$13.30 for three days of food
Replies
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Rotisserie chicken for sure, you can stretch that to feed you for 4+ meals! Shred all of the meat from the bird and then boil down that bones/carcass and make a soup base for another meal. Get a small bag of beans and rice and you can eat beans and rice w/chicken and then make a bean, rice, chicken soup for another meal.
Awful advice. You're trying to stretch your money, don't buy something someone else cooked... do you think they do that for free? It's going to be much cheaper to buy a chicken (or chicken pieces) and cook it yourself.
Precooked food is for convenience. Great if you have more money than time, not a good idea if you're super poor.13 -
sarahaflood wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »To figure that out yourself... that's sort of the idea of the project, isn't it?
The purpose of the project is to live off of $13.30 and recognize the difficulty of doing so. My professor actually recommended doing research online and to plan everything ahead of time. I thought this would be a great resource. I understand if you do not want to help because you believe that it is cheating, but I do not.
Maybe your professor meant online resources of information, such as looking up prices of foods, you can shop online at Walmart Grocery and see the exact prices of everything. He/she wants to know what YOU would do, not what other people you have asked online would do, and you would learn more doing it yourself too.6 -
There is a cookbook called Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day. Lots of ideas for you in that. It's on Amazon and I think would be really helpful for you.2
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sarahaflood wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »To figure that out yourself... that's sort of the idea of the project, isn't it?
The purpose of the project is to live off of $13.30 and recognize the difficulty of doing so. My professor actually recommended doing research online and to plan everything ahead of time. I thought this would be a great resource. I understand if you do not want to help because you believe that it is cheating, but I do not.
Research is different than asking others for an answer. When I was in university, if I was caught having others do my work for me, I would receive an F for that project, possibly even the class.
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If you have farmer markets in your area, it would be a great opportunity to learn how to negotiate. Get 2 for 1 on vegetables, or bid low (about 1/4) the price on stuff like eggs or meat - the vendor will most likely meet you in the middle bc he/she just want to sell their stuff (especially the last hour and a half of the market time).1
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mburgess458 wrote: »Rotisserie chicken for sure, you can stretch that to feed you for 4+ meals! Shred all of the meat from the bird and then boil down that bones/carcass and make a soup base for another meal. Get a small bag of beans and rice and you can eat beans and rice w/chicken and then make a bean, rice, chicken soup for another meal.
Awful advice. You're trying to stretch your money, don't buy something someone else cooked... do you think they do that for free? It's going to be much cheaper to buy a chicken (or chicken pieces) and cook it yourself.
Precooked food is for convenience. Great if you have more money than time, not a good idea if you're super poor.
If OP doesn't know how to cook, it's not terrible advice. The rotisserie chickens are usually only slightly more expensive than the raw birds at a lot of groceries (I've seen them range from $4-6 at various stores around here. The raw birds are sometimes just as much) and is more than enough for 1 person for 3 days. (The protein source is expected to be the most expensive item, and will come in at less than half the budget here).12 -
mburgess458 wrote: »Rotisserie chicken for sure, you can stretch that to feed you for 4+ meals! Shred all of the meat from the bird and then boil down that bones/carcass and make a soup base for another meal. Get a small bag of beans and rice and you can eat beans and rice w/chicken and then make a bean, rice, chicken soup for another meal.
Awful advice. You're trying to stretch your money, don't buy something someone else cooked... do you think they do that for free? It's going to be much cheaper to buy a chicken (or chicken pieces) and cook it yourself.
Precooked food is for convenience. Great if you have more money than time, not a good idea if you're super poor.
If OP doesn't know how to cook, it's not terrible advice. The rotisserie chickens are usually only slightly more expensive than the raw birds at a lot of groceries (I've seen them range from $4-6 at various stores around here. The raw birds are sometimes just as much) and is more than enough for 1 person for 3 days. (The protein source is expected to be the most expensive item, and will come in at less than half the budget here).
(I usually get about 11 servings of meat off of one $5 rotisserie chicken. About the same amount I get from a $3-4 pack of chicken thighs, but tastes much better and didn't utilize an extra session of cooking to cook the chicken before I could do meal prep).9 -
Not advice per se, sorry OP. But am I the only one who hates these kinds of assignments? I know I've seen this exact assignment here before. It's artificial and agenda-driven.
The people who are receiving this aid are supposed to use it as "assistance", not as their sole source of support. Those receiving assistance are free to use food banks, to get help from friends and family, and to work part time to earn more money. None of which the students are free to do for the assignment.
I have a family member who has hit hard times lately, in no small measure because of choices he has made. Because of his circumstances, he doesn't qualify for any public assistance. If he hadn't been able to rely on friends and family for help, he would have starved. Should the students therefore have to live for three days on 0 income?19 -
mburgess458 wrote: »Rotisserie chicken for sure, you can stretch that to feed you for 4+ meals! Shred all of the meat from the bird and then boil down that bones/carcass and make a soup base for another meal. Get a small bag of beans and rice and you can eat beans and rice w/chicken and then make a bean, rice, chicken soup for another meal.
Awful advice. You're trying to stretch your money, don't buy something someone else cooked... do you think they do that for free? It's going to be much cheaper to buy a chicken (or chicken pieces) and cook it yourself.
Precooked food is for convenience. Great if you have more money than time, not a good idea if you're super poor.
If OP doesn't know how to cook, it's not terrible advice. The rotisserie chickens are usually only slightly more expensive than the raw birds at a lot of groceries (I've seen them range from $4-6 at various stores around here. The raw birds are sometimes just as much) and is more than enough for 1 person for 3 days. (The protein source is expected to be the most expensive item, and will come in at less than half the budget here).
(I usually get about 11 servings of meat off of one $5 rotisserie chicken. About the same amount I get from a $3-4 pack of chicken thighs, but tastes much better and didn't utilize an extra session of cooking to cook the chicken before I could do meal prep).
The negative for someone who is truly poor, is the possible requirement to make an extra trip to a higher end supermarket to buy said rotisserie chicken, since you will typically not find them in a discount grocery store like save-a-lot/Aldi's/Price Rite (which is where you would want to do the bulk of your shopping - the price differences on produce (fresh, frozen,canned), rice, beans,... will add up fast if you try to buy the majority of items at the main large supermarket chains).3 -
As someone that lived poor for an extended period of time and fed myself on less than $2 a day, I will say that this is really not that hard. If you buy smart and keep your eyes open for clearance items, you could easily accomplish this.
I think "doing research" was more of a thing to say, research sales, find articles about eating on a budget. Isn't there a possibility that they will ask for any sources used? Saying "A forum on MFP" is probably not going to suffice. Generally speaking, this would not be a cite-able source, whereas an interview with someone in your life that has real experience would be a cite-able source. I don't see the people saying this isn't really the point of the exercise are offended, so much as saying that they think you've misunderstood the assignment.
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As I. I also did a stint as a TA and I emphasized the process of solving a problem is as important, if not more so, than solving the problem. The internet is a great resource. Getting concrete, pithy answers is as satisfying as giving them (along with the slew of "likes", "upvotes", or karma points that go along with). We need to be careful at times.sarahaflood wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »To figure that out yourself... that's sort of the idea of the project, isn't it?
The purpose of the project is to live off of $13.30 and recognize the difficulty of doing so. My professor actually recommended doing research online and to plan everything ahead of time. I thought this would be a great resource. I understand if you do not want to help because you believe that it is cheating, but I do not.
Research is different than asking others for an answer. When I was in university, if I was caught having others do my work for me, I would receive an F for that project, possibly even the class.10 -
Oh gosh, this is easily done. I found these in the grocery ads.
2 pounds chicken breast = 4.00 (1.99 a pound)
small pkg American cheese = 2.00
small carton milk = 1.50
eggs - 1.50
rice - 1.00
bananas or apples = 1.50, or 2 lbs frozen veggies - 2.00
loaf of bread - Walmart - 1.00
(Also there is a 5 pound bag of potatoes, right now at Food Lion for 2 bucks...so there's that too)
Check out the ads online, and decide what you want. Easy peasy.3 -
mburgess458 wrote: »Rotisserie chicken for sure, you can stretch that to feed you for 4+ meals! Shred all of the meat from the bird and then boil down that bones/carcass and make a soup base for another meal. Get a small bag of beans and rice and you can eat beans and rice w/chicken and then make a bean, rice, chicken soup for another meal.
Awful advice. You're trying to stretch your money, don't buy something someone else cooked... do you think they do that for free? It's going to be much cheaper to buy a chicken (or chicken pieces) and cook it yourself.
Precooked food is for convenience. Great if you have more money than time, not a good idea if you're super poor.
If OP doesn't know how to cook, it's not terrible advice. The rotisserie chickens are usually only slightly more expensive than the raw birds at a lot of groceries (I've seen them range from $4-6 at various stores around here. The raw birds are sometimes just as much) and is more than enough for 1 person for 3 days. (The protein source is expected to be the most expensive item, and will come in at less than half the budget here).
(I usually get about 11 servings of meat off of one $5 rotisserie chicken. About the same amount I get from a $3-4 pack of chicken thighs, but tastes much better and didn't utilize an extra session of cooking to cook the chicken before I could do meal prep).
The negative for someone who is truly poor, is the possible requirement to make an extra trip to a higher end supermarket to buy said rotisserie chicken, since you will typically not find them in a discount grocery store like save-a-lot/Aldi's/Price Rite (which is where you would want to do the bulk of your shopping - the price differences on produce (fresh, frozen,canned), rice, beans,... will add up fast if you try to buy the majority of items at the main large supermarket chains).
It's cheaper to just buy a small chicken and put it in the crockpot, no "high end supermarket" necessary. I do this for 79-cents/lb. and make chili out of everything but the bones. OP could easily eat this for 3 days without going over $13.
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Everyone has great suggestions. My other would be to make extra of what you have for dinner and have it leftover for lunch the next day.
Pasta and eggs are cheap and very versatile as someone said.
Also those suggestion eggs mixed with leftover vegetables makes for a frittata which could serve as a dinner one night.
Utilize leftovers for sure.
Also look in sales paper for meats on sale.
You can turn chicken into so many things: also, shredded chicken tacos, in pasta, chicken salad...
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Go vegan, or at least vegetarian and shop in a store with bulk bins. try to avoid processed and/or prepared food. If you live in a high-income area (where some colleges are) try shopping in a different neighborhood. If Farmer's Markets are an option take advantage of it. $4.43 a day is quite easy where I live if I stay out of restaurants.
PETA'S Vegan College Cookbook is a great reference and is offered on Amazon. you can sample the book and get some good ideas if you want. It only requires a microwave for cooking any of it. Good luck on the assignment. Good nutrition will help with all your studies.0 -
Clearance section is a great place to look if you're going to eat/make something on the day, I often pick up mincemeat/chicken at 50% reduction because of the time of day I shop and make chilli or a pasta bake out of it then freeze the portions. Check with supermarket staff what time of day they are doing their reductions.2
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Good Luck on doing your own homework.21
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store brand bread, noodles, ramen soup, rice, bagged dried beans are some of the off hand staples I can think of that are super cheap
eggs are probably the cheapest protein you will find
go with frozen veggies and fruit, typically cheaper that way than fresh0 -
whirlyruns wrote: »
Came here to suggest this. LOVE Good and Cheap.1 -
Rice, Beans, Frozen Veggies.1
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Not advice per se, sorry OP. But am I the only one who hates these kinds of assignments? I know I've seen this exact assignment here before. It's artificial and agenda-driven.
The people who are receiving this aid are supposed to use it as "assistance", not as their sole source of support. Those receiving assistance are free to use food banks, to get help from friends and family, and to work part time to earn more money. None of which the students are free to do for the assignment.
I have a family member who has hit hard times lately, in no small measure because of choices he has made. Because of his circumstances, he doesn't qualify for any public assistance. If he hadn't been able to rely on friends and family for help, he would have starved. Should the students therefore have to live for three days on 0 income?
You're not the only one who hates these assignments. As a 54 yo male who finally finished a degree a few months ago (a long circuitous route), I was amazed at how different college is now compared to 30+ years ago when I started (and stopped....and started.....and stopped...etc.).
This is obviously an agenda-driven assignment. Yes it's supposed to give you empathy toward those who don't have it as well. With the inequality buzzword right off the top, it's easy to tell. As that type of assignment, I don't really think the OP is "cheating" in that sense at all. The point of the assignment isn't the type of "research"...it's the supposed eye-opening that students are expected to experience.
Don't have any particular help to offer here other than to say the internet makes this "research" easy. Lots of great suggestions. The OP is still going to have to find prices for all of the suggested items in this thread.4 -
Like some others have stated I do believe giving you resources/answers of what to buy/eat is helping you just do the assignment without you doing much research at all. It isn't hard to pick up a circular (possibly for the first time) and read through what is on sale in your supermarket, butcher and/or fish market. Either that or make sure to put the posters names who gave you food options onto your report so they get credit too.5
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Approx cost:
One box pasta ($.89)
One pound brown rice ($.79)
One can white (cannellini) beans ($.49)
One can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) ($.49)
One large jar or can tomato sauce ($2.99)
Two bags frozen vegetables of your choice ($.99 each)
Two chicken breasts (or other lean meat) ($1.65)
*If money is still avail after taxes grab some eggs
Meals:
Tuscan-Style Pasta
Chicken Marinara
Asian Stir-Fry
Bean Salad
Pasta Salad
Egg w/ rice, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs2 -
I agree: the suggestions are great. Those just starting out trying to eat healthy can get intimidated with how much more expensive "healthy" food can be than "not-quite-so-healthy." Eating right on a budget requires more planning and dedication (stick-to-it-ivness). But once the planning is done and refined, it moves to trying to keep from getting bored with one's food choices.2
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I've seen taxes mentioned twice on the thread - where are you that you are charged taxes on food? Where I live, we're not taxed on food.5
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How is this cheating? It's brainstorming. Are you guys looking through adds for her, doing her cooking and shopping, or writing her paper? No we are just giving her ideas. No different then if she were to tell her friend about the project and her friend were to make some suggestions for her.
In fact, I would argue that the assignment is "what would you do if you had to feed yourself on $4.43 per day?" There are post on here all the time from people looking for cheap and easy food ideas. Therefore if OP were to have to feed herself on $4.43 a day, it would be reasonable to say that she would seek out guidance from sites like this one.
OP- you would want to look for things that you can use in multiple meals. Eggs, chicken breasts, tuna, rice, pasta, veggies, a loaf of bread, etc.10 -
BREAKFAST: TWO EGGS AND TWO SLICE TOAST W/BUTTER
LUNCH: MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH TUNA FISH AND DRESSING
DINNER: RICE AND BEANS ( WHITE RICE WITH DICED TOMATOES AND CHILIES AND BLACK OR RED BEANS)
at my local grocery store prices are approximately this
DOZEN EGGS .88 cents
LOAF OF WHEAT BREAD $2
1# BUCKET OF ORGANIC MIXED GREENS $5
CAN OF TUNA .50 cents x 2
salad dressing store brand $1.50
RICE IN BULK FOOD SECTION 1# FOR 75 CENTS
BEANS CANNED (FOR EASY USE) 89 CENTS PER CAN
CANNED TOMATOES WITH DICED GREEN CHICLES 89 CENTS
you will only use 6 of the eggs so hard boil the rest and you can eat two a day as a snack. add another piece of bread or two at dinner to scoop up the rice and beans. you can also eat an extra salad with dinner minus the tuna. you may even have left over food after the three days are up. total cost for 3 days $12.91
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Things I can think of that fall in that limit that would cover you in a multitude of ways:
Since I feed four people (including 2 teens) on about that per day, its pretty easy to bend that the other way and make something you could eat three days in a row.
Rice, chicken thighs, eggs, peanut butter, frozen veggies.
I understand the "no bulk" thing. A lot of times if you're living that close to the edge you find yourself with a bare pantry and no actual cash. However, if you're cooking for a family you're likely to have the family's benefits grouped together, so rather than eating one meal three times you could eat three meals once, which would improve variety and nutrition.
And there's also a movement afoot to actually disallow food aid recipients from buying in bulk, which I think is stupid, but few people who make the laws understand how food works either.3 -
Last night for dinner I cooked a pound of pork breakfast sausage ($1.99) and added in a package of shredded cabbage, carrots (slaw mix, marked down as its sell by date is soon for $.89). Seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil from the cupboard. (Does your project allow for items that you buy once but use over time, like seasonings?) Anyhow, that is about $3 plus perhaps $.75 from staple items. (Garlic about $.89 per head and I used a few cloves; ginger I used about 1/20th of it - cost $2.99; soy sauce $1.39 and used only 1 tablespoon, sesame oil $3.39 used 1 tbs.)
Anyhow that was enough for 4 meals. Hubby & I ate it for dinner and I'm having it for lunch today & tomorrow.
Other ideas: loaf of bread, peanut butter. Package of uncooked beans. You can buy 3 bananas for $1 or less, to get a little fruit each day.sarahaflood wrote: »Hi everyone!
I'm a college student and I am currently in a class that addresses all different types of inequality. For an upcoming project, I have $13.30 (around $4.43 per day) to use to eat for three days (mirrors average assistance in my area).
I cannot use any food I already have, I cannot eat any free food (from friends, promotions, etc.), and I cannot buy from any restaurants. Unfortunately, I am also not allowed to buy in bulk (even though it would equal out to the correct cost for day).
For this time period, I will not be too worried about my calorie count or my particular fitness/health goals. I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas or sample meal plans for me?
Thank you in advance!
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