With some compromises I hadn't planned, it is possible to find and purchase groceries for the week, for a family of three, for $63.
Doing it took some major planning - reading through the sale circulars for our local grocery stores, planning a menu for the week based on what was on sale before I headed to the store, and then lots of mental math in an effort to cut through the hype of some sales, which it turned out were not a bargain!
Our first meal from my finds - a salad with romaine, tomato, sliced almonds, chick peas and ranch dressing; sausage with red and green peppers, onions and mushrooms; iced tea with lemon.
A simple meal that was delicious!
In posts that follow I'll detail the shopping trip, decisions made along the way, and each day take pictures of our meals for the week!
I haven't crunched the numbers for nutritional value yet, but will as the week continues and let you know how we do!
Posts
It's an interesting experiment. As someone who was VERY poor for most of my adult life, I can appreciate the difficult of trying to feed a family on a limited budget. I remember once realizing, on a gut level, what "shoestring budget" meant - I had a broken shoelace and enough money for either a new set of laces or milk for my baby. I think I found a piece of string somewhere.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm unsure what the ultimate goal of your challenge is. Are you trying to demonstrate that food programs for poor people are adequate and don't need to be improved? Or are you trying to show that most people can eat nutritious food without having to pay the earth for it? These are two pretty different aims, I think. As a previous commenter said, it took time, planning, a car, and gas money to buy your week's groceries, and most really poor people don't have the advantage of a car. I certainly couldn't have done it on the bus, with a stroller.
Rachel
However, I'm unsure what the ultimate goal of your challenge is. Are you trying to demonstrate that food programs for poor people are adequate and don't need to be improved? Or are you trying to show that most people can eat nutritious food without having to pay the earth for it? These are two pretty different aims, I think.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first posted that I was going to try this, I thought it would be impossible - only after getting started and setting up my plan did I realize it was possible to stay within the budget and feed everyone for the week.
But, as you'll read throughout the coming week, I have reservations about how realistic it is for a family to be able to do this each week, am still crunching numbers around nutrient sufficiency and calories available from what was purchased....and as the week continues I'll post my thoughts and our experiences.