One Week, $25

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HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

One Week, $25

Post by HappyDaze »

Let's imagine you have only $25 to spend to feed yourself three meals a day for 5 days. You have nothing in the house - no spices, condiments, etc. What would you purchase? What would you prepare?
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LogicsHere
Posts: 3126
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:49 am

Re: One Week, $25

Post by LogicsHere »

Happy, I'll try to provide you with something for your challenge but will be difficult for me as stated because of where I live and I think our Canadian friends would have it even worse. I reside in a very high cost of living area in the country (Metro NYC) and in one of the highest taxed counties in the country.

A challenge like this even a year ago would have been difficult (I've tried several) but now you're talking significantly inflated prices and starting with absolutely nothing. A year ago I was getting jumbo eggs for $1.50/doz; today they are $3.99 to $4.99 a dozen. A package of meat at sale price runs approximately $14 on average in my area. I can't go in and just ask for 1/2 lb of meat in my supermarket . . . they just won't do it because of COVID.

I will use the assumption as do all the internet challenges that you have at least some spices and cooking fat in your pantry. I will also try to stretch it to 5 days but more realistically I will probably only be able to make it 3 and for 2 meals day - - - 3 would again be difficult because I haven't eaten 3 meals a day in over 20 years.

It would also be totally unrealistic to say that I had absolutely nothing. Just salt and pepper, unless I walked into a McDonalds and stole packets of condiments which I absolutely am opposed to and would not do even to suggest it as a part of this challenge, would be almost $5.00 alone and then since I use pans that require at least cooking spray that's another $3.50 for the lowest price for a total already of 1/3rd of the budget. In some areas, there are grocery stores where you can buy in bulk and buy 1/8th of a tsp of something if you wanted it but not mine. Some people have gardens which they could pick from . . . I live in an apartment with no such luxury.

Also more likely than not, I could probably only feed 1 person, not 2 and it definitely wouldn't be healthy. Doing this a year ago was hard but now with the inflated prices not very likely and if someone can, I sincerely applaud them. I'm not too picky of an eater but I can't eat oatmeal (a texture thing) and don't like peanut butter.
Last edited by LogicsHere on Sat May 14, 2022 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chocolite
Posts: 1444
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 8:11 pm

Re: One Week, $25

Post by chocolite »

Okay I'll give it a shot. Around here, I'd go to Aldi. It has the best prices overall. These meals will be boring and mostly unhealthy, but at least we’d eat. Here's the list I would get, along with current prices from their website:

10-lb bag of chicken quarters: $5.50. It should provide about 8 quarters, which would make at least 4 meals.
1 dozen large eggs: $3.15. Two eggs per person for 6 breakfasts. (No coffee with breakfast – it’s too expensive.)
Imperial fake butter: $1.35. Yuck, but butter is out of the question (to cook eggs in).
Iodized salt: $.55. I cannot abide eggs, chicken, pasta, or beans without salt.
Two loaves of white bread: $2.10. Toast for breakfast, with plenty left over to make sandwiches and have with dinner.
18-oz jar peanut butter: $1.89. Sandwich lunches.
32-oz box of spaghetti: $1.59. Budgeting 2-3 oz/per person at a meal, this would provide enough for several meals/side dishes. This could be served plain with “butter” or with the crushed tomatoes as a sauce.
28-oz can crushed tomatoes: $1.09
32-oz bag of Great Northern Beans: $1.89. This will provide several lunches and/or dinners. By adding salt, they would be okay.

I almost stopped there, but by my calculations I’d have .89 left. So I’d grab a 7 oz package of Goya Maria cookies for .75. Total of 35 cookies in the pkg, so treats or dessert for several days.

If I had to include tax (4% in TN), that would be .79, which would put me over budget. So I’d leave off the cookies.
Patty
LogicsHere
Posts: 3126
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:49 am

Re: One Week, $25

Post by LogicsHere »

Here's my offering. I have no Aldis or other discount food chain such as Walmart and no garden. All these are at this week's sale prices at 3 fairly local stores. If I only have $25, then I couldn't afford a trip to an Aldis which would cost me about $8.00 or more round trip. It's my pantry and meal planning that keeps my food costs down. As I have never lived this way I can not see me in the position with only $25 and absolutely nothing in the cabinets.

Milk 3.09
Coffee 2 oz 1.59
Sugar 2.79
Eggs 3.59
Bread 0.99

salt 0.89
Pepper ½ oz 1.09
Butter ½ lb 2.89

Chicken quarters sale .69/lb 3.45
Potatoes 2.99
Frozen veggies 28 oz 2.50

This comes in at $25.86. If I already had the milk, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and butter which are the spices and other condiments, I could add fruit and salad to the menu. It does fit 5 days, but again it's just a cup of coffee in the morning, 2 eggs w/toast and potatoes and milk with brunch and chicken, potato and mixed veggies and a glass of milk.

Without the milk, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and butter, I'd have an additional $12.34 to add fresh fruit and salads and perhaps another meat and yogurt.




25.86
Last edited by LogicsHere on Sat May 14, 2022 4:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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MackerelCat
Posts: 7258
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: One Week, $25

Post by MackerelCat »

Whoops, I read that as $10!

I would buy a canister of oatmeal: $1.80
A pound of brown lentils: $1.80
Pound of brown rice: $.80
1 can diced tomatoes: $.80
Pack of margarine: $1.00 on sale
Picnic set of salt and pepper from Dollar Tree: $1.25
Box of raisins from Dollar Tree: $1.25
Total: $9.70. If sales tax is not involved, I would buy one rib of celery for 30 cents.

The menu for the week would be oatmeal with raisins, salt and margarine for breakfast.

For both lunch and dinner, the meal would be lentils and rice with tomatoes, pepper, and chopped celery cooked in margarine. For something like bread to eat with the lentil stew, plain oatmeal made a little runny will be fried like pancakes in margarine.

No coffee or tea, although I would have done instant coffee or tea from Dollar Tree if there had been enough money.
Mackie
Quilter51
Posts: 2815
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:04 pm

Re: One Week, $25

Post by Quilter51 »

I could not do that without accessing food banks and keep myself healthy as a diabetic whi has other issues. I manage 50 a week for one with a pantry.
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