$32 Dollars. That's how much a resident on Summit County public assistance is given to live on
each week. When that money runs out, the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank steps in to fill the gap.
In an effort to raise awareness for the Food Bank as they kick off their annual holiday food drive,
I put aside my love of food and agreed to spend the week eating only what I could buy for $32.
Although this site has no direct affiliation with WKDD or the Food Bank, the "Hunger Challenge" is all part of the bigger "Long Haul Against Hunger," and I encourage you to visit wkdd.com to learn more!
So, what exactly does $32 buy? Not much! Forget brand name or low fat anything. My main
goal was to purchase enough food to cover 21 meals (for you math folks, that's $1.52 per meal).
I quickly realized that eating out was not going to be an option. You can view my shopping list here.
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
Total Estimated Cost: $24.33 Over A 7 Day Period!
Click Here To Do Your Part And Donate To The Akron/Canton Regional Food Bank!
Day 1 - Sunday, November 29th, 2009
Well, I've made the preparations, both mentally and physically, for the week ahead. It was really hard to resist the home-cooked breakfast that my family was eating, but I figured that eating over $10 worth of food was probably not the best way to start my week. Instead, I turned for the box of "Great Value Bran Flakes" that I had picked up from Wal-Mart. Add some milk for the cereal, a slice of buttered wheat toast and a glass of juice and breakfast was done. Total estimated cost: $0.58. Not bad!
For those who really want to know, I estimated all costs on the purchase price / # of servings.
For example, 16 servings of apple juice that cost $1.74 = approximately $0.11 per serving.
Lunch was pretty standard, although it featured one of my favorite childhood items: Goober's
Peanut Butter & Jelly! You'll recognize this brand on the shelf by it's intermixed peanut butter and
jelly stripes. I was able to supplement the sandwich with tortilla chips, applesauce, and a granola bar.
I washed it all down with a glass of "Diet Dr. Thunder" (not to be confused with the similar-tasting
yet not-so-similarly priced "Dr. Pepper.") Total estimated cost: $0.99. So far so good, I'd say.
My first dinner on the Hunger Challenge did not come without its own... challenges. I don't think the challenging part of this exercise was supposed to be in meal preparation, but as I stared down at the empty pots & pans and compared to them to the list of instructions on the side of the mac & cheese,
I considered for the first time that the hardest part of this week might not be the cost of the food!
I followed the instructions exactly and the mac & cheese looked appetizing enough, but I wasn't done. Following an old family recipe, I washed out the casserole cookware that had been collecting dust
for over four years and threw in some tuna and cream of mushroom soup to make a tuna casserole. To my astonishment, twenty ticks of the clock later and my dinner was ready - and it tasted good!
I heated up a bag of frozen corn and dipped back into the applesauce for sides, and after a slice of buttered bread and another round of Diet Dr. Thunder, my first day came to a very successful close.
Total estimated cost for dinner: $1.88. Total estimated cost for Day 1: $3.45. Six Days To Go!
* Full Disclosure: The mac & cheese did require margarine and milk in it's preparation.
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Day 2 - Monday, November 30th, 2009
Today started out very much like yesterday, but different in it's own way. You see, for the past year
or so, I have fallen into the rather annoying habit of starting my mornings with nothing more than a
Nutri-Grain Bar. Nutritious, yes, but I've been longing for an excuse to break this cycle, until now.
A $0.14 banana brought my Total estimated cost to $0.72 and it was off to work to compare notes
and meals with several coworkers who were also participating in the Food Bank's Hunger Challenge.
Lunch also mirrored Day 1 with the exception of a last minute substitute of a pudding cup for
the granola bar. I'm beginning to notice that you don't get a lot of variety for $32, which is where
the Food Bank really shines. For just $1, the Food Bank's buying power can net up to three meals!
Speaking of $1, my total estimated cost of this meal was $1.05, and thankfully dinner was already prepared courtesy of some storage containers and the assistance of a microwave. Day two, done.
Total estimated cost for dinner: $1.90*. Total estimated cost for Day 2: $3.67. Five Days To Go!
* A granola bar took the place of the applesauce, giving me an estimated $0.02 difference. You know you were curious.
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Day 3 - Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
My intention was to spice things up and start the day with scrambled eggs, but with a mere twenty minutes to go before the start of work, my cereal/toast routine held fast for another day. I did,
however, have a plan to incorporated eggs into the day later. Total estimated cost: $0.72
Lunch presented an interesting moral quandary. Free pizza was being served for lunch at work. Keeping in mind that someone on public assistance would jump at the chance of a free meal, I felt
that it would not be in the spirit of the Hunger Challenge to take advantage of food that I did not purchase as part of my $32 allotment. Besides, I had already brown-bagged my lunch (another first
for my tenure at Clear Channel). It actually ended up being a wise choice, as I not only saved on calories, but my coworkers were actually envious of my grilled cheese, baked potato and applesauce!
Total estimated cost after adding margarine for the potato, a granola bar and Diet Dr. Thunder: $0.87.
After two days of pasta, cereal, and sandwiches, I was ready to stretch my cooking creativity! Armed with a potato, four eggs and two slices of cheese, I set out to try my luck with egg frittata. I've noticed over the past three days that when eating on just $32, the amount of dishes and prep time increases seemingly exponentially. Keeping more or less a vegetarian diet at home helps though, as some of my more carnivorous coworkers have already consumed their entire $32 worth of food! This is why the Food Bank is so important... providing the nourishment that public assistance just can't cover!
After peeling, slicing, and frying the potato, melting some cheese, and slightly singing four eggs, dinner was served. Despite being fairly high on the cholesterol side, it didn't taste half bad! Once you factor in the milk and margarine ingredients, juice to wash it down and a pudding cup for dessert, my total estimated cost was $1.78, bringing the day's total to $3.02. I'm almost halfway done, and still have approximately 60% of my food left. Don't even ask me how or why I know that... really, don't.
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Day 4 - Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Today I started rationing my milk and juice, as I began to realized that my supplies would be
exhausted before the week is up at my current rate of consumption. Food takes on new meaning when every bite is processed with the subtle sound of a cash register behind it. I've noticed that I am eating slower than normal... taking time to enjoy the food opposed to just inhaling it and moving on.
I have also cut out snacking completely... and lost weight. Total estimated cost: only $0.47.
For lunch I went back to the the old reliable Goober's jar for another round of Peanut Butter & Jelly, complete with chips, apple sauce, a pudding cup, and the increasingly addicting Diet Dr. Thunder.
I'm beginning to worry about my bread, or lack thereof. Total estimated cost for this meal: $0.89.
For dinner tonight perhaps one of the most economical purchases one can make: spaghetti marinara. I splurged at the store, spending seventeen additional cents to upgrade my pasta sauce to the kind with vegetables suspended amid the sauce. The noodles were simple spaghetti, scanning across at just $1 for eight (okay, more like four) servings. With the addition of more corn, applesauce, bread
and butter, a granola bar and more Diet Dr. Thunder, the total estimated cost for this meal: $1.56.
Total estimated cost for the day: $2.92 (my most economic day yet). I'm beginning to realize two things. First, $32 of purchased food does not equal $32 of consumed food, and more importantly...
it is really hard to live on $32 of food! Fortunately for me, this is a one-week experiment. However,
for over 160,000 people in Summit county, this is a way of life! If you haven't done so already, please click here to donate to the Food Bank. Remember, just $1 can provide 3 meals to those in need!
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