How Low Can I Go?

When I first decided to do this project, it was going to be an experiment in seeing how well I could eat if I had only the maximum amount of food stamps (now Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) as a way to buy food.  That's where the idea for the name of this blog came from...$200 is the maximum SNAP benefit allowable to a one person household and that's $6.45 a day for a 31 day month.  I was going to try it for one month, beginning October 1st, also the date FY 2012 begins for that program and recipients will not be receiving an increase this year.  You can review SNAP guidelines here .


But my plan has evolved a bit and what I'm going to attempt instead is to see how low I can go...how cheaply can I eat and still eat relatively well from a nutritional standpoint.  I'll still limit what I spend to the $200 amount, but I will also use some free food that I (and most people who receive a SNAP benefit) am eligible for.  I'll use this blog to account for what food I get, indicate whether I bought it or not, and to record what I eat.  I'll also account for things I use that I went into the month already having on hand.

There won't be elaborate meal plans or long term planning...shopping and menus will be determined by what food I get free and what's on sale at the local grocery.  I won't drive all over town to get the lowest prices I can for every item, but I will go to more than one store that's within a couple of miles from my house.  I'll try to not eat white flour, not much that comes out of a can, and little sugar.  Another goal will be to be able to avoid highly processed food.  I'll also avoid most saturated fat.  This is how I eat most of the time and I want to see if I can still do it this way.

I also intend to note the things I have to do differently in order to try to make this work and will pay attention, too, to the ways in which my situation might be different from others trying to eat well on a tight budget.  For example,  I have a pretty healthy appetite, but no way would what I eat satisfy the hunger or meet the nutritional needs of a 200 lb young man.

I made my first food purchases yesterday, and spent $14.47 for chicken breasts, eggs, grapes, apples, raisins, and cheese.  (I'll get a separate page set up on this blog that will run an itemized list with descriptions for expenditures.)  I bought only these few things because I plan to do a bigger shopping trip later this week when I can take advantage of a once-a-month discount I'm eligible for at Kroger because I'm a senior citizen.

To help stretch things until then, I made big pot of Southwestern inspired chicken soup, using the chicken breasts I bought.  I had some things on hand for this, but I'm guessing I'll have some things at the end of the month too, so I'll just note what those things are as I go through the month.  This is filling, nutritious, and really good for the fall weather we're having now.

Ingredients:  3 large chicken breasts (boneless and skinless), 1 large onion* (chopped), salt* and pepper*, 1 can fire roasted tomatoes*, 1 can tomatoes with chilies*, 1 12-oz pkg frozen lima beans*, 1 12-oz pkg frozen corn*, chili powder* to taste.


*  Denotes an item I had on hand at the beginning of the month and didn't have to buy.

What I did:  Put the chicken and onion in large pot with enough water to cover plus about an inch or so.  Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, and then simmer (covered) until chicken is done enough to easily break into chunks with a fork.  Add the two cans of tomatoes, lima beans, corn, and chili powder, bring back the heat and then let simmer to meld flavors until the veggies are tender.

I'm just about at the end of day two now.  So far, so good!  Besides the page detailing expenditures for food, I'll also put up a page that has nothing but what I eat each day on it.  I've recorded it so far, but it might take me a day or two to get it set up.  In the meantime, I need what will probably be my bedtime snack... half a peanut butter and raisins on whole wheat bread sandwich.  :)