$30/30 days

Has anyone else seen the story that's been circulating recently about the two married high school teachers in Southern California who gave themselves a food budget of $30 each for a month? For the month of September they spent $60 total on food - three meals a day for two people for thirty days. And they blogged about it, too. It's a very interesting read, if you have the chance. And not terribly long either.


According to their story, there was no political agenda behind this. They just wanted to see if they could. The rules were minimal - ramen noodles only when absolutely necessary, attempt a varied diet, any "freebies" they ate had to be available to everyone (such as fast food hand outs like ketchup and maple syrup). I got the impression that part of their motivation was to make people think about what and how they ate, and the fact that a huge number of people eat this way not to challenge themselves, but because they have to.


I've got to say - it sure made me think. Like an armchair quarterback, I found myself thinking of what I'd do differently. Things I'd eat that they never even contemplated. Ways to buy food cheaper so you could eat more for less. Bulk cooking to provide more variety and be less time consuming. In my head I worked out the whole scenario as it would apply to my family.


And then I remembered. One dollar per person per day. For a month.


More power to them. But count me out.