This is the seventh post in a nine-part series on my experiences with eating on $4.50 a day as part of September's Hunger Action Month organized by Feeding Illinois.
After my 6th day of voluntarily eating on $4.50 a day, I can probably tell you where to buy the least expensive eggs ($1.39 a dozen at Aldi's), find the simplest, healthiest and cheapest recipes (Common Ground Food Co-op), and which fruits cost more than other fruits (bananas are cheaper than apples, for example). I didn't set out to know these things, I came to know them while trying to eat foods that tasted good, were filling and healthy and stayed within my budget. I spent a lot of time figuring this out and received a lot of help in doing so.
One thing I learned is that unless I were to skip one of my three meals, I could never go out to eat on a daily food budget of $4.50. The cheapest meal I could find was two bean burritos at Taco Bell for $1.58 (with coupon). It costs a lot of money to eat out and it is one of the things I love to do. This kind of socializing over a meal at a restaurant isn't really an option on $4.50 a day, which is what a person on food stamps, known as SNAP, receives in Illinois. Sharing meals and cooking for each other is where I'd be headed if I stayed on this budget for longer than a week. I'd be doing this out of necessity instead of how I do it now, which is for special occasions.
And, it is not possible to eat all organic food as I had hoped. For example, I can get organic dry red lentils for $2.29 a pound at my local food co-op, but at the local Indian grocery, I can get regular dry red lentils (not organic), for $1.09 a pound. So, I chose the Indian grocer.
And staying away from big box stores like Wal-Mart for food, not possible on my daily food budget. Eating eggs by vegetarian fed, free range hens costs me .30 cents an egg compared to .10 cents an egg at the lowest price I could find (I am sure these poor chickens were fed antibiotics and lived in darkened hen houses, ever see "Food, Inc.?"). I can eat all vegetarian fair and yet I found myself wanting a break from food preparation and so when I looked at the processed vegetarian meals, I simply couldn't afford them.
So, where's what I did eat on my 6th day of a $4.50 food budget:
Breakfast
Homemade organic oatmeal with local apple butter, walnuts and seven chocolate chips for $.69 cents.
Snack
12-0z can of Coke (given as a gift), gala apple for $.36 cents.
Lunch
Two, homemade chicken tortillas with organic tortillas, organic brown rice, tomatoes from garden, lettuce, taco sauce and cheese for $2.01.
Dinner
Homemade Indian daal with red lentils, garlic, onions, tomatoes, masalas (spices) and onion over baked organic brown rice for $.85 cents.
Snack
1 cup of 2% milk with 1 cup of Peanut Butter Bumpers cereal for $.51cents.
Total spent on food for the day: $4.42
Not a bad day for eating healthy and nutritious food and I still could have eaten more and food is still taking up a very large portion of my thinking.
I'm hosting a radio program on hunger on WILL radio on September 21 from 10:06 am - 10:50am CST right in the middle of the official statewide SNAP Hunger Challenge and would love for you to listen in and participate. If you can't, please send me now the things you'd like me to talk about during the program via my email. Thanks.
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3 comments:
Hang in there! Did you skip the friendship bread and free coffee at church?
carol
Hi, Kimberlie, I have been thinking about you and how you're managing. This is quite a challenge! I look forward to what you and the other participants have learned. I think access to the newspaper is critical. So, too, mass transit, or the ability to walk, or bike to the store. If you have access to the N-G, you can find some mighty bargains. How do you do that? Share a paper, read it at the library. So, here are a couple of things that I think you might find helpful, according to the supermarket inserts in today's paper-- At County Market, bananas- 38 cents/lb.; Bush's canned beans--2 16 ounce cans for $1.;10 yogurts for $5. While you're nearby, at CVS, with coupon-good through Monday, you can get 4 boxes (limit) of corn flakes or raisin bran for $1.77 a box/8.7-17 oz. Several blocks down the road at Meijer-you can get a 3 lb. bag of carrots for 1.50., 12 oz. bacon for $2, chicken thighs for 89 cents a pound. So, I know-slap me--you have to have access to the ads/info. And you have to be able to get there. And the day-to-day has to wear. Take care. --cq
Hi, Carol. I sure was thinking about the free friendship bread and coffee at church and then I did not make it in on Sunday!
Celeste, the newspaper is an excellent resource and one I use often to find the best food deals and to clip coupons. Sharing the newspaper would work for those who cannot afford the $45 subscription for three months. Thanks for hunting down those bargains for me. That was very thoughtful. I will get the carrots and bacon. The sugar and high fructose corn syrup make the corn flakes unappealing to me for breakfast.
All of the things you point out as barriers to healthy food choices-- access to a newspaper for coupons and transportation to healthy food stores and knowledge of nutritional content of food -- all seem to me to be things that need to be taught and then practiced. The barriers seems so overwhelming sometimes.
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