As I'm sure you're well aware by now, last week we participated in the United Way of King County Hunger Challenge. The two of us ate on a mere $12
per day for five days. And we're not just talking about Top Ramen and Kraft mac and cheese. We did our very best to eat clean, healthy, organic foods whenever possible - not easy on a very limited budget. Not easy at all.
My main takeaway was, jeez: This takes time. It took the better part of a Sunday to plan our meals and figure out what we could stretch from one meal to the next. Time I'm sure many people who are trying to raise kids and living on a very limited budget just don't have.
Well, that was one of two main takeaways, actually. The second was, dang. I'm lucky. We've got plenty of money to eat well. And (okay, three) I need to do better at giving to those who are less fortunate. I'm going to start by giving to the Yes We Can! Project. It's pretty cool.
Here are the menus we lived on, along with a few links, tips, and other bloggers who did an amazing job on the challenge themselves.
Each day's menus and cost breakdown
- The Hunger Challenge: Day 1
- The Hunger Challenge: Day 2
- The Hunger Challenge: Day 3
- The Hunger Challenge: Day 4
- The Hunger Challenge: Day 5
Budget-friendly recipes
Featured last week
A few more to try
- Becky's Award-Winning Turkey Chili
- Crock Pot Vegetarian Chili
- Drunken Pot Roast
- Peanut Butter Noodles
Tips for trimming your grocery budget
Nothing like living on $12 per day to give you some ideas about how and where you can trim.
Plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead. Try to plan your week's menus the weekend prior. You're more likely to use everything you buy, and buy only what you're going to use.
Give pop the heave-ho. Soda is usually full of sugar, chemicals, or both. Substitute water - it's healthy, your body craves it, and it's free!
Go veggie for a day (or more). It's animal friendly and budget friendly.
Make enough for leftovers. When you eat last night's dinner for today's lunch, you're more likely to enjoy a well-balanced meal - and save a ton while you're at it.
Buy in bulk. Sometimes. But never assume you're automatically nabbing a bargain. Compare price per piece/ounce first to make sure you're really getting that great deal.
Speaking of bulk - check out the bulk bins for great deals. Steel-cut oats are a terrific value when purchased in bulk. And bulk spices - what a steal.
Find a few favorite power foods, and use them often. Black beans are full of fiber and protein. Popcorn's a terrific, fiber-filled, inexpensive snack. Quinoa? Don't even get me started. It's got it all.
Other bloggers who took the challenge. And who also happen to be terrific.
- Gluten Free Girl
- Diggin Food
- Dianasaur Dishes
- Savory Sweet Life
- Salty Seattle
- KitchenSink Unplugged
- Mirch Masala
- Family Friendly Food
- A Gorgeous Minute
- D's Home Food
- Cook Local
- Back to Basics
- And Brian Calvert, a repeat Hunger Challenge participant, had plenty of great stuff to say about the 2010 challenge.
