A dollar a day challenge

Madelinec117

If you have a neighborhood restaurant, you can ask them if you can have the bones and vegetables they may be throwing away. You would be surprised at how much restaurants throw away because it is not good enough or fresh enough to serve to their customers. Also cauliflower is in season and can stretch a dish. Potatoes are a good option as well.

californiansun

I can't get any food that way unfortunately! I have to buy it myself.

Thank you everyone for all of these amazing ideas. I'm pretty sure soup and beans and rice will be my bffs. And peanut butter.

cmriverside

Buy the fattiest meats, and full fat dairy if you buy dairy at all. More bang for your buck if you get more fat (calories.) 80/20 hamburger is cheaper and has more fat/calories.

sanfromny

Most supermarkets sell half a dozen eggs for about $0.79? 2 eggs for breakfast, 2 for lunch, 2 for dinner. Just fix them different ways. Bananas are usually $0.59 a lb. Just break off 1 or 2 from the bunch and weigh it. U could probably squeeze in 1-2 small bananas for about $0.20 cents. That'll be your snack. Actually you could throw it in a blender with some ice and make a smoothie.

californiansun

sanfromny wrote: »

Most supermarkets sell half a dozen eggs for about $0.79? 2 eggs for breakfast, 2 for lunch, 2 for dinner. Just fix them different ways. Bananas are usually $0.59 a lb. Just break off 1 or 2 from the bunch and weigh it. U could probably squeeze in 1-2 small bananas for about $0.20 cents. That'll be your snack. Actually you could throw it in a blender with some ice and make a smoothie.

I have never ever seen eggs that cheap! They're about 3 dollars or more where I am at! I wish they were that cheap!

Full fat everything is definitely on the list.

OyGeeBiv

See if you can get a whole raw chicken on sale. Roast it whole, and eat some of the meat. Then use leftover cooked meat in other meals - mixed with rice and/or beans is a great way to stretch it. Compare the price/lb of a raw chicken and a cooked rotisserie chicken. Sometimes the cooked ones are on sale - ask someone what time they mark things down.

Use the chicken bones and drippings to make broth. Use all the scraps from your vegetables in the broth-making and strain them out later - ends and peels of carrots, skins and bits from onions, etc. If the chicken came with a bag of stuff in it, add everything except the liver in when you cook the broth, too. If you're patient, you can carefully get the meat out of the neck once it's cooked.

After you make the broth and strain it, put it in the fridge. Chicken fat will rise to the top overnight and solidify. Use that to cook other foods.

A reallllly cheap can of tomato paste (or half a can - keep the other half in a plastic container for later) added to your chicken broth will make it taste much heartier.

If the chicken came with the liver, saute it with a bit of onion.

Shop for produce in a place that doesn't pre-package things, so you can buy little bits of a lot of things. I just bought 3 jalapeno peppers for less than a dime. One head of fresh garlic should be really inexpensive, too. Lots of flavor for almost free. If you have ethnic markets near you, they're often a great place to get a bargain, especially on whatever foods are their specialty. Or buy tiny amounts of things at the salad bar. If you buy "salad" you're entitled to an envelope of salad dressing (at least where I shop). DO NOT weigh the dressing with the veggies! Anyway, get a dressing pack (2 if you're allowed) to use as seasoning on something else - Italian dressing is a good marinade for most meats - ranch can be used in place of mayo. There may also be crackers on the salad bar that you can take for free (if you buy "salad").

When I had no money, I made "soup" by watering down salsa. If you have chicken or some corn to toss in, that's even better. You can also dilute canned soups (even if they say not to).

Dried beans and lentils are much more economical than canned. Plan ahead for cooking them, many recipes call for soaking them overnight. Old fashioned oats are cheap (buy the cheapest brand in the largest container) and very filling.

Assuming this is allowed for the challenge, use coupons! Use them in conjunction with sales to get more bang for your $30.

californiansun

64crayons wrote: »

See if you can get a whole raw chicken on sale. Roast it whole, and eat some of the meat. Then use leftover cooked meat in other meals - mixed with rice and/or beans is a great way to stretch it. Compare the price/lb of a raw chicken and a cooked rotisserie chicken. Sometimes the cooked ones are on sale - ask someone what time they mark things down.

Use the chicken bones and drippings to make broth. Use all the scraps from your vegetables in the broth-making and strain them out later - ends and peels of carrots, skins and bits from onions, etc. If the chicken came with a bag of stuff in it, add everything except the liver in when you cook the broth, too. If you're patient, you can carefully get the meat out of the neck once it's cooked.

After you make the broth and strain it, put it in the fridge. Chicken fat will rise to the top overnight and solidify. Use that to cook other foods.

A reallllly cheap can of tomato paste (or half a can - keep the other half in a plastic container for later) added to your chicken broth will make it taste much heartier.

If the chicken came with the liver, saute it with a bit of onion.

Shop for produce in a place that doesn't pre-package things, so you can buy little bits of a lot of things. I just bought 3 jalapeno peppers for less than a dime. One head of fresh garlic should be really inexpensive, too. Lots of flavor for almost free. If you have ethnic markets near you, they're often a great place to get a bargain, especially on whatever foods are their specialty. Or buy tiny amounts of things at the salad bar. If you buy "salad" you're entitled to an envelope of salad dressing (at least where I shop). DO NOT weigh the dressing with the veggies! Anyway, get a dressing pack (2 if you're allowed) to use as seasoning on something else - Italian dressing is a good marinade for most meats - ranch can be used in place of mayo. There may also be crackers on the salad bar that you can take for free (if you buy "salad").

When I had no money, I made "soup" by watering down salsa. If you have chicken or some corn to toss in, that's even better. You can also dilute canned soups (even if they say not to).

Dried beans and lentils are much more economical than canned. Plan ahead for cooking them, many recipes call for soaking them overnight. Old fashioned oats are cheap (buy the cheapest brand in the largest container) and very filling.

Assuming this is allowed for the challenge, use coupons! Use them in conjunction with sales to get more bang for your $30.

Thank you so much for all of this!

carlyr0se

This book is awesome and your post made me think of it immediately!! http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52f120cfe4b0bf8fcb650b3e/t/53f4441ae4b08fc795a1a352/1408517146323/good-and-cheap.pdf

Her whole premise is $4/day based on SNAP benefits here in the US, but I imagine there's some pretty great ideas in there for you too. $1/day is a challenge for sure...good luck!

californiansun

Thanks so much!

veggiecanner

Go to a store and buy all the $1 things You can buy with your $30. Here you can get 10 pounds of Potatoes, Cheap hot dogs, ! pound pks of noodles, Small bag of lentles, If there is a dollar store near you you could find more $1 items. at the one I go to they have small bottles of veg oil. You could check out the bulk Item section There Is one in the grocery store where I shop. the pastaand beans are cheeper, and you can buy tiny amounts of things like salt. I like the mung beans they have $1 a pound. Once you sprout them You have quite a good amount Of veggies.
Don't forget good ole top roman. Course there must be a rule about how healthy you should be when you get done.

californiansun

I figured I would go that route. So far it's rice, beans, chicken I got for 99 cents, oatmeal, eggs, ground beef I got for 87 cents a pound, peanut butter, apples (10 pounds for 1.50), bananas and bread. Tomorrow I'm getting chicken broth and veggies for soup!

pebble4321

You might find this blog a good read: http://cookingonabootstrap.com/
They were a single parent on a seriously tight budget and have written a lot about the experience of poverty and hunger, as well as including lots of practical (and cheap!) recipes.
Look for the link to "hunger hurts". It's not an easy read, but reflects reality for many people.

And this one looks like an Aussie equivalent (on AU$2/day for 5 days, which is about US$1.50 - you don't say what kind of dollar, so I'll guess USD).
https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/

californiansun

pebble4321 wrote: »

You might find this blog a good read: http://cookingonabootstrap.com/
They were a single parent on a seriously tight budget and have written a lot about the experience of poverty and hunger, as well as including lots of practical (and cheap!) recipes.
Look for the link to "hunger hurts". It's not an easy read, but reflects reality for many people.

And this one looks like an Aussie equivalent (on AU$2/day for 5 days, which is about US$1.50 - you don't say what kind of dollar, so I'll guess USD).
https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/

Thank you! And yes, US dollars.

Pinkylee77

There is a book called Good and Cheep by Leanne Brown. I got it from Amazon but it is on how to eat well on $4.00 a day this may have some good ideas. Good luck

californiansun

Pinkylee77 wrote: »

There is a book called Good and Cheep by Leanne Brown. I got it from Amazon but it is on how to eat well on $4.00 a day this may have some good ideas. Good luck

Great thank you!

bebeisfit

Lentils!

californiansun

bebeisfit wrote: »

Lentils!

Never made them but I'll try!

cross2bear

Wow - $30 for the whole month? I dont think Gwyneth whats her name could do that!! And of course, you are doing the challenge when the snow has barely left the ground (Canada - maybe not where you are) but there arent any farmers markets yet and not much is "in season" here. I see lots of potatoes in your future! You can bake them and put different toppings on them to make different flavour profiles. Thats $30 for the month for 1 person? Just wow again. Good luck!

rnelson88

I would just go hunting

williams969

rnelson88 wrote: »

I would just go hunting

Ha, me too! Small game and fish for my daily protein (free). Spend $20 on 20+lbs total of rice, potatoes, beans, and grains (whatever is less than $.50- $1/lb). Use rest of money for oil, salt, pepper, maybe couple gallons of milk and eggs, and a bottle of vitamins from Dollar Tree and local deep discount food center.