“Sigh. I could eat easily on $5/day, and fairly well.”
Really? Three squares/day on five bucks? Not where I’ve ever lived.
See post #12.
Box of Cereal (what's on sale this week?) for $2.50 and a gallon of milk for ~$4. Breakfasts for the week are taken care of. AND....if I'm feeling cheap, the store-brand cereal is $1.87, so I can save a bit there, if needed. Total cost....$6.50.
Lunches? Loaf of Bread for $2, or a $1.19 for store brand. Jar of PB for $3. Or, if I want, some ham and cheese, would be around $5. Total Cost? Top end, $7.
Dinners? # of hamburger ($6) and a thing of rolls ($1). That's 2 nights, at least. Package of pork chops ($5 for 2 nights' worth) and a package of frozen chicken for 2 more night's worth ($9 for 2.5 #, that'd be 2 weeks worth, so $4.50). Leftovers of some sort one night. And that's the week.
Total cost - $6.50 + $7 + $6 + $1 + $5 + $4.50 = $30 / even for the week. Leaves 5 bucks for a bag of whatever fruit is on sale, or veggies, or seasonings, or whatever. And, if I hit the sales (for instance, the frozen chicken is often BOGO) then there's more money in the budget.
Mrs WBill and I do this every week. What's on sale? What do we have coupons for? We eat pretty well. We just don't eat out, ever.
If I had $20/day or $140/week for a family of four for food, we'd be on easy street, comparatively speaking. I'd see a lot more steak and seafood. Might even put eating out back into the budget.
“Really? Three squares/day on five bucks? Not where I’ve ever lived.”
Sure you can, if you avoid pre-prepared foods, and avoid waste. And, you don’t have to eat like a Somalian, either.
A pot of corned beef and cabbage can last us 3 or 4 meals, for around $8. A $5 pot of Chili can last the entire weekend. PB+J makes a great snack, instead of cakes. Wok meals with rice can really stretch a budge.
Baking your own bread is healthier, better tasting, and often much cheaper, especially with a $5 Bread maker from Goodwill. They can’t give those things away.,
Buying in BULK can save a ton, if you know how/where to buy the basics.
But, if you are buying $8-a-person Nuk-a-meals, you aren’t going to be able to do that.