Comments on: Is Gum Food? Day 59: Eating Well On $1 A Day

By: Just me

Just me — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:23:02 +0000

Gum isn’t food, but chewing some can help suppress the appetite, so if you purchase some, I think it should probably count against the $1 a day, the same as any other snacking type item would.

By: Eating Well On $1 A Day - Grocery Coupon Guide

Eating Well On $1 A Day - Grocery Coupon Guide — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 19:46:05 +0000

[...] Should I Be Able To Use Basics That I Have Purchased, But Don’t Bring With Me When I Travel? Day 59: Is Gum Food? Day 60: Is It Acceptable To Bring Your Own Food To The Movie Theater? Day 61: Apparently, Eating On [...]

By: Renee

Renee — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:19:17 +0000

Hey there, so I was thinking about all the different ways I’ve made eggs in the last month and realized that you probably haven’t even considered most of them.

My favorite, and the easiest way, is a dead omelet which is where you whisk a few eggs for just a minute or two and then put that in a small pan (over medium heat), put any chopped omelet-y greatnesses on top, cover, and then take off when the top looks done.

There’re also french omelets, which are similar to crepes. As well, there’re poached eggs, fried eggs, sunnyside up, baked (and baked in things like putting a piece of bread in a cupcake pan hole and cracking an egg in the well), soft boiled, hard boiled, and a trillion more. I recommend foodgawker.com if you even feel like browsing for ideas. Good Luck!

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:54:08 +0000

I also agree with Sarah.

As for my vote, I voted that gum does count as food. Most people don’t swallow it (I do depending on the circumstances), but chewing it gives your body calories. And people use it to stave off hunger.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:25:44 +0000

I agree with Sarah (post #17) about gum. If someone offers you something like gum, it shouldn’t affect the challenge.

As for food stamps being used to purchase gum, it depends in which state one lives as to whether it can be purchased using them. Same with candy bars, but those aren’t under scruitny.

By: Gail

Gail — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:13:57 +0000

Gum is not food and whoever decided it could be purchased with foodstamps should be fired!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:29:42 +0000

I think if someone offers you a piece of gum, you don’t have to count the monetary value. However, if you go buy a pack you do.

Gum is used by people to help hold off hunger. So, in the interest of the challenge, I think anything that affects your hunger level should come from the $1 a day.

I don’t think it would really be an issue, though, as gum sales at drug stores are fairly common.

I have a separate question: When you travel from store to store getting various deals, do you drive, walk or use public transportation? I was just thinking that this would be a great resource for those on a limited budget – but not having a car would make taking advantage of all these deals very time consuming. Having a car, it would use extra gas which would have to come out of the same tight budget being used for the food.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:18:12 +0000

Gum is not food. it is a synthetic rubber product with added flavorings and sugars or artificial sweeteners. Do we eat tires, erasers or rubber bands? No, so gum is definitely not food.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:57:41 +0000

I don’t think gum is food, but it is something I would normally purchase using grocery budget money. I thought you could have it anyway though since it is the same situation as when the nice lady gave you oranges from her tree.

By: jeffrey

jeffrey — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:53:19 +0000

@TarWalker

First and foremost, I would not suggest that anyone try for $1 a day. Just because it is possible to do, doesn’t mean that is what you should shoot for. What I hope that people do is look at the methods I use and incorporate them into buying the food that they enjoy eating and this should drastically reduce the amount they are spending. In addition, they will have food that they will not use and I hope that they will donate that to their local food banks making it a win-win for everyone involved.