Could You Survive Spending Only $25 A Week For Food?
The Illinois Food Bank Association issued a challenge to Illinoisans -- could they survive by spending only $25 a week for food? $25 a week is the average weekly food stamp benefit that an individual receives in Illinois. Could you make such a small amount last while still eating nutritious meals?
Every week, thousands of Illinoisans struggle to feed themselves and their families on less than $25 per person each week – or approximately $3.50 a day. If this sounds nearly impossible, it is. As a result, more and more of our neighbors are turning to food banks and pantries just to make ends meet.
The challenge is over now and the participants have shared what they learned about hunger and about frugality.
One poster, named Becky, was optimistic about the project. With $100 to feed four people, she thought she could clip coupons and make it work:
We all worked together to plan our menu (a lot of carbs, leftovers, and pb&j), collect coupons, and find the best sales. We between 2 coupons we had, a brand deal, and a store discount we actually got 6 boxes of cereal for free! However, at the store, when we had to stay away from our organic, whole grain, carbonated fruit juice all natural soda, and anything at all convenient the challenge began to be less of game and sunk in for real. We were terrified as our sub-total climbed and we still had meat, dairy, and produce on the list.
As the week has progressed, I feel an overwhelming sense of failure and guilt for not providing for my family. I cannot help but to think of the families who face this every week.
Now we are out of milk and fresh fruit. We have 6 boxes of cereal to eat, but no milk...
Another poster shared her shopping trip to Aldi, where she got a good deal on ingredients for chicken soup-- but her family still craved between meal snacks, and her husband quit after one day.
I bought a whole chicken, a loaf of bread, a bag of salad, a box of rice, a bag of egg noodles, a gallon of milk, a box of grapes, a 24-pack of bottled water, a box of deli turkey for sandwiches, a bag of cheese and a 30-count package of eggs...all for $24.88.
Another participant was astonished at how grouchy and distracted the challenge made him:
I have lost a lot of concentration and patience due to the Challenge. I have become extremely agitated for no decent reason. Last night when I came home, my girlfriend asked me what I would like for dinner and said I wanted something I bought off my list. She said fine, but proceeded to fancy up the dinner by adding some things to it. My tone came off negative as I told her I could not have the fancied dinner because of what she was adding was not within my $25. I'm not sure if I was just grumpy because I hadn't eaten much, but I did not like it. After I ate, I was cheerful again. It's a weird conundrum.
The challenge is over, but that's no reason not to challenge yourself. Can you feed yourself on $25 a week? Can you eat healthy meals? How do you save money on food?
Hunger Action Month [IFBA]
They tried eating on $25 a week [MSNMoney via Digg]
25 Dollar Challenge Blog
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Comments:
@mbz32190:
Forgot to add, you can do even better using coupons or shopping at discount grocery stores and dollar stores for some of the items.
But food stamps are supposed to be a supplement, not your entire food budget... Between Section 8 housing, Welfare and food stamps I guess working isnt required.
My wife and I eat on $20/week each. We've been doing this for two months now. It's not as hard as you think.
No, I could not.
Call me insensitive - but get a job and then spend what you can afford for food.
I work for my money. I buy what I want. What is so hard about that concept? Get a job and stop making our economy tank even harder.
Anyone else think the poster who bought bottled water probably could have re-thought that?
My groceries are typically around $25/week, but I already have a pantry full of staple foods and spices. For example, it's amazing what you can do with ramen if you swap out 1/4 of the water for lime juice and add some crushed peanuts.
@TracyHamandEggs!: That kind of what I was thinking. Not that I don't feel bad for people who can't make ends meet, but I thought food stamps were supposd to be a supplement for the food budget as well.
I'm not sure that I could do this and still be healthy. Even with $2 frozen dinners (9,$18), some bread($2), and a few veggies($5), you would stave off starvation, but you would also have less than 1000 calories / day.
You can absolutely eat healthy for under $25 if you shop correctly, using sales, loss leaders, and in-season produce as your guide. Organic might be out, but it can be done.
The Aldi woman could have cut her total in half if she had bought a head of lettuce instead of packaged salad, a bag of rice instead of a box, and left the bottled water on the shelf.
I bought a whole chicken, a loaf of bread, a bag of salad, a box of rice, a bag of egg noodles, a gallon of milk, a box of grapes, a 24-pack of bottled water, a box of deli turkey for sandwiches, a bag of cheese and a 30-count package of eggs...all for $24.88.
And her family complained about wanting mid meal snacks and her husband quit after one day? Sounds a little elitist to me. And the first person who complained they couldn't buy their organic soda? The farmer down the road from me accepts WIC. Try a local farmers market. You can work with them better than the grocer at prices. When I was un-employed and didn't qualify for un-employment b/c the HR person at work lied to me, I managed to live off very little, with a good amount of variety. True, it's not the "best" but the only people who really need all of the nutrients are growing children, which is why there are also programs like WIC.
I really do not think I could do this and still be healthy. You likely are not going to get whole grains or decent fruits or vegetables for $25 per week.
@Shallots:
She also bought a "bag" of cheese (I assumed prepacked either grated or sliced), instead of getting a block and grating/slicing yourself.
She could easily have spent a lot less than $25 if she shopped frugally...
I was about to say my food budget runs about $80-100 for the month...but I buy most of my produce from local farmers rather than the store.
I could definitely do this challenge!
McDonald's double cheeseburger + water x 14 = $13.86
Egg McMuffin x 7 = $6.93
Total = $ 20.79
I have been doing roughly $20-$30 a week per person in my apartment of four for two years now.
@mbz32190: You forgot to add that coupon clipping and bargain shopping are time consuming activities that frequently require transportation (i.e. another cost). I don't know about you, but if you're on welfare, you're busy enough doing things like overtime or looking for better employment. It can be done, but the time costs place a major hurdle to jump over before you can do things that help you get ahead.
@proskills: Frozen dinners are actually really expensive for what they are. The best way to save is to avoid prepared foods.
Brown rice, beans, lentils, eggs. Bruised discounted vegetables for soups. My local dollar store often has canned items (black beans, garbanzo, string beans, peas, etc.) 2 for $1.00.
It is totally possible to do this, but part of the issue is people in economically depressed areas often do not have access to well stocked supermarkets.
If you have to buy at the local bodega or convenience store, prices are high, selections limited.
@Shallots: I think part of the problem on food stamps would be never stocking up. I agree with your methods; I may spend $10 on a big bag of rice now and not have to buy more for six months, but not everybody has that $10 to get ahead.
I spent nearly two years surviving on $25 a week in food. In New York City.
I ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and ramen. Gained 14 pounds. Not one of the better periods of my life.
@zigziggityzoo: I was gonna add a whole lot of snark, but rather, I'll just ask, How?
I'm cooking a bit, but 20 dollars a week sounds insane.
It isn't fun, but it's doable- even at D.C.-area prices. My boyfriend and I lived on $30-$40 a week combined this summer and he eats for at least two people. We now live on less than that, sometimes as little as $15 a week combined. Buying frozen lean meats and veggies in bulk is the secret.
Boyfriend has a temporary job working in a salad joint. He usually works two shifts a day, so that's 9 veggie-filled meals a week plus 50% off while off duty. Working food service isn't fun, but it's a good way to get cheap or reduced-priced meals.
There is also a local food co-op that pays in $7 worth of (vegan) food per hour of work, so we're going to start doing that on the weekends.
It is very possible but you have to be a careful shopper and plan your meals around what is on sale and stock up on staples when they are on sale. You have to cook beans from dried rather than buying canned and you don't eat meat a lot and when you do it's not expensive cuts. You eat seasonal fruits and vegetables or frozen ones. You buy generic and you shop at the cheapest grocery stores like Aldi. You don't get a lot of prepared foods, not even things like Bisquick or mac and cheese. You buy the big thing of yogurt, not the little cups.
Ironically, such a $25 a week diet is healthier than the average American diet.
I will say I do know a mother with two kids in Michigan getting food stamps. She is a good shopper but they get a lot of things like steak and crab legs and she still has so much credit that she buys groceries for other people and they give her cash.
In Michigan you can buy soft drinks with food stamps and it even covers the bottle deposit. She said she has seen someone buying soda with food stamps, pouring it out, returning the containers in the automated machines, and then using the deposit refund to buy beer. Shameful.
@FatLynn: That's a great point, FL, and I didn't consider it. For non-WIC shoppers, it could definitely help with the budget, but I didn't think of how tenable it is for folks just squeaking by.
@Quietly: I spent a couple years working at a restaurant before going back to school. Between the heavy pasta daily server meal, the occasional leftover lasagna/bread, a rare pilfered steak that was sent back and some gift cards I earned from contest I barely ever went to the grocery store. A box of corn flakes, a half gallon of milk and a bag of apples a week was about the only grocery shopping I did.
Of course, any savings were immediately blown at the bar.
@FatLynn:
Seriously... she's trying to maximize her nutrition dollar, and she goes for *bottled water*... It's just beyond words.
I could survive but probably couldn't live very healthily considering my nutritional needs as an athlete.
$25 is pushing it. However,for $35/week, no problem at all. I'm currently at about $40-45/week.
The problem is work. Work means less time to bake my own bread, etc.
@TracyHamandEggs!: I am not sure on that. My extremely limited research on this subject is that for a person to be qualified, their gross income cannot be more than 130% of the national poverty limit and their net income cannot be more than 100% of that limit. It appears that for a single person that limit is $10,400 (130% of which is $13,520) or for a family of two $14,000 (130% = $18,200). Additionally, it looks like they cannot have more than about $2,000 in assets (this doesn't include their home - assuming the own one) or certain cars.
As with most public assistance benefits, the qualifications and benefits vary from state to state, but my understanding has always been that the food stamps are for people really not making very much and they often do not have the extra money to supplement the food stamp resource. Whether or not the programs always achieve this objective or whether participants exploit it is subject to debate. However, that's with everything.
My food stamps were $37.50 a week per single person in Washington state in 2006 (when I lived there) and I usually ran out of money at the end of the third week every month. Why? Where I lived everything had to come by ferry and cost a bunch more No options for super cheap groceries. I ate meat maybe once a week, usually the cheapest chicken or salmon I could find. I ate healthily, but cheaply. Mostly vegetables, rice, beans, and bread.
Where you live matters, what money you make, and your expenses. I earned $700 a month, paid $300 in rent and utilities, $300 in student loans and had $100 for entertainment/emergencies (a dr's visit, a new tire for my bike) . . and the last week of food per month.
It is totally possible to do this, but part of the issue is people in economically depressed areas often do not have access to well stocked supermarkets.
@SkokieGuy: THIS
These areas are called food deserts:
[en.wikipedia.org]
[www.msnbc.msn.com]
Also, when the congresscritters did it, they had $21. You can read about it here:
If your free food stamps aren't enough to feed yourself, get a job.
I average around $15 to $20 a week (single guy). Very easy to do by avoiding any "packaged" foods, junk foods (cookes, soda, chips, etc.) and not being afraid of leftovers. Just buy raw fruit, veggies, meat and grains.
/and as far as any question of health go: I'm 6 foot, weigh around 185, exercise 6 times a week (alternating weights and cardio) and haven't been sick in about 5 years.
I just moved out to Oregon from Kansas. I did it before, shopping trip once every 2 weeks, but I can do a lot better here because there is NO SALES TAX. What a great state. Of course I'll probably change my mind when I get my paycheck.
The bottled water is an expensive extravagance on a $25 budget. So is fresh milk. She should be buying powdered milk and mixing it to put in the fridge on that kind of budget.
Eating on $25 is possible but it won't taste very good. It will keep you alive but that's about it.
There is a great website [www.hillbillyhousewife.com] that lines out how to feed your family on a budget and even she can't do it for a family of four on less than $45 a week.
$25 a week is doable.
5 lb Bag of sweet potatoes
5 lb bag of carrots
10 lbs of ground beef
2 dz eggs
Cost me $22 with my king supers card and coupons.
To be fair though everyone I know who was on food stamps was working, but had multiple kids to support and a low paying job.
My college-era food purchases were far less per week, and being a vegetarian meant I couldn't opt for the McFood eaten by most of my friends. An average week's food purchases would consist of a loaf of sprouted-grain bread ($3), a bagful of satsumas (10/$1), some avocados ($1 each), and lemons (10/$1; I lived in Florida), chickpeas (about .99 a pound, dried) and tahini ($3.95 a jar) to make hummus. Hummus and avocado on toast, with a satsuma in between meals. Sometimes I went to the local farmer's market to splurge on different fruits and vegetables, all of which were fortunately affordable. Quinoa, about a dollar a pound in the grocery's bulk section. Tempeh, $3 for about 3/4 of a pound at the farmer's market, and swiss chard for $1.50 a bunch. Make a sauce out of the lemons and tahini mentioned above, and there's at least three meals.
I wasn't wanting for nutrients but my god, I was so terribly thin.
Awesome $7 soup recipe (this lasts me about 4 days of lunch AND dinner - I'm currently on day 4 and have some left over in the fridge):
1 large (family sized) can of Tomato Soup ($1.14)
1 can diced & Italian seasoned tomatoes ($0.75)
1 can tomato sauce ($.50)
1 bag frozen crinkle cut carrots ($0.92)
1 bag frozen sweet corn ($1)
1 yellow squash ($0.75)
1 zucchini ($0.75)
1 box small pasta shells ($1.12)
Cut up squash and zucchini into 1/2-inch cubes
Combine all ingredients into large pot (use THREE cans of water with tomato soup instead of one).
Simmer on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes - do not let it boil hard or it will froth.
Season to taste - I usually use salt, garlic salt, pepper, and dried onions/onion powder (each available in a good size for $0.50)
All prices are approximate Wal-Mart Supercenter prices.
It's definitely possible. I think it's a lot easier if you cook and avoid pre-packaged convenience items, as most posters stated above. The woman in the post could have stretched her money much further than she did.
It's not as hard if you are feeding more people, as you have a bigger budget and can get a bag of rice, for example, which can go a long way. Buy only things that are on sale, rotate and make sure you keep staples around like frozen vegetables and cheap canned items.
Granted, it's not a fun way to feed yourself but it can be done. I think many Americans would fare well to try this out. It really teaches you the value of a dollar and makes you think before you purchase. You get really good at arithmetic when every penny counts, but it's stressful.
Not bad, but it needs some sort of protein. And I wouldn't be eating four day old stew in my fridge.
@henrygates: That attitude really is part of the problem.
There are individuals and families routinely hungry -- and they are working. If you live someplace like Harlem (and yes I lived there, so I do actually know what I'm talking about) your rent is skyrocketing, you have an hour-long commute by subway, and you work at least one if not two or three jobs just to keep a roof over your head and a winter coat on your kid's back. Food is easier to cut back on because you can do it piecemeal -- you can't rent half a room. (Well, you sort of can, but not with any stability.)
@TracyHamandEggs!: The problem with any and all of the programs you mentioned is that you have to be below a certain level of income (varies state to state) to qualify for any of them. You can't get welfare if you have a decent job - it's FOR people without disposable income. Same goes for section 8 - it's for people in a situation where they can't afford a place to live on their own. I've heard that in some states, you can't earn more than $800 / mo to qualify for such programs. I'm going on word of mouth here, and I don't have time to fact check it, so forgive me if I'm incorrect. Let's assume that number is correct. A single person making less than $800 / mo w/ $25 per week in food stamps is not going to live well. Food stamps don't cover everything at the grocery store - they cover food. If you want toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, or diapers for your child, you're on your own. So let's take a single person making $800 per month. Let's say they spend an additional $25 at the grocery store each week. Now we're down to $700. Now gas for the car. Let's lowball that and say $50 / week. Now we're down to $500. Now let's factor in utilities. $20 for a phone (again, lowballing), and an average of let's say $80 for electricity (yea, I know it varies - just an estimate). Now you're down to $400.
$400 is all that's left after factoring in all the essentials. That's not including medical expenses, car maintenance, ANY sort of entertainment, an internet connection, car payments, and any other sudden one time expenses that may come up in day to day living.
People stuck in a situation where they have to rely on government aid often feel trapped - they can't earn more money - if they do, the aid goes away, and their new income isn't enough to counteract it. At the same time, they're not living well on the government aid. It's a messy situation, and it's poorly regulated by the government. I've had friends in situations like what I've described, and it's not a comfortable or easy life.
I've spent around $20 a week on food for the past 5 years or so. One thing I've learned is that dollar stores often charge $1 for something that costs less than a dollar at the grocery store. Also, I don't buy a weeks worth of food at a time, I buy larger containers if they're cheaper by volume.
Rice, ramen(buckwheat), whole wheat bread, oatmeal, spaghetti, eggs, turkey lunchmeat, hot dogs, tuna, frozen vegetables, bananas/apples, peanut butter/jelly, MSG free bullion, various spices and cooking oils, cheese and milk occasionally. Drinking lots of water. I can understand how someone who exercises a lot would have trouble on a diet like that but I weigh about 160lbs (at 6'). Drinking a lot of water and no sweets, I think, minimizes the desire to snack.
Oh and one more thing, I drink a LOT of tea. White, green, earl grey even plain black. The key is to think about the food buying for the long run, not one week at a time. Build up a stock and rotate which things you buy every week.
@FatLynn: Yeah the case of bottle water is like 5 bucks for 24 bottles. She spent 20% of her budget on something she can use a Brita filter with from tap water.
@mbz32190: Before our little boy was born my wife and I used to shop exclusively at the farmer's market and organic food co-op here in Lexington. We tried to keep it under $40 a week, and could consistently keep it under $50. We ate pretty well, too, I'm only 150 lbs, and 15 of that are my steel-toes, so I need serious fuel if I don't want to waste away.
That said, having kids changes everything. Especially now that he's in preschool and needs assorted healthy snacks everyday.
@LiC: Yeah, the no sales tax vs income tax hete in Oregon is basically an example of "robbing Peter to pay Paul". It's cool to not have sales tax, but a single tear runs down my cheek when I see what I get taxed every paycheck.
$25 is completely do-able for a single person...no, it won't be 100% healthy, but you do what you got to do not to starve to death. Pasta and ramen are still cheap. You can get a bag of potatoes for a dollar or two. Buy a carton of eggs as well. Add in a carton of orange juice to get some fruit, a few bags of frozen veggies, and a large container of oatmeal, and that should still be well under $25.