The USDA stats for ‘Thrifty” aka poor people for our family (November 2017) is 122.15. Our actual expense this year was an average of 55.05 a month. That included building a stock of emergency food : the USDA stats are actual food eaten at home.
That’s less than 1/2 price. -about 45 percent of the USDA stats.
Last years figures were 72 dollars a week. The difference is that we started making some of our own bread and the insta pot and its efficent way of cooking rice and beans from scratch. The difference between ready made rice or instant rice and canned beans is remarkable. The savings are about 90 percent on bread, rice, and beans. All basics staples.
No, people, we do not eat a steady diet of rice and beans. We do eat proper amounts of protein. Beans are a good source of protein and can augment meat to boost nutrition, Soup is another good, comforting meal that stretches the dollar and makes for a satisfying meal. Add homemade bread and you can feed a family of four for well under five dollars.
Pantry challenges are a fun way to use up something that is close to the pull date. I have two cans of beans and a can of mandarin oranges to use up that have December 2017 pull dates. This could be fun anyone have any ideas?
I won’t say that getting your food 1/2 price is due to non existent effort. It, like anything worthwhile, takes some planning and some education. But, the rewards can be remarkable. You are probably going to eat better (less presrataives, fat, sugar, salt, hydroginated oils, HFCS) , eat a more healthy amount of food, and enjoy a few extra dollars in the budget, or at least reduce the stress of not having enough for other necessities.
We make up some of the time (probably an additional hour a week) by scratch cooking efficiently.
Some things don’t take but a few minutes longer than opening that box of whatever. Simplifying the sources (cuts of meat) you buy can simplify your life. That’s a good thing.
A new year, a new life, a new leaf.
No comments:
Post a Comment