OT: Newark Mayor Cory Booker to live on food stamp budget

[an]

http://economy.money.cnn.com/2012/11/21/cory-booker-food-stamp/?iid=Lead

I can’t believe this makes front page news on CNN Money. I can EASILY live off $4.44/day and eat healthily too. I’m actually living on less and they’re delicious home cook meals too. Like I said earlier on my H-Mart thread, you can buy a 1lb Korean BBQ marinated chicken for $2.99/lb. An opal for soup. So, for ~$5/day, I can feed 4 people for lunch and dinner. If we want breakfast, my wife makes pancakes or waffle from scratch for <$2 and that can feed us for ~2 days. So, for ~$2/person/day, we can eat very well. Another good recipes which is a go to meal for our family is eggs and rice. For 3 of us, we eat about 5 eggs/meal. You can get 18 eggs for ~$2.50, so 5 eggs = $0.69. So, that mean is even less than the chicken meal I just described. Those are just a few I can think of on the top of my head that we do often. Can you guys/gals live on $.44/person/day? If so, what are your recipes. Would be fun to see if we can come up with various different recipes or ways to eat on the cheap (cheaper than what you get from food stamps).

[spdrun]

What about fruit? Veggies?

Moot point anyway. $4.44/day is intended as supplemental aid, not a recipient’s full food budget.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=spdrun]What about fruit? Veggies?

Moot point anyway. $4.44/day is intended as supplemental aid, not a recipient’s full food budget.[/quote]

Exactly. No way we could come anywhere even close to that budget. Especially with kids involved. But even if I didn’t have kids, no way I could get by on that. We eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and meat and fish.

Heck, my wife eats 1 pineapple each day which would almost take up that budget. LOL.

[bearishgurl]

My household of 1.5 people has a grocery bill (incl non-food items and pet food) of $165 – $200 month, depending on what is needed for that month. In November and December, that bill is about $225-230 for extra holiday food.

I rarely dine in restaurants and do not eat fast food. So AN’s budget can be done. I have Navy commissary privileges but this budget can work without them …. with a little more footwork.

[an]

I don’t like veggies or fruits, so I didn’t add it. But if you’re into fruits and veggies, here ya go: http://zionmarket.com/sale/store1.htm
5lb of oranges for $0.99.
5lb of melogold for $0.99
2lb of persimmon for $0.99
5lb of raddish for $0.99
3 bunches of lettuce for $0.99
10lb of cabbages for $0.99

So, how much veggies and fruits do you eat? more than 5lb of oranges/da and 10lb of cabbages a day? Currently, H-Mart have 1 pineapple for $0.99.

[UCGal]

[quote=AN]I don’t like veggies or fruits, so I didn’t add it. But if you’re into fruits and veggies, here ya go: http://zionmarket.com/sale/store1.htm
5lb of oranges for $0.99.
5lb of melogold for $0.99
2lb of persimmon for $0.99
5lb of raddish for $0.99
3 bunches of lettuce for $0.99
10lb of cabbages for $0.99

So, how much veggies and fruits do you eat? more than 5lb of oranges/da and 10lb of cabbages a day?[/quote]
The problem with buying veggies in bulk is it limits you to one specific veggie. I think any family of 4 would be hard pressed to eat 10 lbs of cabbage in a week – even with cabbage intensive dishes of corned beef and cabbage.

I just checked the add – 3 heads of red leaf lettuce for 99c is good. It’s a better price than costco.

You talk about someone eating 5 lbs of oranges in a day – that’s unrealistic… for one thing it’s not nutritionally complete – And would eat up too big of your $4.44/day. But 5lbs of oranges for a family, for a week… that’s reasonable.

I’ve been meaning to check out zionmarket and this new market you mention… I think that’s how I’ll spend my “black friday” shopping.

[an]

[quote=UCGal]The problem with buying veggies in bulk is it limits you to one specific veggie. I think any family of 4 would be hard pressed to eat 10 lbs of cabbage in a week – even with cabbage intensive dishes of corned beef and cabbage.

I just checked the add – 3 heads of red leaf lettuce for 99c is good. It’s a better price than costco.

You talk about someone eating 5 lbs of oranges in a day – that’s unrealistic… for one thing it’s not nutritionally complete – And would eat up too big of your $4.44/day. But 5lbs of oranges for a family, for a week… that’s reasonable.

I’ve been meaning to check out zionmarket and this new market you mention… I think that’s how I’ll spend my “black friday” shopping.[/quote]
You’re right, it’s limited to a specific veggie each week but there’s always something on sale every week. So, if you adjust your meals to only what’s on sale, you can spend much less in food. When you want to live under a specific budget, you don’t have the luxury of eating whatever. There are many different dishes you can make with cabbage. Example would be stir fry meat with cabbage and boiled cabbage for soup and veggie. Then you can dipped the boiled cabbage in fish sauce and eat with rice as well. That’s our meal sometimes.

Of course I was being facetious about the 5 lbs of oranges in a day, but if you have a family of 4, 5 lb of oranges should be enough for you for a week. So, a week’s worth of fruit is $1-5, which is $0.2-1/day on top of the cost of your other meals.

[bobby]

we grew up on food stamp and welfare. Did just fine. Didn’t go hungry.
it’s not supposed to be easy on food stamp.

[CA renter]

[quote=AN][quote=UCGal]The problem with buying veggies in bulk is it limits you to one specific veggie. I think any family of 4 would be hard pressed to eat 10 lbs of cabbage in a week – even with cabbage intensive dishes of corned beef and cabbage.

I just checked the add – 3 heads of red leaf lettuce for 99c is good. It’s a better price than costco.

You talk about someone eating 5 lbs of oranges in a day – that’s unrealistic… for one thing it’s not nutritionally complete – And would eat up too big of your $4.44/day. But 5lbs of oranges for a family, for a week… that’s reasonable.

I’ve been meaning to check out zionmarket and this new market you mention… I think that’s how I’ll spend my “black friday” shopping.[/quote]
You’re right, it’s limited to a specific veggie each week but there’s always something on sale every week. So, if you adjust your meals to only what’s on sale, you can spend much less in food. When you want to live under a specific budget, you don’t have the luxury of eating whatever. There are many different dishes you can make with cabbage. Example would be stir fry meat with cabbage and boiled cabbage for soup and veggie. Then you can dipped the boiled cabbage in fish sauce and eat with rice as well. That’s our meal sometimes.

Of course I was being facetious about the 5 lbs of oranges in a day, but if you have a family of 4, 5 lb of oranges should be enough for you for a week. So, a week’s worth of fruit is $1-5, which is $0.2-1/day on top of the cost of your other meals.[/quote]

That 5 lbs. of fruit wouldn’t be the only produce item for families who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. For us (family of 5), we can go through three packages of berries in just one meal — and that’s just dessert. We often eat around 3-6 oranges and/or apples (usually a combo) just for lunch, alone. An average salad for our family consists of a head of lettuce, a tomato, half an onion, a few sticks of celery, 1 bell pepper, and (maybe) a cucumber…and that’s just the *salad* for one meal.

My husband catches most of our fish, so he says it’s “free.” Of course, if you count all the costs for fishing, it probably comes in at $50/lb. (or more), but that’s a whole ‘nother issue.

If you buy organic/hormone-free eggs, they’re closer to ~$5.00/dz., and our family can easily eat 10 eggs in one sitting, and that doesn’t include any toast, cheese, milk, spices, etc. that might go with that meal.

Seriously, AN, if you’re living on a budget that is anywhere close to what you claim, you’re very much in the minority, IMHO. That’s not a put-down, BTW, I wish we could do it; but our diet is very protein and produce-heavy, and there’s no way we could do it on your budget. I think the fact that you use rice all the time (just basing this on your posts) is what helps you stay within budget. I have no doubt that a minimalist Asian diet is far less expensive than a standard “American” diet that tends to have more proteins — probably a LOT more protein and dairy-based foods — and produce.

I keep telling people (other friends with families) about your food budget to see if I’m way off when it comes to grocery shopping, but ~90% of them spend as much or more than we do on groceries.

Still, your posts do get me thinking, and I often think of you when I’m cooking and shopping. We’ve tried to cut back a bit on the milk consumption (usually about 4-6 gallons of hormone-free milk/week — incredibly expensive!) because you had mentioned only drinking water in your house.

[an]

[quote=CA renter]That 5 lbs. of fruit wouldn’t be the only produce item for families who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. For us (family of 5), we can go through three packages of berries in just one meal — and that’s just dessert. We often eat around 3-6 oranges and/or apples (usually a combo) just for lunch, alone. An average salad for our family consists of a head of lettuce, a tomato, half an onion, a few sticks of celery, 1 bell pepper, and (maybe) a cucumber…and that’s just the *salad* for one meal.

My husband catches most of our fish, so he says it’s “free.” Of course, if you count all the costs for fishing, it probably comes in at $50/lb. (or more), but that’s a whole ‘nother issue.

If you buy organic/hormone-free eggs, they’re closer to ~$5.00/dz., and our family can easily eat 10 eggs in one sitting.

Seriously, AN, if you’re living on a budget that is anywhere close to what you claim, you’re very much in the minority, IMHO. That’s not a put-down, BTW, I wish we could do it; but our diet is very protein and produce-heavy, and there’s no way we could do it on your budget. I think the fact that you use rice all the time (just basing this on your posts) is what helps you stay within budget.[/quote]
You’re spending more on food by choice. That’s the luxury you afforded yourself. I never said you can’t spend more for food. Many people do. All I said is, if you really wanted to, you can have many healthy home cook meals with a budget that falls under the $4.44/person/day.

You’re right, I’m in the minority. After all, Asians are the minority in this country. However, I’m not a minority among Asians. If anything, compare to other Asians, I bet I can do a lot better. That might also be why you’re seeing Asian supermarkets always super full. Just look at H-Mart, Zion, and 99 Ranch’s parking lots. Maybe Asian in general cook more and the Asian diet have rice/noodle at the center of every meal. You’ll rarely see an average Asian meal without rice or noodle.

So, bottom line is, if you can’t do it, that’s your personal choice. Not because it’s not doable. BTW, stuff like organic eggs is a luxury. Regular 18-count carton of eggs goes for $2.50 at Vons right now. So, if you’re willing to pay over 2x more than regular eggs, don’t complain that you can’t possible come under budget. You can’t come under budget if you spend like that. Also, 10 eggs/family/sitting, if you just buy regular eggs, you just feed 5 people for $1.39 worth of eggs. 2 eggs per person is not unreasonable. That’s only $0.27/person. So, if I use my diet, that 2 eggs + rice + veggie + 1 apple, I’d be full. All for probably around $1-2.

Really, it’s not that hard for us to stay under our budget I just described for food. I know people who spend even less. We’re hardly the frugal ones in our circle of friends/family. The type of food/diet makes a huge difference in how much you spend though. Along with portion size. So, if you have the desire to lower your food bill, think outside the box.

[an]

[quote=CA renter]I keep telling people (other friends with families) about your food budget to see if I’m way off when it comes to grocery shopping, but ~90% of them spend as much or more than we do on groceries.[/quote]Do these friends of yours have similar diet as you? Are any of them Asian eating solely Asian food? Also, portion size makes a difference too. When we go out, me and my wife would share an appetizer, entree, and dessert and we both would be full. So, maybe we’re just eat 1/2 as much as your typical American.
[quote=CA renter]Still, your posts do get me thinking, and I often think of you when I’m cooking and shopping. We’ve tried to cut back a bit on the milk consumption (usually about 4-6 gallons of hormone-free milk/week — incredibly expensive!) because you had mentioned only drinking water in your house.[/quote]
Yes, dairy products are expensive. We only have milk because of our young kids. Before we had kids, we don’t drink milk (just water) because my wife is lactose intolerant. We don’t eat too much cheese either (those are expensive too). Even with 2 little kids that consumes a lot of milk, we only go through 1 gallon/week.

[no_such_reality]

Keep in mind that the $4.44 per day average is per person.

As stated in the article , $133/month

Is it a lessor amount per child? Otherwise its $500/ month for a family of four

And lets be honest $500/month sounds a whole lot less dramatic that $4.44/day

As for AN’s budget. Ive found superior grocers fruit and veggies consistently run 1/2 to 1/10th the cost of the big three grocery stores. Other targeted grocery stores are similar.

Meanwhile given the day, I’ll be thankful that buying groceries is a whine issue for us and not a struggle.

edit(really hating Android posting features)

[Author]

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