TOTALLY GEEKED!

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

This Is Why Poor People Pay More At The Grocery Store

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

Or a bag of dry beans?

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

Ok. So, I didn't get to the inner city store, so I went to an average store with a really good points program. So, the prices here are lowest found, including points discount. I was surprised. Also, I can see the paying more part, as many of these things were cheaper in a multi-purchase, but that put it out of reach total-price-wise.

Potatoes: $2/lb Carrots: $1.50/lb Mini tomatoes $5/box Snap peas $5/pkg Banana $1.96/lb

Block cheese $6.57/150g Butter $5/500g Milk $3.80/ltr eggs $3.50/12 pk Banana $.30/ea

Chicken noodle can soup: $1.80/ 540ml Ramen $0.45/pkg Chicken $12/pkg

Ground beef $6/4.85g Whole chicken $18.25/2pk Bread $2.29/loaf

PB $3.50/500g Rice $3/2lb Helper$3.50 Pasta #3/375g Sauce $2.99/375ml

Tuna $1.99/can Mayo $6.89 Quick Oats $3.79/3kg

So, challenging $20. Also, there were no scales to weigh the veg, so I'm going to guesstimate.

$.60 Carrots (2)
$.60 celery (3 stalk)
$.60 (2 banana)
$3.79 quick oats
$2.29 loaf
$3.50pb
$3.00 pasta
$2.99 sauce

$17.37 (plus some tax)

Menu: oatmeal + 1/2 sliced banana breakfast (and/or pb)
PB sandwich, carrot sticks, celery sticks lunch
Spaghetti & Sauce dinner.

Mix and match for same throughout the week, in very small portions (with the exception of the pb which could be heavier).

An alternate menu would have potatoes, tuna & eggs involved.

**Also, just to note - not part of the challenge, but if I was living on this much money I would also have to budget for:

Shampoo (2-in-1 is cheaper than combo) $6.99 Kleenex $1.00/ea TP $4.49/12pk

Allergy pills $22.99/48pk Aspirin $4.00/24pk Tampons $9.50/40ct Clearance deoderant $2.00 ea

Toothbrush $2.40/ea Toothpaste $4/ea Laundry soap $7.15/L

** Transportation: gas $1.59/L Bus $2.41/trip Bus $95/month pass

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

Also, cheaters tip: Pay the $.05 per grocery bag. Then you can reuse them and don't have to buy garbage bags. Everyone thinks you're a terrible plastic user for not bringing your own bags, but they're also paynig $6.00 for single use garbage bags.

Accidentally learned cheaters tip: If you use bulk spices in very small amounts (tbsp or 2 here and there) they are free because they don't register when weighed at the tills. Cashier generally just shrugs and tosses it in. I swear, accidental discovery that I don't use (stealing) but if you really need that onion powder ...

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Good Job Tig

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Strong work Tig!

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

One way that I have used to make meat go farther is to slice it and plate the food before serving. For meals, there were times i would have a couple of steaks and then one of the kids came in with a friend, etc. So, I just let the steaks rest, then slice them and plate and serve. In reality that is plenty of meat. That works with chicken or other meats. Just a way to stretch it a bit, rather than plopping a whole steak on a plate. I do that now because I don't need to eat a whole steak. I can buy 3 steaks and that is plenty for 5 of us with the sides.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

BTW, people on medicaid or welfare can get Amazon prime for half price.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

lilyofcourse wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Neither does 6 oz of dry pasta for 4 people. I mean 5.9 ounces.

-- Edited by Lady Gaga Snerd on Tuesday 3rd of September 2019 06:44:25 PM
The pasta expands when you cook it.
Pasta is a filler.
Pasta will be more filling than a shaker of onion powder.
That is the point.
You can't just eat the onion powder.
You can cook and eat the pasta.
It's a matter of what fills the belly.

Sorry, Lily, but this is just not enough food to fill 4 people's belly without protein added to it. So, if you buy the other way - you would get at least 2 bigger meals than this, and still have the spices left over.

Six ounces of pasta is only 3 cups of pasta. A serving is one cup - so that box of Hamburger Helper does not serve 4 by itself. Whereas, a bag or box of pasta can normally serve 8, which gives you 2 meals.

And if you are concerned about seasoned food, then no, you can't make hamburger helper without milk. But you can make regular pasta without milk.

And a cheap trick for pasta to stretch it is to use a can of seasoned tomatoes or sauce instead.

$0.89 pasta

$1.19 lg can of seasoned tomatoes

$1.99 tube of ground beef

You now have 2 meals for $4.07 and you don't need milk, butter, oil or spices and you have protein and a vegetable.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

If I had to feed my family of 4 on less than 2 dollars, I'd walk into Aldi and buy a box of pasta and a jar of meat sauce. That would cost less than $2 and we'd have extra.

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

During my hamburger helper days I would use less than a pound of ground meat. Not for economics but because it was just too meaty for my taste.
LGS is right about portioning out the meat. Nowadays a chicken breast is probably over 1/2 a pound. A serving is 4 ounces. You could boil a whole chicken with a few carrots, onion and celery. Pull all the meat strain the broth and have two meals (for 4) worth of chicken and broth for another use.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Lawyerlady wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Neither does 6 oz of dry pasta for 4 people. I mean 5.9 ounces.

-- Edited by Lady Gaga Snerd on Tuesday 3rd of September 2019 06:44:25 PM
The pasta expands when you cook it.
Pasta is a filler.
Pasta will be more filling than a shaker of onion powder.
That is the point.
You can't just eat the onion powder.
You can cook and eat the pasta.
It's a matter of what fills the belly.
Sorry, Lily, but this is just not enough food to fill 4 people's belly without protein added to it. So, if you buy the other way - you would get at least 2 bigger meals than this, and still have the spices left over.
Six ounces of pasta is only 3 cups of pasta. A serving is one cup - so that box of Hamburger Helper does not serve 4 by itself. Whereas, a bag or box of pasta can normally serve 8, which gives you 2 meals.

And if you are concerned about seasoned food, then no, you can't make hamburger helper without milk. But you can make regular pasta without milk.
And a cheap trick for pasta to stretch it is to use a can of seasoned tomatoes or sauce instead.
$0.89 pasta
$1.19 lg can of seasoned tomatoes
$1.99 tube of ground beef

You now have 2 meals for $4.07 and you don't need milk, butter, oil or spices and you have protein and a vegetable.

It isn't enough to feel satisfied. But it would be enough to feel like you're not hungry, maybe.

-- Edited by lilyofcourse on Wednesday 4th of September 2019 12:27:00 PM

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Tig is actually saying something I've been saying.

You have to consider everything.

Transportation, is the person using their own car, a bus, a taxi? How far are they going to need to go to get to the store, if it's your car, how will it affect your gas cost?

Hygiene and health, required meds, basic hygiene, basic cleaning.

As an example, I shopped only at stores on my way home from work. I had 2 stores to choose from. I didn't waste gas going to stores out of the way.

For women, we have the extra cost of pads or tampons. Have you ever run out of pads before you finished your period and not have a dime to get more? I have. Used cloth diapers more than once. TMI? It's something that has to be thought about.

Meds, some need them. I was lucky to find a program that helped with my meds, but it was still $10 a month out of my pocket. Now, I'm grateful I found the program and I qualified for it, because just one of my meds for 30 days, the generic, was $125. Just one. No way I could get that. I had 6 prescriptions to get each month.

Those who don't have a cushion, the ones that work, pay their bills, and don't waste it on cigarettes and alcohol, those just getting by, they do the best they can.

And you'd be surprised by how many of those don't qualify for assistance.

I was removed from food stamps after getting a raise. I was $24 over the line to qualify. However, my raise also meant a higher tax, I only brought home $5 more dollars on my check.

There is a grey area that people can get lost in.

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

There was a point that I made too little for some services and too much for others. Based on my income, basic rent was out of reach. Including subsidized housing. But I made too much to qualify for subsidized housing.

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

And I'm not alone. The running joke here is that 1st date is coffee to see if you can stand each other. The second is sex to see if you can stand each other. 3rd date is moving in together so you can both afford rent.

Momala · Great cook-happy wife-superb fisherman

What are the parameters for the competition?

I'd like to see what I could do.

How many people? How many meals?

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Momala wrote:

What are the parameters for the competition?

I'd like to see what I could do.

How many people? How many meals?

4 days, your family size, and maybe two meals a day. If you grow your own produce include that cost.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Momala wrote:

What are the parameters for the competition?

I'd like to see what I could do.

How many people? How many meals?

4 days, your family size, and maybe two meals a day. If you grow your own produce include that cost.

It was 4 days, 3 meals a day, for 4 people, no more than $20.

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

I think that if you grow your own food that should not count into your $20. Growing your own produce is a great step towards reducing family hunger.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I agree.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Tignanello wrote:
And I'm not alone. The running joke here is that 1st date is coffee to see if you can stand each other. The second is sex to see if you can stand each other. 3rd date is moving in together so you can both afford rent.

Housing costs have increased exponentially over income in the last 30 years. That is why people live with their parents longer, or have to have roommates longer.

Heck, did you see that article about the 7 old women that pooled their money to buy a big house to live in?

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

And a cheap trick for pasta to stretch it is to use a can of seasoned tomatoes or sauce instead.

$0.89 pasta
$1.19 lg can of seasoned tomatoes
$1.99 tube of ground beef

You now have 2 meals for $4.07 and you don't need milk, butter, oil or spices and you have protein and a vegetable

Here, this meal would be;

$6 ground beef
$3 pasta
$2.89 lg can seasoned tomatoes

$11.89 for 2 meals.

4 days x 3 meals x 2 people = 24 meals It wouldn't be feasible. If you stretch it, it might cover 3 meals. 1.5 meal per person.

I would have to do something like:

$3 pasta
$3 sauce

$6 per 2 meals. Closer. Also likely stretchable. Maybe $4.50 per 3 meals.

Unless I'm getting something from the foodbank (cans of tuna?) there would be no protein with this meal. Or with most.

-- Edited by Tignanello on Thursday 5th of September 2019 12:13:32 PM

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

Lawyerlady wrote:
Tignanello wrote:
And I'm not alone. The running joke here is that 1st date is coffee to see if you can stand each other. The second is sex to see if you can stand each other. 3rd date is moving in together so you can both afford rent.
Housing costs have increased exponentially over income in the last 30 years. That is why people live with their parents longer, or have to have roommates longer.

Heck, did you see that article about the 7 old women that pooled their money to buy a big house to live in?

I did - I think it's brilliant! And saves on the live-in caretakers they will need when they're much older! 7-for-1 deal!

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Tignanello wrote:
And a cheap trick for pasta to stretch it is to use a can of seasoned tomatoes or sauce instead.

$0.89 pasta
$1.19 lg can of seasoned tomatoes
$1.99 tube of ground beef

You now have 2 meals for $4.07 and you don't need milk, butter, oil or spices and you have protein and a vegetable

Here, this meal would be;

$6 ground beef
$3 pasta
$2.89 lg can seasoned tomatoes

$11.89 for 2 meals.

4 days x 3 meals x 2 people = 24 meals It wouldn't be feasible. If you stretch it, it might cover 3 meals. 1.5 meal per person.

I would have to do something like:

$3 pasta
$3 sauce

$6 per 2 meals. Closer. Also likely stretchable. Maybe $4.50 per 3 meals.
Unless I'm getting something from the foodbank (cans of tuna?) there would be no protein with this meal. Or with most.

-- Edited by Tignanello on Thursday 5th of September 2019 12:13:32 PM

YOu'd need to buy meat sauce. 6 dollars Canadian is about $4.50 American.

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

True, but I would only have Canadian dollars in my pocket. $6 may = $4.50, but I still have to pay $6. Which is 1/3 of the budget.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Lawyerlady wrote:
Tignanello wrote:
And I'm not alone. The running joke here is that 1st date is coffee to see if you can stand each other. The second is sex to see if you can stand each other. 3rd date is moving in together so you can both afford rent.
Housing costs have increased exponentially over income in the last 30 years. That is why people live with their parents longer, or have to have roommates longer.

Heck, did you see that article about the 7 old women that pooled their money to buy a big house to live in?

Real life golden girls!

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Tignanello wrote:
True, but I would only have Canadian dollars in my pocket. $6 may = $4.50, but I still have to pay $6. Which is 1/3 of the budget.

Then your budget should be about $30.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Gotta adjust based on where you live.

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Tignanello wrote:
True, but I would only have Canadian dollars in my pocket. $6 may = $4.50, but I still have to pay $6. Which is 1/3 of the budget.
Then your budget should be about $30.

But in real life, I would only have CDN 20 and would be paying CDN prices.

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Tignanello wrote:
I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Tignanello wrote:
True, but I would only have Canadian dollars in my pocket. $6 may = $4.50, but I still have to pay $6. Which is 1/3 of the budget.
Then your budget should be about $30.
But in real life, I would only have CDN 20 and would be paying CDN prices.

Math wiz you are not. $20 USD = $26.48 when converted to Canadian currency. That means your budget is $26.48, not $20

-- Edited by I know what to do_sometimes on Thursday 5th of September 2019 06:22:50 PM

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Tignanello wrote:
I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Tignanello wrote:
True, but I would only have Canadian dollars in my pocket. $6 may = $4.50, but I still have to pay $6. Which is 1/3 of the budget.
Then your budget should be about $30.
But in real life, I would only have CDN 20 and would be paying CDN prices.
Math wiz you are not. $20 USD = $26.48 when converted to Canadian currency. That means your budget is $26.48, not $20

-- Edited by I know what to do_sometimes on Thursday 5th of September 2019 06:22:50 PM

True - def not a math wiz, but I've been doing all of this in Canadian money! $20 = $20 biggrin

All y'all could have given me an American budget but it was just a $20 challenge. So, $20 it is. (and, I didn't want to convert all the food prices!)

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Grow some garlic!

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

Home grown herbs are a good way to season food. My rosemary plant never dies. Chives too. If you let your basil seed then you can replant next year.

FNW · Guru

Rosemary dies here with the first frost.

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

I neglect mine and it just won't die. A lot of people plant it because it likes our climate. One part of town has it in the medians. People just walk over and take a snip when they need some.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Here are peppers from my garden. And turning it into stuffed peppers!

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69753713_2490024487687421_25486009903496

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Grow some garlic!

I have garlic, it comes back every year.

Now, it's not like the garlic you get in the store.

It may only have 1 or 2 cloves to a ball.

But it's a better taste.

It's quit for the season now, but it'll be back next summer.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I'd love an herb garden, I may try to start one next spring.

Those peppers are beautiful. You know how to tell if they are male or female?

Momala · Great cook-happy wife-superb fisherman

Male has 3 bumps on the bottom;
female has 4 bumps on the bottom
female is good for saute, casseroles
male is good for crudite and dipping.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

lilyofcourse wrote:
I'd love an herb garden, I may try to start one next spring.

Those peppers are beautiful. You know how to tell if they are male or female?

I don't, lol. I am not a very good gardener!

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Momala wrote:

Male has 3 bumps on the bottom;
female has 4 bumps on the bottom
female is good for saute, casseroles
male is good for crudite and dipping.

Geesh you know everything about gardening. That is great info.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

The boy and the girl peppers taste the same to me!

-- Edited by Lady Gaga Snerd on Thursday 5th of September 2019 08:07:30 PM

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
The boy and the girl peppers taste the same to me!

-- Edited by Lady Gaga Snerd on Thursday 5th of September 2019 08:07:30 PM

Ok Ms witch of Hansel and Gretal.

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

Peppers grow well here. They like the sandy soil.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
The boy and the girl peppers taste the same to me!

-- Edited by Lady Gaga Snerd on Thursday 5th of September 2019 08:07:30 PM
Ok Ms witch of Hansel and Gretal.

Bwaaahhh!

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

I have some bread in the oven. Trying out my pullman pan.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Momala wrote:

Male has 3 bumps on the bottom;
female has 4 bumps on the bottom
female is good for saute, casseroles
male is good for crudite and dipping.

Yup.

Made a world of difference when I learned this.

Tignanello · My dog name is, Sasha!

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Momala wrote:

Male has 3 bumps on the bottom;
female has 4 bumps on the bottom
female is good for saute, casseroles
male is good for crudite and dipping.

Geesh you know everything about gardening. That is great info.

THis is very good information to know!

Momala · Great cook-happy wife-superb fisherman

You know, I think I might like to take
this challenge.

$20.00

How many people?
How many meals?

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Momala wrote:

You know, I think I might like to take
this challenge.

$20.00

How many people?
How many meals?

Lily stated above the challenge is It was 4 days, 3 meals a day, for 4 people, no more than $20.