make almost everything from scratch and have learned that children like choclate chip cookies just as much with a handful or two of chocolate chips vs the whole bag as the recipe calls for. I'm big on hot breakfast, I like my son to have a hot meal before school. You can make pancake mix from scratch for pennies, you can buy family sizes of the mix on sale for just a tad more. I keep mix on hand for those morning when time gets away from us. I only buy the just add water kind..and believe me I do . They come out just as good with a tad more water then the box calls for. I always have left-overs so I then take the leftovers and freeze them for an emergency rush breakfast or a snack for my little guy when he is tearing the doors off. I make oatmeal in my slowcooker, it cooks overnight and in the AM they have hot oatmeal. We make pizza at home..it is a family affair and we make a party out of it. I often make the dough ahead of time and par-bake then freeze them. A couples times a month I make homemade muffins for breakfast and freeze the left overs for emergencies. I'm not stingy on portions but they understand there is no feeding frenzy allowed here. I make them snacks during the day and on weekends, popcorn(not microwave), cookies, brownies, and fruit.

The dog eats Natural Balance sweet potato and fish, he is a 13lb pound malti-poo so 16lbs last a month

The bottm line is I am firm about the food budget, how long the food must last, what is offered on a given day and portion size is normal not restaurant size.

Friday we had:
Breakfast: Pancakes/bacon/OJ
Lunch: Salad, left over homemade teriyaki "rice-a-roni" with ginger/sesame chicken, water
Snack: Crackers/cheese
Dinner: Baked chicken breasts, gravy, baked potatoes, homemade bread, milk/water
Snack: Shortbread cookies we got as Xmas gift from someone

Today we had:
Breakfast: Oatmeal-son and myself and Robert had a thick slice of homemade panettone(he does not eat cereal), OJ for us, and milk and OJ for the little guy
Lunch: Chicken salads(leafy greens, tomato, green onions, left-over chicken, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, pepper), baked potato, dressing and flavored water
Snack: Son and I split an apple, Robert had a couple sices of pineapple
Dinner: Farmer's Breakfast- homefries, bacon, eggs, peppers, onions, cheddar cheese, cooked together in a casserole, milk for the kiddo, Robert and I had stater brothers diet cola.(This is a favorite meal around here)
Snack: The three of us just split a good size orange

We have left over farmer's breakfast for another meal with homemade bread ths coming week

Tomorrow:
Breakast: Belgian waffles/bacon, OJ
Lunch: Chicken in salad and tomato soup,water
Snack: chocolate chip cookies(baked for the coming week)
Dinner: Spaghetti/sauce/meatballs, milk

As you can see nobody is starving in this house and no food is wasted, all leftovers are used.

I have meals planned until January 5th when we plan to go shopping again. I bought a little extra this month(though still stayed within budget)because my son is off school for two weeks for Chistmas break so we will be baking stuff more. I still watch the sales in between, if something really good comes up like $1.99 gallon milk or eggs at .59 cents a dozen or some other crazy loss leader I'll go grab a bunch of it to freeze.

I spent $93.76 for the month of December and bought a few things I could of lived without. I'm going to pick up 10 more lbs of potatoes tomorrow at stater brothers they are .99 cents for 5lbs..so that will put me at $95.74 for the month and that includes things other than food for just us. I think you are better off plannng out 30 days worth of meals with a budget of $30 per person vs the trying to buy it by the day like these people have been. You can play give and take the way I do it, some days might cost $4-5 for the 3 of us but then others are $ 3 so by the end of the month it ends up the same but you eat better.

There is a program out there, not income based that lots of frugal folks use it is called angel food ministries. They offer food packages for a reduced rate, anybody can buy them. I haven't used them because I do better on my own but if you buy a months worth of food from them and feed a family of 4..you spend $1 a day per person. I think their stuff could be stretched more too. Like a family of 4 could get 3 of the $30 packages for $90 and have enough food for a monh, that would leave money for non food items. Here is their January menu, it varies month to month, like December had quite a bit of beef. Like I said I don't use it and would think only the main $30 food list would be a "money saver", the rest like their meat, fruits, and veggies I have never really investigated to see how much they would save.
Food Menu*- Angel Food Ministries

I hope this helps. Food is a big income bleeder for most families.

Sue

 

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[PEERless]

Wow, wow, wow! I spend $400-500/month on groceries, plus dining out. This might make a good New Year's resolution for me.

 

[rcardin]

While it is a little more frugal than I could ever be it got me thinking about our budget.

We spend about 150-175 a week on groceries and cleaning supplies. I showed my wife the angel food ministries and we are going to try it next month. It could drop our food bill in half.

 

[hatterasguy]

I have no desire to be that frugal. My idea of frugal is only spending $10 on lunch that day.

I enjoy eating out, when I can afford to I will eat out for almost every meal.

 

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[BeingChewsie]

I don't think most people do. I think it has to be in your blood(like me) or you have to be in a position where you have too...like in the make it or break it phase of building your business and/or networth.

Sue

I have no desire to be that frugal. My idea of frugal is only spending $10 on lunch that day.

I enjoy eating out, when I can afford to I will eat out for almost every meal.

 

[PEERless]

I showed my wife the angel food ministries and we are going to try it next month.

Tell me more about this? Isn't it a charity? Wouldn't we be taking it from people who "need" it more?

I enjoy eating out, when I can afford to

But how do you Define "Affordable"? Aren't you forgoing better ROI on that $10+/meal?

 

[Jill]

... My idea of frugal is only spending $10 on lunch that day.
I enjoy eating out, when I can afford to I will eat out for almost every meal.

I'm afraid I'm a bit more like you. Although, I'm not even going to say what we spend on food, drinks and dining out. I'll be the first to admit that it's reedicalus. I totally respect and admire the energy you put into stretching your food budget, Chewsie!

 

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[hakrjak]

I thought this story was interesting because --

We're currently spending around $500-600 per month to feed my family of 4 over here. We buy a lot in bulk at Sam's club and freeze all of our meats (I know plenty of people who refuse to eat frozen meat, and must have fresh, yada yada yada), we'll freeze bread if it's on sale sometimes, etc... We buy cheese in huge loafs at Sam's, Oatmeal in giant containers, etc... We buy seafood when it's on sale at Albertson's, and we buy our milk from a local milk store where it's always cheap and they use reusable containers, etc...

I guess the key for us that prevents us from getting our grocery bill under control is that we don't ever deny ourselves anything if we really want it. We'll often buy king crab & halibut, scallops and a variety of steaks, expensive cheeses, etc...

Then when you add in our Liquor & Wine bill to the grocery tab, we're probably closer to $800 per month, and then you can add atleast another $200 per month for eating out on top of that.

Time is a major thing for us, and so we don't have time to hunt all over town for the sales and specials, so I think that's why we use Sam's club a lot. We always feel like we're getting a fair deal there regardless of when we have time to go.... *shrug*

Cheers,

- Hakrjak

 

[hakrjak]

I hope this helps. Food is a big income bleeder for most families.

Sue

Great contribution -- giving you some speed for this post ++

I think it looks like you're able to keep your budget down because I don't see any seafood or red meat in the menu's, and not a lot of fresh salads. I think that's what eats us up the most, although I need to sit down with our grocery bills and truly do a spreadsheet sometime to be certain.

- Hakrjak

 

[PEERless]

The more I think about it, I can't afford my eating habits. (More like dining habits.) Lattes, alcohol, sushi... It's damn luxurious! I'm fortunate to be able to eat the way I do.

we don't ever deny ourselves anything

The more I look at it, I'm realizing that I'm behaving like I'm already rich. My discretionary spending is certainly "affordable," in that it doesn't put me in debt, but it's not truly affordable, because of the opportunity costs involved. Marktech101 reminded RichKid not to "act rich before you are rich." Biophase countered with, "Don't act rich even when you are rich."
I'm going to really reassess my food spending. All that money could be put to much better use. Rep+ for the thread.

 

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[kimberland]

The hubby and I only spend about $200 a month average on food
(includes eating out
and vacation meals,
oh, and chocolate).

How?

Because most people I know don't eat left overs
and we do
so when they find that out,
they give us their leftovers.

At first I felt a little funny about it
until they said (and I saw)
they were throwing this food out the next day.

Free meals.
Plus it saves a LOT of time.
I hardly ever prepare anything (other than reheat)
and we get restaurant style variety every day.

The downside is
sometimes I feel like eating a specific thing
but we'll have leftovers in the fridge
we should finish off.

 

[hakrjak]

Because most people I know don't eat left overs
and we do

I agree on this statement.... In my house -- the kids and I are the only ones who will eat leftovers, as my girlfriiend absolutely refuses to eat them (Without much reason other than, "I told you when we got together that I do not eat leftovers!" LOL...) -- Isn't it wierd that this has become the norm now? When I was a kid, I remember my Mom would cook us a chicken for dinner and then we'd have the leftover chicken next night, and then she would make chicken soup after boiling the carcass and we'd eat chicken soup, or she'd freeze some chicken soup with that leftover bit of meat, etc....

It seems like it has now become the norm for the family to maybe cook the chicken, and then just throw it away after, or put the leftovers in the fridge and never touch them until they go bad, at which time they dump them in the trash. Our parents and grandparents would be ashamed of us our wasteful behavior -- having lived through times when having enough food was truly a problem for most of them.

Have we become such a decadent culture that we find it so disgusting to eat the same meal 2 nights in a row?

Cheers,

- Hakrjak

 

[PEERless]

having lived through times when having enough food was truly a problem for most of them.

More times like these could be ahead.

Isn't it wierd that this has become the norm now?

I've never met anyone who "won't eat leftovers." Is that a regional or cultural thing maybe? Every person I know (rich and poor) saves and eats leftovers. Who throws away good food?

 

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[Yankees338]

I've never met anyone who "won't eat leftovers." Is that a regional or cultural thing maybe? Every person I know (rich and poor) saves and eats leftovers. Who throws away good food?

I think that that happens to us a lot.

There are five people in our family, so I think the reasoning is that we usually don't have enough leftovers to feed EVERYONE. We end up picking up more food for dinner, so each person usually ends up with a meal. If they don't go to waste, our leftovers usually just serve as a snack.

 

[BeingChewsie]

Tell me more about this? Isn't it a charity? Wouldn't we be taking it from people who "need" it more?

There are no income requirements it is for anyone who wants to save money on their food budget. You are paying for the food, I don't use it because I get the same stuff cheaper doing it my way but it isn't a charity either. Just one way to get your budget under control if it is a problem.

Sue

 

[kimberland]

I've never met anyone who "won't eat leftovers." Is that a regional or cultural thing maybe? Every person I know (rich and poor) saves and eats leftovers. Who throws away good food?

Having worked in the restaurant business,
it IS regional,
very much a North American thing.
Not many people pack half eaten meals away.
Why?
Mostly because they don't eat leftovers.

Next time you're in a restaurant,
check out the bus boy's tray.

Sure, when you talk to people,
they will all say they do
sort of like they all say they don't eat candy
yet candy is a multi-million dollar business.
I'm not a big fan of words.
They often lie.

BTW...
I'm not going to say 'oh, that's shameful'
because that is their choice
and it is darn nice
that they have that choice,
but it certainly does benefit the hubby and I.

 

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[PEERless]

our leftovers usually just serve as a snack.

Yeah, that's cool. You're not wasting them. Snacks count.

Just one way to get your budget under control if it is a problem.

Cool! But I see there's no distribution anywhere near me. I'll just shop smart.

it IS regional, very much a North American thing.

By regions, I meant within the US. I have lived in Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming; and everyone takes home their doggy bags. No one admits they throw away food, let alone proudly announces "I do not eat leftovers!" I'm having trouble fathoming this attitude...

 

[BeingChewsie]

Great contribution -- giving you some speed for this post ++

I think it looks like you're able to keep your budget down because I don't see any seafood or red meat in the menu's, and not a lot of fresh salads. I think that's what eats us up the most, although I need to sit down with our grocery bills and truly do a spreadsheet sometime to be certain.

- Hakrjak

Thanks!

We eat fresh salads not that bag crap just about everyday(at least 5 days a week, I'd feed it to them 7 days a week but veggies are not a big mover here), we don't eat a ton of red meat but we eat some 2-3x a month and no shellfish as I am deadly allergic to it. I do make some fish primarily in the summer months. I'd probably eat more fish if the fish out here wasn't so sucky. I'm a New England girl where fish is good..eating fish out here like eating most things out here is pretty sucky. It is like anything else, I have been doing this for so long that I spend very little time on the actually shopping/menu part. I only shop 2x a month on average. I cook a lot but I enjoy cooking, it is therapeutic, it keeps me from being the top story on the evening news some nights .

Sue

 

[hatterasguy]

But how do you Define "Affordable"? Aren't you forgoing better ROI on that $10+/meal?

No, I want to live and enjoy life for a bit before I die. I'm quite frugal, but not cheap. Their is a difference.

For example I don't have HD super expensive TV that people have no problem paying over $100 a month for. I don't have an expensive cell/pda/I phone phone, or the $100 a month bill's that come with them, I don't have expensive cars, or car payments, I also don't have CC debt.

My grandfather was cheap to the point of not replacing the battery in his truck and just roll starting it.

 

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[hatterasguy]

I'm afraid I'm a bit more like you. Although, I'm not even going to say what we spend on food, drinks and dining out. I'll be the first to admit that it's reedicalus. I totally respect and admire the energy you put into stretching your food budget, Chewsie!

I enjoy eating out, wish I could afford to eat dinner out. Going to different restaurants with interesting people is lots of fun. I believe you should enjoy life within reason why you can. If not one day your feeble, 70, and have a ton of useless to you money in the bank.

BTW one of the guys that lives near me on the Mercedes forum I'm a member of is buying that Maserati coupe you like. Neat car, pretty cheap to slightly used for what they are.

 

[CMCarlin]

I caught this thread but I'm in a rush so I haven't read all the posts, but I have something to contribute:

The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1

20 healthy foods for under a dollar.

 

[Jill]

...BTW one of the guys that lives near me on the Mercedes forum I'm a member of is buying that Maserati coupe you like. Neat car, pretty cheap to slightly used for what they are.

Aghhh. Let me know how he likes it. They only introduced it in 2007, so they're just now coming available on the "pre-owned" market, which is the only way I would buy one. Cheapest I've seen one so far is around $75 to $80k.

K. Back on topic!

 

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[Rawr]

Don't eat left overs? Who the hell are you? Wow, I can't even fathom that - or anyone I know for that reason, and I know a lot of people in different cultures.. what the F.

Here is how I'd do $1 a week, eat healthy and lose weight at the same time.

Beans bulk canned - $6 for a huge tub.

eggs $3 for 18.

tuna if it's still 60 cents a can.

morning = oats

milk if you can swing it.

Water as main drink.

 

[andviv]

I still have fresh in my mind the presentation we heard at the B&P last March. It is doable, problem is the lack of discipline to make it happen.

Who has done the ramen noodles diet? how was it?