For November 2006, the USDA's "Thrifty Plan" for a family like mine of three men and one woman, is $571. Wow, that seems like an awful lot of money for groceries to me. Or is it just that I'm so accustomed to spending less that it seems too high? Granted, we live in an area with a lower cost of living but I work hard to buy and cook on a very limited budget.
Anyway, the USDA's info is here for those who haven't seen it:
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPlansCostofFood.htm
I'd like to know what others think of the federal government's ideas on how much money it takes to feed a family.
USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food
January 24th, 2007 at 02:27 am
January 24th, 2007 at 02:40 am 1169606431
By the way Denise, the lasagna made with cottage cheese, instead of ricotta was, wonderful. It was the best I have ever made. This using what is on hand, instead of running to the store has been great.
January 24th, 2007 at 03:07 am 1169608065
I'm glad the lasagna worked out for you. My horde loves it.
January 24th, 2007 at 04:05 am 1169611503
January 24th, 2007 at 04:31 am 1169613096
I remember when I was reading the Tightwad Gazette and how Amy talked about how she moped for days when she first read that the Thrifty plan said a certain amount for her family and she was over that amount, until she realized it was for a week and not a month! She had them beat by a mile.
January 24th, 2007 at 11:34 am 1169638488
I think they need another plan. On another site I frequent, someone called it "the soup kitchen plan". Baaahahahaha!
January 24th, 2007 at 02:11 pm 1169647901
It also sounds like you have a well-stocked pantry (way to go!), but the Thrifty Food Plan assumes you are buying all the food for that particular month.
January 24th, 2007 at 11:34 pm 1169681673
Instead I eat a lot of vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, root vegetables, cucumbers, celery, carrots, peas, sprouts onions, bell peppers, lettuce, spinach, etc., with minimal fruit (one per day), wild rice, nuts, seeds, eggs, cheese, lean beef, salmon, tuna, cod, snapper, shellfish, and poultry. I use olive oil, grapeseed oil, macadamia nut oil, walnut oil, peanut oil and sesame oil. We drink milk or water. I eat very little bread or pasta and what I do eat I make from scratch from 100% whole wheat flour that is also organic and made with honey. I eat little to no refined white sugar or flour and rarely touch cereal or brown sugar and try to avoid trans fats. Maybe once a month I'll get a not very good for me burger meal take out, but that's it. I pretty much avoid all grains, with the occassional exception of oatmeal or cornmeal.
I enter my menu plan into fitday the night before to see if it meets all the days nutrient requirements and if it doesn't, I jigger it until it does. Usually there is very little need to fix it. My iron is usually a little low on the days I don't eat beef, and my potassium is low on the days I didn't eat any cruciferous vegetables, but it all balances out over the course of a week.
I suppose the average person just doesn't do things like that. I've read a lot on nutrition over the years, which is obviously not the same as having a degree in it, but I have found what works for my family to keep us healthy and relatively fit. And that's veggies first, lean meats second, a single fruit, and very little grain.
January 25th, 2007 at 01:38 pm 1169732339
And that's what DH and I are moving to to help our blood sugar and our hearts. It isn't easy but we're doing it, slowly but surely.