faire_jour

Uh, you can feed a person at McDonalds for $2 each (One burger, one fry). That would make the total right at $10 plus tax for a family of 5. That is less than your shopping trip.

Deafness

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Jiro

$1 at BK

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LuciaDisturbed

You can't buy alcohol with food stamps.

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"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - Philosopher George Santayana.


Implanted left ear 10/11/06, activated 10/16/06 - Nucleus Freedom

My own CI experience, my views on CI and ASL and Deaf Culture and Society

DeviantArt

TXgolfer

Good news......you won't get obese from one of those tiny burgers at McD's...lol What a joke. How long is that burger and fry going to tide a full size adult over???? An hour???

Cut the meat out of each of my meals and it's cheaper again......and still much healthier than fast food.

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

souggy

Is it a crime that I am living on a $150-$200 food budget a month for a single person?

Apparently mom doesn't think I spend enough on food. O.o

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TXgolfer

Ah there you are.

I knew your budget would come in way below this one. When I am home for a full week and decide to eat at home my groceries run about $50/week

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

souggy

Mom raised me that a home-made meal should cost no more than $2-$5 a meal.

Mind you, most of her time is spent looking at flyers. I can never do that for food; I just go into every grocery store I come across while walking around town and snagging things that are on specialS.

Like I would never buy a 24-pack of coke, unless it was for $2.99 a case or less-- you can always find that pricetag anytime you want at different stores at different time, but it just means you have to break free of your habits of going to the same store all the time. Most people think they're getting a "deal" when it's $4 for a 12-pack.

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"It is my task to convince you not to turn away because you don’t understand it." - Richard Freynman

TXgolfer

Here just for you...

Eliminate meat and spices and the total is $53.29....or $7.62/meal

And still healthier than McDs

Add another veg to those meals you are at $8.70/meal

replace meat with 3 egg whites you are at $8.82/meal

replace meat with 2 egg whites and an extra veg... $9.90/meal

All cheaper and way healthier than your bare bones McD's meal.

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

souggy

Mind you, there is a bias here-- I don't own a car, nor will I be able to.

Research have shown in pedestrian-friendly area, complete with with bike paths and safe sidewalks, people are more likely to buy fresh grocery over junk food-- especially if the shops are visually open to the people on the streets-- even in poverty-stricken neighbourhoods. So really, it's a more complicated societal issue than "poverty;" because with the research coming out, it's saying we should overhaul completely how our cities are built, rather than playing the blame game.

So I am not sure if I would have the habits I've formed if I didn't walk everywhere.

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"It is my task to convince you not to turn away because you don’t understand it." - Richard Freynman

TXgolfer

$2 a 12 pk or I don't buy it.

My shopping trip included no coupons.....it goes down more if you use those. The goal was to show that you could have a good meal with minimal effort cheaper than fast food. It gets cheaper shopping at Costco too.

I am like your mom I guess. I always check the flyers and coupons in the Sunday paper. Leaves more money for beer.

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

souggy

I think my breakfast is only like a $1 this morning.... or rather "every morning."

Two large eggs, and about two or three cups of cooked rice and soy sauce. Jiro would recogize it...



IMG00026-20100812-0617.jpg by souggy, on Flickr

Apparently a few friends of mine ate the same thing when they were body-building, doing marathons and so on.

Considering most people's breakfast is cereal and milk, or eggs and toast... I think I prefer parcooked "egg-rice.)

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"It is my task to convince you not to turn away because you don’t understand it." - Richard Freynman

Frisky Feline

I did not read all of this. just this one, I would think it is not going to happen if it was just obesity alone that SSDI wont approves.

TWA

I appreciate the time and effort you put into making this list, Tex. Given the information you've collected, it would appear that eating healthy is cheaper than fast food. However, I think there are many variables here.

1st: I'm skeptical that this is enough food to feed a family of five for one week, especially if it includes a grown man and growing teenager (many families tend to have children who are close in age, so a family of 5 might include at least 2 teenagers, if not 3). Teenagers eat a MASSIVE amount of food. My mother used to spend at least 600$ a month to feed three teenage boys and herself when we were younger. Also, frozen vegetables do not provide as much food as fresh vegetables (serving size is hardly accurate) nor are they as nutritious, and fresh veggies, depending on season, can often cost MUCH more than frozen.

2nd: let's not forget that just because food is purchased in a supermarket doesn't mean it's healthy. What you've listed is a fairly balanced and nutritious menu (though, I tend to be even healthier, going the organic and natural foods root, which is MUCH more expensive). You can shop at discount supermarkets and load up on food very cheaply, but you get what you pay for. The stuff is loaded with preservatives, artificial ingredients, and trans fat. Not much of a difference between that and going to McD's IMO.


3rd: Just as there are bargains in supermarket food, there are also bargains in fast food. For example, KFC meal deals for 14.99$ which I would wager have a bit more food than one of the meals you've proposed (10 pieces of chicken, 2 family size orders of mashed potatoes w/gravy, large order of coleslaw, 5 biscuits).

Also, don't forget places like Denny's, that allow kids to eat for free on certain days (Denny's is pretty much fast food as far as nutritional value goes...). And then of course there's Jack in the Crack value menus (4 tacos for 2 bucks. Mmm Mmm), Taco Bell 2$ meal deals, Wendy's 1$ value menu, BK Value, etc.

You can also find deals at other restaurants that aren't exactly fast food, but not healthy either. Consider Mexican restaurants that do 3$ burritos or Tortas, loaded with fat and low quality meat. Or places that cater to college students that often have large meals under 5$

I had two friends who just graduated, and they used to eat out every single day. They never prepared their own food. None of us could understand how they afforded it. Turns out hey just ate at all the cheapest places and found all the special deals. They also only ate twice a day (lunch and dinner). because they were getting so much calories, they didn't need to eat as much. Of course, they were not very healthy guys. One had chronic adult acne, the other gained weight, and neither of them could exercise for long without losing their breath.



Anyway, what I'm saying is. Yes, I think it's possible to eat healthy and cheap, but it's just as possible to eat shitty and cheap as well. Many families will choose the fast food route for one simple reason: IT'S CONVENIENT. After a long day, mom and dad are beat. Who wants to spend an hour or more preparing dinner, washing dishes, etc.? I think that's really the biggest difference here.

TXgolfer

[quote=TheWriteAlex;1638526]

I agree this is not the healthiest menu.....just healthier. Each meal should be around 500 calories. Dr's say that's enough. I would still be hungry....but then again... I am obese according to BMI

These were actually pretty healthy items. The healthy pasta sauce and the corn tortillas were the most questionable. The big bonus is these meals would have a small fraction of sodium and fat when compared to fast food. But yeah if people are buying alot of the prepackaged and canned stuff they may as well stop at a fast food place.

More food for sure. But more is not going to help with obesity

Jack in the Box tacos are one of my guilty pleasures.....but harly $2 for 4. You have to add in the cost of a bypass surgery as well.

You can also find deals at other restaurants that aren't exactly fast food, but not healthy either. Consider Mexican restaurants that do 3$ burritos or Tortas, loaded with fat and low quality meat. Or places that cater to college students that often have large meals under 5$

Not good

Yeah, that has been my point all along. It is a choice. I never said it was an easy choice. I love my Taco Bueno,Fuzzy's Tacos,BK and Chick fil a as much as anyone. Panda Express too.

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

Rio

Wirelessly posted

Too many fast food in America.

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Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends

CJB

I still want to point out that going to the grocery store and cooking all those meals take a lot more time and effort than going down the road to McDonald's. Effort that working parents don't have.

1) I could spend a dollar taking the bus, waiting for the bus (it only comes from 8 to 5 in one hour to 90 minute intervals), walking 20 minutes in the 95 degree weather from the bus stop to the grocery store, lug back a bunch of stuff for the 20 minutes, ride the bus and go home. Or,

2) I could walk 2 minutes to the McDonald's. Which one is 90% of the population going to choose?

Yes you can eat healthy cheap but it just takes not a little, but a lot more effort.

Jiro

going to fast food because it's convenient? nah.

It's more like.... nobody knows how to eat healthy & cheap. the fast food corporations are extremely effective at this. That's why they spent billions of dollars. They're even more successful than Microsoft + Apple + Disney Walt combined!

They made you think it's too expensive and difficult to buy healthy food and cook it when it's actually not.
They made you a lazy couch potato so that you rather buy McD because it takes 2 minutes.
They made you think it's cheap to feed the family this way when it's actually not (in the long run, you will succumb to medical debt where you will never be able to recover from... and they don't care!).
They made you keep eating their food even though you acknowledged yourself that it's destroying your health.

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Jiro

or you can buy food at grocery enough for 1 week and then prepare it in advance so that it takes a minimal effort to cook it everyday. It's lot simpler that way - 30 min. You do not have to follow Emeril's show which can take quite an effort and time.

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CJB

I can't carry one week's worth of food. If I did groceries only I would have to go 3-4 times a week cause that's the most I can carry at once.

KristinaB

I have a bunch of recipes for "freezer meals", so that when you buy the food monthly, you can prepare it ahead of time over one weekend, put in freezer and have a month's worth of meals ready to go. All you have to get during the weeks are the fresh ingredients to add like milk, eggs and such like that.

KristinaB

I do understand your position. Still, home made is healthier. I have a brother who has the metabolism that no matter what he eats or how much, he burns it off. He kinds of makes me sick. I gain it all, but he stays the same. Since he was 16 and he's now 50, he wears the same size in pants, 28/36. Long legged, skinny waist.

yagazn

Look at who's talking (puzzle). It doesn't make sense.

I'm not saying who.

KristinaB

Not me.....

Jiro

You don't need to stick to homemade food all the time. Just a careful balance. It's ok to eat fast food a few times a week but a large portion of your food intake shouldn't comprise fast food.

do you have friend/family member with car? or the transportation assistance program?

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TXgolfer

Talk to your grocery store manager. Most people are good people. I am sure they will arrange a way to deliver the groceries for you. Many stores around me have free delivery already.

Churches can be pretty handy for this too.

Alot of effort???? Again we are back to choice. Is a family's health worth the effort? That's the choice.

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

dogmom

I still think that there are some to many instances in which a person has no nutritional knowledge and is unaware they have any choices because the world in which the live seems to offer no choice and they've had no healthy role model to emulate - whether that be someone at home, someone on tv, whatever. Speculating that someone can or "should" choose this or that assumes a starting point that not everyone comes with.

TXgolfer

That's where mirrors and scales come in.

Nutrition is also taught in every public school.....Info is given through every WIC program and food stamp program. There are public service announcements on TV and radio. Oprah and Dr Phil. Local news. Cable news. Info on almost all packaging.

It's almost impossible NOT to know about nutrition. Even my local library is covered with nutrition posters.

Then there is common sense. Greasy fries of salad.....who can't tell which is healthier.

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

Jiro

ah yes - good idea. there's community outreach program too.

It is no brainer that cooking healthy for family is a much smaller effort than an effort it takes to deal with family w/ health problems resulting from unhealthy eating.

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KristinaB

And yes, cooking for a family of 5 does take a lot of effort. In my case, it is 3 adults and 2 teenagers. One of the teens is a picky eater. The other teen needs to cut back on what he eats. One adult is one a low sodium diet and the senior adult is on low protein. Now, I do have issues with cooking, but I enjoy it and money does not let me have a wide variety. We are slowly getting healthier. My teens are learning the benefits of healthy eating. When we do go out, they look for healthy options.

faire_jour

I think another issue is, what about the people who don't have $85? If I only have $15 today, how do I buy enough to feed my family? I can't buy enough groceries to divide the food up for the week, I need to feed my family TODAY.