justamouse Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) P.S. Some basic skills to learn: cooking rice, ramen noodles, hamburger meat, and maybe making taco filling or soup. This sounds like a great challenge, and a good way to develop a friendship between your family and this new friend. It really depends on where you live-I pay 4 bucks a gallon for milk here, 4 dolalrs for 5 lb sugar, and 4 dollars for 5 lb flour. On a great sale, bread is 2.50. Great idea I have a friend with almost no income -she feeds 6 kids on basically staples from her cupboard She has a website with ideas and recipies as well as tips on how to get food when you have no money. http://theprudenthomemaker.com/default.aspx Her site is amazing and even more beautiful than that. Honestly, if he is that broke, could he go to a soup kitchen at least some nights? A $25 budget with nothing to start him off in terms of staples is going to mean he will go hungry. What about taking up a collection and buying him some staples? I dunno, I don't think it's a realistic budget, but if that is all he has to work with he should maybe consider a food pantry and/or soup kitchen. There must be something out there to help this guy. :confused: This is what I would do. He needs staples, and then he's going to need to know what to do wit them. No more hot dogs, no more turkey sandwiches. Yes, we've been talking about surprising him with a "shower" and giving him pantry items and also basic household items that he doesn't have yet: towels, washcloths, sheets. He gets no help at all from his family (parents are divorced, both are alcoholics and barely get by). This young man is one of the hardest-working, eager to help others, eager to learn young men I've ever met. He works at a large grocery story and gets a 10% discount, so that will help him be able to afford a little more. Tell him to make nice with the meat department manager so they can tell him when they're going to reduce some meats for daily sales--like when you can buy a 4 pack of chicken legs for a 1.50. And then he needs to buy 6 and stick them in the freezer. that will help him start to make that $ scream. I'd give him a pantry shower (spices cost $!) and a weekly cooking lesson. Start with staples-here's how you roast a chicken, make rice, soak and make beans. Eggs would be great for him to learn to make, over easy, scrambled, an omelet. That way when he gets home and is starving, he can make himself some eggs to start filling himself up. If you shop at a bulk store, I would offer him some of the food at the discounted cost (you buy 30 lbs of rice and give him 5 for the per lb price). Same with things like sugar-he's going to be paying an armload for a tiny box and he can't take that much out of the budget for 5 lbs which would be a cheaper per lb way to do it.. You know, it's such a pleasure helping a young man such as himself. You're awesome to do so. Edited October 31, 2011 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photo Ninja Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) My college ds has a food budget of about $25/week, so I have prepared a lot of info and recipes for him. The key is watching how much each meal actually costs, and budget accordingly. It is a different way of thinking than most people do. He can spend: $1.50 - $1.75 per dinner $12.25 $1.00 per lunch 7.00 $.80 per breakfast 5.60 If you don’t eat all the food he prepares, then save it and eat it the next day. Don’t waste any food! Some meals will be enough for 2 - 4 meals, so be sure to get that many meals out of it. Don’t eat more just because it is there. Freeze extra portions and eat them later. Watch portion sizes. Sample meals in the budget range: Breakfast: 1 dozen eggs @ $1.50 1 loaf bread @ $2.00 about 15 slices bread is .13 per piece 2 eggs and 1 piece toast costs about 40 cents Oatmeal costs about 30 -50 cents per meal Pancakes (from Bisquick) cost about 50 cents for 4 or so large pancakes Hash browns: A small potato will cost about 50 cents All these meals are under the allotted 80 cents per breakfast. If you add juice you will be at or above 80 cents. Juice is expensive, so only buy it if it is on sale, and be sure it is 100% juice and not part juice and the rest corn syrup. Lunch: Peanut butter and jam sandwich: 2 slices bread costs about 25 cents, the peanut butter and jam will cost about 25 - 30 cents., so one sandwich costs about 50 cents Mac and Cheese: 1 box costs $.75 - $1.00, so if you eat it all you are on budget. If you don’t eat it all, use it as a side dish for dinner. Bean and Cheese Burrito: 1 can refried beans costs $1.00 on sale. You will use only half the can for 50 cents. Tortilla: $1.50/dozen, so about 13 cents. Cheese will vary in price, but you should be able to get for about $4 per pound and only use some of it, approx. 30 cents. Total cost: about 95 cents for one burrito. (NOTE: you would use the other half of the refried beans for a burrito the next day for lunch or dinner, or in a casserole or as a side dish to tacos or on nachos) Add some carrots (about 25 cents) or a piece of fruit (will vary by the kind of fruit) Dinners: Here is where you can easily spend too much money, so be careful. 1 cooked, rotisserie chicken - approx. $5.00 - 6.00 Use the meat from the chicken in many dinners for the week, such as tacos, burritos, soup, teriyaki chicken and rice, fried rice with chicken, and many more. 1 cooked chicken can give him 5-7 meals if the meat is used along with other foods. Remove all the meat and make broth from the bones/skin. Then make chicken veggie soup using half the broth, about 1/4 of the chicken, some rice or potatoes or pasta, and some veggies. It will give you at least 2 or 3 meals. broth: free (you would have thrown away the bones and skin if you didn’t use them) chicken: 1.50 rice: approx 25 cents veggies: approx 1.00 (carrots, broccoli, canned diced tomatoes, or mixed veggies) Total cost: approx. 2.75 - 3.00 If you get two dinners from the soup it will cost about $1.38 per meal. If you get three dinners from the soup it will cost about 92 cents per meal. Add a piece of french bread (approx. 15 - 20 cents) or some crackers (approx 10 cents) and you are still in the budgeted range of about $1.50 - $1.60 per meal or less. OR: Tortilla Soup broth: free if you make it 1 can diced tomatoes $1.00 1 can beans $1.00 1/4 of the chicken: $1.50 1 can corn: $1.00 1 small can tomato paste: 50 cents Tortillas: about 25 cents per serving cheese: about 30 cents per serving Total cost: about $5.00, but you will get at least 4 servings, and possibly 6, for a cost of about $1.25 for soup and total cost per meal of $1.80 if you get 4 meals out of it and less if you get 5 or 6 meals. This soup obviously costs more, but as long as you eat a less expensive breakfast and lunch, you can still be in the budget over the course of a week. Aztec Chicken: Use 1/4 of the cooked chicken $1.50 1 can black or pinto beans $1.00 1 can corn $1.00 1 can olives $1.00 Salsa (about $2.50/jar): 2.50 (less if you don’t use the entire jar) Add enough salsa to moisten the above ingredients. Heat thoroughly. Before serving, add some cream cheese to mix with the salsa to make a creamy sauce. cream cheese: $1.50 Total cost: $8.50 Serve over rice (about .50) But you get about 6 meals from this for a cost of about $1.43 per meal. But you have to get 6 meals from it or you will be over budget. You won’t want to eat it every night, so you would eat it for a couple dinners, then freeze the other 4 servings in single-serving size portions and have it for a dinner later. Lentil Rice Casserole: Rice: about 50 - 75 cents Lentils: about 50 - 75 cents Broth: free if you make it, otherwise about 1.50 onion: 50 cents Total: about $3.50, but you get about 4 meals from it at a cost of about 88 cents per meal. Add vegetables (frozen or broccoli florets) costing about 30 - 40 cents, and you are still under budget. Baked Potato: 2 small potatoes: approx. 50 cents (it is usually less expensive to buy a 10 lb bag of potatoes for no more than $5.00 and cook two instead of buying one large baking potato at $1.00 - $1.75 each) toppings: sour cream (25 cents), half a can of chili (50 cents), cheese (30 cents), steamed broccoli (40 cents) Total will depend on your toppings, but will be in the budget if you use smaller potatoes instead of a large baking potato. Fried Rice: Rice: approx 25 cents 1 egg: 13 cents 2 slices of bacon: (1 pound of bacon is approx $3.00) 60 cents Total: about $1.00 Add some veggies for about 50 cents Total is about $1.50 Chunky brand Canned Soup: If you want to buy soup, get Chunky or Progresso soup when it is on sale for $1.00 - $1.25 per can. One can is a meal, but if you are more hungry, add some rice to the soup and you will still be under $1.50 per meal as long as you don’t pay more than $1.25 for the can of soup. You can also add a grilled cheese sandwich and be almost on budget. Chili and Cornbread: 1/2 can chili: about 50 cents Cornbread: one pan costs about $1.50 if made from scratch, and you will get 4 servings at about 38 cents Total: about 88 cents per meal Use the other half of the chili the next day in taco salad or on top of a baked potato or over rice. Chili and Rice: half a can of chili: 50 cents rice: 25 cents total: 75 cents Add a salad or some vegetables for about 75 cents and still be under budget for dinner. Edited October 31, 2011 by Photo Ninja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 $2.50 #10 can of diced tomatoes $2.50 #10 can of tomato sauce 2 Garlic 4 Onions Italian Seasoning is the cheapest option... About 4 TBLS sugar Pepper/Salt to taste (other seasonings as desired...) You can add any other veggies as well (green/yellow squash, green pepper, eggplant...) Add this to 1# of cooked lentils and 1# of cooked hamburger... divide up into ziplock baggies (1 qt. size). And, he should have a good 10-15 hefty servings of a very filling spaghetti sauce in the freezer...ready to thaw, and simmer in a small crock pot all day (just need to cook a serving of noodles!). Or, you can simmer the whole thing and then freeze it (after it's cooled to room temp). Then, it becomes heat & eat. Sorry, not a whole grocery list... but the key to cheap spaghetti sauce is in buying the 10# cans from Costco... unless you have a source for free fresh ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 This comes out right at $25. There are no luxury items like butter, milk, sour cream, or salsa that would make these foods much better. These recipes are brought down to their simplest forms while allowing a bachelor who hasn't cooked much to survive and not be completely left feeling deprived. To get these prices one must shop at the Dollar Tree and Aldi's. Grocery list 1 pkg shredded cheddar $2.50 1 lb ground beef $2.50 1 lb rice $1 2 cans pinto, kidney, or black beans $1 1 pkg tortillas $1 1 rotisserie chicken $5 2 potatoes $1 Frozen corn $1 1 lb noodles $1 1 can spaghetti sauce $1 Head lettuce $1 1 loaf bread $1 1 dozen eggs $1.50 1 can tuna $0.50 Small jar mayoannaise $1 frozen peas $1 Carrot sticks $1 Syrup $1 Day 1 cook all ground beef, portion into thirds. Use 1/3 tonight. D-Haystacks (taco salad over rice) 1 cup cooked rice in a bowl, top with ground beef, 1/2 can beans, shredded cheese Day 2 use 1/3 ground beef, rest of can of beans, a little cheese, and leftover rice, if any to make burritos for lunch. Tonight bake both potatoes, save one for tomorrow. Boil chicken tonight to get broth. L-beef and bean burritos from last night's leftovers D-rotisserie chicken, baked potato with cheese, frozen corn Day 3 Mash yesterday's potato, use mayo if you need to creamy it up a bit. Gravy is Basically just just broth poured over top. Use whatever noodles you have for spaghetti. Make enough noodles for tomorrow's tuna noodle casserole. Tear enough lettuce for tomorrow's salad. L-mashed potato bowl, similar to haystacks Mashed potato in a bowl, top with rotisserie chicken, corn, and gravy D-spaghetti, salad Day 4 L-salad with chicken pieces, bread D-tuna noodle casserole Mix tuna with mayonnaise, 1/2 bag peas, salt and pepper, and an egg or two and bake. Day 5 make soup with chicken broth, chicken pieces, carrots, peas, corn. L-leftover tuna noodle casserole D-chicken and rice soup, bread Day 6 Use rest of cheese to make Quesadillas L-chicken sandwiches, hard boiled egg, carrot sticks D-Quesadillas, rice, beans Day 7 Save enough eggs for side. Dip bread in rest of eggs for french toast. L-leftovers wrap style, can do egg salad, any leftover chicken, or burritos again D-French toast, eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I would tell the young man to apply for food stamps. It would be very difficult for a man with a hearty appetite to be well nourished on $25 a week. Health is more important than pride. Even a bit of help would go a long way when you are talking about a budget that small. If you want to throw a housewarming party for him, I would ask people to bring ALL of the ingredients needed for a simple & healthy meal, plus the recipe. That way he will be able to duplicate it later and he can save the extra salt, mayo, cheese, etc. that weren't used up in the recipe. Does he have access to fishing or hunting equipment? I'm not sure whether licensing in your area makes it cost-effective (like if he can only catch 2 fish a day). Perhaps a group of people could go fishing together and give him the whole catch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Yes, we've been talking about surprising him with a "shower" and giving him pantry items and also basic household items that he doesn't have yet: towels, washcloths, sheets. He gets no help at all from his family (parents are divorced, both are alcoholics and barely get by). This young man is one of the hardest-working, eager to help others, eager to learn young men I've ever met. He works at a large grocery story and gets a 10% discount, so that will help him be able to afford a little more. I would pick the spices I thought he would need the most and then give him a few teaspoons (in little ziploc bags) out of the jars in my pantry. Even though I cook all the time, many of my spices lose their potency before I use them up. It would be great if someone had an old crockpot they could give him. A lesson on chopping, especially onions would be very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Really cheap meals off the top of my head Chili Pie-- Can of chili over a bag of generic fritos We actually love this as a meal but I make home made chili and we chop green onions and put sour cream on top as well, but just chili and fritos is filling and not bad. Egg Drop soup--Ramien Soup bring it to a boil and then add one beaten egg. Jalepeno Quiche---Jiffy cornbread mix, some cheese, a bit of browned hamburger left over from another meal and a jalepeno chopped. Make the cornbread as directed and then stir in the burger and jalepeno, top with shredded cheese and bake in oven. SOS---on sale bulk sausage (sometimes 1.29) bread and flour. Cook and crumble sausage, make gravy, and put over toast with salt and pepper. Corn Chowder--2 cans of corn, milk, a couple pieces of partly cooked bacon, and onion, potatoes and milk. Boil potatoes and onion, turn on low, add milk, corn and bacon and cook 20 more minutes so bacon flavor gets stronger. Fresh veggies and fruit are going to be the budget buster. If it were summer time I would tell him to see if anyone had extras in their garden. But worse case scenario he can buy canned without extra sugar and salt added and rinse the veggies before using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in NZ Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 dd is on a very tight budget while flatting at uni. When she was home last I made her a bunch of "just add water" type homemade mixes in ziploc bags. We gave her a small (3.5 qt) crockpot as a housewarming gift when she left last year & she uses it quite a bit. Good, cheap homemade mixes: *Homestyle Lentils & Rice (Hillbilly Housewife) *Taco Style Lentils & Rice (Hillbilly Housewife) ---both of these recipes make enough for several meals. Freeze left-overs for quick meals. Serve with veggies or in tortillas. Add cheese or a tiny bit of meat for flavor, if the budget allows. When ground beef goes on sale buy what you can afford & brown all the meat, drain in a colander & freeze in single serve portions in ziploc bags. I freeze in 3 cup portions for our family (~ 1 lb), but for a single person I would suggest freezing in 1 cup portions in snack size bags. This is to add flavor to meals, not serve as the main dish. Add to the lentil/rice dishes above, pasta meals, chili, on pizzas, in stirfries, etc. Once a week or so put a roast in the crockpot at bedtime to cook over night. This is best to do the night before your day off. In the morning, take the meat out of the crockpot to cool a bit, add veggies to the broth in the crockpot to make soup or stew for dinner that day. Debone & shred/cut up the meat for meals later in the week. Add a small portion (1/2 cup - 1 cup) into the crockpot with the veggies. Use this meat for sandwiches / wraps for lunch. Add to pasta dishes, stirfries, salads, etc. Use whatever roast is on sale that week. Cheap cuts are really yummy cooked this way & the mess is only on the first day. Freeze in 1 cup portions in snack size bags, like the mince. If he does one roast & a couple lbs ground beef the first week & freezes all in portions, he'll have more than he needs for the week. The next week he chooses a different meat to roast & freezes that. After a few weeks he'll have a nice selection of single serve portions of meat in his freezer & won't have to eat the same meat all week. The soup made on day 1 will be enough for several meals. Freeze one portion each week, to build up a stock of emergency meals in case of sickness, a extra tight week $-wise, etc. Cook extra when making rice, pasta, or potatoes. It takes the same amount of time & the left-over are the basis for quick meals. Rice = stirfried rice, rice puddling, rice & cheese, chili & rice, curry & rice, etc. Pasta = pasta & sauce, tuna pasta casseroles or salads, mac & cheese, etc. Potatoes = hash, homefried potatoes, potato salad, quiches/ flans, etc. Eggs are cheap & filling. I like to hardboil a few eggs to have on hand for quick lunches & snacks. Great for egg salad & potato salad as well. Young men need snacks as well. Carrot & celery sticks are cheap & filling. Popcorn is cheaper than chips, if you don't get microwave popcorn, & it satisfies the craving for something salty & crunchy. Fruit in season should fit the budget & provide much needed vitamins. Yogurt is a good source of calcuim & protein & can be a sweet treat. I didn't give any menu as prices here in NZ are much, much higher than what you pay in the States. My dd aims for $50-75 / week on a good week. If she had to live on $25/week, she'd be eating ketchup soup by the end of the week. She does try to grow a bit of veggies in pots to supplement her budget. Greens (lettuce, swiss chard, herbs) grow good in pots, as do tomatoes. JMHO, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Exaactly the kinds of ideas I was looking for! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Wonderful! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Sadly the only things I can get on that list for under a $1 (unless I go to a place like Aldi and even then not all things on the list would be under a dollar) is the salt, can of tomato sauce, and margarine. The rest would cost more than a dollar. Prices vary wildly though. Agreed. At the average grocery store here (not the most expensive, but not Aldi), that list would cost me at least $37, even if I bought only the generic or store brands, the cheapest beef and the cheapest white bread, along with the least expensive apples, etc. This is not on sale. At the quantities given, I could get the chicken legs, margarine, tomato sauce, cabbage, carrots, white rice, and salt for a dollar or under, so we're a little better here. That's why I shop Aldis, the bread outlet, coupons, sales, etc. and we aren't considered a high food price area that I know of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Great! Thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 I'm loving all these great ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Sadly the only things I can get on that list for under a $1 (unless I go to a place like Aldi and even then not all things on the list would be under a dollar) is the salt, can of tomato sauce, and margarine. The rest would cost more than a dollar. Prices vary wildly though. Those prices are about right around here (deep South). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I'd be more than happy to send a "care box" with staples... And, if he has internet access, he can print coupons and try to match them to sales fliers for those specials. Local food pantries can help quite a bit... if he just got a little bit ahead, it would help him begin to see that budget stretch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Do you have HEB? We regularly buy chicken thighs in the blue bag for $4 for 4 pounds. My husband really needs his protein and this is how we keep it in our budget -- by using adding chicken to everything. He'll make 2 Pasta Roni boxes (We can get these for $1 each, but sometimes they are $1.09), and put the meat from 2-3 chicken thighs in (3 chicken thighs would be $1 at above prices. So $3 plus the cost of the milk and butter -- but one could get margarine instead and powdered milk) and it makes meals for him and DS (age 3) for 2 days (they tend to just eat the same thing every meal. so this is lunch-dinner-breakfast-lunch-dinner or so). To stretch it farther, add frozen broccoli. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 My dh and I lived off of about $10 a week nearly 20 years ago, and I remember how far we stretched things. We would buy a bag of potatoes, a dozen eggs, a loag of bread, pasta (elbow was the cheapest at the time) or rice, dried beans from a bulk bin, and then we would buy whatever was on sale cheap that week with whatever we had left. Usually a few canned veggies and spagetti sauce. We lucky that MIL would send us things like peanut butter and homemade jam. We also NEVER turned down an invite to dinner :lol:. We would dice the potatoes and eat them with eggs. Beans and potatoes were good. Pasta went with whatever we had on hand. We also got one of those cheese and sausage gift boxes for Christmas that year. You would not believe how far we stretched that thing! We chopped cheese and sausage into tiny dices and added it for flavor to all sorts of stuff. Looking back now, I would have used my crock pot a lot more, and wouldn't have been so squeamish about bone-in meat. My dh, although it is NOT healthy, lived off of less than that before we got married. At the beginning of the week he would go to Burger King and buy a bunch of $1 burgers and freeze them. He would eat that and peanut butter sandwiches all week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) I looked over many of the menus posted and noticed that most of them would be protein and nutrient deficient for a 21 year old man. I played around at Nutrition Data to try to find a menu that averaged per day: 2800 calories 70-100 grams of protein Not super carb heavy...many people can't tolerate much rice or beans without health problems. Prices are from my local Kroger. Parentheses means I estimated the price because I didn't know it off the top of my head. Wal-Mart or Target would probably be cheaper. If he did stuff like turn of his water heater at night, the savings in his electric bill would give a little more leeway for produce. Unfortunately, I don't see how he can have much produce, enough calories, and enough protein on this budget. He can only pick 2 out of 3, unless prices are much cheaper elsewhere. Also, there wasn't enough money left to buy spices. 1 lb dry black beans $1.50 1 lb dry chick peas $1.50 1 lb lentils $1 2 lb brown rice $2.50 1.5 lb ground beef $3 - don't drain the fat, he needs the calories 2 lb turkey $1.50 - from a Thanksgiving turkey. Save the carcass for broth. 18 eggs $2.50 1 stick butter $0.75 1/2 lb cheese $2 (sale price) 2/3 c olive oil $2 1 lb sweet potatoes ($1) 1 lb spinach ($3) - for salads 2 lb bananas $1.20 1 lb onions $1 1 head garlic $1 1 can tomatoes $1 1 bottle apple cider vinegar - for dressing and to make stock 1 bottle peanut butter $3 Deficiencies with this menu: Only has 1/7 the RDA of vitamin D Only has 6/7 the RDA of vitamin E Only has 5/7 the RDA of vitamin B12 Slightly short on pantothenic acid Short on calcium, but broth might contain enough to finish meeting the RDA My notes are all disorganized, but I think the total came to $27.70. Ditching the onions and garlic would save money without losing much nutrition, but would make for a bland menu. I think an important thing to consider is that some foods, like pasta or anything made with flour, are cheap, but have few nutrients. Vegetables have nutrients, but are too low calorie to keep him from starving. Meats, eggs, and dairy are nutrient dense, but expensive. Brown rice is very high carb and isn't nutrient dense, although it's better than anything made with white flour. Legumes are more nurtient dense than grains, but if blood sugar problems run in the family, can still be too high carb. Edited November 1, 2011 by HoppyTheToad Typos, formatting problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Oops, the total was $31.45. Grr! I worked so hard to try to stay in the budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 I looked over many of the menus posted and noticed that most of them would be protein and nutrient deficient for a 21 year old man. I played around at Nutrition Data to try to find a menu that averaged per day: 2800 calories 70-100 grams of protein Not super carb heavy...many people can't tolerate much rice or beans without health problems. Prices are from my local Kroger. Parentheses means I estimated the price because I didn't know it off the top of my head. Wal-Mart or Target would probably be cheaper. If he did stuff like turn of his water heater at night, the savings in his electric bill would give a little more leeway for produce. Unfortunately, I don't see how he can have much produce, enough calories, and enough protein on this budget. He can only pick 2 out of 3, unless prices are much cheaper elsewhere. Also, there wasn't enough money left to buy spices. 1 lb dry black beans $1.50 1 lb dry chick peas $1.50 1 lb lentils $1 2 lb brown rice $2.50 1.5 lb ground beef $3 - don't drain the fat, he needs the calories 2 lb turkey $1.50 - from a Thanksgiving turkey. Save the carcass for broth. 18 eggs $2.50 1 stick butter $0.75 1/2 lb cheese $2 (sale price) 2/3 c olive oil $2 1 lb sweet potatoes ($1) 1 lb spinach ($3) - for salads 2 lb bananas $1.20 1 lb onions $1 1 head garlic $1 1 can tomatoes $1 1 bottle apple cider vinegar - for dressing and to make stock 1 bottle peanut butter $3 Deficiencies with this menu: Only has 1/7 the RDA of vitamin D Only has 6/7 the RDA of vitamin E Only has 5/7 the RDA of vitamin B12 Slightly short on pantothenic acid Short on calcium, but broth might contain enough to finish meeting the RDA My notes are all disorganized, but I think the total came to $27.70. Ditching the onions and garlic would save money without losing much nutrition, but would make for a bland menu. I think an important thing to consider is that some foods, like pasta or anything made with flour, are cheap, but have few nutrients. Vegetables have nutrients, but are too low calorie to keep him from starving. Meats, eggs, and dairy are nutrient dense, but expensive. Brown rice is very high carb and isn't nutrient dense, although it's better than anything made with white flour. Legumes are more nurtient dense than grains, but if blood sugar problems run in the family, can still be too high carb. Thank you! I can tell you put a lot of thought into this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 I would tell the young man to apply for food stamps. It would be very difficult for a man with a hearty appetite to be well nourished on $25 a week. Health is more important than pride. Even a bit of help would go a long way when you are talking about a budget that small. I hadn't even thought of that. If you want to throw a housewarming party for him, I would ask people to bring ALL of the ingredients needed for a simple & healthy meal, plus the recipe. That way he will be able to duplicate it later and he can save the extra salt, mayo, cheese, etc. that weren't used up in the recipe.. I think this is a great idea! Does he have access to fishing or hunting equipment? I'm not sure whether licensing in your area makes it cost-effective (like if he can only catch 2 fish a day). Perhaps a group of people could go fishing together and give him the whole catch. I hadn't thought of this either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hope he has access to an Aldi's as most of the prices folks list above are way above what items actually cost in the area stores here. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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