Homemade Chicken Soup For The Soul
Tonight there was homemade chicken soup with carrots, celery, onions, orzo and chunks of chicken for dinner, my second day of eating on $7 a day. I made the stock earlier from the bones of yesterday's rotisserie chicken.
I adore chicken and for a long time I've wanted to see just how many dishes I could make with a cooked chicken from Costco. I actually prefer roasting my own; I love how it perfumes my house. But the Costco chicken is a real deal in my neck of the woods. The cheapest of the four grocery stores in my area sells an uncooked whole chicken for $1.29 a pound. The 4-pound Costco chicken that I bought--which was already cooked--was $1.25 a pound.
Fortunately for me, this $7-a-day challenge comes with few strings. I can shop wherever I want and buy whatever I'd like. I just need to keep my final 5-day total to $35 or less, pantry items (except for salt and pepper) included.
Some people find eating on $7 dollars not much of a challenge. Many Al Dente readers, in fact, pointed out that you could easily eat many prepared foods on that budget, fast food too. The Costco hot dog I had for lunch yesterday was just one case in point. Thanks for your suggestions.
Other readers suggested I shop elsewhere for my steel cut oatmeal, which was costing me $4.99 for about 2 pounds. I owe you a world of thanks. I found a bulk bin of the very same oats at the co-op down the street, only $.95 a pound!
Many readers offered menu plans and even recipes for inexpensive meals. I thank you all. They're valuable for this week and for the weeks beyond.
--Tracy Schneider
greg on March 23, 2011 at 01:42 AM
1. $7 includes drinks. Are you just drinking tap water?
2. Poor people can't afford Costco memberships.
3. Poor people can't afford a car to drive to Costco.
There's so much else wrong with what you wrote, I could write a book.
Joe on March 23, 2011 at 03:43 AM
Greg was a little harsh but I have to agree. I applaud your effort and I've added your blog to my daily check list but I would caution drawing conclusions from this. Having grown up on welfare (and food stamps) I can tell you a membership store with a $50 yearly fee would definitely be out of reach. So was owning a car for that matter. When my mother couldn't afford a major car repair bill that was it. I was 7 and no more car. Living in a small city with only basic public transportation meant walking, carrying groceries in back packs, begging friends for rides whenever possible for bulk shopping and a very limited range. If you would like to try the full experience consider collecting you food purchases only using public transportation.
Adam on March 23, 2011 at 04:25 AM
I agree with the above. It may seem easy to eat on $35/week, but if you add the frustration of traveling by bus or walking to the store and back and the time drain that puts on your day, I think it would be far more difficult. I know that I have a hard time avoiding unhealthy foods when I'm tired, stressed, or frustrated. Something about a Big Mac and fries just makes it all go away :-)
Wife and Mother of 2 on March 23, 2011 at 06:49 AM
Seriously people?!? $7/day or $22/day for 4 people is not that hard. $22/day for 7 days is $154 for the week. I do that every week without the benefit of someone else paying for it. BTW, that $154 a week INCLUDES toilet paper, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc.
So please, stop acting like Ms. Schnieder is somehow "doing it wrong".
Electra on March 23, 2011 at 06:50 AM
The rotisserie chicken would also be off-limits on a food stamp budget, since food stamps do not allow purchase of cooked food. Other than that, the stock from carcass is always a good way of making a chicken go further.
I think the insults yesterday people made on your post were quite uncalled for, but at the same time I understand the frustration they speak to. Most recipients of food stamps receive far less than seven dollars a day. Those who do receive that much money have no other income and are legally prohibited from trying to save money for things, and thus are unlikely to be able to drive to the store, much less pay money to be a member. They are probably also disabled, pregnant, or parenting, which restricts the cooking they can do.
The challenge is far from realistic, but I think that even that is not the root of the distaste. A great many people live on so much less per day, including food stamp recipients, that it simply doesn't seem like anything to brag about. Taking a budget greater than what we feed our families on and treating it like an endurance challenge can't help but seem fatuous to those of us for whom it is not a choice, it is just life.
designchippy on March 23, 2011 at 06:59 AM
My goodness, these comments are SO snippy! This is just a challenge to eat healthy meals on $7/day. No one is trying to live completely on welfare here or pretend that they are trying to survive in a third world country. Stop being so critical. And mean. What about living by the "Golden Rule" and being kind (or "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" for those critical readers)? That and good food are the start to a good day. Thanks Tracy.
Hunter on March 23, 2011 at 08:33 AM
Unfortunately, rotisserie chicken is "prepared" food and you would not be able to buy that with food stamps ("EBT Cards"). Food stamps will not pay for many items, including anything cooked at a grocery store and "ready-to-eat." The program pays for essential foods and ingredients (including spices) only. Neither would you likely be able to buy luxury or "out of program" items like Trader Joe Oatmeal.
marisa on March 23, 2011 at 09:13 AM
"My goodness, these comments are SO snippy! This is just a challenge to eat healthy meals on $7/day. No one is trying to live completely on welfare here or pretend that they are trying to survive in a third world country. Stop being so critical. And mean."
Unbelievable. America is the third world country you pretentious asshole. And I guess you're right, no one is trying to live on welfare, but it happens and dilettante fucktards like you have zero consciousness about the actual situation that is poverty.
Tracy didn't say anything wrong, but you sure did.
Steven M on March 23, 2011 at 11:21 AM
Marisa: "pretentious asshole"..."dilettante fucktard"..."zero consciousness".
Me: I can't be far enough away from bad karma sprayers like you. This is a lighthearted blog about food, not a political site. Try kos or DU or FR.
Tracy, I admire your efforts here and find what you're writing quite interesting.
Quilly Mammoth on March 23, 2011 at 11:28 AM
One good source of recipes that I like is Southern Plate. I now precook bulk ground beef her way. It saves me money and makes it easier to make a quick casserole or pasta dish.
The lack of grocery stores in poor areas is a great hardship. I basically lost everything when the S&L's collapsed in the mid 80's. I ended up living way up on North Broad st. in Philly. Luckily there was a grocery store about a 1/2 mile away. Last time I was there, about ten years ago, it was gone.
The more desperate problem is the rural towns that have lost their mom and pop grocery stores. I have a rent house in such a small town and if it weren't for a local church that runs twice weekly buses to the nearest store (about 18 miles away) I think the town would die. Some sort of tax relief program to help grocers in inner city and rural communities would be something I'd support.
maynard on March 23, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Chicken is my new staple. Beef was previous, but the price of beef is skyrocketing now. I now need a grinder to make chicken burgers!
LCP on March 23, 2011 at 11:45 AM
Marisa - What do you mean by "America is the third world country"? Could you provide an example of what you mean, perhaps...
NC Mountain Girl on March 23, 2011 at 12:05 PM
I guess it's easier to complain than to come up with solutions. Ever heard of going into together? I know people who pool the cost of a Costco or Sam's Club membership and then split up the bulk items between them. It's a particularly good idea for two or three smaller households that can't possibly use up the giant economy sizes before the last of it spoils.
As for transportation, ever heard of car pooling? If your area isn't served by a supermarket but your church or a local community center has a van, ask about starting a program for scheduled shopping runs as a community service. It is a common program in areas with a lot of elderly residents who no longer drive.
Lolo on March 23, 2011 at 12:10 PM
Don't feed the troll. It's not in the budget. LOL
Peter on March 23, 2011 at 12:13 PM
Chicken has gone up a lot in price - - it's is now more expensive than beef. Bought boneless breasts yesterday (New York City) and it was $7.39/pound at Gristede's. Sirloin hamburger was $4/pound and several beef cuts were less than the chicken (though premium beef cuts were, of course, higher).
Gbear on March 23, 2011 at 12:17 PM
In NY:
"disabled, pregnant, or parenting"
disabled - get SDI and maybe ssi w/food stamps, or state disability w/fs.
pregnant - food stamps and wic and probably cash public assistance.
parenting - all family members are eligible for fs and wic and probably cash public assistance.
all are eligible for food pantries. Most for HUD subsidies and wheels to work programs.
I'm not saying it is an easy row to hoe, but there is no reason for hungry children in this country besides poor/negligent parenting.
marisa on March 23, 2011 at 12:44 PM
If you bothered to read any statistics about how many people live below the poverty level in America, I think you would know what I meant. America is as close to third world as we have ever been and if people don't stop acting like their privilege doesn't need to extend to a starving child then I am going to call you a dilettante fucktard. Drive through Southern New Mexico or Appalachia and then tell me all about the big bold sacrifices you are all making in the name of hunger this week.
looking closely on March 23, 2011 at 01:05 PM
The comments here are really unbelievable.
Its a CHALLENGE for Pete's sake; its mainly supposed to make you think. What can you do that's interesting and tasty for $7 a day?
If you want to make it "harder" you could reduce to $5 a day. Heck, make it ZERO dollars a day. There are individuals who literally get by with NOTHING, subsisting on scrounging, hunting, gardening, gathering, and the charity of others. Not necessarily pleasant, but certainly possible.
As to transport and memberships, I lived just fine in Boston for nearly six years as a grad student, with no car, no membership to Costco, and many weeks my food expenditures were under $50. (I certainly "could" have done it for $50 week, but since I never absolutely HAD to, I didn't explicitly try).
I used to ride the T to Haymarket on Saturday afternoons before closing time ($1 each way; but occasionally free, or zero incremental cost if you had or could borrow a "T" card), load up on end of day "clearance" fresh vegetables and relatively low cost fish or other meats, and schelp them all home in a gigantic duffle bag. Then I'd portion and freeze the meats, and repeat as necessary every 1-2 weeks. Fish can be pretty cheap when you buy it bone-in and at the right timing! Local liquor store had wine bottle closeouts 3 for $10, and some of them were actually pretty good. Even grew fresh herbs on my deck, including habanero peppers, basil, cilantro and lemongrass.
Point is its *possible* to eat surprisingly well with a limited budget, if you plan ahead, use the resources at your disposal, and look for good opportunities.
memomachine on March 23, 2011 at 01:18 PM
Hmmmm.
"Some sort of tax relief program to help grocers in inner city and rural communities would be something I'd support."
Not to get political, that I'd suggest is something we can all thrash out together somewhere else. But the primary reason why grocers have abandoned inner cities is simply crime. Crime is an expense.
Goods lost through shoplifting, armed robbery that can inflict injury or even death, etc. All of these impact on the decision whether or not to remain open and if so how much a premium crime has to be priced into the cost of goods. This is why many inner cities seem completely overwhelmed with convenience stores. They charge such a premium already that more doesn't impact the buyer as much as a similar increase would in a grocery store.
When I was in my early 20's I spent a couple years working for an armored car service that picked up and dropped off money from several chains of grocery stores. So I could easily see the disparity and changes in pricing for the same goods with the primary variation being nothing more than the quality, if you will, of the neighborhood. Invariably the inner city stores, Newark, NJ, in my case, vs upper class stores in areas such as Ridgewood or Morristown the stores in Newark were vastly more expensive.
They had to price in the cost of crime.
Solutions? There are many, but for a later time and somewhere else.
memomachine on March 23, 2011 at 01:26 PM
Hmmmm.
"If you bothered to read any statistics about how many people live below the poverty level in America, I think you would know what I meant."
As someone who spent the first 5 years of my life living and -working- on my grandparents meager rice farm in South Korea I certainly do know what hunger is like. I also know what it is like to be a -coupon- as my grandparents would regularly take me to see a representative from the Pearl S. Buck Foundation to get a "free" bag of rice. I know dearly what hunger is like and I also know what it is like to tend rice plants at age 4. And why was I tending the rice instead of playing? Because otherwise we would have starved to death.
Just because other people here don't make an ass of themselves like you have doesn't mean that they haven't experienced the harder part of living. It just means that they are trying to be more polite than you. Perhaps your exclamations are intended to impress us all with how motivated you are.
You bore me. Now go away.
douglas lloyd on March 23, 2011 at 02:50 PM
In my youth, I spent some time traveling the western states in a beat up old pick up truck, traveling from campground to campground, finding any odd job to pay my way. I lived like a king on a 50 pound bag of potatoes, a bag of onions and some butter purchased at some roadside stand; all for under $7. Sometimes these would last a week, sometimes longer. There were times where gas was purchased in lieu of food. I remember gravy bread as an epicurean delight; plain white bread with a gravy topping.
Today there are ways to have good quality inexpensive meals. Chicken thighs are a good priced option for any poultry dish. Roasted corn and black beans with melted pepper jack cheese on a tortilla make an excellent quesadilla. Vegetables bring a wide variety of dishes, from salads, to soups to roasting. All good food.
Keep up the good work Tracy. Thank you memomachine for the clarity.
AStev on March 23, 2011 at 02:56 PM
Instead of orzo, I highly highly recommend pearled barley. Soooo good.
But maybe that's the Scot in me. Those from the Mediterranean basin may disagree.
Ziv on March 23, 2011 at 03:13 PM
20 pound bags of rice or 10 pound bags of potatos, whole chickens or chicken thighs, a 32 oz jar of minced garlic, (it stays good for a month or more) taking 4 hot sauces, a salt and a pepper with your 2 fresco dollar menu items at Taco Bell so you can use the two extra on other dishes later in the month, adding garlic, hard boiled eggs or hot sauce to cheap ramen noodles to make them fun and more delicious, making pots of stew with the cheapest meat you can find combined with potatoes and celery, then freezing it in 7 or 8 plastic containers that you bought sliced turkey on sale a few months ago, splurging on a fun spice every month or two, my favorites are Old Bay and Creole seasoning because they are delicious and pennies a serving, buying the thin sliced bread because it goes further and tastes just as good, corn tortillas are nearly free and sop up gravy like nobodies business, just tear them up and float them like they are croutons, buying cans of kidney or lima beans when they are on sale, ($0.33 for 15 oz cans this week at Giant), or adding the cheapest hot sausage to a container of Zatarains rice...
I have money now, but I still eat like I did when I was in school and poor. The only difference is now I splurge by going out to dinner with friends, but even there I tend to go to smaller local eateries and not the more expensive restaurants. But when my friends want to pick a cafe they do tend to quiz me for a choice.
And thanks for the reminder, Memo. We are lucky to live here. I travel a bit, and there is no place like home.
Amber on March 23, 2011 at 03:20 PM
Tracy, Since you found the co-op for the oats, you may have also stumbled across the spices section. If not, look around for spices in cellophane baggies for a dollar or two each. My local store has these spices in the Mexican ethnic section and can get you some good quality spices for a dollar or two.
Look for a Food4Less, FoodMaxx or WinCo groccery. These are all fairly low cost stores. Also look for a canned goods or seconds store. You'll want to check expiration dates, but you can get good food for a lot less here.
Tuna can be a good protein source for not much cost. On sale, I can get a 5 oz can for under 60 cents, and in a casserole or salad, that can stretch over 2 meals.
Trader Joe's dry stuffed pasta is a deal at $2 a pound. With a $2 can of prepared sauce, that's $4 for three or four meals.
Good luck in your experiment.
JohntheGrate on March 23, 2011 at 03:56 PM
Gee, I was reducing the stock in the pot with a Costco rotisserie chicken and figured I’d check with al dente for some tips. Al always gives good advice but, golly, I thought I had inadvertently come upon a Wisconsin teachers’ union chat room…such vitriol, such anger, such hand-wringing over the simplest of recipes. You’d a thought Al was slopping out rock soup to the denizens of Obamaville and confiscating their food stamps, free butter, milk and cheeses.
Shouldn’t you people be out looking for jobs instead of surfing the net on your expensive iPads in front of your flat screen TVs? There are plenty of jobs waiting for you outside Home Depot; oh, that’s right, your leftist masters won’t allow such big box stores in your urban environment so you can’t even get to the work place without whining about needing more handouts.
Anyway, thanks to Mr & Mrs Dente for all the good cooking help.