http://www.amazon.com/101-Things-Do-Ramen-Noodles/dp/1586857355
Still don’t get it. If you are completely poor - no income at all - aren’t you going to use soup kitchens and food banks?
Why would you force yourself to get by on $30 per week and not use any other resource to get food?
I know places where you can barter work for food. And my father used to steal food from dumpsters behind grocery stores.
There are a few things I could eat every day that are cheap. But living in my nice house with central air and having a car, those are things that one would have to give up too.
You’re making the assumption that “soup kitchens” and food banks are accessible to the poor and can meet the needs of everyone who comes there.
Neither of these are true.
I volunteered at a food bank for a while. We did the best we could, but our clients were not walking out of the food bank with a week’s groceries or anything close to it.
Just to clarify- I would never, ever fault the food bank. They do their absolute best to make the smallest donations go as far as humanly possible.
$30/week for food for one person would be tough. A family of 4 with $120/ week and 2 kids getting free lunches and breakfasts at school wouldn’t be as tough to live on. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodFeb2015.pdf
I’m pretty sure a college student doing federal work study qualifies for SNAP…I don’t know why more college financial aid advisors don’t tell students about the food stamps they could get so the students don’t have to borrow more money to pay for food!
^ The regulations vary by state and many states make it incredibly hard for students to get SNAP even when they qualify.
I didn’t think you faulted the food bank, @romanigypsyeyes . I just wanted to point out that anyone who relied on the food bank I worked at would not get enough food.
It would be much harder for me than for most people to live on $30 per week because I have to eat a very low carbohydrate diet to control Type 2 diabetes. Assuming I didn’t have that restriction::
1 dozen eggs $2
1 lb pasta $1
2 lbs onions $1.50
1/2 bag of apples $1.50
Large can of tomatoes $1
Brown rice $1
Fresh garlic $1
Fresh ginger $1
Scallions $1
Fresh green vegetables/salad $7
2 lbs boneless Chicken breasts $4
Bag of dried beans/lentils $1
Cheese $5
Flour/yeast/etc for bread $2
I’m shopping at the wrong grocery stores. There’s no way I can get these prices where I shop.
The sodium in ramen prepared foods isn’t worth the price, imo.
And few cities have soup kitchens operating that cover 14-21 meals/week in a central location. My family was involved with them here and some only operate for one weekend meal, some are limited to a few weekday lunches. Etc. And a client would need to be able to get to them in their various locations. Agree with Fang about food banks. There is a large one here, supported by good people, companies, and restaurants. But most are smaller, more ad hoc organizations, doling out beans, rice, pasta and the limited canned foods they get from contributions. Other than some ethnicities who eat rice/beans regularly, do we really expect everyone to want them 52 weeks/year?
I agree that the prices at my markets are WAY above those others are quoteding for food. 3 pounds of apples on sale were $4.99; 4 pounds of oranges were $5.99. Carrots $1.59/pound. Cabbage is also over $1.29/pound. Onions were $1.89/pound. Eggs are $4.99/dozen. A single person would have to be very careful to feed himself or herself for a week on $30.
Agree ramen and other processed and canned foods have too much sodium and are not healthy choices, but they are cheap and quick to prepare.
I know when we had lots of expenses and very little money, we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch literally every day for years. We also had oatmeal for breakfast daily for years. I was able to stretch meals so they would last and feed all of very economically–homemade soups, stews, chili, spaghetti. We had the luxury that I had a car and time and energy to prepare meals.
The program mentioned above where program participants are taught to shop carefully, prepare a healthful menu and healthy meals sounds like one that has a lot of potential, especially if there is good understanding of cultural food preferences and how to incorporate them and any health issues of the family involved.
I shop at a Persian supermarket. I’ve been loading up on sweet navel orange 6 pounds for a dollar. Most of vegetables are reasonably cheap.
@himom - I read that SNAP benefits are higher (not sure by how much) in HI and AK to allow for higher food costs. Wow! Your food costs are high!
Probably most ethnicities have some types of inexpensive staple foods which people willingly eat on a large percentage of days. Poor people tend to have fewer expensive “luxury” foods to go along with the inexpensive staples.
Bird walking here, but @momofmusician17 your avatar is making me hungry for Sees Candy
Truth be told, we weren’t crazy about pbj sandwiches and oatmeal, but it worked and help us get through some challenging financial times. Most monotonous fare isn’t all that attractive to most people, rich or poor.
I agree with @CardinalFang there is no way I’m getting the prices you all are quoting in my Southern CA stores. Trader Joe’s has the lowest prices around for a dozen large eggs @ $2.49. I could make do on $30 a day but without drinks, condiments, fresh fruits and veggies. And it would be a very carb heavy diet… 
As a frequent traveler to HI form WA, I can say that food in HI does cost a lot more, but some Costco prices are very similar to what the items cost on mainland (in CA and WA).
Shopped Costco today.
$3.69/ 18 extra large eggs
$4.99 large tub of organic hummus
$1.99 12 pitas
$5.99/ 6 pack lentil Tasty Bite Indian food in packages (add some rice, and it is a complete healthy lunch!)
and many more similarly priced bargains. One certainly needs a membership to enjoy the benefits, so it is a big set up cost.