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Can you eat healthy on $4 a day?
fortune ^ | APRIL 10, 2015, | Mitch Rothschild

Posted on 04/11/2015 7:16:17 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT

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To: DUMBGRUNT
Here are some of MY typical meals.

Breakfast

(my usual)
Bacon and eggs

3 eggs ($1.69 a dozen)= (14¢ ea.) = 42¢
1 slice thick cut bacon ($3# @ 15 slices) = 20¢
1 slice of toast ($3 loaf @ 25 slices) = 12¢
Total= 74¢

(once a week)
Pancakes
Pancake mix (10# =90 serving, @ $6.62) = 8¢ MAPLE syrup ($40 a gal direct from the farm) 2oz= 62¢
1 slice of bacon = 20¢
Total= 90¢

(once a week)
French toast
3 slices of bread = 36¢
1 egg = 14¢
1 slice of bacon = 20¢
MAPLE syrup = 62¢
Total = $1.32

Breakfast total = $5.92 per week

.

Lunch

PB&J
2 slices of bread = 24¢
SMUCKER'S blackberry jelly ($2 @ 18oz, @ 20 servings) = 10¢
Peanut butter (Jif 28 oz @ $2.50, = 25 servings) =10¢
Total 44¢

Egg salad sandwich
2 slices of bread = 24¢
2 eggs = 28¢
Mayo = 20¢
Mustard = 10¢
Total = 82¢

Tuna salad sandwich (2 days)
1 can tuna (makes 2 sammiches, 75¢) = 38¢
2 slices of bread = 24¢
Mayo = 20¢
Total = 82¢

Ham Sammich ($4 a lb, @1/4 lb) = $1
1 onion roll = 25¢
1 slice cheese = 25¢
Mayo = 10¢
Total = $1.60

Can of soup = $1 to $1.50
Total = $1.25 average

Lunch total = $6.19 per week

.

Dinner

Pot roast
Chuck roast ($4 a lb, @ 1/2 lb) = $2
1 onion = 25¢
Carrots = 30¢
Potatoes = 10¢
Total= $2.65

Pork roast
Pork loin ($1.89 a lb, @ 1/2 lb) = 95¢
1 onion = 25¢
Carrots = 30¢
Potatoes = 10¢
Sage = ??? 15¢
Total= $1.75

Beef and potato skillet
Ground beef ($3 a lb, @ 1/4 lb) = 75¢
1/2 lb potatoes = 10¢
1 onion = 25¢
1 can crm of mushroom soup = 59¢
Total = $1.69

Chicken and rice
1 lb chicken = 99¢
1 cup rice = 17¢
frozen peas = 30¢
(rice pudding from extra rice)
Milk = 10¢
Sugar = 3¢
1/2 egg = 7¢
Vanilla = 16¢
Total = $1.82

Pork chops
1/2 lb pork chops = 95¢
1 cup rice = 17¢
frozen corn = 30¢
(rice pudding from extra rice)
Milk = 10¢
Sugar = 3¢
1/2 egg = 7¢
Vanilla = 16¢
Total = $1.78

Ham steak dinner
1/2 lb ham steak = $1.50
2 potatoes = 10¢
1 1/2 can butter beans = 35¢
Total = $1.95

Cube steak dinner
1/2 lb cube steak = $2.00
Potatoes = 10¢
1/2 can spinach = 35¢
Total = $2.45

Dinner total = 14.09

Food total for the week = $26.20

My actual costs are about $300 a month for 2 people. (That's $37.50 a week per person) Stuff like pop and ice cream and chips, nuts and pretzels, or any other "splurges" aren't figured in to the above. (except rice pudding)
(I buy rice by the 50# bag, usually for about $17, as opposed to $1.50 for a 2 lb box.)
(Also, look up homemade vanilla extract)
(I buy soup when it goes on sale right before Thanksgiving. I buy a full years supply)(So I always have Cream Of Mushroom soup on hand. It's a staple for me)
(Found a farm in Abbottsford, Wi. that sells their own maple syrup. When my buddy and/or I are in the area, we buy it by the gallon, for ourselves and a few others. $40 a gallon, vs $17-$18 a quart in the stores)(Much better than the stuff the stores sell, that they call "pancake syrup")

90%+ of what I buy is on sale.
It takes work to shop the sales.
If I can do it, spending MY OWN money,
Then others can do the work of shopping the sales,
when they're spending my money, also.

141 posted on 04/11/2015 10:36:15 PM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: Bob434

2 Buck Chuck is a reference to Charles Shaw wines, sold at Trader Joes.


142 posted on 04/11/2015 10:57:44 PM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: Bob434
I'm pretty sure the "Two Buck Chuck" the freeper was referring to is a bottle of Charles Shaw wine.

They used to sell it at Trader Joe's. I don't know if they still do. I also don't know if it is still $2.

I'm told that it is far better than the price tag might suggest, but I never tried it.

I'm not much of a wine guy, so I probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between that and an expensive wine.

143 posted on 04/11/2015 11:08:58 PM PDT by TontoKowalski
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To: mountn man

Jinx. You owe me a coke.


144 posted on 04/11/2015 11:10:12 PM PDT by TontoKowalski
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To: TontoKowalski
Funny you said that.

I'm pouring one right now. :)

145 posted on 04/11/2015 11:22:55 PM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: mountn man
It takes work to shop the sales.

The iron triangle of management: FAST-CHEAP-QUALITY; PICK ANY TWO. There are many variations of the triangle this one works well for the topic.
Since you are willing to spend time, Cheap & Quality are what you get.

My daughter's old house had the largest maple tree in the county! I made maple syrup for a few years, then the son in law, now they moved. Was very good but lots of time watching the production.

146 posted on 04/12/2015 6:52:41 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (BINGO!)
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To: spokeshave

A co worker, appeared normal,graduate of a nice school and a US Army veteran.

That said, he had the most unusual habit of eating ramen noodles DRY, sprinkling the flavoring over the dry noodles!

Almost every day!!!


147 posted on 04/12/2015 7:11:38 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (BINGO!)
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To: DUMBGRUNT
I wait for the items I want to go on sale.

I like Campbell's Cream of Mush and Crm of Chix soup the best. I wait until the holidays when it goes on sale. I always have 2 flats of each in the pantry

I like Del Monte or Green Giant canned veggies the best. Again, they are usually half price before the holidays.

I like Dean's milk vs store brands or off name brands. It usually goes on sale every few weeks. I buy a few gallons, divie it up in quart containers and freeze it.

I like bbq sauces. When they are on sale, I try them. When they are on sale again, I buy the ones I like. ALWAYS have a variety of sauce on hand.

Virtually all the groceries I buy, I buy the quality I like. When it is on sale, I stock up.

Around the holidays, Land O Lakes butter goes on sale for about 50% off. I'll buy 50-75 pounds and put it in the freezer.

Seldom do I HAVE TO buy by need vs what's on sale.

IF...IF I have to buy something because the pantry/freezers are low, I buy what's on sale and adjust my menu to that.

But because of the way I shop, seldom do I sacrifice quality.

Mom likes to go out for breakfast on Saturday mornings. One of our favorites is Walker Brothers. At Christmas time, like a lot of restaurants, they have a special on gift cards. Buy $50, get a $10 bonus card. So, I buy $300 in gift cards and get an extra $60 in bonus cards. Now I can take mom to Walker Brothers once a month, for an entire year and all I have to pay for at the time is tip.

I'll do that with other restaurants too. Claim Jumper, TGI Fridays, Gino East (not anymore since they closed the one by me).

Shopping sales is fun.

Of course there is the part of pushing a packed cart through the store.

Every couple of months, Meijer has Alpo canned dog food on sale. Spend $35+ and get a $5 coupon. Spend $50+ get a $10 coupon. It's great when that sale coincides with a 20% of price sale.
(Of course the person at the cash register will have carpal tunnel, after shooting 100 cans with the register gun.)
(Hopefully I don't have the same person when I go back after they restock the shelves.)

100 cans = 9 flats of 12 cans. 9 flats = 36" high in the cart. 108 cans x 13.2 oz = 1425.6 or 89lbs

148 posted on 04/12/2015 7:43:31 AM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: mountn man

[[2 Buck Chuck is a reference to Charles Shaw wines, sold at Trader Joes.]]

Which I’d obviously need after trying to gnaw on 2 buck chuck steak lol


149 posted on 04/12/2015 11:16:22 AM PDT by Bob434
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To: TontoKowalski
Whatever happened to Home-Economics classes...

Yeah, about that...

Back in 1975, when I was a senior in High School, I had a free period to fill in my schedule, so I tried to sign up for Home-Ec.
I was told that since I was a male, I would be depriving a freshman female from taking the Home-Ec class, therefore I had to find some other class to fill in my schedule.
I ended up being a TA for a remedial math class.
This class ended up with freshmen that couldn't even SUBTRACT, let along multiply or divide.

150 posted on 04/13/2015 7:54:20 AM PDT by cuz_it_aint_their_money (I'm getting damn sick & tired of having to pick the lessor of 2 evils in the voting booth!)
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To: cpdiii
This was bone in with the skin. Once you take account for the waste of the bone and skin you are looking at about $1.50 a pound of pure meat.

I don't call that "waste", I call that "stock". If you're going to de-bone (and/or de-skin) your meat yourself, take advantage of that and make some stock. Freezes well and can be used for all manner of good stuff.

151 posted on 04/13/2015 8:12:13 AM PDT by kevkrom (I'm not an unreasonable man... well, actually, I am. But hear me out anyway.)
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To: mountn man
"At Christmas time, like a lot of restaurants, they have a special on gift cards. Buy $50, get a $10 bonus card. So, I buy $300 in gift cards and get an extra $60 in bonus cards."

You can also get an excellent discount on some restaurant gift cards at Costco. You can get $100 cards for $80. That's a pretty good deal, especially for a place like Ruth's Chris. The ones we have bought are broken into two $50 cards, so you can split them for gifts if you want.

152 posted on 04/13/2015 8:19:54 AM PDT by TontoKowalski
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To: kevkrom
My wife made Paula Dean's (or is it Deen?) Green Bean Casserole for Easter.

It is the best green bean dish I've ever had in my life, and I am getting up there. I think the secret is that she uses chicken stock to blanch the beans.

That dish alone is worth keeping the chicken bones.

Last night, she used a rotisserie chicken carcass to make the base for taco soup. I wouldn't have thought a chicken base would have worked for a beef type soup, but I promise you... it did.

153 posted on 04/13/2015 8:26:51 AM PDT by TontoKowalski
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To: TontoKowalski
Thanks. I'm already familiar with the Costco deals.
Hopefully someone else will read it and find out.

This summer, my mom's cousin showed me an ice cream scoop her son got. It was a Coca Cola bottle ice cream scoop, that they got from Coke. They redeemed Coke rewards points for it.

I drink a lot of Coke, but never paid attention to their reward point program.

If you save 300 points you can get $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate (as well as other things).

Just save up all your bottle caps, or the numbers in the 12 packs or 24 packs of Coke products.

Something I never paid attention to, or knew about and that just got thrown away, can now earn me a night out at a restaurant.

154 posted on 04/13/2015 4:06:14 PM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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