Overheard someone say they feed 4 people on $50 a week and I'm calling BS

I was standing in line at Aldi last Saturday and this woman in front of me was bragging on the phone about how she feeds her family of 4 on $50 a week. Like lady, I run a moving crew and we eat through snacks like crazy, but even for a normal family that math doesn't add up. I get that you can do rice, beans, and bulk chicken if you really stretch it, but $50 for 4 people for 7 days means you're eating about $1.78 per person per day. That barely covers a loaf of decent bread and some peanut butter around here in Cleveland. I wanted to ask her what her secret was but honestly I think she was just exaggerating for internet points. Has anyone actually tried to do a $50 weekly budget for a family and had it work out without feeling like you're starving?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowanc2914d ago

Yeah my neighbor tried this exact thing last year and by Wednesday she was over at my house asking if I had any extra eggs. Rice and beans go a long way but nobody really wants to eat that every single day for a whole week. Victorross you hit the nail on the head about the snack situation, kids don't understand budgets they just know there's no goldfish in the pantry. One guy I knew in the trades swore by buying a whole pork loin and breaking it down himself to save money but that still adds up faster than people think. Anyone claiming $50 for a family of four is either eating a lot of ramen or not counting the stuff they already had in the cupboard.

victorross14d ago

Are you sure she didn't mean per person? I tried this exact thing last summer when I was between jobs and dude, it was brutal. We lived on eggs, oatmeal, and whatever chicken thighs were on clearance at Marc's. By day 4 we were out of snack money and my kids started looking at me like I was the bad guy for saying no to goldfish crackers. The worst part was I had to skip lunch half the days just to stretch the dinners enough for everyone. I barely made it two weeks before I caved and added another $20 just for milk and bread.