Comments on: Cooking Is By Far The Biggest Challenge – Day 64: Eating Well On $1 A Day

By: jai

jai — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:47:09 +0000

Jeff, I think some of your problem with hot dogs is that you got turkey dogs. Before you give up on hot dogs entirely, give the all-beef dogs a try.
My mom used only buy the turkey ones and then couldn’t understand why I never wanted to eat a hot dog at her house. I brought beef dogs with me a few weeks ago and did them on the grill – she couldn’t believe the difference.
And since you sometimes have access to a grill:
I always have an extra pack of beef dogs in the freezer and cook them up anytime I’ve got the grill on. Then I refreeze them for use later on. Grilling them seems to add that something extra.
I also chop up an onion and put it in foil w/butter and salt and toss the packet on the grill while other stuff is cooking. These can also be frozen for later use but let them cool completely and thaw completely or they get ucky.
You can grill potatoes. After boiling for 10 minutes, let your unpeeled potatoes cool completely then slice the potatoes into wedges (like the ones from KFC), lightly brush with oil & place directly on the grill. Give them a quarter turn after 3 minutes, flip them over 3 minutes later and then a final quarter turn. (times will vary depending on your grill heat & size of potatoes) Season to taste.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:23:47 +0000

If you don’t want to cook, you can go to a restaurant.

Caveat: you have to dress up as a cow on July 9, but if you do, you get a free meal at ChickFilA:
http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/chickfil-a-free-food-cow-appreciation-week/23012.aspx

By: Shae

Shae — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:44:11 +0000

This comment is mostly in reference to a post a few days old, but I didn’t want it to get lost as I feel it’s worth your and readers’ evaluation.

I’m starting to get a little disappointed in this “ethics by committee” thing.

I can’t help but notice that the majority always votes in whatever direction will get you the most food. I can appreciate the “yay rah you’re bucking the system” attitude, but what’s the point in having voting if it’s just going to be a fan club reinforcing bad impulses.

Instead of accepting majority rule, I’d like to see you evaluate each comment and use a reasoned, ethical approach in figuring out who is right, even if they’re in the minority. For example, it’s difficult to argue with the facts that some of your commenters presented on the movie food dilemma: 1) Movie theaters make their profits off food, 2) You can go two hours without eating, 3) You can splurge and spend one or two of your surplus dollars, 4) Stealing would help too so where do you draw the line, etc.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve snuck food into movie theaters before, and I don’t think it’s a mortal crime. But this is a challenge about eating well on a $1 a day, and how realistic that is for an ethical person with typical resources. Or at least I think it is — as others have said you are welcome to change your goals now that the bet with your sister is over. If you just want to break rules instead of proving out a reasonable frugal lifestyle of eating, then break them without asking everyone’s opinion.

As for those who are saying that movie food comes out of the entertainment budget: Movie popcorn contains calories, nutrition (yes, it is corn after all), salt, and other things people need, and goes toward making you full, and keeps you from spending a little money on food elsewhere. So it’s food, even if you are entertained by eating it. By that logic, one could go to the carnival every day, buy $30 worth of elephant ears, and say he’s spending zero dollars on groceries.

By: jeffrey

jeffrey — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:04:02 +0000

@Leann

Yes, that is on purpose (even though it is not environmentally sound). I don’t get a discount in my area except at CVS (where I do use a reusable bag), and the food banks are always in need of plastic bags for when they distribute food (so if you don’t know what to do with your plastic bags, your local food bank would probably love them)

By: jackie

jackie — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:57:27 +0000

Came across this website and thought it would help you with your foraging! A bit unrelated but I figured it might help you out.

http://neighborhoodfruit.com/

By: Amanda More

Amanda More — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:12:49 +0000

I do find that cooking is a big challenge. The book titled “Eating on $1 A Day or Free If You Fish” All the calories and costs are shown. Rice is only 60 cents for 1600 calories. So, for those who need help tell them “Cook Rice.” In your case it is complete protein with some peanut butter.

By: Denise

Denise — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:21:06 +0000

Kashi is a great company in part because they are committed to help people eat better. If you join their on-line community they will send you email coupons via a news letter. They are based in San Diego and often give away generous free samples and coupons at local street fairs. If you call them at (858 274-8870) they may also send you additional coupons.I’ve only called them when I had a problem with an item of theirs and they sent me coupons for a free replacement item.Explain to them what you are doing and they may send you both free samples and coupons.

By: Leann

Leann — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:33:00 +0000

Looking at all the stuff you donated, I realized you are not bringing reusable bags to the store … I don’t know if this is true where you are, but at Stop & Shop you get 5 cents back for each one you use. If you have some cloth bags around your house and your stores participate in this, it could be worth looking into!

By: Wendy

Wendy — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:44:30 +0000

That hash looks quite tasty. Somehow the word hash does not sound very appealing most of the time. I think once you are done with this challenge you should give hot dogs another chance. Unfortunately, the good ones will never be very cheap, and sometimes it is hard to justify spending $4.50 on a pack when you could easily get a pack for around $0.50. The taste difference is completely worth it though!