Small Eye-Openers
Almost every year, I have the privilege of participating in an Alternative Break trip through the university I work for. The role I play is that of the Learning Partner. Basically, I'm on the trip as an official representative of the university, but more importantly, I'm there to provide a different perspective for the participants - a more mature voice in the crowd, you could say. I've done Katrina relief work, built playgrounds in Jamaica, removed invasive plants from an island off the coast of Florida, worked with Second Wind Dreams (an AMAZING organization), and helped tutor kids in an after-school program in Atlanta.
I can go on at length about how awesome these trips are and how much of an impact they make on the lives of the students who participate in them, but I'll spare you that today. One of the goals of the trip is to give the students a sense of what it's like to live at the poverty level. Part of that experience includes living on a food budget of $5 a day. Now, when you're shopping for a group of twelve, a budget of $1 for breakfast, $2 for lunch and $2 for dinner really isn't that bad. We usually eat well on these trips, but the students get to see what it's like planning out meals on a limited budget.
So I decided to give it a try on my own for the next six days. I went shopping today and limited myself to a budget of $30 to get enough food for breakfast, lunch and dinner to last me through next Saturday. It wasn't easy. I spent a considerable amount of time planning, looking for deals, and clipping coupons. And I'm going to be missing my fresh veggies this week, that's for sure.
For the first time in years, I had to buy milk that wasn't organic. A large majority of farmers in the US have stopped using the growth hormone that was so concerning because Wal-Mart pledged to only sell milk free of the stuff (sometimes the evil empire can do a little good), but in my mind, it tastes different - less fresh, maybe? Still, at half the price, it's what made it into my basket today.
If anyone has some good food cost-saving ideas/coupon sites/cheap and healthy recipes, send them my way!
I can go on at length about how awesome these trips are and how much of an impact they make on the lives of the students who participate in them, but I'll spare you that today. One of the goals of the trip is to give the students a sense of what it's like to live at the poverty level. Part of that experience includes living on a food budget of $5 a day. Now, when you're shopping for a group of twelve, a budget of $1 for breakfast, $2 for lunch and $2 for dinner really isn't that bad. We usually eat well on these trips, but the students get to see what it's like planning out meals on a limited budget.
So I decided to give it a try on my own for the next six days. I went shopping today and limited myself to a budget of $30 to get enough food for breakfast, lunch and dinner to last me through next Saturday. It wasn't easy. I spent a considerable amount of time planning, looking for deals, and clipping coupons. And I'm going to be missing my fresh veggies this week, that's for sure.
For the first time in years, I had to buy milk that wasn't organic. A large majority of farmers in the US have stopped using the growth hormone that was so concerning because Wal-Mart pledged to only sell milk free of the stuff (sometimes the evil empire can do a little good), but in my mind, it tastes different - less fresh, maybe? Still, at half the price, it's what made it into my basket today.
If anyone has some good food cost-saving ideas/coupon sites/cheap and healthy recipes, send them my way!