Why "the Dollar Meal challenge"?
There is a common misconception that only junk food and fast food is cheap. Health food stores drive this home with astronomical prices. Save money. We noticed that our food bill is huge and cuts away at our monthly savings.
We hope to learn from this experiment and share what we discover with others.
How was the cost of one dollar per meal determined?
We saw a film, 58:, that addresses extreme poverty and the fact that many people groups live on very little per meal. We wondered if we had a people group in a similar situation here in Los Angeles. After doing a quick Google search, we discovered that the Federal Government has set up an organization called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (S.N.A.P.). S.N.A.P. assists those who are unable to provide food for themselves with a food budget. The amount available per person in the state of California is $147.11 per month, if divided by 30days and then divided by 3 meals a day the amount breaks down to $1.63 per meal.
We decided to round this number down to $1 and commence the challenge.
Is our food really healthy?
Well, I think heard from Dr. Oz once that the top 6 no-no's when it comes to food are the following:
-High Fructose Corn Syrup
-Hydrogenated Oils
-Refined Sugar
-Refined Flour
-(Too much) Alcohol (one glass of red wine per day has been shown to have health bennies)
-(Too much) Caffeine (same as alcohol)
So with that said, we are not having any of that stuff in our plates. I think that's enough said.
Where in the heck do you shop!?
Well, we have to admit ... we have a bit of a secret weapon living in Los Angeles. Get ready to humble yourselves everybody because it's not your swanky Whole Foods or Gelson's. It is none other than the 99 Cent Store. That's right. They sell produce! And I will be the first to admit, I was a COMPLETE skeptic (aka snob) at first. Until one day I really committed to looking at all it had to offer. It was then that I was blown away and have never looked back. My best deal yet was a pound (16 oz) of ORGANIC EARTHBOUND FARMS spinach (yep, the same that they sell at Whole Foods) for a buck! Amazing. It is $6.99 at WF. Or wait ... maybe it was one pound of brown flax seeds or a large bunch or skinny asparagus. Or perhaps the 32 oz strawberries ... or maybe the 5 pound watermelon. Aw, heck with it, I just can't decide! If you live in L.A., you need to check out your local 99 Cent Store. Most cities around the country do not have AMAZING produce in the 99 Cent store, but don't let that get you down. You all have a special spot to get these kind of deals. Just think to yourself, "Where would I never want to shop?"... that's where you should be finding deals! We all have a market in a less desirable part of town, go there!
We also shop deals at the big membership warehouse stores and the chain super markets. You have to be willing to buy and eat what is "on sale", "manager's special", or "priced to move". Buy as many as you can and freeze it, dry it, mix it, blend it, and/or eat as much of it as you can until you can't. Ha ha ha ha ha. Seriously.
What if you're under budget?
Well, we are still deciding on this. Originally we thought we would just "roll over" the money that we didn't spend on a meal to the next meal and then the next day etc etc, and at the end, have a lobster dinner!! But now, we are thinking about giving the remaining budget to a family who is willing to try this next? What do you think?
What about snacks!??! I need my snacks!!
If you are anything like us, we need a hearty snack mid-day, heck sometimes mid-morning. Leftovers and a quick piece of fruit are great for this. Bananas are always under a quarter and packed full of goodness. And leftovers are, well, left over. So just grab something to get you through to the next meal without getting a $4.25 Frap. You can do it!! And your bank account AND waistline will thank you.
