Our small town has a farmers market every Saturday from April to Oct. It was just announced in our newspaper today that the town has bought the equipment to process SNAP cards at the farmers market. Great idea.
When we fist came to America we were really poor. I can’t ember what we have for breakfast but I had peanut butter and jelly sandwich everyday and and Apple for dessert every day for at least a year. For dinner, my mom used to make spaghetti with meat sauce. I don’t eat pasta anymore but it’s a good idea of cheap meal.
I just went to the grocery store and out of curiosity priced some things, many on sale, to see what II could get for 29.
5 lb whole chicken 5.31
loaf of bread .88
4 ears of corn 1.00
1 lb bag of carrots .99
2 lbs fresh green beans .99
1 lb bananas .59
2 oranges .88
18 oz oatmeal 1.88
1 lb jar peanut butter 1.79
3 packs ramen .60
1 lb dry red beans 1.39
brown rice 1.89
1 dozen eggs 1.99
7 yogurts 2.80
2 cans tuna 1.58
1 lb angel hair 1.00
2/24 oz cans sauce 1.76
1 onion .51
1 package egg noodles for chicken soup 1.49
TOTAL 29.32
It seems as shopping for sale items would be the way to go. Of course I would need butter/margarine and mayo for tuna sandwiches, but those would not be weekly items.
The problem isn’t so much that the poorest people don’t have access to kitchens–the problem is that they often fall into the trap of buying convenience foods and processed foods, which tend to be expensive and not always healthy. I volunteer for a program that helps low-income people put in gardens–we usually go to low-income housing projects and help people set up a community garden. Some have no idea what to do with the produce that they get from the garden and no idea how to keep up the garden. Volunteers have created cookbooks for using the veggies that most people grow and they also work with the gardeners on the creation and upkeep of the garden. It’s a great program.
Feeding a family of 4 on $120/week is easier than feeding one person on $30/week, because shopping in bulk brings prices per unit down.
I see tuna gets mentioned a lot. Sure, it is cheap and provides protein, but we are being told that we should limit our fish intake to a matchbox sized portion per week because of (very legitimate) mercury concerns. That takes one cheap protein source out of the possible choices for the poor. Mercury and other pollutants in fish are huge concerns here in WA for some of the Native American tribes, because fish is the staple of their diets.
As an alternative to tuna, I would recommend sardines (when I do have fish, that’s usually my choice). They are not expensive, great for you, and I believe they have much less concerns with mercury than tuna. In fact, according to Livestrong: “sardines are classed among the lowest mercury-containing fish.”
Also, don’t discount vegetarian sources of protein. People may be unfamiliar with them or not think of them, but milk, eggs, lentils, beans, green peas, plain Greek yogurt, etc. all provide excellent sources of protein.
And for the meat-eaters, I believe that studies have been done that say that many Americans actually eat too much meat protein, not too little, so smaller portion sizes may be the way to go - saves on the price without having to give it up.
We’ve been allowing SNAP at our farmer’s markets for some time. In hs, D2 assisted a health dept intern in a project at local farmers mkts to get low income customers to think about the foods they choose and how to stretch them in healthy ways.
I could do 30pp. When the girls were here and there were four of us at home, we didn’t spend $120/week, 500/mo. And we did include some kid indulgences. But it takes a lot of menu awareness, overlapping planning, the time to do all that and make a lot from scratch. Plus knowing who has the best prices for what- and being able to get there. You slowly accumulate certain things, buy some staple one week and it’s there next week. Some leftovers freeze for another meal or as an ingredient in something else. As a poster said, you can make a whole chicken last, even make the broth for the soup or gravy from the carcass.
So I did my list and it came out under $30. One week, I might spend a little more on something that would last. But I don’t fool myself everyone can do it and should be expected to. This is very first-world, a clever little exercise, not real life. In real life, it takes a certain amount of energy, week after week. And, frankly, it takes security. When you perpetually have little, that can be exhausting. Always something you’re being denied. The first time I heard of challenges like this, I thought, “Oh, sure.” But that’s not fair.
Plus, it’s completely different when speaking of feeding teen boys or men.
I think its totally doable and in a healthy way but you need to shop with weekly store specials in mind and be willing to cook from scratch, buy store brands, etc. all of which I do regularly without needing to be overly concerned about food costs. Eggs, oatmeal, beans and rice are cheap and healthy. Use seasonal fruits and veggies. Bananas are always cheap. One of the specials this week at the store I prefer to shop at is split chicken breasts @ $1.29/lb. It is a more high end store but they have weekly loss leaders.
Unfortunately, many neighborhoods of those living in poverty are food wastelands with few large supermarkets. My more upper middle class area has plenty of competition causing them to compete each week with loss leaders. It’s a sad irony in America that my grocery costs are less in my upscale neighborhood than it is for many folks living in low income neighborhoods.
“Unfortunately, many neighborhoods of those living in poverty are food wastelands with few large supermarkets.”
^^^This is a really huge problem! There are lot of people that don’t have easy access to fresh, healthy foods, living in neighborhoods where stores may not even carry fresh fruit. I think that’s a huge problem.
Let me put it this way. There is NO way I would want my college son to have to live on $29 a week in groceries…
I am fine eating something I like a few times a week. So I could do this easily:
large box of whole wheat pasta $5
large jar of tomato sauce $6
fresh broccoli, peppers, onions and spinach $9
dozen eggs $4
small bag of brown rice $4
TOTAL: $28
I would simply survive on pasta with veggies and vegetable omelets. When I eat breakfast it is often brown rice with broccoli and peppers.
It’s humiliating to admit it, but I spend about $120/week for my empty nest family of two.
^ My college son spends close to $60 a week. Although he does do fast food sometimes…
Wild Alaska salmon (which is not too expensive canned) and sardines are low mercury/contaminant fish that can be eaten instead of tuna. Of various kinds tuna, skipjack (canned light that is not tongol or other “special” types) has less mercury than other kinds, but is still much higher than the aforementioned wild Alaska salmon or sardines.
I could do it if someone else shopped with my list. Even though we are comfortably off, I am barred from the supermarket because I am THAT person who shops impulsively to the point of ridiculous expenditure. I could plan, cook and live well on $29 per week (being a spud and all), but I couldn’t restrain myself from the impulse purchases.
^ I am like Zoos and why my sister does not let me go inside the Costco anymore. Thank God for Amazon Prime for the impulse buys!
I honestly don’t think tuna is that cheap, unless you buy the yucky cat foodish crap. When you get rid of the liquid and go buy just the tuna meat weight and multiply that buy what it takes to get to a pound equivalent, there are many sources of protein cheaper than tuna. I can eat steak cheaper than tuna.
^I hear you on that one, zoosermom. During any other kind of shopping trip I can be restrained, but the grocery store…sigh, not so much. Especially when I’m hungry. That’s a terrible time to go to the market.
1 box pasta $1
large can diced tomatoes $1
1 bag onions $3
1 bag potatoes $3
1 bag beans $2
1 bag carrots $3
1 loaf bread $2
1 peanutbutter $2
1 jelly $2
1 eggs $2
1 kale or spinach $2
1 box cereal $3
1 ice cream or yogurt $3
that’s $29. Continuing on as if for 2 people.
1 lettuce $2
1 bag oranges $4
1 chicken $5
1 ground beef $5
1 pork chops or ham steak $4
1 milk $3
1 pancake mix $2
1 tiny portion green beans $1
A multipack of ramen noodle soup $3
I could make breakfast, a pasta meal, a soup, a chili, and a basic pork chop/baked potato meal for this, and a bit more, probably to feed 4 (2 meals/day) for a week.
Still, this is assuming a fully stocked pantry, spices, staples, etc. 
As an adult - I could eat these various menus and be OK (bored but OK). But if I had small kids at home, it might not be so easy. My kids wanted fruity yogurt, baked goods, juices, goldfish/pretzels, mac and cheese, frozen pizzas, etc. Sure, it may not be as healthy - but kids want to eat like other kids and, as a parent, I would have felt terrible telling my kids that we couldn’t afford an occasional treat.