Three dollars a day?

A governor from a state in the Midwest went on food stamps recently to see how a 101 dollar a month food stamp grant from her state would hold up.

IT came to about three dollars a day or one dollar a meal.
She said that she had to watch what she spent and ate 'a lot of Mac and Cheese'- GROSS!


I was really amazed at how came to that conclusion and how it was only mac and cheeze(burger)-kidding.

Growing up we ate beans rice and HOME MADE TORTILLAS and a piece of meat stuck on the side.

To this day I love a good plate o'beans and rice- my parents would buy a bag of rice, beans and flour and we made do with that. You can make a decent pot of Mex rice with a cup of rice, tomato sauce, half an onion, garlic cloves, and some coriander



I HATE SPAM, but in a pinch you could make a can into a few meals.

breakfast? Cubed in some scrambled eggs?
Lunch? A slice, some fake cheese and mayo, mustard.
Dinner? chunked up in a pot of peas or bean.

People can survive on 101 dollars a month and not starve, all it takes is a few smarts, basic cooking skills and a pantry with salt pepper and spices.

I'm with you RICHARD, I could eat the beans and rice any day/every day over mac and cheese, especially that boxed stuff.... EUCK!

When all else fails, soup. I could eat soup every day of the week and there are so many varieties. Not canned soup, homemade. It's nutritious and yummy. Of course, kids want more variety than that but w/a little creativity, eating well doesn't have to be expensive.

Ever eat mustard sandwiches? How about mashed potato sandwiches?

Not bad, if you're hungry enough.:)

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Originally Posted by lizbud

How about mashed potato sandwiches?

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Ugh! My mother ate that and onion sandwiches w/butter, too. I gag just thinking about it.

Doesn't nutrition matter? You know...fruit, vegetables? Healthy stuff?

Perhaps one wouldn't starve on $101 a month, but I question how healthy they could eat.

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Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

Doesn't nutrition matter? You know...fruit, vegetables? Healthy stuff?

Perhaps one wouldn't starve on $101 a month, but I question how healthy they could eat.

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And there's the rub. Fruits and veggies are expensive. Just a couple of ears of corn costs $1, at least here in OH. If you have to feed a family, especially w/kids, it's got to be tough. I'm sure that's why so many low income people are overweight. They eat too many carbohydrates to feel full and comforted but their diet lacks good nutrition.

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Originally Posted by Medusa

Ugh! My mother ate that and onion sandwiches w/butter, too. I gag just thinking about it.

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Well, I must admit I never eaten mashed potato sandwiches, but I did eat the mustard ones & I've also tried an onion sandwich, when my Mom wasn't looking.

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Originally Posted by lizbud

Well, I must admit I never eaten mashed potato sandwiches, but I did eat the mustard ones & I've also tried an onion sandwich, when my Mom wasn't looking.

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Did you like them? As a child, I ate lettuce sandwiches but only because we had no money for meat. (Once in a while we'd have surplus Spam and my mother would pack it in my school lunch. It smelled so bad!) Lettuce and mayo on white bread. Now there's a nutritious meal. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Medusa

And there's the rub. Fruits and veggies are expensive. Just a couple of ears of corn costs $1, at least here in OH. If you have to feed a family, especially w/kids, it's got to be tough. I'm sure that's why so many low income people are overweight. They eat too many carbohydrates to feel full and comforted but their diet lacks good nutrition.

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The key is looking for what vegies are in season, and buying and storing a lot while they are cheap. This time of year, apples are plentiful - but try buying them in, say, March, and you'll spend a lot more. Also canned or frozen veggies can be good (tomatoes canned, not peas!) and less expensive.

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Originally Posted by lizbud

Ever eat mustard sandwiches? How about mashed potato sandwiches?

Not bad, if you're hungry enough.:)

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Lol, potato chip and catsup sandwiches rock.....and I have a kitchen filled with food!

Laura,

If you ever need a roomie!:eek:

Karen,

You hit on a very vital point- CANNING.

I wish I had the knowledge and the patience to can food. Being on my own it's not really a viable option for me. I'd love to do sauces and pickles, but by the time I'd get around to eating all the stuff?

I saw BEAUTUFUL tomatoes today, three pounds for a dollar! Cukes looked good, so did the onions and bell peppers.

Canned fruits and veggies are not the best option, but in a pinch they will do.

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I had a roomie that went crazy over a Hobo Stew that I put together.

Fried hamburger, tomato sauce, canned veggies and some S and P, garlic and spices.

You would have thought I had cooked steak and lobster. 3 dollars a day is really challenging but it can be done.

Medusa,

I saw an artichoke for 2.99 at one store.

I like eating Potato Chips and Ketchup, never ate a sandwich of the two before though. Soup is probably the best food you can buy for cheap, homemade can be cheaper than canned.

I've eaten for far less a day and granted it wasn't the best fare but it WAS food.
Anyone ever make tomato soup out of kechup packets and spices? ;)

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Originally Posted by RICHARD

Lol, potato chip and catsup sandwiches rock.....and I have a kitchen filled with food!

Laura,

If you ever need a roomie!:eek:

Karen,

You hit on a very vital point- CANNING.

I wish I had the knowledge and the patience to can food. Being on my own it's not really a viable option for me. I'd love to do sauces and pickles, but by the time I'd get around to eating all the stuff?

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But that's the glory of it - you have enough for yourself, and enough to give to friends! (You DO have friends, right?) Though you are in California - which feeds the rest of the country much of its produce, so I am sure you can get stuff cheaper year-round than we in states that have months of time when nothing grows but the snow piles! I don't can anymore, but did as a kid - jellies and jams were the most fun, but pickles were cool, too! Now, sadly, I am allergic to cucumbers, so no pickles for Karen. :(

It's not hard to do, really - you just need to have the right supplies, and a high tolerance for heat and steam!

if you have a farmers market near you... You can get good vegetables for less than a dollar for two or three (Like green peppers... at the local farmers market we can get them for .50 a piece of three for a dollar)

or you could get some seeds (even from the vegetables themselves rather than packets) get some potting soil and a tupperware dish and GROW some vegetables.

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Originally Posted by Karen

(You DO have friends, right?) !

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LOL, I do have the Edster!

I watched my G-MA can and loved it.

Cah lee fuh nee Ah has nifty produce. I can jump into my car and go to Palmdale for fruits or Oxnard for tons of other stuff.

There are some roadside stands that you can shop at but they prices are a little bit steep!

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Tomato soup from k-packs?

NO, but I have been so broke I was PO......I couldn't afford the "OR";)!

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...ighlight=ramen

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Originally Posted by Karen

Though you are in California - which feeds the rest of the country much of its produce, so I am sure you can get stuff cheaper year-round than we in states that have months of time when nothing grows but the snow piles!

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Oddly Karen, produce is more expensive here. As is wine...which is produced in the state as well. I was rather shocked when we moved here at the high prices of groceries.

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Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

Oddly Karen, produce is more expensive here. As is wine...which is produced in the state as well. I was rather shocked when we moved here at the high prices of groceries.

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Well that's just weird! We get told all the time by environmentalists how we should "buy local" because the cost of transport is built into the cost of food trucked from far away ... To which I say - "Yeah, try finding green vegetables grown "locally" in Massachusetts in February ..." but you'd think when they are only transported a few miles, they'd be far less expensive ...

Karen, that is definitely not the case.

:) Hey ketsup or tarter sauce is pretty darn good on a saltine.. I used sqeak by on a package of saltines & add a topping on top.. yum yum Yup to pay bills & not much money for groc then you would be suprised what you can live on..

Back in the 80's when I was homeless, I made a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter last for an ENTIRE MONTH.

Not fun. But, it can be done.

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Originally Posted by Karen

To which I say - "Yeah, try finding green vegetables grown "locally" in Massachusetts in February ..." but you'd think when they are only transported a few miles, they'd be far less expensive ...

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There is something that makes me think, SCAM-it's the 'enviro' fruits and veggies. THey are touted as pesticide free and organically grown.

How do we know that? They are priced as much as 25-50% over a market offering and aren't any different.

The stands are more a touristy kind of offering but if you go up the road to Palmdale around peach/pear and tomato season you can buy in bulk at some really outstanding prices.

I've done the cheap food trick recipes with friends to see how far our imaginations and creativity would take us. Amazing what you can buy and stretch into nutrtious meals if you have to. And we did sample everything we thought of, only a few weren't tasty. As for fresh produce, no matter where you live you can have a hydroponic garden anywhere in the house and grow lertuce, tomatoes, cucs, zuchuni, beans, peppers, etc.
Homemade soups with lentils, white or brown beans, lima beans, black beans, etc, all high in protein and very filling. Many variations to think of, all delicious.Just amazing what you can throw into a huge pot of homemade soup.
Buying in season and freezing or canning helps a lot.

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Originally Posted by kuhio98

Back in the 80's when I was homeless, I made a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter last for an ENTIRE MONTH.

Not fun. But, it can be done.

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Wow...Ive lived cheap but never THAT cheap :eek:! Sounds like an interesting story if you wouldn't mind sharing it :)

Richard, a pack of Rammen and some Taco Bell fire sauce is really good...add an egg for some added protien ;)

I also like sugar and butter rammen. Take the noodles and precook them until they just turn soft...then fry them in a frying pan with butter and a bit of sugar. Its carbohydrate death but it sure is good! :D

Did you ever see the FN show Unwrapped? They did a show on "economy" meals, and had the company on that makes Ramen (Maruchen??). It was kinda cool. They actually deep fry them before they package them to get all the water out of them.


They also had a guy on there who collects mac and cheese boxes from all over the country, and now, the world. He had them all over his walls. Seriously.