*Feed Your Family $10 A Day Challenge*(AT HOME)

[TNKBELL]

Ok, first of all I have to say that we live in the midwest where food and cost of living are very reasonable, other places things are easily 2X as much so if that's the case, I would love to see a $20 thread.

This will help me save for our impending trip!!

Here is an example:

Day 1.
Breakfast
1/2 box of Generic Rice Krispys(Aldi 1.29-.5=.65)
4 Cups of Milk .92
2 sliced Bananas .30
Apple Juice .50

Snack
Vanilla Wafers .33
Apple Slices .40

Lunch
Mac N Cheese .65(I add cheese,milk & margerine)
Baby Carrots w/ Ranch Dressing(.50)
Koolaid (.20)

Snack
Cheese Crackers (.50)

Dinner
Homemade Pizza
Crust (.25)
Sauce (.40)
Cheese(1.00)
Pepperoni(.50)
Salad (1.25)(Made with 1/2 head lettuce, shredded Baby Carrots/Dressing)
Brownies (1.25) (.99Mix + ingrediants)


DH Breakfast additional
2 eggs (.22)
Toast (.14)

DH Lunch
Leftovers from previous night's dinner
PRICELESS

Total $9.96

This is based on averages of total unit pricing. I buy most of our food at Aldi
and I buy all of our bread at Hostess Outlet for $1.00 loaf for whole wheat bread. This is only an example, many of you will probably be able to come in under this. We also drink water most of time, the exception is breakfast.

 

[eliza61]

Wow,
Great job! not sure it would work for my family, my sons eat a box a cereal each but that's another story. The Aldi in my neighborhood is horrendous so I stear clear but I'm always looking for ways to trim the ole' budget. I'm on the East coast and your right we live in a very expensive neck of the woods (right outside NYC). A good week at the supermarket is any thing under $150for my family of 4. Keep the tips coming!
E

 

[TNKBELL]

I hear you, before we moved the Aldi by our house was scary!!! I told Dh we couldn't shop there anymore. We are blessed because they just built a brand new one a few years back and it has been a Godsend!!

 

[MEM]

Great thread! While we are on the subject, does anyone know the book "Dining on a Dime"? Used to be published under the name "Not Just Beans". I reserved it from my library but wondered what others thought of it. Its described as "Southern comfort food" but that translates in my mind to high in fat, high in sugar, low in fiber.

 

[gower525]

I'll Play. I love to bargain shop.
We have a family of 4. Me, DH, DS 5 and DD2. We can eat for $10 if I am careful. I am in Nashville. Here is an example ( today's menu).

Breakfast:
Me: cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats) I got the box for $1 - so .20
Kids: 2 waffles each (frozen) Box is $1.05. so about .55 plus syrup .10
Milk: .75
bananas: .50
DH is out of town all week - but he usually doesn't eat breakfast.
Total breakfast: $2.10

Lunch:
Me: more cereal ( I am dieting , so cereal has become a staple for me) .20
Kids: Split a can of tuna fish +mayo+ relish: about $1
crackers .20
applesauce .30
milk .75

Total lunch: 2.45

Snacks: peanuts ( I bought big jars at CVS for .49) so .10
popsicles ( .20)

Dinner: Me: Grilled chicken breast $1, diet coke .20
Kids: Hamburger $1.50, buns, .30, pretzels, .20, peaches, $1
milk .50
Total Dinner: 4.70
Snack: fruit bars .40

Total = $9.95
Of course, this would be higher if dh was in town. I estimated high on some costs (milk), but didn't include condiments for dinner ( mustard I get free with coupons)

My kids are not adventurous eaters and we are not the healthiest, but we usually do eat for around $10 per day when we are not lazy and going out to eat. I could do better if I bought fewer convenience foods such as frozen waffles and premade hamburgers. This is what we are eating today, we may splurge tomorrow. We will see.

 

[hsmamato2]

I like this idea...hmmm-I'm in good ole' Connecticut,where you can't find many places with higher prices... we use whole raw milk from the local dairy- so it's more $$$...but let's see.... yesterday we did well-
2 adults,2 kids-
breakfast, Dh ate an egg and toast-( loaf 1.50 ww bread) probably drank a glass of OJ,(3.00 1/2 gal tropicana)free eggs at store- about .50 for juice
Ds1 ate a bowl of cereal(honey nut cheerios,3.00 for a HUGE box-1 bowl,plus about 4 oz milk) maybe .70?
ds2 ate leftover mac and cheese from the night before(he hates breakfast food, mac and cheese about 1.00 a box for Annies) priceless
I had some cereal, (1/2 c w/ 4 oz. milk)maybe .70?
so like 2.50 for a.m. meals
we drank water all day
Lunch
dh bought a cheeseburger and ice cream for lunch-2.00 at McD's-
kids and i had a refried beans tortilla rollups-(1.oo for can of beans,1.50 for 1/2 lb. cheddar,and we used about 3 oz. total so .56 for the cheese) plus the 3 tortillas,- already had them stocked,don't know the price-
the kids made slushies in the p.m. with a sno cone maker,ice and some syrup(2.00 a bottle,use about 2-3 oz.per serving)
so lunch was about 4.00(?)
Dinner- spanish rice and beans,costs approx. 3.00 for a LARGE pot,includes corn, tomato.pepper etc- I added some grilled leftover chicken and beef from another dinner- plus maybe 1/2 of a sour cream container- like .75 there- drank water-
dessert was ice cream-- cost about 2.00 on super sale last week, maybe
1/3 total of the 2 qt container- so like .75
so dinner was about 3.50 total-(we have leftover rice and beans for today,ds2's breakfast and our lunch)
so total for day was about 11.00- which i think is excellent here in the very expensive northeast-
One ds has expensive food allergies too,so we are very careful,and we don't do this well every day, but we do pretty well!
We also keep a supply for grazing of whatever fruits are on sale that week, this week,it's watermelon! And fresh corn was dirt cheap,we love it roasted every night!
The other day we ate smoked almonds,some cut up cheddar,ice water and smoothies made for last weeks frozen fruit salad(YUM!) for lunch, I think it helps that we homeschool,and are free to eat around the house.
I like this Tinkbell, so many people don't believe your food budget!

 

[formernyer]

TNKBELL - I promise you I am not trying to be a skeptic here because I truly believe you get by on this much food, but I just don't understand HOW...even if you are very light eaters as you've claimed!

I'm not questioning the $$$ because I almost always feed my family on less than $10/day (via great couponing); however, we are a family of 3 and the amount that you've listed for your family of 7 would leave my family of 3 hungry! BTW, we are not overweight...I'm 105 pounds and my kids are both borderline underweight.

For example, how can you possibly feed 7 people (6 if the baby isn't eating) on one box of mac & cheese? My kids eat a whole box between the two of them and they're still hungry!

And how can you feed 6-7 people on one small pizza? I'm judging the size of it based on your ingredient price list...$1.00 worth of cheese is an 8oz. bag on a very good sale...$.50 of pepperoni is 1/4 pound or less, depending on where you buy it...$.40 of sauce is about half a can. That volume of ingredients would feed one person in my house...possibly two, but we'd feel famished.

I can definitely feed my family on $10 a day or less, but I'd be hungry 24/7 if we ate like you!!!

 

[eliza61]

I can definitely feed my family on $10 a day or less, but I'd be hungry 24/7 if we ate like you!!!

Hey Formernyer,
One suggestion, don't try to eat like them. I 'm a family of 5, with teenage boys all over 6 ft. No way could we make it on $10.00 comfortably, wouldn't even want to try. I love reading all the tips though that TNK and other budgeters have. Some of them work for my family, some there is just no way. The more information we exchange here, the more money we can use at WDW.

 

[formernyer]

Hey Formernyer,
One suggestion, don't try to eat like them. I 'm a family of 5, with teenage boys all over 6 ft. No way could we make it on $10.00 comfortably, wouldn't even want to try. I love reading all the tips though that TNK and other budgeters have. Some of them work for my family, some there is just no way. The more information we exchange here, the more money we can use at WDW.

I actually can, and do, make it comfortably on $10 a day (some days more, some days less). I can do it because of coupons though...I can get the food bill down to almost nothing using coupons. Like I said, I'm not questioning the OP's ability to keep such a low food budget. I just question how they can eat so little food and not always be hungry. I simply can't imagine feeding 7 people on even TWO boxes of mac & cheese, let alone ONE box!

 

[Miss_Nellie]

TNKBELL - I promise you I am not trying to be a skeptic here because I truly believe you get by on this much food, but I just don't understand HOW...even if you are very light eaters as you've claimed!


For example, how can you possibly feed 7 people (6 if the baby isn't eating) on one box of mac & cheese? My kids eat a whole box between the two of them and they're still hungry!
I can definitely feed my family on $10 a day or less, but I'd be hungry 24/7 if we ate like you!!!

(Bolding is mine)
My boys, 12 & 7, are the same way! Maybe worse though. DS7 will only eat the Kraft character mac 'n cheese ... I tried regular Kraft and generic character, won't eat it. He is sooo picky, been that way since birth. His doctor has told me for years "He'll grow out of it any day now". Well, he's only gotten worse.

Anyhow, I make the mac 'n cheese, take some out for him and the rest I put 1/2 a 6 oz can of albacore in for DS12. It never fails, no matter how much I take out for DS7 he wants more after I dump in the albacore ($1.50 something), he doesn't eat fish, red meat or pork either.

DS12 will eat all the rest of albacore and mac and ask for something more.

They are not overweight children by any means. They are both above average height and very thin. Both of them need to gain some weight, especially DS7. He's so thin it almost hurts to look at him.

I'd like to feed my family on $10 / day but with mine and DH's high cholesterol (mine's on the way down) and DH having high blood pressure, history of heart attacks in my family ... we have to watch the fats and sodium really carefully. Plus, we are eliminating all pork and red meat from our diets.

We're switching to all turkey products (expensive) 100% whole grains (expensive) canned white albacore (expensive) frozen and fresh fruits and veggies. In the summer fresh fruits will get cheaper but come winter the cost skyrockets and they taste really bland and chewy.

I'll be keeping my eyes on this thread though ... maybe there'll be a tip or two that I haven't tried before.

 

[mommiepoppins]

Tink I will take that challenge
I just went food shopping for 2 weeks and came in with the grand total of 148 That includeds my stock pileing and some food for our Disney trip . I might be able to get away with 50 more for the month of June. Yes I did so good! I can not wait to show dh ( However he might think I could do that all the time)

 

[mommiepoppins]

Great thread! While we are on the subject, does anyone know the book "Dining on a Dime"? Used to be published under the name "Not Just Beans". I reserved it from my library but wondered what others thought of it. Its described as "Southern comfort food" but that translates in my mind to high in fat, high in sugar, low in fiber.

I love that book. I bought the book. I could not oreder it from the libary. I personally think the food listed in the book is a slight bit more than where I am from. I do Aldi's . I really liked the book. . My book is so beat down from all the reading.

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

I thought about what I spend a day, but am having trouble. We have our own beef and have chickens for eggs. I spend on average $100 a week at the grocery for the 5 of us. But that included bathroom stuff, dog food and cleaning supplies. I shopped wheere I can find the best deals and this was a stock up week - I went to the store with $1 1/2 gallon milk. I would guess we average $15 a day - my boys help out in the barn and are starting to eat more. MY DH also packs his lunch, but he works 12 hour nights so I do need to send him snacks too.

 

[HeatherC]

Just realized when I broke it down: I spend $150 a week for five people. Most weeks we do not eat out at all and kids and dh take lunch.

So..that is 3 meals a day x 5 people x 7 days a week which equals 105 meals.

If I spend $150 for those 105 meals that is only $1.42 per person per meal or $7.10 total per meal for my family. And that is really less because this also includes toiletries, dog food, paper towels, cleaning stuff.

That to me is a bargain considering we don't eat macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, pizza, etc.. Most nights we have fresh grilled salmon or chicken, pork or roast beef with potatoes, fresh vegetables, rolls and dessert.

So for all of us thinking we are spending a fortune on food...I guess this isn't too bad.

HeatherC

 

[gillenkl]

This will help me save for our impending trip!!


Dinner
Homemade Pizza
Crust (.25)
Sauce (.40)
Cheese(1.00)
Pepperoni(.50)
Salad (1.25)(Made with 1/2 head lettuce, shredded Baby Carrots/Dressing)
Brownies (1.25) (.99Mix + ingrediants)

:

I'm sorry I don't see how this can feed 6 people? One pizza for 6 people?

 

[TNKBELL]

I also do coupons and shop at Dillons and Homeland when they have good deals. The menu was just an example and the kids and I don't always eat the same things for lunch, it's usually a combination of leftovers and pb&j sandwiches or grilled cheese among other things. My grocery budget of $75 per week does not include diapers or wipes. I almost never buy shampoo,conditioner,styling products,toothpaste,toothbrushes,body wash, lotion, and feminine napkins because of the Walgreens rebate program and when you use coupons in conjuction with it and request the GC instead of a check they are actually paying you to take the stuff. I don't really think we are "light eaters" I think when you figure in all the snacks, we are pretty average. We are not underweight either, we are average. I also love to bake, so at least 2-3 times per week I make cookies or cinnamon rolls or homemade bread or bars of some sort. I know soon though, our budget will increase because we have 4 growing boys!!

I love reading all the creative ideas posted so far!! I am learning soooo much!!!

 

[TNKBELL]

I'm sorry I don't see how this can feed 6 people? One pizza for 6 people?

We make 2 pizzas, and the crust is extremely thick!! We always have several pieces leftover. We make the crust from scratch with a recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

 

[formernyer]

We make 2 pizzas, and the crust is extremely thick!! We always have several pieces leftover. We make the crust from scratch with a recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

I also make my own pizza dough. I use the breadmaker and make a 2lb. recipe. It makes enough dough for one very large pizza, or a normal pizza plus fried zeppolis for dessert.

What I don't understand is how you can make even one pizza that actually tastes good with so little sauce, cheese, and pepperoni? And you're saying you use that much for TWO pizzas???? I use more than double that much on one normal-sized pizza (one pound of dough), and our pizzas are by no means "extra cheese" pizzas. They have about the same amount of topping as you'd get if you ordered a pizza from a restaurant.

 

[TNKBELL]

I also make my own pizza dough. I use the breadmaker and make a 2lb. recipe. It makes enough dough for one very large pizza, or a normal pizza plus fried zeppolis for dessert.

What I don't understand is how you can make even one pizza that actually tastes good with so little sauce, cheese, and pepperoni? And you're saying you use that much for TWO pizzas???? I use more than double that much on one normal-sized pizza (one pound of dough), and our pizzas are by no means "extra cheese" pizzas. They have about the same amount of topping as you'd get if you ordered a pizza from a restaurant.

One Pizza has more cheese on it than the other one, some of the dks just like cheese without pepperoni so half of one is just sauce and cheese. I like pizza lighter on the cheese a little heavier on the sauce. I am usually able to buy spaghetti sauce with coupons for @.65 a jar and that goes along way! I use about 2/3 to 3/4 of the jar for both pizzas.

 

[asgt]

Feeding a large family for $10 a day is certainly doable. We eat well but cheaply at our house. I do massive amounts of stocking up at good sales (ex. Meijer runs a stock up sale twice a year and all thier canned veggies, fruits, spagettios(okay these arent so healthy) and mac n cheese are 25 cents) we buy carts full, stock the cans away and freeze practically everything else from Milk to meat. I buy milk when it is $1.88 a gallon and freeze away. I cook with powdered milk and even make my own cream of "whatever" soup for cooking. My friend makes her own soy milk for 50 cents a gallon and gives me the soy protein leftover from the beans and it serves as an egg substitute for recipes. I havent been grocery shopping since April and we are still alive! I read the "Tightwad Gazette" and it changed my thinking on a lot of things. We dont have much by way of income and I want to be a SAHM so sacrifices are made on little things for the things I really care about to be possible. We also dont have cable Tv and I put my son in cloth diapers. I know the horror, right?!
The best grocery week for me will be free dining in September!