Food Stamp Challenge - the buy > Rexroad.com

So I headed down to Food 4 Less and got my chow for the week. The game plan changed a little when I got to the store and saw what the prices were for the week.

I got ---
6 tomatoes for $1.79
1.2 lbs of pinto beans for $1.78
1 can of frozen OJ for $2.23
1 lb of Linguine for $1.23
1 large bunch of broccoli for $1.48
2lb bag of rice for $2.85

The total spent was $11.36 so I still have $3.64 in hand. We will see if I need to adjust later in the week.

I decided to pass on the chicken because it just did not seem like the bargain it did last week. Instead I bought broccoli. That should give me a pretty good balance for the diet. My other choice was brussel sprouts. they may be what I adjuct for later in the week.

Let me state clearly that I am the world's worst shopper. So i am sure that some of you out these might be able to do better. I also don't like broccoli much. However, I want to try to get by for these next five days trying to be somewhat healthy too.

Comments

By Charlie in Esparto @ Sunday, November 16, 2008 11:41 PM

Matt...I would have skipped on the OJ and tomatoes and got a 99 cent can of spaghetti sauce (to go with that linguini) and one of the 15lb $5.97 turkeys Safeway now has on sale. Of course you would have to go out of town to find a Safeway these days (Natomis is close). Food 4 less also has them on sale now for $5.97 but they have a $20 minimum purchase(so your $15 max will not work there). But with at Safeway turkey you would have been eating like a King.

You new total would have been $14.30 (with the replacements above) …and that’ a whole lot of chow (with turkey) for less than $15. Just shows what can be done when you use the grocery fliers, shop around…and --Why Woodland needs to get a Safeway built!--(wink).

Charlie-san

By rstown @ Monday, November 17, 2008 6:18 PM

I am looking at this and I just dont see how you will have a balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week? Where are the fruits? How will you get all of your daily requirements? If you are doing it like a real person on DSS, then you cannot supplement it from your garden, hunting or kitchen. Lets see you really do it with just what you can buy-that is what they have to do. It is not a fair comparison if you get to use things like butter, oil, milk etc from your kitchen-IMHO. C'mon, man up!

By rstown @ Monday, November 17, 2008 6:29 PM

And no cheating to make a pasta sauce or a sauce to go with your rice unless you only use your purchased foods or what you can buy with your remaining funds. My mom had to feed 8 kids on foodstamps after my dad walked out, declared bankruptsy and left us with nothing-no child support-nada! It was a huge challenge and we never would have made it without help from others-no way, no how! And it was weekly humiliation for my poor mom to have to ask for help from friends, neighbors and family. It is not possible to feed a family healthy, balanced meals on foodstamps. You can feed them-but it is a diet high in unhealthy food like pasta, white rice, bread-empty carbs etc. Is that what we really want for our already obese kids and families? Foodstamps will not cover all the fresh fruits and veggies kids need-not even close. You have broccoli and tomatoes. You would need to eat at least 5 servings of those a day to meet minimal FDA requirements. Try getting an 8 year old to eat tomatoes and broccoli 5 times a day! Try it with your two kids. How about taking a REAL foodstamp challenge and feeding your whole family on the family of 4 allotment for a week? I dare you!! That would truly give you the real experience!!

By rstown @ Monday, November 17, 2008 6:35 PM

PS-where will your calcium come from? I dont see any milk, cheese, eggs, yogurt etc. I am truly wondering-not trying to be a smart alec.

By Matt Rexroad @ Monday, November 17, 2008 7:37 PM

I have not supplemented with anything. I had my pasta tonight that was just boiled in water. No salt. no nothing.

My rice has been simply boiled rice. No butter. No salt.

I also think I will use my left over money to buy seeds to plant a garden in buckets that I will find.

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