Feed Your Fam on $3 Per Person, Per Day!

"Swansons, St. Patricks Day" by Seattlest Flickr group photog lachance.

Yesterday, Katelyn wrote a post about Spam, prepared food, and the surge in food stamps demand here in Washington, and there was one line that caught our attention: "processed foods are still cheap foods, however unappealing and unhealthy that may be." That reminded us of something we came across earlier this month, meant to post about, then never did. So here it is.

Back on the eighth of January, our significant other, chuckling, showed us an email she'd received. Turns out, for reasons we're not entirely clear on (something about dented cans being okay...), she had signed up to receive email coupons from what we affectionately refer to as "the welfare grocery," a.k.a., Grocery Outlet, the place with the tell-tale bright yellow bags, lots of frozen food from brands you've never heard of, and the smallest produce section you've ever seen. In other words, it's essentially a grocery store devoted to processed foods, which are, as Katelyn noted, quite cheap.

Anyway, contained in this little email is one of the more precious nuggets of cost-conscious wisdom we've ever come across: Grocery Outlet's plan to feed your family for just $3 per person, per day (PDF). If we may direct you to the last page, you'll find what's so funny in such a sad, sad way: the shopping list you use to feed a family of four for a week on a diet of canned, frozen, and processed food.

The extent of your fresh produce is one bag of apples, one bag of baby carrots, broccoli, two zucchini (no weight specified), celery, and a squash. There's also some onions, but unless you're like my grandfather who grew up in the Depression, you're unlikely to eat these on your own. However, you will fill out your veggie-lite diet with one "large package" of cheddar cheese, as well as parmesan and mozzarella. There's a bunch of cans and jars of stuff to get, including a "box of mac n' cheese." The "Grains" section includes no bread (pita doesn't count). But it is vegetarian-friendly: the only meat (excluding tuna) you'll need is one pound of ground beef. You will, however, need three dozen eggs. For one week.

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By Jeremy in Miscellaneous on January 21, 2009 12:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Bets

I agree with the previous comments in that the list and recipes are far from 'bottom of the barrel'. I'm an educated individual - unemployed at the moment - and have found myself at the food bank as of late. (Unfortunately, I am also part of the upward trend in food stamp enrollment.)

Firstly, the products listed present a good idea of what you'll get at the bank in an average week. You have to be creative with your recipes, substitute when needed, and keep your mind open about foods you're unfamiliar with.

Second, produce really isn't that expensive. If you buy in season and consult enough recipe books, you can find efficient ways to make filling meals with inexpensive ingredients. Of course, Grapples, organic-whatever, Perrier, and other high-priced goodies won't make the cut. But - like the Grocery Outlet PDF mentions - if you have a few extra dollars to buy that super special thing you can't live without, you don't notice you're on a budget.

Lastly, let me put in my own 2 cents w/a lentil recipe I found:

2 C orange lentils (buy in bulk to save $!)

8 C your choice of stock (I make my own w/veggies & chicken parts)

1 Tbsp olive oil (or other oil suitable for sauteing)

1 onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced

juice of one lemon

sour cream & paprika to serve

Boil stock & add lentils. Keep lentils boiling for 30 min, stirring occasionally. (The lentils will break and create a smooth consistency.) Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add to cooked lentils along w/lemon juice. Simmer for 5 min more. Serve w/dollop of sour cream & paprika. YUM!

The trick is having staples in your pantry. Buy stuff on sale & freeze or store. Supplement w/fresh produce. Sorry for the length here. I'm just heavily invested in this issue.

GroundedGirl

Um, I eat like this all the time. Single, no kids, and I eat less for breakfast (also note this plan includes no coffee or orange juice, which are not negotiable for me). Perfectly sensible. Simple. Do-able at Safeway or Fred Meyer for about the same. Go, Grocery Outlet!

justinf

But it is vegetarian-friendly: the only meat (excluding tuna) you'll need is one pound of ground beef.

That's as stupid as saying:
But it is vegetarian-friendly: the only meat (excluding beef) you'll need is tuna.

MvB

What we need is for someone to give this meal plan a shot for a week, and then report back. *coughSwidler*

Matt

[BigGreen] I have to admit I hadn't opened the PDF before commenting, and the list looks fine to me. I had assumed it was closer to the lard-filled products that are normally sold at low prices. Note: I was a frequent shopper at Rainbow years ago in college, and I found it mildly difficult to find healthy foods.

rjh

Well, at least you admit you didn't actually read the list. Not so sure about Jeremy; he keeps insisting it's full of processed foods, when that's not the case at all.

Just because food is in a can or a jar doesn't make it highly processed. People have been canning for centuries.

Jeremy

Hmm...I intend to look into this more, but I don't think this is actually being frugal with our cooking, nor is it necessarily healthy (though it's not McDonald's). I'm not trying to be classist here by mocking Grocery Outlet, either; but selling tons of processed and pre-packaged food to low income people is one of the things I think is deeply wrong with America, and a sign of the perverted food supply we've set up, which of course has a big environmental impact as well.

BigGreenFrank

I find nothing ridiculous or funny about this list. It seems like a very basic grocery list that takes advantage of the best "food deals" that reflect the bounty of our country. (Canned foods and certain basic staples are amazingly cheap in the US)

It's not shameful to be frugal with our cooking. Maybe if we didn't look down upon it as we obviously do, more people would be more comfortable cooking the meager, healthy meals that we should all be eating more of, instead of jumping to a fast food option.

And people eating this diet would not be "malnourished" as one commenter suggested. (maybe a little over salted...)

Let's not pretend that the Organic Tomato Bisque (with cream...) you're buying at Whole Foods is somehow exponentially healthier than the canned tomato soup.

mrswright

Really, Grocery Outlet is not bad at all. They're actually quite good for basics, and they frequently even have organic products (not to mention wine, cheese, household items, etc.). As long as you check the expiration dates (and I have rarely found anything that is expired), I really don't understand what the big deal is.

rjh

This isn't nearly as bad as you're making it sound. More fresh veggies (and fruit, especially) would be nice, but the meals themselves aren't bad. The canned goods are primarily beans, chopped tomatoes, tuna, etc. -- perfectly good staples that we all use.

It's heavy on the pasta and other carbs, but for the money you're spending you could do so much worse -- like, going to McDonald's.

Matt

Just one reason that the poor in our country are far from starving, just malnourished. I wonder what the price of this food would be if you could factor in health care costs.

Troy Morris

I've shopped there. Planning it out sucks though, considering they don't even know what they'll have.

It's like a treasure hunt... in the land of expired foods.

Amy

So true, there is a pot of gold under the grocery outlet rainbow, and it's cheese. I look forward to posts on how to cook with all these bargains. Rachael?