This is the fifth post in a nine-part series on my experiences with eating on $4.50 a day as part of September's Hunger Action Month.
I will make it on $4.50 worth of food a day for the remaining three days of the SNAP Hunger Challenge organized by Feeding Illinois, but this is not a fun challenge anymore, not really. I do not enjoy not being able to buy what I want and not being able to eat and drink like some of my friends and co-workers. Water is great, I have always consumed a lot each day, but I could sure go for a glass of whole milk right now. Too expensive!
A lot more of my thinking is centered around food and cravings and if I had to do this for more than a week, I think I'd be crabby and less creative and certainly less patient with myself and others.
Yesterday went so well: I was full and had .39 extra cents to carry over to today. I am glad that I did because I needed it.
Breakfast was my usual bowl of homemade organic oatmeal but with no frills (no apple butter or walnuts as I forgot to pack them!). Add a cup of Folger's coffee with 2T organic chocolate soy milk and 1/2 of a hard-boiled egg and my total cost for breakfast was $.29.
Lunch was left-overs from yesterday: 2 homemade salmon patties ($0.84), 1 cup of chocolate soy milk (minus the 2T I used in my morning coffee, $0.29), 1 cup of baked organic brown rice, and 1/2 of a gala apple ($0.18) for a grand total of $1.54.
On the way back from Iowa, we stopped by a roadside stand and bought six ears of sweet corn for $2. When we got home and I looked inside the bag, there were only five ears in it. Bummer! That upped the price of each individual ear of corn to 40 cents from 34 cents. When you are counting pennies, it makes a difference.
For dinner I had an ear of corn ($0.40), a small organic fruit punch pack ($0.50) and two homemade chicken tortillas. Ingredients: chicken ($0.75), organic corn tortillas ($0.60), 1/2-cup of baked organic brown rice ($.12), tomatoes from garden (free), 1/2-cup of grated cheese ($0.42) with onions and lettuce for a total dinner coast of $2.94.
With the extra savings from yesterday's meals, I am still within my overall $4.50/day budget. I accepted a homemade caramel and a package of 4-mini Oreos from the nuns at the abbey as a gift and between dashing from one meeting to a next, I ate some kind of a mini-treat that was on a reception table. All were gifts or I would not have been able to eat them.
I'm voluntarily taking part in the SNAP Hunger Challenge as part of September’s Hunger Action Month. The challenge officially happens September 19-25. I’m taking it now in preparation for a radio program I will host on hunger on WILL radio, on September 21 from 10:06 am - 10:50am CST. I would love for you to call in during the program, especially if you live on food stamps (SNAP) or are voluntarily taking the SNAP Hunger Challenge. If you email me, Kimberlie Kranich, and let me know you are interested, I will send you an email reminder when to tune-in and how to call-in.
Only three days left of my challenge!
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4 comments:
Very interesting. Would also be interesting to know how other people responded to the challenge and how they feel doing it after X amount of days.
Thanks for your comment, E! There is an "official" blog for the SNAP Hunger Challenge. Anyone who wants to blog about their experiences can do so on their own blog and cross post to the official blog with is: feedingillinois.squarespace.com.
Since the challenge does not officially start until 9/19, there isn't much there now.
I will be looking for other people's experiences.
The thoughts you express are so right on message. Sharing them is so important. Thanks for taking the Challenge and for the blog.
Thank you for reading them, Jim.
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