HRGuru

If you are really, really hurting for money (while you are looking for a job) you can eat on $20/wk.  Actually, you can eat for a week on less than 1/2 the money you bring home from selling plasma 2x/week to those "plasma donation" centers (not the Red Cross, that you truly donate to and for which you receive no payment, but those commercial plasma centers that pay for "donations" -- and you don't have to deduct the money you receive from them as "income" if you are receiving Unemployment benefits or Food Stamps (ask your gov't worker - its true, and its not even cheating).

This is one of those tricks for surviving short periods of extreme poverty (note: do not do this for an extended period of time, like years, and do not feed children on this plan ... you will develop nutritional deficiencies over time, and it could permanently harm growing children ... but it will keep a healthy adult alive for short periods when you are really, really hurting for cash and don't know how you are going to eat next week. 

I have done it myself when I was in the depths of poverty.  Do not do this if you are on a medically prescribed diet for a medical condition.  This is for otherwise healthy but hungry adults only.

Step #1. Find the nearest plasma "donation" center (usually located in poor neighborhoods and inner cities) that pays for plasma "donation."  This is safe.  You will not get AIDS or other communicable diseases from donating plasma.  You will also actually be doing a Good Deed for those who need to receive plasma.  Get tested to become a "donor."  Here are some general guidelines for who can "donate"  (sell) plasma:  http://www.plasmazentrum.at/en/donating-plasma/eligibility.html  You can donate 2x/week and will usually receive $20 per donation.  You can eat on far less than $40/week; use the rest for gas money or bus fare to get to the plasma donation center and the grocery store.

Step #2.  You must eat before you donate plasma.  They won't let you donate and won't pay you if you haven't eaten anything (yet) that day. Always eat before you go.

Step #3. Learn how to eat on less than what you bring home from the plasma center.  Here are some tips:

1. Buy baking potatoes by the 5# ($2) or 10# ($4) bag.  This is your staple. You can eat at least one potato at every meal. Sometimes you might eat 2 or 3. They will fill you up and keep you alive.  (remember the Irish potato famine).  Potatoes are nutritious food that can keep, and have kept, people alive during times of starvation. Contrary to some (inaccurate) weight loss diet myths, potatoes aren't "evil" or "just starch".  They are a nutritious food that can keep you alive. And they are VERY cheap.


2. Buy a bottle of the cheapest generic multi-vitamin you can find. Don't waste your money on brand names or on "silver" formulations or any  of that hype.  Multi-vitamins are multi-vitamins; they're all about the same.  Also don't waste your money buying expensive "designer" vitamins at health food stores (one vitamin at a time).  A cheap generic multi-vitamin will do.


3. Most adults are deficient in Vitamin D, which is not absorbed from vitamin pills very well.  Your body can make Vitamin D when you are exposed to sunlight. 20 minutes/day is enough.  You need to not be wearing sunscreen for 20 minutes/day in order to manufacture Vitamin D.  This is controversial, so if your own dr told you something different, or if you've ever had skin cancer, don't do it.  But a normal healthy adult won't be killed by, and is more likely to be helped by, 20 minutes/day of fresh air and sun exposure (note: MORE IS NOT BETTER).  Take a 20 minute walk.  That is good for your heart.


4. Buy a box of cheap generic powdered dry milk.  Mix this with water to put on cereal.  Buy the cheapest cereal you can find on sale at the local Dollar Store.  You can eat this for breakfast and even skip the potato (which you will become pretty tired of eating after a while). It contains protein, which is in short supply on this low-budget diet.  You can also beef up the protein in anything by stirring in or shaking a teaspoon of powdered milk over or on it.


5. Invest in a large ($7.20) 72-slice box of American Cheese.  At about 10 cents/slice this is also a good deal.  put a slice of it on your potato sometimes and you will have a cheese potato. It also contains protien, which this diet is fairly short on (one reason not to follow it for a long time).


6. Plant a couple of tomato plants.  If you live in an apartment, obtain a couple of old discarded buckets (should be able to find at a garage sale for 5 or 10 cents).  If you don't have land for a garden, you can grow tomato plants in these buckets.  You can buy a bag of topsoil to fill the bucket.  You will get many lbs of fresh tomatos from a couple of tomato plants.  You can put a couple of slices of cheese and a couple of slices of tomatos you grew between a couple of pieces of bread for a cheese & tomato sandwich.  Or just eat fresh tomato slices (yum).  Tomatos cost $1.75/lb if you buy them at the store, and lately there have been issues with salmonella contamination of store-bought tomatoes.  You will get many lbs of fresh tomatoes from your home grown tomato plants, & no salmonella.


7. Some fast food restaurants have $1 menus.  Some of these $1 items are a relatively good deal, nutrition wise, for the money.  In particular: Whopper Jr. from Burger King ($1) or the double cheeseburger ($1) from McDonalds, bowl of chili ($1) from Wendy's. If you don't have to spend extra gas money to get there, these can be a good supplement to your potato diet 3 or 5 or even 5x/week ($3, $4, $5).  Skip the $1 fries, and the $1 soft drinks & the $1 desserts.  You have a bag of potatoes at home, and you can drink water for free out of the tap.  You can wait for dessert until after your food budget is not in crisis any more. (For variation, you can put the $1 chili from Wendy's over a baked potato and a 10 cent slice of American cheese.  Have them add onions to the chili at Wendy's - and this will make you a very filling and tasty meal for less than $1.50.


8. If you have room for a garden, grow some onions too.  They grow easily and add taste to a lot of things.


9. Experiment and supplement with other tasty bargains you can find or grow close to home.  Be creative.  Look for sources of protein; that is what will be in shortest supply in this "poverty diet." 

As I said, don't do this indefinitely.  You will develop nutritional deficiencies eventually, and that can lead to ill health.  But if you really truly have no idea where the next meal is coming from - try it.  Its definitely better than "nothing."

I just want to add my .2 cents to this discussion as I'm an expert at eating on the cheap!

In addition to the advice above, if you look you may find a discount grocer in your area like United Grocery Outlet.  Prices are between 30 and 70% less than what you'll find at a supermarket.  Also Big Lots has groceries and sometimes discounts the discounts on things that don't sell quickly.  I picked up a six pack of Rice-a-Roni for $2.50.

Flea markets and , yes, even yard sales, can help fill your shelves.  You'd be amazed at the grocery and beauty items often found at estate sales.

Many supermarkets are now getting into the discount act and , if you look around the store, you may find a shopping cart filled w ith an odd assortment of items, all at discount prices.  Don't miss the bakery either. Often day out of date bread (and I mean the good kind) is half price.  I bought a San Francisco sour dough bread that sells for almost $4.00 for $1.50.  Put it in the refrigerator and use it for toast.  WONDERFUL!!!

Dented cans are FINE as long as there's no "give" to the can.  Marked down meat is fine, too, just put it in the freezer if you're not going to use it the day you buy it.  If all you can find is tuna in oil, just rinse out the oil after opening the can.

Bruised fruit can be stewed into a wonderful dessert and overripe bananas make a great bread or cake.

Do be smart and if something looks bad don't buy it.  Crushed or torn cereal boxes are an example. So are the milk, chai, soup  sold in cartons stored on shelves. If they're more than a year out of date, don't buy them.  Usually up to 6 months is OK, but buy only what you're comfortable buying.

And, if you find a deal on something you use a lot buy as many as you can afford.