Last night I read a story that some CongressCritters were going to try to live on $4.50 per person, per day in food purchases – which is apparently the amount allowed for single SNAP (food stamp) users. Could you do this? My “budget” for food for each of the two of us is $6.00 a day, so I would have to cut back 25% in order to stay within those guidelines.
I read a story
this morning about a lady and her husband and two children (who appear to be about six and maybe nine) who eat well on $200. a month. She claims to not having been a cook, but when the opportunity came along to save, save, save for a down payment on a house, she checked some books out of the library, and learned to cook! It’s a very interesting story in a lot of respects. Take a look, if you have the time.
We eat spectacularly well; I would probably just have to cut back here and there to effect this SNAP budget for us. DH likes steak, so I make that fairly often – but could cut back to a different cut of beef, and use the Crock-Pot more often.
I love whole wheat bread and toast – shown here with a generous amount of sunflower seeds in it. A mixture of regular whole wheat flour and “white” whole wheat flour makes a lovely loaf in the bread machine with very little effort. One slice is very filling, and has a wonderful texture and taste.
The picture at the top of this page is our lunch today – a typical one for us. Out of the picture is a big bucket of homemade salsa, DH’s bowl of soup (about twice the size of mine, and he went back for a refill), and a bowl of about 15 tortilla chips. The soup is Cream of Broccoli, made with half an onion, bits of leftover red pepper, tomatoes, ham, and broccoli; homemade chicken broth (the consistency of very thick Jell-O), Cheddar cheese, milk, a bit of curry paste, and flour were “new” ingredients. There was about a quart of soup leftover, which will be plenty for another meal. We ate all of the veggies, so I’ll have to start over on them!
Adventures of Dorrie Anne 
looks good to me:) I love stories like this 🙂 Cooking on a budget can be very challenging but very fun… it allows you to become creative and to be open to learning new things:) Of course I am not going to lie… I do like cooking when there is no budget too..LOL caviar anyone:)
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I buy a lot of staples in bulk, even though there are only two of us. Makes things like beans, rice, split peas, etc. insignificant in cost per meal.
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Bulk is an awesome way to do things:) The main thing is to store it properly:)
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I’m lucky to live in a dry climate, and have lots of large, airtight containers, and many shelves! More of a problem in Florida, although I did it to some extent when I lived there.
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Florida is great for many reasons… food storage is not one of them… but I have found that a vacume sealer or the refrigerator /freezer are my allies in the sunny south Florida warmth and humidity:)
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Lived in Miami for 36 years. Prefer The West!!! I always had a freezer in Florida, but that didn’t help for keeping things from getting soggy. Didn’t have Lock & Lock containers then, but they probably would have helped. Vacuum sealers weren’t extant then, either. Been gone since 1985!
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LOL 🙂 I must say I am not a fan of the soggy:) Vacuum sealer has been on a first name bases with me:) everything goes soggy from the humidity really fast… but on the bright side it is wonderful for making bread 🙂 and there is nothing like a day on the beach… and I love the heat:) another great thing about Florida the nice flat roads 🙂 Another bright thing about FL I never have to worry about drying out my skin..LOL Despite all the downfalls of FL, I still love living here:)…ps I think in general there are better restaurants out West & lovely sunsets against the mountains & fantastic wine- wine here is too sweet for me:)
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I love Cream of Broccoli Soup Your meals always look so good ! AND taste good !! See you soon.
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Thanks, Shirley. Your tree looks so gorgeous now!
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Ham and broccoli, and cheddar cheese made with homemade broth must taste lovely. It’s high time I made some broccoli soup. I always just steam mine. Have a wonderful week!
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I steam a big batch of broccoli (or cauliflower – the next up soup!) for the vegetable for a dinner, and then use the “planned over” amount in the soup during the next few days. Saute a bit of onion, make a thin cream sauce with a combination of broth and milk, add the veggies. Got a few leftover potato bits (even mashed) or a straggly mushroom or two? Here’s where to put them. Sprinkle in some Cheddar (or put it on top), and serve.
All done! Dill is great on the cauliflower variety.
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