How To Live (Comfortably) on $36 A Month For Food

Post by pbhj » Thu, Jul 30, 2009, 9:17 PM UTC

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #14

splat wrote: post #10

As a poor college student I'm currently on a food budget of < $40 per month. I rarely buy anything but bread, bacon, peanut butter, cheese, bananas, eggs, yogurt, and butter. It's a bit monotonous, but I was surprised how quickly I got used to it.

Try replacing some of that with seasoned brown rice and beans. It will be cheaper, healthier and (depending on what spices you use) tastier.

Post by kingkawn » Thu, Jul 30, 2009, 9:32 PM UTC

Post by Shooter » Thu, Jul 30, 2009, 9:42 PM UTC

jeremymims wrote: post #46

andrewhyde wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The numbers are very regional (cheese in the northeast is 1/2 what it is in Colorado, for instance) and were lower a few years ago (you are right). If you shop the right stores at the right times, I am sure you could come pretty damn close, even today. Veganism can be spendy. I've only tried once (for a week). It didn't work out too well.

This doesn't have to be true. Purchasing mock meats and the like will probably get to be expensive. But cutting out meat and cheese are two of the very easiest ways to lower your monthly food costs and improve your overall health. Rice, beans, pasta, and (frozen) veggies combined with different spices and sauces isn't a bad way to go when saving money and trying to stay healthy. I'm much more skeptical of the health…

Post by randallsquared » Thu, Jul 30, 2009, 9:42 PM UTC

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #58

ellyagg wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In fact, you can eat all "unhealthy" food and be far healthier than 95% of the people around you by keeping a calorie budget and exercising enough. In my case, I buy vats of lard at the local grocer and use it liberally. It tastes delicious. I also work out at least an hour a day. No one feels the need to moralize about people failing to work out an hour a day, and yet that will have 10 times the benefit of micromana…

In fact, you can eat all "unhealthy" food and be far healthier than 95% of the people around you by keeping a calorie budget and exercising enough. So you're telling me that if you eat McDonald's for every meal for thirty years, you'll experience no health issues as long as you exercise enough? Tell you what: let's have this conversation again in thirty years, provided you're still around. An anecdote about a persona…

Post by Shooter » Thu, Jul 30, 2009, 9:50 PM UTC

pbhj wrote: post #61

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try replacing some of that with seasoned brown rice and beans. It will be cheaper, healthier and (depending on what spices you use) tastier.

Brown rice gives me severe abdominal cramps - YMMV. Rice is good for bulk and brown rice gives more fibre but whilst it's a staple for many it's not great nutritionally.