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The $5 per day, per person, food budget

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    The $5 per day, per person, food budget

    Jan 09, 2010



    On January 5th, I received my first assignment from the Thrifty Spender Experiment; the assignment is to spend no more than $348 per month on food (for a 2 person household) and spend nothing on alcohol. That food budget effectively amounts to $5.72 per day, per person. Our personal goal is to spend $5 per day, per person, or no more than $10 per day which averages $304 per month. Since we only just received the assignment, we simply limited ourselves to $70-$80 for food for this weekend’s shopping but otherwise shop as we normally would to get a benchmark.

    Before we get to the initial results let’s discuss our diet. Right now we are eating a slow carb diet. This diet is similar to other carb restricting diets, but has its most recent incarnation from Tim Ferris’ new book, the The 4-Hour Body. There is nothing particularly unique about his take on the diet, but he does have an art for simplifying. In a nut shell, you eat 4 times per day, (about every 4 hours, this schedule works best for us given our schedules); you eat protein (chicken, beef, eggs, or white fish), legumes (any type of bean) and vegetables (primarily cruciferous) at every meal. You can eat as much as you want from those 3 categories of food. So, that means, no fruit, no dairy, no grains or white carbs of any kind, no sweetened beverages; however, you get one free day per week (ours is Saturday) where you can eat whatever you want.

    Here are the results from this weekend’s shopping

    - CostCo. $39.91

    * Hillman’s Grade AA Extra large Eggs 18, x2 $4.96
    * Fresh Leaf Spinach 2.5lbs, $3.99
    * Fresh Broccoli Florets, 3lbs, $3.99
    * Fresh Roma Tomato, 2lbs (10 tomatos), $4.99
    * Frozen Vegetable Medley (Normandy Style), $5.99
    * Frozen Chicken Breasts (about 15 breast fillets), $15.99

    - King Soopers $36.18

    * Sour Cream 1lbs, $1.29
    * Salsa, 1lbs, $2.59
    * 1 16oz coke, $1.49
    * 1 can, sliced Jalapeño, $0.69
    * Salad Dressing, 16oz, $1.24
    * Tortilla Chips, Kroger Brand, 10 0z, $1.00
    * Shredded Cheese, Nacho, 8oz, $1.99
    * Kroger Breakfast Sausage Patties, 12oz, $2.50
    * Stew Pork, 0.96lbs, $3.16
    * Ground Beef, 1lbs, 80% lean, Tube, $2.70
    * Fresh Head, Romain Lettuce, $1.99
    * Kroger, Red Beans, 1lbs dry, $1.89
    * 1 Fresh Celery Stalk, 1.28lbs, $0.88
    * Fresh Yellow Onions, 1.61lbs, $3.20
    * White Mushrooms, 8oz, $1.99
    * DiGiorno Pizza $5.99
    * 1% Milk, 1/2 Gallon, $1.59

    Total: $76.09, assuming the food last 7 days, daily budget is $5.44 per person.

    Obviously, we already have some items, so we will see how this budget ultimately plays out. I am actually a little disappointed in the King Sooper’s bill, most of those items were for our “free” diet day. But, aside from having the budgetary restriction, we didn’t really have to significantly alter our shopping to stay in budget. But my sense is this task will become harder in the coming weeks as our existing stockpile depletes. We will ultimately be looking for alternatives to save even more money and will discuss alternative food plans for those not keen on the slow carb plan, but for a start, we stayed in budget.

    #2
    Good Luck!

    I usually spend about $100 (just food) for groceries per week for a family of four. I have recently entered into the world of coupons...LoL If you don't mind going to different stores for sales it actually works.
    "I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY!" Ch 7 Filed 7/15/11 * 3 Minute 341 8/19/11 * Discharged 10/20/11

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      #3
      I love save a lot because I make my list, buy off that list from save a lot whatever I can...and then head to Walmart. I really want to try a plan like this HHM (we have 5 people here eating)....

      What a cool experiment!
      My kids better not put my FICO score on my headstone~ (quote by dspii)

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        #4
        WHAT?? you mean NO GREY GOOSE!! LOL!!

        our monthly food budget for food is and has been $400...even the trustee had commented that she did not want her husband to see that!! LOL...it's actually fun to try and save and sometimes it's only the food budget that allows any cutting measures...thanks for the link!!

        i...yikes...my husband did atkins for 2 years....it was expensive. now we just eat what is on sale!
        8/4/2008 MAKE SURE AND VISIT Tobee's Blogs! http://www.bkforum.com/blog.php?32727-tobee43 and all are welcome to bk forum's Florida State Questions and Answers on BK http://www.bkforum.com/group.php?groupid=9

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by HHM View Post
          and spend nothing on alcohol.
          My avatar is not pleased...............
          All information contained in this post is for informational and amusement purposes only.
          Bankruptcy is a process, not an event.......

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by frogger View Post
            My avatar is not pleased...............
            Frogger - you and your quips make me laugh Thanks - I so needed it today!


            HHM

            Will be following this thread to see how you're doing - great stuff!

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by frogger View Post
              My avatar is not pleased...............
              There is hope: http://encode.com/exec/ndistilling.htm

              Cornmeal, sugar, yeast . . . what'd you think we were making, cornbread?
              Pay no attention to anything I post. I graduated last in my class from a fly-by-night law school that no longer exists; I never studied or went to class; and I only post on internet forums when I'm too drunk to crawl away from the computer.

              Comment


                #8
                LOL MSBk! Ya'll are my kinda people... hey..we just bottled 48 bottles of wine... I'm prepared for the apocalypse ;)

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by MSbklawyer View Post
                  There is hope: http://encode.com/exec/ndistilling.htm

                  Cornmeal, sugar, yeast . . . what'd you think we were making, cornbread?
                  well, if THAT doesn't show where there IS a will there is a WAY...nothing does!!

                  i know my husband's family used to make their own wine....the woman's farm that bordered our old home would make moonshine...and home made other spirits...just out of stuff she grew...and it would knock you on your butt!!!! AHHHHHHHH and good for meat tenderizer...
                  8/4/2008 MAKE SURE AND VISIT Tobee's Blogs! http://www.bkforum.com/blog.php?32727-tobee43 and all are welcome to bk forum's Florida State Questions and Answers on BK http://www.bkforum.com/group.php?groupid=9

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by tobee43 View Post
                    well, if THAT doesn't show where there IS a will there is a WAY...nothing does!!
                    I can do you one better than that:

                    Where there is a way, I have the will........
                    All information contained in this post is for informational and amusement purposes only.
                    Bankruptcy is a process, not an event.......

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by frogger View Post
                      I can do you one better than that:

                      Where there is a way, I have the will........
                      LOL!! we drinking group i see...LOL!!!!! you got that you gotta have that "will".....my drink of "choice" in my youth was single barrel jack...ahhhhhh yes...there was nothing better. oh! and you can save money and use it in your bbq sauce as well...
                      8/4/2008 MAKE SURE AND VISIT Tobee's Blogs! http://www.bkforum.com/blog.php?32727-tobee43 and all are welcome to bk forum's Florida State Questions and Answers on BK http://www.bkforum.com/group.php?groupid=9

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Aw jeez, this doesn't faze me at all. I've been living on this budget for 3 people for years.

                        Keep On Smilin'

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Live without wine? I think not!

                          We, unfortunately, have been living this $3/person/day lifestyle for a bit too long and it's definitely a struggle, especially with gluten & dairy allergies. We homemake pretty much everything, and luckily 2 of my kids get a free lunch at daycare m-f.

                          We are blessed that #1, we live in a fairly large city with about 7-8 different stores within about 3 miles of our home so we can shop around for the best deals without too much effort. #2, we live in a largely agricultural area (central ca) so as long as we stick to buying whatever is in season, fresh fruits and veggies are quite affordable.

                          Good luck in your endeavor. ...No alcohol... *shudder*
                          Filed Chapter 13 on 2-28-10. 341 completed 4/14/10. Confirmed 5/14/10. Lien strip granted 2/2/11
                          0% payback to unsecured creditors, 56 payments down, 4 to go....

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