Yesterday our family had our Last Supper--out, that is. Eating out contributes to our overall food bill that has become outrageously high. It's our single biggest monthly expense. Our total monthly food bill for our family of seven is over $1800.00. That sounds like a mortgage payment!
Are we living too high on the proverbial hog? The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps) that provides food aid to people in poverty provides an average benefit of around $900 for a family our size. We could stand to economize. Could we live on what the government would give us if we were part of the SNAP program? Thus was born the challenge:
Eat at the poverty level for 12 months, cutting our food budget in half. Do it with good healthy foods. And make it fun.
We called a family meeting and explained to the children (ages 2-13) what we were planning to do. They readily understood the idea, complete with skeptical looks on the faces of the older ones, and questions about whether we were going to have dinner any more from the younger ones. Assurances of future dinners brought us around to talking about the details of how we're going to pull it off.
First, going out to dinner has got to come to a screeching halt. Dinner for seven of us, even when we're careful, always sets us back $50 to $60. That's two days' food budget for one meal! Dining at home is a must. As for the grocery shopping, the strategy starts with decreasing expensive processed foods, opting instead for simple meals that we make ourselves with produce and grains. Basic strategies in hand, we're embarking on a family journey of saving money, discovery, and creativity. It'll take some serious work. It won't be a SNAP.
Are we living too high on the proverbial hog? The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps) that provides food aid to people in poverty provides an average benefit of around $900 for a family our size. We could stand to economize. Could we live on what the government would give us if we were part of the SNAP program? Thus was born the challenge:
Eat at the poverty level for 12 months, cutting our food budget in half. Do it with good healthy foods. And make it fun.
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| BX gets set to devour a stack |
First, going out to dinner has got to come to a screeching halt. Dinner for seven of us, even when we're careful, always sets us back $50 to $60. That's two days' food budget for one meal! Dining at home is a must. As for the grocery shopping, the strategy starts with decreasing expensive processed foods, opting instead for simple meals that we make ourselves with produce and grains. Basic strategies in hand, we're embarking on a family journey of saving money, discovery, and creativity. It'll take some serious work. It won't be a SNAP.
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