In case you aren’t already aware, September is Hunger Action Month. Hunger, both domestically and internationally, has always been a cause that’s important to me. Because of that, as I recently posted, I’m participating in the Lose for Good campaign with Weight Watchers over the next couple of months and Lose-a-Palooza on Monday, Sept. 19. At the end of the challenge, I will be donating 2 pounds of food to a local food bank for every pound I lose during the challenge. I’m down 7 pounds thus far, so that’s 14 pounds of food!
In addition to Lose for Good, I’m also participating in the 2011 Hunger Challenge this week being coordinated by the San Francisco Food Bank and the Marin Food Bank. The basic premise of the Hunger Challenge is eating for one week on the same amount of money as someone who receives Food Stamps assistance, this includes all food and beverages consumed. In California, that works out to $4.72 per person per day or $33.04 per week. Staples such as seasonings, oil, condiments, etc. can be used from one’s pantry for “free” during the challenge. Any food items used from one’s pantry should be priced out using current costs and included in the total.
In addition to staying within the cost restraints, I had a couple of other rules for myself as well. Here are my personal rules:
- Must eat as cleanly as possible. No loading up on inexpensive junk food.
- Must have at least 1 serving of fruit per day.
- Must consume at least 3 veggie servings per day.
- Must consume only whole grains.
- Must consume 2 dairy servings per day.
Instead of breaking it down on a daily basis, I opted to do my shopping for the week and keep my total below the $33.04 threshold. By doing that, it doesn’t really matter if I happen to go over a bit on any single day as my grand total for the week would still be on target. I would imagine this is how most folks relying on Food Stamps assistance work things as well since it’s definitely cheaper to buy things in quantity than individually. So, I headed out on Sunday to Trader Joe’s and Target to pick up my food for the week.
Here’s how I spent my $33.04 (links show the item I purchased and proof of cost):
Well, as you can, I managed to squeak in just 3 cents shy of the limit. The only thing that saved me was the instant oatmeal priced out from my pantry. I purchased it on sale recently for $1 per box (5 packets), but there were only 4 packets left in the box so that prices out to $.0.80. 
Since I know how to butcher a chicken thanks to my late Gran and good Tennessee farm upbringing, I opted to purchase a whole chicken rather than parts. It was not only cheaper that way, but I was also able to use the giblets, bones, etc. to make some chicken stock which I used to cook my rice and lentils to give them more flavor.
Now those of you who know me well know I loooooooooove my Keurig coffee brewer. Since K-cups aren’t something a person relying on Food Stamps assistance would be buying, I’m back to drinking budget coffee and using some of the fat-free milk I bought in it instead of creamer. I will still be brewing it my Keurig though using my Solofill Cup.
The challenge started on Sunday, so I’ve completed 3 days thus far. It’s definitely more challenging than I expected, even with my planning. One of the biggest changes for me is consuming much less organic food than normal. I was able to fit organic salad greens from Trader Joe’s into my budget this week, but my usual organic meat and most produce simply wasn’t an option.
Not only do I normally buy organic for my health, but this really reinforced to me the importance of buying organic whenever I can since I’m blessed to be in a position where I can afford it. The more those of us who can afford it buy organic, the better the likelihood prices will come down to the point that one day it will be affordable for those on a limited incomes as well.
The other big change is in serving sizes. I typically eat a large number of fruit & vegetable servings per day, sometimes as many as 8-10 servings. That was really going to be challenging to continue within the spending constraints, so I’ve pared back to 4-5 servings instead. I also skipped my typical bag of almonds that I use for snacks since nuts are so expensive. I’m definitely feeling more hungry compared to my normal way of eating, but I’m not ravenous either.
How am I dividing my food for the week for my meals? Well, breakfasts are typically either a packet of oatmeal and some fruit, one of the yogurts and some fruit, or an egg white veggie omelet. Dinners will obviously be chicken/veggie meals several times, roasted eggplant one evening, lentils another, etc. I’m using leftovers from dinner to take to work for my lunch the next day.
That’s my update thus far for the challenge. Until next time …
