tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post2533693156410141618..comments2024-03-13T06:54:20.063-05:00Comments on Weight of the Evidence: Can you feed yourself with $3.00 a day?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-7734512426768558632013-09-16T03:10:13.261-05:002013-09-16T03:10:13.261-05:00$155 / 30 is $5.16
But your attempt at math was a...$155 / 30 is $5.16<br /><br />But your attempt at math was admirable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-73273954162668966342013-04-28T17:44:23.276-05:002013-04-28T17:44:23.276-05:00Its $21.00 for a WEEK , not $21.00 a day, go out a...Its $21.00 for a WEEK , not $21.00 a day, go out and just look at what things cost, do you really think your going to live on walnuts, at a dollar store walnuts are 1/2 a handful for a buck!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-86361696544407509762007-06-07T07:01:00.000-05:002007-06-07T07:01:00.000-05:00I agree with this completely, thanks for the post....I agree with this completely, thanks for the post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-30593373697354698752007-05-29T20:16:00.000-05:002007-05-29T20:16:00.000-05:00I know $3 per day is difficult but it was never me...I know $3 per day is difficult but it was never meant to be the only source of food income. Food pantries, church run centers, etc. Plus every kid I know whose family is entitled to food stamps also has free breakfast and lunch. Many of us also grow our own vegetables and trade with others who grow different ones. It is not fun but it is doable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-85019867603961104552007-05-29T07:07:00.000-05:002007-05-29T07:07:00.000-05:00I work as a church secretary, and get calls from d...I work as a church secretary, and get calls from desperate people daily. In this city one of the main problem food stamp users have is transportation. Yes there are food pantries, and soup kitchens, but you'd have to hit all of them every week to make do, and the people I talk tor don't have the transportation to get to all this "free" food. <BR/>OR out of necessity they have shown up so many times that they are banned from the giveaway for a month or so- agencies keep track of who they give to, and they dont' give to the same people over and over. Sometimes they will only give food to an individual once every 3 months or so. So you have to keep track of which places you have asked, so that you don't waste valuable gas or bus fare to go to an agency that will refuse you after you stand in line for an hour.<BR/> (thats a whole nother issue- time. Everyone wants poor people to work, but food giveaways happen from 9 until 5- working hours for most people- so you have to skip work to get food?) <BR/>I thank the cosmos every day that my family is comfortably middle-class and can afford to eat right. And yet- I'm also fat!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-61553545676025330672007-05-26T07:50:00.000-05:002007-05-26T07:50:00.000-05:00A interesting experiment, but i think there are a ...A interesting experiment, but i think there are a couple of things that should be noted. First, if you qualify for food stamps, then your kid is eligble for free breakfast and lunch at school. Two, most states and counties have assistance programs on top of federal aid that distribute "surplus" food. This normally includes peanut butter, cheese, eggs, dried beans , rice, margerine, some type of fresh fruit, and canned vegetables. Around here in the fall it also includes fresh venison donated by hunters. Not to mention all the communtiy outreach programs that provide food pantries, and dinner once or twice a week. for needy families. While three dollars a day isn't much, its a mistake to assume thats **ALL** they have to eat.K. Dillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18413996123242214042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-76053838950454727172007-05-26T06:57:00.000-05:002007-05-26T06:57:00.000-05:00There's usually at least one grocery store around ...There's usually at least one grocery store around each week that will put chicken (whole, or the legs, thighs, etc) on sale for less than a dollar a pound. Pork is often cheap too, if you get the sirloin chops. And of course, eggs are a great nutritional bargain! I stock up at Wal-mart on frozen veggies for around $1 per bag.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-53602162835608360832007-05-25T21:07:00.000-05:002007-05-25T21:07:00.000-05:00PJ is right. I was thinking of doing this challeng...PJ is right. I was thinking of doing this challenge with a twist - since I'm a major cheapo stockpile shopper, I figured I'd just add up the cost of each meal for a week. I've kept track of my grocery spending off and on, and I can easily keep it under $160 Cdn per month for the two of us. But I guess that wouldn't be a realistic reflection of what it would be like to depend on food stamps. <BR/><BR/>I accept the challenge, but what if all family members aren't LCers? Should we only include ourselves?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-57637130433979615992007-05-25T19:08:00.000-05:002007-05-25T19:08:00.000-05:00Foods stamps are not intended to be the only sourc...Foods stamps are not intended to be the only source of food for those with low incomes. The stamps are a supplementary source.MikeBikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01141725032939831066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-85674913336393207512007-05-25T18:30:00.000-05:002007-05-25T18:30:00.000-05:00You forget that people on food stamps can't spend ...You forget that people on food stamps can't spend them in restaurants and their children (in our state) are automatically eligible for free or reduced priced lunches and breakfasts during the school year.<BR/><BR/>We have a garden and we still have some venison left from last winter but I don't intend to try this. I don't think I would be able to stick it out and I know DH would fold the first day. <BR/><BR/>This is an interesting link to a google post. This vegan spends less than that on food, she estimated $40/month, not counting cat food or her vitamin supplements.<BR/>http://tinyurl.com/22fm5k<BR/>If you google her posts you would see she bakes her own bread and makes her own soy milk. She uses the okara from the milk for extra protein. She buys canned goods and dried beans in bulk and cooks in bulk, storing individual meals (in reusable generic plastic containers,) in her upright freezer, which she considers some of the best money she ever spent. <BR/>It amazes me but I couldn't live like that, either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-66921335105654707452007-05-25T14:27:00.000-05:002007-05-25T14:27:00.000-05:00Eggs would also have a cost per calorie similar to...Eggs would also have a cost per calorie similar to the walnuts, and provide additional nutrients, along with more protein, while being very low-carb. Seems to me, the problem (from a nutritional pont of view) is basically one of building a high good fat, lower-carb salad with a complete set of nutrients: nuts, eggs, veggies, a bit of oil, and some meat/fish.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-82737261844874515152007-05-25T13:50:00.000-05:002007-05-25T13:50:00.000-05:00Previously (before I knew much about lowcarb), I w...Previously (before I knew much about lowcarb), I went through some occasional poor times. Like maybe 3-5 days of having close to zero money or food. After my little girl and I would scrounge for every coin we could find, we would go to the wonder bread outlet nearby and get a bunch of loaves of ultra-cheap sliced bread, and to the store and get a big tub of the cheapest margarine, and we would live on toast. Fortunately it was only a few times for a few days, but I am sure horrified in retrospect.<BR/><BR/>A lot of money problems are more one of bulk than overall allotment. Sometimes it's less expensive to buy bulk at a big warehouse store but you need $ for membership and gas/car to get there and drag it all home. It's less expensive often to buy a big turkey, for all the meals it can make and stock as well, but it does take some money up front.<BR/><BR/>What amazes me is that even in the lowcarb world, even when the subject of money comes up, nobody talks about gardening. Why IS that? Anybody who thinks the medical industry is frighteningly conspiratorial should never look into the issues with food seeds, which is as bad or worse. It does not take much to grow a few plants. Peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, some peas and beans and salad veggies, see "square foot gardening" for a way to grow a lot of stuff in the smallest amount of space, soil and water.<BR/><BR/>I realize 'plant a garden' is not always possible, not even in a box. Obviously it solves zero problems "right now". (Although some salad veggies are 2-3 weeks to harvest.) But it's a super important thing. A century ago much of the country would not have dreamed of NOT having a garden -- nor would they have had enough money to buy all the food they needed. As long as we continue to foster maximum dependence on the JIT inventory of our local walmarts, rather than what people can grow nearly free at home and vastly healthier, I don't see us ever getting out of that trap.PJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391277875371518678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-36515707660846040462007-05-25T12:38:00.000-05:002007-05-25T12:38:00.000-05:00I read the article about Emerson trying this just ...I read the article about Emerson trying this just recently. I thought it was an interesing experiment.<BR/><BR/> I've been putting together a series of posts concerning low-carbing on a budget. We aren't on food stamps, but we are on a very tight budget. I have to buy groceries for my family of four on about $100 a week. It's tough sometimes. Especially if I want to splurge on fruits and veggies we don't normally have,or if I'd like some grilled shrimp now and then. It's just cheaper to serve everyone pasta, rice and sandwiches. With my husband and myself both being on a low-carb diet it can be daunting. We also try to control the carbs and sugar our children eat as well. So far the biggest help has been meal planning, which I'll highlight in my first post.Amy Dunganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06125706233425564277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13260386.post-13244158043193694322007-05-25T11:41:00.000-05:002007-05-25T11:41:00.000-05:00"how possible it is to maintain a controlled-carb ..."how possible it is to maintain a controlled-carb diet while on a tight budget"<BR/><BR/>That part (energy and low-carb) is easy: buy bulk nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.). (This issue came up on the Eades blog a while back.) For example, 25lb of walnuts is about $80, and contains about 80,000 calories, which a 2,000 calorie a day guy could live on for about 40 days, at about $2 per day.<BR/><BR/>The harder part is getting the rest of the nutrients (including a bit more protein) you need at a good price (and agreeing on what these should be!).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com