Okay, so I haven’t updated this in a while. I’ve also been quite bad about not going over my $20 limit. But for all of you out there who care(about three people I believe), I will post a detailed expense report at some point in the future. Today, I will talk about the basic ideas about how you can survive on $20 a week.
First off, I think in terms of one week at a time. Since I am the only person who eats what I buy, it’s very easy to buy a lot of food to feed myself for a week. For example, one week I got a pound of ground beef, sour cream, cheese, shredded lettuce and taco shells to have a taco-themed week. Those supplies lasted the entire week for me, so that way I didn’t have to go out and buy anything new.
Second, grain products. Now, a co-worker of mine has some research that says that wheat is not particularly good for you – he only eats fruits, vegetables, and meat from cows not treated with some chemical that I don’t know the name of. I can’t vouch for any of this because I haven’t read the research, but unfortunately a diet like this is going to be rather expensive. Grain products are much cheaper, and that is how you can keep costs down. I keep a supply of spaghetti and macaroni and cheese handy. I buy a 12-pack of macaroni and cheese so that I will have enough to keep me for a while. Each box of spaghetti has probably about five meals for me, and at $0.79 a box it’s insanely cheep.
Third, buy in bulk when possible. A 12-pack of macaroni and cheese will last you a significant time if you don’t eat much. I don’t buy many perishable items in bulk, because I would never eat them before they went bad. However, I do buy frozen items in bulk, because they will of course keep a long time.
Fourth, buy canned fruits and vegetables. Again, it’s more expensive to get fresh, but I don’t mind the canned fruits. Personally, I can’t stand canned vegetables(I get frozen ones), but canned pears and pineapples are very cheep.
Fifth, DON’T BUY LUNCH! Bring your own. I like to bring a peanut butter sandwich, a small pack of fruit(individual serving size, I have not been able to find a good container that does not leak. It’s more expensive than buying in a tin can, but it doesn’t leak), and some animal crackers. Total cost of this lunch: probably about $2.00. Total cost of a cheap lunch: $5.00. Total cost of a lunch that you would probably get: $8.00. Let’s do the math here:
$2.00 x 5 days a week = $10
$5.00 x 5 days a week = $25
$8.00 x 5 days a week = $40
Yes, it really is that cheap to bring your lunch. It saves a lot of money.