My Mom is retired. She is enjoying retirement a lot too! She worked at her company for over 30 years, so I think she deserves all she gets to do now. Even though she’s in her 70′s, she enjoys a bowling club, mahjong group, she’s active in a women’s club and she’s in a choir for either cancer survivors, or people who have lost people to cancer (our dad died from cancer 15 years ago) AND she also volunteers at her local food pantry every week. So when she told me she was taking a challenge of eating for only $35.00 per week – I was shocked! But also proud that she put herself in the shoes of people who really do have that little for food money.
Take it away Mom!
The $35 Week Challenge
Several weeks ago, I learned of a challenge issued by the Greater Chicago Food Depository director to her staff. For two weeks, they were to eat on $35/week/person – the typical amount provided to those on food stamps. Without dipping into the freezer or pantry. So I decided to try it for one week.
The first challenge? Building a 21-meal menu and shopping list. Aldi offers the most affordable prices, so that’s where I shopped. My list included chicken, fresh vegetables and fruit, peanut butter, cheese, crackers, cereal, milk and eggs. Even as I tracked my spending, I had to modify. Chicken breasts were out, even though on sale. Chicken thighs were more than $2.50 cheaper for my week’s cooking. Packaged deli meat for sandwiches? Nope. Fresh broccoli, green beans and snow peas were on sale, so into my basket they went. My bill was $36.03, including tax. Over the budget, but I knew that several items – cereal, pasta, milk, peanut butter, bread and cheese – would carry me into the next week. Pro-rated, the bill dropped to $27.97.
So what did I eat that week? Six big chicken thighs morphed into three dinners, two sandwiches, one stir-fry, and two soup servings. Add homemade macaroni & cheese, fruits and veggies and food for snacks, eggs or cereal for breakfast, and it wasn’t that bad. The seventh day dinner was crustless quiche with eggs, cheese, milk and zucchini, and green beans on the side.
I always had hunger attacks mid-afternoon, so that’s when the crackers/cheese/ peanut butter kicked in. I ‘cheated’ a bit though… didn’t buy coffee, but used what I had for my necessary one cup in the morning; a bit of mayonnaise to make chicken salad; a tablespoon of butter for the mac’n’cheese sauce; and cooking spray for the grilled sandwiches. I bowl on Wednesday mornings, treats are always there. I scored two homemade chocolate chip cookies and rationalized “they don’t count”! What I missed was variety. I got tired of chicken, bored with flavors, and wished for more fruit.
All in all, I have a much better appreciation for the challenge that lots of folks face all the time, not just for one week.
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Here’s what my Mom was able to make with her $35.00 per week:
Menu
You can tell by my Mom’s creativity where my sister Biz and I get our meal planning skillz from!
Thanks for sharing you story!
QUESTION OF THE DAY? WOULD YOU TRY THIS CHALLENGE?
