They need a lot of calories. Healthy eating was my least concern in college because it was out of my budget. Besides, it depends on the daily activities you are involved with. If you work in an office then you don’t need a lot of calories. But if you are a blue collar worker, a dock worker, a heavy lifter then you need to fill up your stomach.
^^^I agree, @abasket. Would it be tempting to buy cheap junk? Probably. But I would try to go for healthier, even if more boring/basic meals. Undermining my health definitely won’t help with having money problems.
I always sort of roll my eyes at these challenges. I grew up poor in a developing country so my perspective is way off, I guess.
Herring/Sardines = $2.50/can (4 days/wk.)
Albacore tuna = $1.79/can (3 days/week)
Frozen veggies (organic) = $1.50/package (daily)
Grapefruit = $.50/each (daily)
Total = $29.37
Replace the organic frozen veggies with commercially grown (or fresh, commercially grown beets & carrots), and I’m guessing you’d save as much as another $1/day, which gives you enough to add butter and a couple of extra tins of fish (or eggs, if you prefer).
We spend less on food than other countries. 6.4% of consumer spending.
http://www.ibtimes.com/us-spends-less-food-any-other-country-world-maps-1546945
Why does someone who is needy need a lot of calories? If you have enough food to eat - 3 good sized meals a day - why do you need “more” calories because you are “needy”???
My “menu” IS right for me - but I do think it includes a variety - it is not without carbs, not without sweets, not without meat. I maybe should have made room for some pasta so I could make chicken soup with the chicken at the end of the week.
“Healthy eating was my least concern in college because it was out of my budget.”
That was your choice, and that’s totally fine, if that works for you. I’ve had some really low food budgets too in the past (not quite as low as $30 a week, but maybe around $40 or $45), and one of my biggest regrets in how I spent that money is spending it on empty calories and bad foods. Really did nothing good for me. If I had a do-over, I would be a lot more careful to eat healthier with what little money I had. Foods that are bad for you and cause low energy, physical aches and pains, etc. are not the solution, IMO. Mind you, I am not talking about someone who is literally starving - I am just talking about someone who has very limited money for food.
Yes, your activity level is a factor is what you eat and quantity. That’s what I’m asking people to participate in. We all are different. Some are active, some are not. Some are 125 lbs., some are 225 lbs. That’s the challenge and the curiosity in this “experiment”.
OK, here goes - but I have to use British prices (I’ll convert the total for you)
Bread - 75p
Bananas (5) - £1
Apples (6) - £1.20
Carrots (1kg) - £1
Frozen broccoli - £1.10
Romaine Lettuce - 99p
Fresh tomatoes (4) - £1
Pinto beans - £1.10
Semi-skimmed milk (4 pt) - £1
Eggs (6) - £1.90
Butter - 95p
Peanut Butter - £1.70
Cheddar Cheese (350g) - £2
Olive oil - £2.46
Brown Rice - £1.49
Natural Yogurt (500g)- £1.20
Giant Dairy Milk Bar - £1
Total: £19.84 = about $29
This is assuming that 1) I have spices like salt, pepper and tabasco on hand (or I can swipe some from the deli) and 2) I can drink unlimited free coffee at work (otherwise my budget is blown).
Quite frankly this doesn’t look too different from my weekly shop, although if I add any meat or wine it goes through the roof.
Doable - but boring!
@abasket I did not see any cooking oil or spices etc. on your list. Could I assume those are covered outside the $30 /week budget?
I am asking detailed questions. Because I think we are eating, on average, less than $30 a week per person now easily. However, I might not be able to give you a list because there are information I would rather not disclose to the public.
One could do this if you spend time to prepare your own food from the basics - low cost yet with good nutrition.
DadII, post #1 stated this was assuming you had spices and such at home. It also said that beverages could be kept out of the total (but if your beverages are important to you, feel free!)
It’s just an exercise to do if you are interested. Not a homework assignment. 
Something that many people don’t consider is that it can be difficult to find food that is affordable & healthy in your neighborhood.
Even my daughter lives more than a mile from any store, and it isn’t someplace that you could afford to shop on a regular basis. It does sell bulk grains & dried beans/noodles/rice however, unlike groceries in low income urban areas.
http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/usda-defines-food-deserts
@abasket. As you know, there are many on this forum that will attack me for just about anything I said.
I feel like I should post my list to justify my claim of doing less than $30 a week per person. But I can’t - so I stated.
BTW, this is an excellent topic and a very good exercise.
I think I could get through a week with spending that much and using ingredients that I already have on hand ( I tend to buy some items in bulk ) I can make a roasted chicken and get three meals out of it for my family. I could make an inexpensive marinara sauce and have a spaghetti dinner and also make a casserole with the leftovers and a 1/2 lb of ground beef and some egg noodles and carrots. The hardest part is fresh vegetables and fruits. Eating might be a bit boring and redundant , but I think I could survive on it
SNAP here is up to $200 per month for a single person.
Pretty sure I can do it considering it’s how I survived for years 
dad II
Well, your understanding is incorrect. Assistance other than the SNAP program is quite difficult to obtain - stringent requirements, time limits, etc.
What program do you think gives “$800/month at the minimum”?? That must be the one that all those people who have “welfare Cadillacs” are on.
Romani, so you were working half time while you were in college?
Or did you mean before that?
$200 per month sounds like a good amount! My current budget is a little more than that, and I can definitely afford to eat healthy and shop at Whole Foods (and I am in NYC).
EK, I was working full (or near full) time in college and yes, that is when I had food stamps.
Btw, while the $200 was for a single person- I was feeding two of us. Still did just fine. No, I don’t have a weekly breakdown because that’s not really how I shopped. I just got whatever was on sale and went from there.
Ek, if a student has a work/study job s/he doesn’t have to work 20hrs per week in order to be eligible.