$2.50 A Day On Food Challenge: Week 1
Here’s the current budget, which you can also view live at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v98KNT4Gp8Fg02RkCPFgGN7Lt010A5GdwQmxUh7JYPo/edit?usp=gmail
Providence Grocery Store Scouting Report
I went to a bunch of different grocery stores this past week, mainly to try and find lentils for less than $0.99 a pound. Here’s a brief overview
- Price Rite — I initially though that Price Rite would always be the cheapest for everything but that’s not the case. Their beans are priced higher than Stop & Shop. Their produce is sometimes cheaper than Stop and Shop, but not always.
- Stop & Shop — If I had to choose one Providence area it would be Stop & Shop. If you are willing to buy whatever produce they have on sale that week you get really good deals. This week their kale, potatoes, mangos, bananas were cheaper. You get even a little more value through their gas rewards program. I don’t drive so I put in my Mom’s phone number for the gas points (hi mom).
- New Asian Market — In Boston and California I’d check out Asian markets and see they had really cheap deals on produce so I was excited to check this place out. Sadly it looked like they had mostly higher priced Chinese vegetables not low cost staples. I was disappointed but I definitely want to try out some of the different produce and their house made tofu after the challenge ends
- Sanchez Market — Goya brand beans at a worse price than shop rite. Produce priced @ 20% higher than Price Rite. Wack.
- Ocean State Job Lot — Bad bean and rice prices, no produce. Worse than Price-Rite on spice prices. You have to walk through a checkout lane even if you don’t buy anything. Save your store layout jedi mindtricks for someone else Job Lot, I’ll leisurely walk through your checkout lanes empty handed all day.
- Walmart — Garbage prices on garbage produce. Not good for food ever.
- Whole Foods — I don’t buy anything here, but I still go to hang out in front of the tofu. he-he. I thought some of the stuff in the bulk bins would be cheap, but it’s all typical Whole Foods prices. There’s nothing here for ballers on a budget.
To summarize: I biked 40 miles checking out different grocery stores only to conclude the best prices were at the 2 places I was already going! Science!
I Light $3.70/ ~5% of my Budget On Fire
Big Mistake Number 1: I met up with a friend to hangout in a coffee place. My plan was to buy nothing and silently judge people for spending 25% of my monthly budget on latte’s but for some dumb reason I suggested we go to a vegan place Wildflower where I could actually buy food. I bought this like raspberry oat bar thing for $2.70. It happened so fast. I lied to myself and said I was just going up to see if they had 1/2 off day old cookies.
One thing this challenge has made me realize is how common it is for meeting up with people to involve food/drinks. Luckily I have this blog to point people so people don’t think I’m giving the worst excuse ever.
Big Mistake Number 2: Price Rite charged my ho-hum normal $0.50 Mango as a fancy $1.69 Mango and I didn’t notice until writing this blog! You don’t realize this when you’re buying $100’s worth of groceries, but I bet mistakes like this happen all of the time. Since I’m always buying the cheapest stuff, it’s never going to be in my favor either, if the wrong item is put in, 99% of the time it’s going to be more expensive than what I’m buying.
Extreme Potato Pivot
I’m switching from Sweet Potato’s to regular Russet Potato’s as my main potato. I’m already getting a ton of Vitamin A from leafy greens, so I don’t need it from sweet potato’s and regular potatoes are about $0.29 a pound compared to $0.59 for sweets.
Caffeine Pills
Taking caffeine pills instead of drinking coffee sucks. I wish I’d bought a big thing of coffee instead. Caffeine pills are the opposite of coffee. They’re cold, bitter and clinical instead of warm and inviting. I was surprised to find my biggest cravings are for coffee and red bull not for food.
Outlook
I think I’m 98% to complete the challenge within the 77.50 budget. I have a ton of potatoes, rice, and beans in my reserves. I’ll spend another 10 dollars on beans, then I’ll have ~1.00- 1.25 a day to spend on fruits and vegetables to round out the rest of my diet.
Coming Up Next
- Explanation of the philosophical ideas that motivated me to do this
- Fast Food Cost Analysis
