Here is an example of how to feed your family of four on less than 12.00 a day. Sounds pretty impossible, right? Not if you think about it and make sure you always have certain staples in the house. The following is an example and breakdown of the actual costs to feed MY family. (I am not making this up.) If you really want to stretch those food dollars, get in the habit of having soup & grilled cheese for dinner one night a week. It’s inexpensive, delicious and nutritious! Also, have leftovers at least one night a week…waste not, want not!
Day 1
Soup day:
2 cans of soup = $1.00
Grilled cheese sandwich = Bread .25, cheese .41 X 5 sandwiches = $3.30
Crackers = .25
Total for 4 people = $4.55
Day 2
Pork Roast = $5.43
Mini corn on the cob = $1.66
¼ of a 10# bag of potatoes bought on sale for 2.49 = .62 (for mashed potatoes)
Applesauce = ½ jar = .89
Can of Green Beans = .39
Stick of margarine (for vegetables, rolls) = .16
Can of biscuits = 1.00
Total for 4 people = $10.15 (this meal should yield leftovers)
Day 3
Hamburger helper
Ground Chuck = $2.14 (buy a big package on sale and split it to use the other ½ for another meal)
Store Brand Hamburger Helper = $1.25
Bread & Butter (Margarine) = .58
Can of Green beans or peas or corn = .39
Total for 4 people = $4.36
Day 4
Smoked sausage = $1.59 (on sale BOGO)
Sauerkraut = .86
Baked Beans = .74
Cottage Cheese = 1.25
Total for 4 people = $4.44
Day 5
Chuck Roast = $4.68 (2.35 lbs)
Potatoes (from the same bag bought on sale) = .62
1 onion = .50
1 Lb. Carrots = .79
Can of Biscuits = $1.00
Total for 4 people = $7.59 (This meal yields leftovers)
Day 6
Hamburgers patties, or what some restaurants call Hamburger Steak Some people like these plain with ketchup, or you can make a sandwich on bread.
Ground Chuck (from the same pack used on Day 3) = $2.14
Potatoes from the bag bought on sale = .62
½ of a yellow onion = .25 (to make fried potatoes & onions)
2 Cans of vegetables (Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Carrots) = .78
Total for 4 people = $3.79
Day 7
Leftovers = No cooking or spending money!
Ok, that covers the dinners. Now what about breakfast & Lunch? Well, my little one usually eats a bowl of oatmeal or a granola bar or cold cereal for breakfast. If I do eat anything, it is light, like toast or a banana. My husband is on the road, so he usually gets a sausage biscuit or something small to hold him till dinner. My 23 year old daughter usually doesn’t eat breakfast at home.
Oatmeal = 1.50 for 10 packets, so .15 each
Granola bar = 8 for 2.99, so .37 each
Cold cereal = 2.00 average for a box, so maybe .25 for cold cereal
So, for the little one, averaging out, it’s about $1.38 during the week to feed her breakfast
Sausage or egg Biscuit = .99 X 4 days eating breakfast out = 3.98
Toast = .25 X 5 = $1.25
Weekday breakfast = 6.61
Saturday breakfast = cereal = 1.00
Sunday is a good day to make a home cooked hot breakfast. Most of the foods typical to a big breakfast, such as bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, etc. don’t need to be eaten more than once a week since they contain a lot of fat and cholesterol.
I will use biscuits & gravy, eggs and sausage for my big breakfast.
1 roll sausage = $2.50 (but I usually get it from the meat manager’s special for like .89 and freeze)
1 can biscuits = 1.00
6 eggs (I don’t eat the eggs) = .50
Milk = $1.00
Total for 4 people = $5.00
School Lunch = $1.85 X 5, so 9.25 a week
Other food costs for the week:
Milk = 1 ½ gal on average, so $5.84
Coffee = 4.99
Creamer = 2.99
Soda = 5.00
Snacks, chips, etc. = 7.00
Total = $82.56/7 days = $11.79 a day / 4 people = $2.94 a day
Pretty amazing, huh? This is just an example of a week’s meals. Of course, your tastes may vary, but it can be done quite easily if you do your homework. Always check the local paper for sales, buy in bulk whenever possible and plan ahead!
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