Three dollars a day?

[RICHARD]

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.

[Laura's Babies]

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!

[Medusa]

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.

[lizbud]

Ever eat mustard sandwiches? How about mashed potato sandwiches?

Not bad, if you're hungry enough.

[Medusa]

How about mashed potato sandwiches?

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

[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.

[Medusa]

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.

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.

[lizbud]

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

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.

[Medusa]

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.

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.

[Karen]

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.

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.

[RICHARD]

Ever eat mustard sandwiches? How about mashed potato sandwiches?

Not bad, if you're hungry enough.

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

Laura,

If you ever need a roomie!

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.

-----------

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.

[Hellow]

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.

[DJFyrewolf36]

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?

[Karen]

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

Laura,

If you ever need a roomie!

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?

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!

[sparks19]

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.