This weekend folks taking the Michigan Food Stamp Challenge will be doing their shopping. What is that like? What hard choices did you have to make?
If you’re taking the challenge, please post your experiences in the comments below.
What’s it like to shop on $1 a meal?
August 31st, 2007 | Personal Stories | by Chuck Warpehoski
20 comments ↓
I have found that participating in the Food Stamp Challenge has *already* sharpened my awareness of food choices and increased my frugality.
Just to give a tiny example, I made chili on Thursday night. I was just about to add about 3 cups of cherry tomatoes, mashed, to the chili when I stopped and thought, “Can’t I get by without these? I can use them on Friday.”
Sure enough, when Friday rolled around, I put them in the blender and made a home made tomato sauce and put it over spaghetti. Before the FSC, I would have just tossed the tomatoes into the chili and not thought twice about it. The looming FSC influenced me to be more frugal and save something for the next day. It was interesting to see myself thinking that way. We’re going shopping for the FSC tomorrow and I’ll save all the receipts and photos as Chuck requested.
This is a really worthwhile exercise. Thanks to Chuck for promoting it.
Well, Jeremy (my 16-year-old son) and I are ready for the week! $43 and an hour of shopping later, we have bread and pasta and milk and peanut butter … enough for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and cheap pizzas in case the teenage buddies come over for snacks. Everyone deserves a treat, so I also bought pudding for lunch bags.
I could have made the money go farther, but simply couldn’t bring myself to buy white rice, only white pasta (the ramen noodles are for an emergency snack), Wonder bread … I compromised quantity for nutrition. Of course, I didn’t need to buy butter or sugar or salt or pepper — I’ve collected those like a packrat, which I would undoubtedly need to
do if I were actually on food stamps. Needing a birthday cake, or a bag of flour, or some other really basic item would have thrown me off.
Jeremy keeps looking at the ONE shelf in the refrigerator that’s holding the week’s perishables, and the HALF shelf in the pantry holding the staples — he can’t believe we’re actually going to be rationing food, when he’s accustomed to eating me out of house
and home every few days! I also usually have the luxury of some disposable income for trying new recipes for cooking contests … not happening this week.
Off to make the sandwiches for lunch. Thank you SO MUCH, Chuck, for all the work you’ve put into this amazing project!!! It is truly a learning experience, even for someone who thought she was aware of the dire situation ….
So off I gleefully went yesterday. One week, surely I could feed myself. “Be back in 20 minutes I told my husband (who laughed). After nearly an hour and a half later I finally took my paltry basket up to check out.
I was apalled by what things cost. My husband and I shop every Saturday, and frankly, don’t pay a lot of attention to individual items. Eggs, milk, butter, fresh produce are all horribly expensive! Even tofu (which I was counting on) was a budget buster.
My one indulgence was a bag of M&M’s. They were expensive but I knew I would never last a week without chocolate.
Fortunately I like beans and rice and peanut butter sandwiches. But I bet I like them a whole lot less by the end of the week.
But what awful choices to make. I already know that I will be much more mindful and thankful on my next shopping trip!
While I have no problems helping people with better food stamps funds- I have to take some offense to the “advertising” you’ve been doing with regard to this issue- and I paraphrase “eating beans and rice.” As a vegan, I eat quite a bit of “beans and rice” and have NO issues with my diet. I agree with your nutrition contentions regarding fresh fruits and other such items- but to put the food stamp recipient in the context of “beans and rice” is wholly inappropriate and is merely a standard “must have meat to eat well” mentality!
I don’t think that food stamp recipients could be vegans under the financial constraints they endure- soymilk is not cheap- I understand this. However, a NON-meat diet that still includes milk, cheese and eggs would be as much within their financial means as a meat-inclusive diet currently is.
By the way- I eat NO animal products at all and am quite healthy- in fact- taking the top race position at the 24 Hours of Drummond Island mountain bike race as a solo racer this past weekend with 157 miles!
Dennis,
As a mostly-vegetarian myself, I eat a lot of Beans and Rice too, but I eat a lot of other stuff that I couldn’t afford on my $21, things like chard and fresh tomatoes and whole grain bread. I’m not saying folks need to have meat, I don’t think they do, but I’m saying they need more than they get on food stamps.
My comments about beans and rice are to highlight the challenges in having a varied and appetizing diet. The beans and rice I’m cooking tonight would be much better if I could toss in some coriander and garnish it with salsa (of even just a tomato).
(and congrats on your great finish on the Drummond Island mountain bike race!)
Second to Chuck’s “beans and rice” comment. I am a vegetarian myself but found it difficult to include the variety of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables that I would normally use for variety in my diet. Just the ingredients for a good veggie stir fry or a fruit salad priced themselves out of the basket pretty quickly.
Random thoughts:
It’s 4:30 pm and I’m hungry. But I can’t grab a snack or a drink because if I do I’ll be over my limit, unless I don’t eat dinner. I’m not used to going hungry and I feel cranky. We’re eating dinner early tonight, but will that mean I get hungry again before bed? I also have a 1 hr workout scheduled for tonight but I won’t be able to eat anything after that unless I track down some free food somewhere or forage for dandelion greens in my yard (that’s a thought!). I can’t remember the last time I went to bed hungry. This is going to be a tough week for me.
I live in a household with 4 other people. This includes my husband and 3 boys. None of them were up to the challenge so I am doing a modified version of my own. I am not adhering strictly to the rules, mostly because I am eating food we already have. However, I am doing the math to figure out the cost of everything I consume and boy is it an eye-opener!
For example, lunch included:
1 egg .11
2 bread slices .26
1 banana .20
1 apple .31
peanut butter .13
carrots .09
I had oatmeal for breakfast which was actually really good – I will probably have that every day. The fresh fruits and vegetables really add up quickly though.
I had a “free” cup of coffee at work today which I’m not counting.
Last night I thought about how much my family spends on ice cream alone…. in general, we eat very well (whole grains, fruits, vegetables,etc), so it’s not the nutritional content (or lack thereof) that I’m that concerned about, but more the way that we have become so accustomed to mindlessly feeding our every desire. If I’m hungry I’m used to almost immediately getting something to eat, and not only is it something to eat, it is nearly always what I WANT to eat.
As I said, this is going to be a tough week for me. I am already waffling about whether I will eat the “free lunch” at work tomorrow that is provided at a weekly meeting I attend.
Don’t misunderstand me- I clearly realize that a varied diet is better especially if it includes fruits and other vegs besides beans and rice. I was just commenting that there seemd to be an inherent bias in that phraseology.
Heck- I think I pretty much lived on beans rice and potatoes my last year in college at about $15 per week (1982-83)- and sixpack of beer blew that budget- but then again I didn’t have any kids depending on my weak budget…
More power to you all- Maybe I should get my 18 yr old to try this challenge- see if he could handle it- it might be an eye opener for him
Here’s another thought- WHY is it that the MOST processed foods seem to be the CHEAPEST? Do we want people to be healthy or what? Buying fresh vegs is more expensive than some pre-fabricated meal packages with all sorts of additives, chemicals and ingredients impossible to pronounce.
Second thought- can food stamps be used at the farmers’ market?
Regarding Dennis’ question about food stamps at the Farmers’ Market: I have absolutely no idea how they pull it off, but I’ve seen some vendors at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market that say they take food stamps. I work in the area so I’ll do a double-check on Wednesday and post what I find. Can anyone check on the Ypsilanti Farmer’s Market?
I don’t know about A2, but Ypsi’s Farmers Markets (Tuesday downtown and Saturday depot town) do take food stamps, and also credit cards, courtesy of the Ypsi Food Co-op.
Also – I’ve been variously vegan/vegetarian/almost vegetarian for almost 10 years, and when I have eaten meat during that time, it’s been an every-few-weeks luxury. But I don’t read a meaty bias into Chuck’s references to “eating beans and rice”. Instead, I read a very reasonable “dude, where’s my cumin?!”
Well, according to the food stamp website (http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/applicant_recipients/using_foodstamps.htm), you can use food stamps to buy any regular food product, including fresh fruits and vegetables, so that should apply for farmers markets as well. I think the trick is that the food stamp program is now on a swipe-able card, and not all sellers have the setup to accommodate the card.
Well, my wife Melissa and I went shopping today. I must say that I agree with a lot of other folks’ observations…it took a lot of time and work! We were in the store for close to an hour and 1/2! Of course, we made it a bit more complicated for ourselves because we wanted to keep a bit of produce from our weekly CSA share, so we had to figure out the market value for various produce items. But, still, I knew I was in bad shape when I realized that I’d have to put the Mac and Cheese back because it requires extra milk and butter…
I remember actually feeling a bit self-conscious. Melissa and I had our paper and pen out, audibly discussing the minute details of prices and what we could and couldn’t afford, and I saw a few people glance in our direction. I could be just paranoid, but I certainly found myself wondering what they were thinking about us.
All in all, though, I’m actually pleased with how I did…I got some good whole wheat pasta, some frozen veggies, organic oatmeal, lentils, baked beans. The whole vegetarian thing that folks have been commenting on is also interesting…we’re both vegetarians and one thing we noticed is that all the Ramen Noodles have meat in them! And, on top of that, it was almost impossible to realistically get any fresh fruits and vegetables. So it was frustrating that I couldn’t be nearly as conscientious about being nutritious (or being a responsible shopper, for that matter…hardly any organic, low processed, or locally produced food). It’s a degrading experience in that sense.
Maybe I head the bias in the radio piece on Michradio…. at least the way it was phrased- because that is how I heard about this- not via your website.
Joel- your comments supplement mine regarding decent whole food vs processed- yep- getting real apples is probably more expensive than some frozen processed fruits ?
and forget about organic..
Chuck, I found it interesting that you requested people do their buying ahead of time/at the beginning of the week. I purposely decided to try to keep my life style as close as possible to what it usually is. So, we are pretty unorganized (spontaneous?) about our food preparation — who ever feels like cooking does so, and if nobody does we scrounge around, go out or get something quick. We only have one child left in the home (except that now we have this exchange student) — and with a gap of 11 years between him and his sister, we are very laid back about everything, including meals. Shopping ahead for the week? Wow. I know people who do it, and I admire them.
So I did NOT shop ahead or plan my menu — I decided to play it by ear, the way I (we) usually do. My husband (who could have been cajoled into doing this, but I decided not to) is cooking tonight. “It’s going to be such a cheap meal, you won’t believe it” he said. I’ll let you know. I am keeping track of what I’m eating and the approximate cost. It’s not so hard because I kept the receipts of the last week. I had an ear of corn, for example, and know that we bought 12 for $2.00. With a bit of butter, I’m guessing the cost was about 30 cents.
For me what has been so shocking is to discover that one item, say a box of cookies, that I don’t think twice about buying, and really has no nutritional value at all, can cost what people on food stamps are allocated for an entire day. In addition to realizing how incredibly difficult it must be to stay reasonably fed on food stamps, I’ve learned the other side of the coin: how very lucky I am — and how much I’ve taken for granted.
I made up a grocery list based on going to 4 different stores to get the best deals, but then decided I should try to only go to places I could walk to or easily get to by public transportation. Since I decided to go this route, at the end of the day I didn’t buy eggs, milk, butter, or cheese (all too expensive at Kmart and Kroger). I am happy with my decision, but fear that I may eat a whole jar of peanut butter within the week!
I just got back from a quick perusal of the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market and there were nine vendors displaying a sign that said they accepted WIC “Project Fresh” coupons. One of these vendors was certified organic. I didn’t get the chance (no I should tell the truth, I was chicken!) to ask if that meant they also took food stamps.
I just learned of your $3 a day challenge. I have been unemployed for almost two years now. I have no income other than savings and I believe over the last two year I have averaged about $3 a day. Not to throw the statistics off but I manage very well. I have a few tricks that are to my advantage and I have learned a few tricks along the way.
1.My urban yard although modest was originally landscaped ten years ago with plantings that could double as a food source. If you didn’t know it would barely be evident. Spring is rhubard, clives, strawberries and asparagus. Summer is lettuce that will extend to even December, gooseberries, cherries, blackberries, mint and sage. Fall is apples, apricots and tomatoes (planted in large pots around the perimeter of my patio). Now that September is here I will scavenge around the neighborhood and get an unlimited amount of pears, crabapples and apples for canning. I make sure to can enough to get me through the 12 months. I make apple pie filling, chutneys, jams, applesauce etc.
2.I have a dog and whenever I walk her I make sure to bring along a plastic grocery bag or two and usually I can pick up at least six recyclable cans (I am pretty sure I average 10 a day which gives me an additional $1.00 – but that I do not include in my average cost of monthly food). Since it was the holiday this weekend today I found at the curb of a neighbor no less than 120 pop bottles so of course that was quite a sweep. If you were a REAL good at this go to community events like high school sport games and arts fairs etc.to pick up large amounts of cans at one time. A friend yearly has taken her children’s and any other kid who want to come along to the local Memorial Day, 4th of July, and other special fireworks displays which are held at the high school football field. Then after the fireworks has them collect bottles for the next 45 minutes – then takes all the kids out to Ram’s Horn for a midnight meal – usually not getting kids home until 4 AM and they ALL think it was a great night (and she has usually about $40.00 worth of cans collected so it comes close to covering her cost.)
3.Bread is available second hand at the local senior center which is only five blocks away. I am not a senior but the center has OK’ed me taking it provided I limit myself to two items at a time which all the other people also have to abide by – however they don’t mind if I go in daily so I could get up to 10 bread items a week if necessary.
4.If I have any ‘secret’ it is at the beginning of the week I review the local grocery store ads, then make out a menu for seven days using as much food on hand as possible and those items I will need to purchase I try to get on sale. The advantage of this is two fold is that I always have food on hand and so am not temped to stop at fast food or buy something expensive on impulse.
5.It is important to have food in the house the kids like but usually most items cost can be cut nearly in half just by getting it on sale. Serving a variety of foods makes the economy less evident. We also make a point of going out at least twice a month but use coupons, go for a late lunch rather than dinner which is less or go to places with salad bars or all-you-can-get.
I have never been a person to want a lot and really don’t mind the limiting circumstances. So many people are reckless with their money and for them $3 a day might seem a difficult but if you were to do it for more than 30 days I think it would become easier rather than hard.
I hope that everyone of you who do this ‘experiment’ some elements they can incorporate into their lifestyles long after the 30 days is over. I liked the couple who are now making expresso better than what they had been enjoying before. What most people have is such excess that they barely know what essentials are nowadays. I disliked the media before I became unemployed for all they lies they feed people. I had worked for 28 years before losing my job. I had promised myself I would never complaint about being out of work because I had worked so hard for so long. Now even after two years I am just glad to be out of a bad circumstance. Money has nothing to do with happiness, but yes I would prefer working if I could find a job.
Interesting. Sounds like it’s quite a bit of work to live off $3.00 a day, whether it’s through planning, gardening, coupon cutting and sale watching.
Something struck me today– it’s a heck of a lot easier for a smaller/thinner person to pull this off than for a larger/taller person. I’m only 5’2″, and I don’t have a job that requires manual labor. So that makes it a bit easier to make ends meet.
I have to admit that while I was in the store yesterday to purchase food for the rest of the family — I ate a bit more than my share from the samples…
It’s interesting how people are going about doing this, and what kinds of rules they made up/followed.
Nice article in the paper today!
I got started 2 days late because of my extended vacation. But that meant I shopped Wed at the Coop (Sr. discount day! Yes, I DO qualify if there was any doubt.>) And I hope that it was not cheating to buy bulk so I only bought the quantities I needed for one week. I actually spent 18.19 so I have $2.81 to spend towards the end of the week if I run out of food…unless the Sr. discount is cheating.
And today I went out and picked some wild greens–Purslane, Lamb’s quarter, Amaranth and Dandelion, so I can have some salad or add to soup or stir=fry. I actually bought some Kale (1.99) and was lucky to buy a huge Howell melon for 1.99, so I can have my usual fruit breakfast cutting it into 8 pieces.
But my tummy has been growling a lot. And I turned down a dinner out tonight and a gift of tomatoes. I did accept one today at the farm, but haven’t decided if I should really eat it…my conscious is struggling.
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