Living on $1.00/day

sweetpea03b

So i recently saw a news clip about this couple that lived for 1 month on $1.00 per day (each, so $60.00 for the month). This is what they ate (every day): Breakfast - Plain oatmeal with 1 tsp of margarine; Lunch - A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on homemade bread; Dinner - Rice, beans and tortillas.

That being said.... my hubby and I live on approximately $300.00/mo. That does not include things like alcohol, any time we may decide to order in/eat out etc. However, we only eat out MAYBE one meal each week on a regular basis. This week we ate out 3 meals... but that's because we've been taking care of 5 puppies all week. Here is what our normal monthly groceries are like:

Almost everything is always on sale. We buy generic. We eat atleast 1 meal every week of leftovers. We buy whole grain, 2%, reduced fat; reduced sodium EVERYTHING. So... we're buying good food. I usually buy 1 family pack of chicken breasts, a few packages of ground hamburger and ground turkey, a few packages of red meat like steaks or stew meat, a few boxes of pasta, a bag of potatos, a few bags of fresh produce (oranges, apples, grapes) bananas, canned veggies or frozen veggies, generic 2% cheese, fat free lactose free milk (1 gallon per month... 2 half gallons); a few bags of low fat tortilla chips or pringles; a few 12 packs of soda; 1 pack of bottled water; a few cans of tuna; tortilla shells; shredded cheese; 1-2 boxes of instant oatmeal; 2 loaves of bread; 2 packages of hamburger/hot dog buns... and this is just a general estimate like i said.

From all of this: Every morning i have 1 package of instant oatmeal. For lunch I have leftovers or a sandwich/wrap of some kind with fruit or chips. For dinner we will have hamburgers or steaks or chicken or fajitas, tortillas, some kind of pasta..... we eat good.... on $10.00/day for the both of us. So... it is possible folks... you can live on good food when you're watching your money.

sweetpea03b

So i recently saw a news clip about this couple that lived for 1 month on $1.00 per day (each, so $60.00 for the month). This is what they ate (every day): Breakfast - Plain oatmeal with 1 tsp of margarine; Lunch - A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on homemade bread; Dinner - Rice, beans and tortillas.

That being said.... my hubby and I live on approximately $300.00/mo. That does not include things like alcohol, any time we may decide to order in/eat out etc. However, we only eat out MAYBE one meal each week on a regular basis. This week we ate out 3 meals... but that's because we've been taking care of 5 puppies all week. Here is what our normal monthly groceries are like:

Almost everything is always on sale. We buy generic. We eat atleast 1 meal every week of leftovers. We buy whole grain, 2%, reduced fat; reduced sodium EVERYTHING. So... we're buying good food. I usually buy 1 family pack of chicken breasts, a few packages of ground hamburger and ground turkey, a few packages of red meat like steaks or stew meat, a few boxes of pasta, a bag of potatos, a few bags of fresh produce (oranges, apples, grapes) bananas, canned veggies or frozen veggies, generic 2% cheese, fat free lactose free milk (1 gallon per month... 2 half gallons); a few bags of low fat tortilla chips or pringles; a few 12 packs of soda; 1 pack of bottled water; a few cans of tuna; tortilla shells; shredded cheese; 1-2 boxes of instant oatmeal; 2 loaves of bread; 2 packages of hamburger/hot dog buns... and this is just a general estimate like i said.

From all of this: Every morning i have 1 package of instant oatmeal. For lunch I have leftovers or a sandwich/wrap of some kind with fruit or chips. For dinner we will have hamburgers or steaks or chicken or fajitas, tortillas, some kind of pasta..... we eat good.... on $10.00/day for the both of us. So... it is possible folks... you can live on good food when you're watching your money.

MollySue30

I did see that article too today. I was in walmart and showed my sister and told her I guess it was possible but I am not sure if I could really but if I needed to I would.

songbyrdsweet

My bf and I live on about $175-200/month right now...I can't have any whole grains or fresh vegetables/fruits so that really reduces the bills. We buy store brand everything, and white bread and canned vegetables aren't expensive at all. Our biggest expense is milk and meat. I go through a gallon of milk or soymilk a week. He likes to buy roasts that are sort of pricey but worth the money for how many meals we get out of them. I also buy some healthy choice meals, but since a lot of them are so high in fiber I can't eat very many. So, while I'm eating well for what I'm allowed to have, I'm not eating how I'd like to be. I miss whole grain bread and I REALLY miss salad :frown: We used to spend probably $50 more a month when we were eating more whole grains like the pasta and getting salad bags and such.

raincloud

We live on about $150 or less a month. We're trying to save more money every month, but this has been the average for about 4 months or so.

Fitness_Chick

We live on about $150 or less a month. We're trying to save more money every month, but this has been the average for about 4 months or so.

awesome raincloud! how ya doin that? great thread... I might try this $1 a day deal...but I would have to change up the dinner as it's all carbs and I need me some PROTEIN! .....oh wait, beans can go either way...so that'll work.... I don't have the cash flow to buy much on the fruit side and I sure do MISS IT! an apple sounds like a bar of gold/heaven to me right about now....

Best to all of you....we do the best we can as we can......right?:drinker: :bigsmile:

Ezzie

This is an absolutely wonderful topic!!! There are so many folks out there who are convinced that they can't save $$$. Yet they have a Starbucks and bagel for breakfast, not realizing that the calories are hurting them as much as blowing their budget.

Eggs are another wonderful $ saver...hard boiled the carry well for lunch...good protein source.

Keep it going folks!!!!!!

SoupNazi

I read that article and saw what they ate!!!! Homeless people could have been interviewed for that too. Sad but true.

Might be cheap but SERIOUSLY devoid of a nutritious balance! You would need to buy $50 in vitamins just to keep yourself healthy on that diet!

I remember when times were hard for us and PB&J or boloney sandwiches would get us through too....but healthwise, not the best nor would I condone it for anyone trying to improve their overall health and mental sanity.

No veggies, no fruits, no whole grains fish or poultry? C'mon!!!! You save money but risk your life.:huh:

Enough said.

(opinions based strictly on that article and nothing else)

Fitness_Chick

I read that article and saw what they ate!!!! Homeless people could have been interviewed for that too. Sad but true.

Might be cheap but SERIOUSLY devoid of a nutritious balance! You would need to buy $50 in vitamins just to keep yourself healthy on that diet!

I remember when times were hard for us and PB&J or boloney sandwiches would get us through too....but healthwise, not the best nor would I condone it for anyone trying to improve their overall health and mental sanity.

No veggies, no fruits, no whole grains fish or poultry? C'mon!!!! You save money but risk your life.:huh:

Enough said.

(opinions based strictly on that article and nothing else)

very valid points....perhaps I'll skip the article! Appreciate your input....made me think!!:noway:

I do pretty well with what I got going now...just need to go the store is all and get me some APPLES! I always figure my body is craving a particular food for a reason.... I think when we have our bodies on track that just might be the case.:drinker: For whatever reason I need apples and I need them NOW!:huh: :laugh:

pettmybunny

I feed a family of 6 (two of whom are teenage boys) for $400 per month ($500 if you're adding in things like toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc). Give or take a little. We buy a gallon of milk a day, and go through a couple of loaves of bread in a week. I only buy meat that is on sale, and stock the freezer. I go through each store's ads (the store I shop at accepts competitor coupons), and build my list around those coupons, then add in other necessities. Each trip I save on average $50 dollars. My high was $80 something saved, but usually in the $50's. And yes, we buy fruit and veggies, the kid's have a rule in our house that every other day, they must eat fruit for snack at school, and on the off days, they can take other stuff like gogurt, pickles, or crackers. Of course, on those off days if they want a snack after school it has to be fruit. We have veggies at every dinner. We're trying to teach them healthy habits, even if they hate it!

SoupNazi

We need to start a thrifty price watchers thread. I will do that

Fitness_Chick

We need to start a thrifty price watchers thread. I will do that

awesome idea:drinker: :bigsmile:

may_marie

hello all..

well i never calculated, but my bf and i are living on about 10$ a day .. well . i mean less then 6 pounds and in todays exganges rate its probably more like 7$ lol anywho.,.. i say that but in our habits of living i dont feel deprived at all...i think the thing that saves us the most is that we dont bin anything... we are veryfull of what we buy so that nothing goes to waste..

we are vegetarians.. so we dont buy meat, but we do buy the substitute, so it almost comes to the same thing. we dont drink.. and we dont go out for our meal (like never) half of what we buy is organic.
we drink 2 liters of soy milk a week. 1 1/2 loaf of bread, 1 box of cereal. at least 3 kind of fruit and an other 3 of veggies. pasta sauce and pasta. 1 liter of milk. cheese, yogurt. beans, nuts and dried fruit. all that goes a long way.

so yeah . its possible.. !!!!

arewethereyet

Well now you got me thinking. I spend around $250 every 2 weeks on grocery. I was happy when my son moved out as I assumed our bill would go down tremendously.

Just the TP alone would save $6 a week!:laugh:

So I just couldn't figure out how I am spending the same money for just 2 of us??

Then my 21 year old daughter showed up on Sat afternoon (I always shop Sat morn on payday week) with her Publix Greenwise bag. She stayed to visit and do the laundry....then filled her bag with groceries before returning to her apt!!

Bet you didnt see THAT Publix commercial this week!!

mhosner

When my husband and I were just starting out and going through some rough times we were living on $3.50 a day. I have to say you don't feel good, you don't look good, and you are always tired. Let's break down what it was like for us on those days..

1 slice toast for breakfast with butter
Mac and cheese for lunch or hot dogs without buns
hamburger helper or beef stew from can, or Mac and cheese with tuna in it, or a family fav. casserole (left overs for next day)

Kool-aid to drink

Now as you can see no veggies, no fruits, not much of anything good for you. But it was cheap. There is a reason that rich are skinny and poor (lower class not homeless) are more overweight.

1. Can't afford to eat fresh
2. Can't afford nice gyms
3. Too depressed to care

Now with all that being said there are ways to make cheap work, and there are ways as (lower income) to eat and live healthier.

1. Buy fruits and Veggies from local farmers market. U-Pick can be reasonable. And guess what you can freeze those items, or can them.
2. Buy frozen if you have too. Just adding corn and peas to some cooked noodles with tuna will give you a cheap dinner and your at about $2.25 for the meal.
3. Wheat bread cost the same as white
4. Cook with chicken broth instead of butter. Things wont stick and you just cut out calories.
5. If you get WIC use it to make family meals. The cheese doesn't have to be cut into slices and eat by the pound at one time. Shred it and add it to a meal sparingly. Better yet talk to your WIC office but most counties will allow you to get sting cheese if not wrapped individual. Great TREAT!

joann

I have saved so much money switching from turkey products instead of beef...I spend more money on apples and oranges than I do on meat. But Id rather spend it on food then paying my health deductable....

DjBliss05

I saw some lady on TV that used coupons like crazy to grocery shop and was saving a rediculous amount of money.

Somehow when I tried it I ended up spending more! :blushing:

artschoolgirl

I just graduated from college & my student loan bills are over $1,200 a month! On top of that, I moved to Canada & the exchange rate adds about another $400+ each month to that bill. So in the past couple months I've been learning some hard realities & cutting back from my swanky student life :grumble: ...I give myself a budget of $200 a month. on the 15th of every month I take out $200 in cash. This cash covers my groceries, entertainment, and dates with my boyfriend. So far it's been working pretty well. I think it's going to do wonders for my diet since I'll only be buying essentials & it's really cutting back on snacking and unecessary meals. So far so good, but it still leaves me more and more bitter about the US government!

Tiddle

Couldn't do it!!

jenninsocal

Yea they are local. It was interesting to see as an experiment, but very unhealthy. They ate a lot of ramen noodles, for one thing! It is awesome if you can get your grocery bill down, but it was a little extreme!

arewethereyet

I just graduated from college & my student loan bills are over $1,200 a month! On top of that, I moved to Canada & the exchange rate adds about another $400+ each month to that bill. So in the past couple months I've been learning some hard realities & cutting back from my swanky student life :grumble: ...I give myself a budget of $200 a month. on the 15th of every month I take out $200 in cash. This cash covers my groceries, entertainment, and dates with my boyfriend. So far it's been working pretty well. I think it's going to do wonders for my diet since I'll only be buying essentials & it's really cutting back on snacking and unecessary meals. So far so good, but it still leaves me more and more bitter about the US government!

just do what my college grad does...show up with your green bag to fill up!!

Actually-I am really proud of you for taking control like that! :flowerforyou:

pettmybunny

I saw some lady on TV that used coupons like crazy to grocery shop and was saving a rediculous amount of money.

Somehow when I tried it I ended up spending more! :blushing:

You have to be careful when doing the coupon thing that you're still only buying stuff you need. A lot of people fall into the trap that if they have a coupon for something, they have to buy it. If the coupon is for something that I don't normally buy, I usually won't even clip it. Unless I've been wanting to try it... lol

wannaBme

Great subject ...

In the last year there have been times when I am cooking for 8 (well, 7 and the 4 month old grandson) people in this household. Without our income increasing, I had to keep the food budget the same as when it was only 3 of us, BUT never compromised the food quality or nutritional value.

Here's how we did it ...
Drink water, green tea or 1 cup of coffee in the morning.
Soy milk for the exercising people, no milk *drinking* for anyone, powdered formula for the baby.

Fruit was picked, frozen or canned when it was fresh locally.
Fresh fruit was purchased when it was local and in season .. therefore CHEAP.
Breakfast - Oatmeal, cooked with preserved fruit. or Spoonful plain yogurt, and fruit & toast.
Eggs and homemade toast with peanut butter and homemade jam.

Lunch homemade ww bread, or ww biscuits, tuna and lettuce, cucumber and tomato
or salad with hard boiled eggs, tuna, sardines, feta cheese, or left over dinner meat.
Lots of vegetable soups, lentils, barley or low meat soups made with leftovers
For people who took their lunch to work, I'd portion package last nights dinner for them to take.

Dinner meat only every other night (in small portions), mainly vegetables, & brown rice & dry beans that were cheap .. soaked and cooked. Chili, stews, casseroles, but mostly stir fries served over rice.

If you don't buy fast food, chips, gum, chocolate, cereals, fruit snacks, granola bars, cookies, bread, noodles, frozen prepared foods, and ready made instant products you will save yourself many $$$ in food costs and avoid lots of empty calories.

Shop at vegetable markets and search for on sale bulk meat that can be portioned and frozen at home.

LovelyLady1977

You have to be careful when doing the coupon thing that you're still only buying stuff you need. A lot of people fall into the trap that if they have a coupon for something, they have to buy it. If the coupon is for something that I don't normally buy, I usually won't even clip it. Unless I've been wanting to try it... lol

Exactly. I'll use a coupon only if it's for something already on my list.

Fitness_Chick

I prefer to use coupons that are for 'free' items:laugh: Gotta LOVE THOSE:smooched:

happy_feet

Lucky all!! u get to nicely discuss this in doallars!!!!:grumble:
I buy in Rupees... n if I tried to convert it, U guys would think its so cheap!!! considerin approx 50rupees=1$.

But for me its obviously not!!!

But just to make u guys a little jealous, I spend around 1500Rupees on food per month( just on myself)
thats equivalent to what? 30$ a month????? and yes, thats with all fruits, eggs, wheat bread, dry fruits(sometimes), oats inclusive...dont eat too much of meat...but u could expect it to be as bad as 2000Rupees in worst case scenario... and that would be 40$ max.:bigsmile:

Do not ask me my salary in $...it'll turn out to be peanuts!! :blushing:

Fitness_Chick

Lucky all!! u get to nicely discuss this in doallars!!!!:grumble:
I buy in Rupees... n if I tried to convert it, U guys would think its so cheap!!! considerin approx 50rupees=1$.

But for me its obviously not!!!

But just to make u guys a little jealous, I spend around 1500Rupees on food per month( just on myself)
thats equivalent to what? 30$ a month????? and yes, thats with all fruits, eggs, wheat bread, dry fruits(sometimes), oats inclusive...dont eat too much of meat...but u could expect it to be as bad as 2000Rupees in worst case scenario... and that would be 40$ max.:bigsmile:

Do not ask me my salary in $...it'll turn out to be peanuts!! :blushing:

um HF? Are the peanuts included in the grocery items?:huh: :bigsmile:

happy_feet

Lucky all!! u get to nicely discuss this in doallars!!!!:grumble:
I buy in Rupees... n if I tried to convert it, U guys would think its so cheap!!! considerin approx 50rupees=1$.

But for me its obviously not!!!

But just to make u guys a little jealous, I spend around 1500Rupees on food per month( just on myself)
thats equivalent to what? 30$ a month????? and yes, thats with all fruits, eggs, wheat bread, dry fruits(sometimes), oats inclusive...dont eat too much of meat...but u could expect it to be as bad as 2000Rupees in worst case scenario... and that would be 40$ max.:bigsmile:

Do not ask me my salary in $...it'll turn out to be peanuts!! :blushing:

um HF? Are the peanuts included in the grocery items?:huh: :bigsmile:

Nope...they are free...after hours of MFP at work!! :laugh:

Fitness_Chick

Lucky all!! u get to nicely discuss this in doallars!!!!:grumble:
I buy in Rupees... n if I tried to convert it, U guys would think its so cheap!!! considerin approx 50rupees=1$.

But for me its obviously not!!!

But just to make u guys a little jealous, I spend around 1500Rupees on food per month( just on myself)
thats equivalent to what? 30$ a month????? and yes, thats with all fruits, eggs, wheat bread, dry fruits(sometimes), oats inclusive...dont eat too much of meat...but u could expect it to be as bad as 2000Rupees in worst case scenario... and that would be 40$ max.:bigsmile:

Do not ask me my salary in $...it'll turn out to be peanuts!! :blushing:

um HF? Are the peanuts included in the grocery items?:huh: :bigsmile:

Nope...they are free...after hours of MFP at work!! :laugh:

1Corinthians13

I spend a lot less when my husband is away and it's just me because I don't mind having the same thing all week. I'll make a huge dinner and eat it every night until it's gone. But when he's home, he needs more snacks in his lunch and a wider variety, and he needs different things for dinner. I'd say I spend anywhere from 200/month to 300. Closer to 300 when he's home, closer or below 200 when he's not. Though I budget for 200/two weeks just in case. Sometimes I go crazy at the grocery store. And most times this does include the wine.

I spend like this right now though because I can. We've been there - eating speghetti or roman noodles every night, PB&J every day for lunch...it's nice to not be in that position anymore.