Eating on a dollar a day for a month

This is in California and I could do it. We grow a lot of produce in this state. Basically, if Niki avoids cooking and eats salads and foods she can get free like I do at Ralphs this can be easy.

@LadyDuck I commented because of the school and even considered attending that school.

@Fishmomma I am sure that in America it's a lot easier to eat with one dollar a day. In most European countries it's a challenge, may be except the Eastern countries, like Romania, Bulgaria and so on.

I suppose when the time is right, they can pluck free berries and other fruits and vegetables from nature. It still is work, but at least the food is free in monetary term.

You might as well keep a few piglets and a few chickens! That will provide for food for the next year. Just selling a pig is enough to feed a big family for weeks.

@louievill That means the housing price in your area is getting higher. When an estate becomes stricter, that means a lot of richer people want to buy a house there, and they always demand peace and quiet. A pig running around is definitely not what they want to see when they look out the window.

@scheng1 I use to have chickens and pet turkeys but the feeds is surely not one dollar a day, pigs were allowed here before, but now that the population is big in our private subdivision, it is already banned and you will get a lot of complaints and maybe even a lawsuit from other homeowners

No, asking for food is not the idea. Getting free food does not mean asking for food. It can mean anything from planting your own to picking berries from nature.

@Morleyhunt If you know how to look for edibles in the wild, that is also possible. It takes a lot of walking and searching around, plus the local knowledge of all the herbs and fruits.

@scheng1 if I can grow my own food...it becomes very simple.

Yes, it takes a lot of planning, because she has to include all the nutrients in the diet.

@scheng1 What is the main purpose for that?

@TheInvisibleMan It's a project. You can watch the video for that.

@diosabella Yes, that is true, unless you are so good at picking out vegetables and fruits from the wild. Those who like to eat dandelion will have an advantage. They can pluck all they want free of charge!

That is not the idea behind the experiment. The idea behind the experiment is to eat healthily with less cost. She buys stable to last for a month, and she cooks.

@scheng1 A dollar a day is a miracle. Unless you grow your own food source. Like you have your own salad garden. And then there's the additional cost for cooking. So a dollar a day is not really feasible. It depends if the local grocer you go to is selling real cheap. And there's the matter if your buying organic and non organic. Fresh is pricier.

@scheng1 I think the biggest problem with shopping every day is you are more likely to buy items you don't need, so your grocery bill will be higher.

It is a waste of time to go grocery shopping every day. The way that person did is to buy a few items in bulk that will last a whole month. It sure cost less to buy a large pack of rice or noodle. If there are produces from the garden, the average cost of each meal can cost less than a dollar provided that meat is used sparingly.

@Fishmomma Yes, it is even more time-wasting in this way. Most of us buy rice only once a month or once in 2 months. No need to go shopping every day to buy things.

I am sure in many parts of Malaysia, families live on 1 RM per person per day. It is possible for large families to do that, because when they cook rice for a family of 10 persons, the average cost goes down. They buy things in bulk, so that is a kind of huge saving too. Plus many people living in kampongs are harvesting their own vegetables.

@scheng1 I live in kampong. Monthly I spend RM25 for rice alone. We plant vegetables, raise ducks and chicken and even have a rice field. From chicken and ducks we got eggs and meat. We still need to buy other ingredients which includes sugar, cooking oil, salt, tea, coffee and spices. That would bring the cost to RM100, at least. I cook my food, hardly eating out and even bring lunch box to work. So, $1 a day is quite hard this day. That's why I think it's interesting to see how that person achieve it.

@prinzcy How many of you in the household? If there are 3 of you, and the monthly cost of food is RM100, that means on average a person consumes RM33, which is about RM1 per person a day. This does not take into consideration the transport cost and the electricity and water for cooking.

It's actually in the news, and someone just uploads it as a video. It is crazy to live like this.

Actually looking at the way she does it, it is possible. It does not mean to buy everyday with a dollar. It means to buy in bulk for some items, and then spread out the cost over a month. One example is to buy a big pack of rice or cereal or oat or potato or frozen peas or beans, then you have lessen the cost considerably.

If a person lives in the countryside in UK, and he can hunt for food, and plant his own produces, I think that will cut down the cost of food. However, that is a very time-wasting activity. I personally prefer to save time, and over here in Asia, eating out is not expensive, so most of us tend to at out.

@asfarasiknow Unless they join the cult of "extreme early retirement", then they will do all their best to cut cost and retire by 30.

@scheng1 I grow some of my own produce. To me it is not a waste of time because I find it relaxing, enjoyable and, even in some ways, creative but it does not really save me money. There are a lot of expenses with gardening. The woman in the book I mentioned 'claimed' discarded articles in a way that I think some authorities might regard as theft! Why would someone try to eat for a dollar a day if they don't have to? An interesting challenge for a while, yes, but in a way it's almost an insult to the genuinely starving.

Homeless and jobless? I cannot imagine anyone with a job and a home asking around for food. It is an insult to dignity.

Actually food can be cheap and almost free in Philippines, as long as you have a piece of land. you can keep pigs and grow fruits and vegetables.

She never factors in the time taken for planning, cooking and washing up. If she intends to pluck edibles from the wild, she would have to spend time to hunt for berries and other edibles too. Personally I do not want to go all the way just to save on food. It is too time-consuming. I rather use the time to work, and buy food from the supermarket.

@scheng1 Water is high in this part of the country and certainly going to be more than 1 cent. We are charged based on how much water we use and a large garden will mean your not going to be in the lowest water bracket. I think the student did it the easier way buying bulk items. I agree on the fertilizer, as if you don't use it there is no cost. My husband and I were talking about this today and the $1.00 a day isn't hard when you remove the water bill. He commented on the water bill, as ours is high. I garden year round and have to water most of the year. We have higher temperatures than most of the United States and suppose to be 90 on Monday. Its March, so I can see a hot summer coming and last year in November we were over 90. This is our Winter.

@Fishmomma No way to save on water, unless you dig a well! That will mean an added cost of digging well.

I do not think water is so expensive that you have to factor into every meal. Perhaps when you take 1 cent as the cost of water into food budget, that is enough! If you use fertilizer, then the cost is higher. If not, there is little cost added by growing produce in your yard. A dollar a day is doable as long as the person does not need to eat steak every day.

I do not want to go to that extent, because that is very time-consuming. For one thing, plucking edibles from the wild is very time-consuming. I think my time is better used elsewhere.

@scheng1 I can certainly understand that. I wouldn't go to that extent either. With three young kids in the house, a dollar wouldn't anything. Even just for myself, not sure if I could go that low.

It is still possible. I think the poor in India live on less than that every day. They probably fish in the river, pluck from the wild, and just buy rice to cook for all three meals.

@allknowing I will not want to take up such offer. It is a lot of work to save a bit of money. for one thing, there is a lot of planning and cooking involved.

@scheng1 The poor the world over will do what the poor in India will do but this challenge is for the likes of you and me. Right? (lol)

I have no desire to try out too. It wastes too much time in cooking and washing. Over here, eating out is common because food is cheap. Most of us eat out.