How cheaply can one eat?

   How cheaply can one eat?  This is a question of interest to 
   someone interested in self-sufficient living.  As it turns out, 
   a frugal person with a mind to do it can eat on an 
   astonishingly small amount of money a year.  And eat well.  
   How?  First you need to appreciate the amazing differences 
   there are in the costs of different foods.  For example, the 
   cost of a one cup serving of cooked rice is 2.1 cents (assuming 
   you buy it for 20 cents a pound, something you can do if you 
   buy it in 50 pound bags).  On the other hand the cost of steak 
   is $2.50 and up for an 8 ounce serving.  That is a huge 
   difference and illustrates the kind of differences that exist 
   in the costs of foods.  The table below lists the cost per 
   serving of various foods based on prices that I have paid in 
   the past for the foods (I always watch for sales and good 
   prices and rarely pay the regular price): 





   Food                         Serving Size      Cost per Serving 
                                                      (cents)
 ___________________________________________________________________________
                               
   Rice (white)                  1 cup cooked            2.1     
                                                                 
   Oatmeal                       1 cup cooked            4.3     
                                                                 
   Beans (Pinto)                 1 cup cooked            6.2     
                                                                 
   Flour                         .25 cups                1.1
          
   Sourdough bread (homemade)    2 oz                    1.2    
                                                                 
   Potatoes (white)              8 oz                    6.5     
                                                                 
   Macaroni (elbow)              8 oz cooked             7.7     
                                                                 
   Spaghetti                     8 oz cooked             7.7     
                                                                 
   Milk                          1 cup                  13.7
   
   Eggs                          1 egg                  10.0

   Cheese                        1 oz                   20.0
                                                                 
   Peanut Butter                 2 tbsp                  6.6     
                                                                 
   Strawberry Jam                1 tbsp                  5.1     
                                                                 
   Grape Jelly                   1 tbsp                  2.2     
                                                                 
   Raspberry Preserves           1 tbsp                  4.5     
                                                                 
   Bananas                       8 oz (1 banana)        12.5     
                                                                    
   Carrots                       2 oz                    4.9     
                                                               
   Tuna (canned, chunk light)    2 oz                   11.0     
                                                                 
   Turkey                        8 oz                   38.0     
                                                              
   Chicken leg quarters          8 oz                   39.0     
                                                    
   Ham                           8 oz                   99.0     
                                                    
   Pork Chops                    8 oz                   75.0     
                                                    
   Ground beef                   8 oz                   75.0     
                                                    
   Beef roast                    8 oz                  188.0     
                                                    
   Sirloin steak                 8 oz                  249.0     





   So what are the cheap foods?  Rice, oatmeal, beans, potatoes, 
   pasta and homemade bread (flour is cheap).  What are the really 
   expensive foods?  The red meats.  What are the most healthy 
   foods?  The cheap foods.  What are the least healthy foods?  
   The most expensive foods.  

   Suppose one had a one cup serving of oatmeal for breakfast, a 
   peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich for lunch and a one cup 
   serving of rice, a one cup serving of beans and a one ounce 
   slice of sourdough bread for dinner every day for a year.  What 
   would his food for the year cost him?  Answer: 24 cents per day 
   or $87.60 per year.  And if he thought this was still too much 
   and wanted to do better, how about the following?  Three slices 
   of toast (i.e. three one-ounce slices of sourdough bread, 
   toasted) for breakfast, a one cup serving of oatmeal for lunch 
   and a one cup serving of rice, a one cup serving of beans, and 
   a large two ounce piece of sourdough bread for the evening meal 
   every day for a year.  This would cost him 16 cents per day or 
   $58.40 per year.  If you used whole wheat bread and brown rice 
   the diet might not be a bad one.  It is probably as good as 
   many people in the third world live on.  And in practice, of 
   course, you could do a little hunting and fishing, have a small 
   garden, and supplement it a little. 

   So how does one minimize the cost of eating?  You maximize the 
   amount of cheap foods that you eat and minimize or eliminate 
   the amount of expensive foods that you eat.  You modify your 
   eating habits, adapt to the cheap foods.  You find recipes that 
   sound appealing that utilize the cheap foods.  You have to pay 
   attention to the price of foods, watch for sales, and buy in 
   quantity at good prices.  Most of the food that my wife and I 
   buy is purchased at a very good sale price and in quantity.  We 
   often combine manufacturer's coupons with half price sales to 
   get food at a third of the regular price and less.  Most people 
   pay little attention to the cost of food and buy whatever they 
   like.  They walk down the grocery aisle and pick up whatever 
   looks good to them, give everything a try, and don't worry 
   about the price.  The truth is most packaged and canned foods 
   are relatively expensive.  Most junk food is expensive --- if 
   you want to minimize your cost of eating stay away from it.   
   Of course you must minimize or eliminate your consumption of 
   meat, especially red meat.  And it goes without saying that you 
   must eat at home --- eating out is out of the question.