Could you do this???

[Dee22]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,495084,00.html

 

I'm thinking that we couldn't! :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Maybe if I had to. But I wouldn't want to.

[Parrothead]

I probably could if I lived closer to a supermarket or even a couple of supermarkets so I could shop around.

[GreenKitty]

Nah.

[Tap]

I could try, and would probably succeed...but I wouldn't want to.

 

 

We went on an extreme budget for 12 months, a few years ago, and it was hard, but we survived.

 

It was a means to an end. It was worth it, but really made for a hard year.

[Janna]

The only way I would be able to do that is if I already had a stock pile going and I was working off of that and keeping it supplied at the same time. I would also have to already have a garden and live in an area where I could have my garden year round, because the quality of foods required on that kind of living without one would be near impossible for me to willfully consume.

 

From scratch, starting today, no way. Not even close. It would take me the $1500 just to get ready to start, LOL.

Edited February 18, 2009 by Janna

[joannqn]

It seems that they have a few things going for them. They only have a toddler and preschooler and they already have a stockpile.

 

ETA: She also has stores that double coupons.

 

With those things in her favor, I do think the challenge is doable. I just looked at one of her blog posts about what she bought and for how much and her savings was 102%. She paid a small amount at one store. At the other two stores, she'll be getting rebates in excess of the amount she paid.

Edited February 18, 2009 by joannqn

[HRAAB]

We are a family of 6, sometimes 5 (dd gone a lot to college and work), but I don't see any way to make this possible. We are frugal, very frugal compared to many, but even if I upped it some to account for another mouth, I still don't know that I could. Maybe but it would take all my time. Not unless there was no other choice.

 

Janet

[abbeyej]

If that's what it took for my family's survival? Sure. Even if it meant all we ate was oatmeal, brown rice, lentils, cabbage, onions, and sale fruit. ... But I'm sure glad I don't *have* to, and I wouldn't do it voluntarily.

[CLHCO]

It's possible but it's hard to do that from scratch. Once you start a stock pile, you can keep rotating it with foods as you find them for a good price, but the initial start takes some time.

 

For example, if boxes of powdered milk are on sale that week, you spend your allowed amount on socking up on those because you already have the beans. Next time you get a good deal on beans, you already have rice and oatmeal, so you just get a bunch of beans.

 

I could probably do that now that I have started buying in bulk more, but it would still be really hard and we would give up a lot of the fresh foods I feel are nutritionally important but rarely can be found with coupons. If it weren't for the kids, I'd go more in that direction but a growing body needs fresh apples, oranges, carrots, etc.

 

Even if you don't go that low and allow for fresh foods, it is possible to cut a lot of your expense from bulk shopping, stock piles, and close ad watching.

[Jean in Wisc]

But we live on a farm--so I could get corn and soybeans to grind from the land. As long as I had my garden (might need a lot more canning jars) and could sell 1/2 a steer for meet which would pay for our butchering costs and use our field corn for our chickens and turkeys...stuff like that would get us through. We have wood on the farm, and we heat with a wood stove--and I could cook on it.

 

But, yes, it would be a full time job.

[kewb]

I could but I do not want to. It really is a full time job to bargain hunt that way and I do not enjoy shopping that way. I hate weekly meal planning. Even though I know it is the smart thing to do I loathe the thought of sitting down and planning meals for the week. Because of this hatred I have been working on stockpiling pantry items so that I always have the ingredients on hand for what I feel like making that day.

 

With the stockpile I have and by making most of our foods from scratch I have noticed that my grocery bill has gone down.

[Pretty in Pink]

I *could* if I had to but I certainly don't want to! Our grocery bill is already fairly low because we use lots of whole grains, lentils and a variety of beans as the main portion of our diets. I round this out with a liberal assortment of fresh produce and a small amount of dairy. I prepare either fish, meat or poultry once a week. I can't imagine that I could feed my family what I consider to be a healthy, well-rounded diet on that budget.

[Tutor]

I have before and probably could again if I had to (although it would be difficult with the higher food prices now). At that time, we had 3 kids, a garden, and access to a wide variety of inexpensive food sources... a coop, scratch and dent store, a farm that sold "drops" at a discount, an Amish food market, friends who gave us venison in exchange for veggies or work, etc. I didn't use coupons or rebates... too much hassle.

 

Food prices have gone up so much and our choices of stores here are limited, so I would have a hard time repeating that again, though. We are putting a garden in this year and planing on trading for eggs and meat again, so that should lower our bills again some, but probably never to the $125-$150 range where they used to be.

[z2_mom]

I am assuming that this is what they are trying to live on after utilities and housing expenses???? I would hope so -----because without even trying I would blow the budget in one month just on the house payment!!!!

 

 

lynda

[melissel]

OK, if they already had a stock pile, then it will have cost them more than $1500 for the year.

 

Yeah, but she's upfront about the fact that they couldn't possibly do it without their stockpile.

 

What could one eat on that amount? And yes, if they have a toddler and a preschooler, neither eats that much nor counts for a full eating person (as would an adult).

 

This is what would bother me. I'm picky about the quality of our food. But for a year? As a means to an end, as Tap, tap, tap mentioned? I could probably do it. I actually enjoy that kind of coupon/rebate/deal shopping, though I don't see how someone could keep it up for an extended period of time with a FT job and two small kids! And DH would not be into that kind of lifestyle, even as a means to an end *sigh*

 

I do find that kind of thing inspiring, though. Thanks for sharing, Dee22!

Edited February 18, 2009 by melissel

[Gini]

I'm trying to spend less and less at the grocery. But even though I raise alot of my own fruit and veggies, freeze and can, raise my own meat, milk, eggs, there's still all those hidden costs like animal feed, vet bills, canning lids, freezer bags. As for store canned and dry food at the grocery, much of it I don't even consider food so wouldn't bother stockpiling. Even gardening has it's costs. Nope, can't do it on $1500.

[Aubrey]

I added it up recently. Including what dh has spent running to the store for things I've run out of, we've spent under $100 in the last 6 weeks on groceries, mainly because I don't have a car to get there during the day, & I'm too tired at night.

 

My mom bought about 5 meals worth of groceries while she was here, & my mil sent 2 this weekend, to help w/ the moving. We've got dry goods on hand, but not much in the freezer/fridge--it's just too small to hold more than 1-2 weeks worth.

[Jen in PA]

I'm sure that I could do it, and I might not even mind. The kids likely wouldn't even mind. But I do not want to imagine how much Dh would "suffer" if I cut most of the meat/dairy/peanut M&Ms/chips from his diet to come in under that limit:001_smile: