Meg Biallas’ adopted city of Washington, D.C. is known for being costly. It’s easy for recent graduates to fall into a drain-on-your-wallet routine of late-night happy hours and endless brunches. Instead, Biallas, who works in the nonprofit sector, rapidly made frugal living a personal goal.
“One of my earliest tactics was to stop buying lunch during the workweek,” she said. “You know that old adage, ‘a penny saved is a penny earned’? To me, every lunch I skip is money I keep.”
After learning more about food stamps in the U.S. by watching the documentary A Place at the Table, Biallas set herself a challenge: Could she manage on a food-stamp level budget for an entire workweek? Her self-imposed food stamp challenge sharpened her money-saving skills, but it also had a deeper purpose: to grasp how47 million Americanscope on roughly $4 of food per day.
Biallas wasn’t the first to attempt something like this. In 2007, several members of Congress undertook a Food Stamp Challenge to better understand the hunger many of their constituents face. In 2012, Cory Booker, then mayor of Newark, New Jersey, completed his own food stamp experiment, prompted by a Twitter exchange. Booker tweeted parts of his journey, admitting he burned his first challenge meal (a sweet potato), and shared a video diary on LinkedIn. “This has been the hardest day so far,” he noted on day four of his seven-day attempt, mentioning withdrawal headaches that exposed his reliance on coffee.
Eating on Just $4 a Day
After studying these accounts, Biallas headed to the supermarket with $21.80 and a short list of staples: basic ingredients such as eggs, bread, beans and canned vegetables. Over the following five days, she became more aware of her eating patterns — and was fortunate to receive an unexpected dinner invitation during an evening meeting. Throughout the experiment, she maintained a journal recording her observations and emotions.
She eventually grew tired of her repetitive meals. She noticed that frequent hunger sapped the energy she normally had for activities like biking. Still, Biallas observed her body adapting over time and gained fresh insight into living with a severely limited budget.
“To be clear,” she wrote on her blog, “My five-day trial is by no means a complete representation of living at the poverty line.” Yet her brief experiment fostered a deeper appreciation for her steady employment, adequate housing and more generous grocery funds.
She also learned practical ways to stretch and prolong grocery purchases. Below are several of her suggestions:
Use Flavors Creatively
Biallas discovered that a small set of groceries often meant repeating meals, but varying spices and seasonings made each dish feel different.
“Having a spice assortment has been incredibly useful. My parents gave me a starter kit of basic spices. It’s an excellent base for cooking with imagination.”
Don’t Underestimate the Sandwich
“Making a sandwich and pairing it with fruit is the simplest lunch to prepare. I love to toast sandwiches, either on the stovetop at home or in a toaster oven at work. It elevates something as plain as a sandwich into a more refined meal,” Biallas said.
Begin With Simple Foods
“Avoid heavily processed snacks, like flavored crackers and chips,” advised Biallas. “When you purchase items that are closer to their original form, they tend to be both cheaper and healthier.” (Like this tip? Click to tweet it!)
Avoid Waste
Biallas watches her refrigerator carefully to make the most of what she has. “If I see food starting to spoil, or if I’m going out of town, I freeze it. For example, I’ll freeze sliced green pepper and onion for a later stir-fry,” she explains. “Once, I even froze orange juice in an ice tray; it worked great for future smoothies!”
Check Your Pantry Regularly
“It’s easy to overlook items that accumulate over time, and [doing an occasional inventory] forces me to use up dwindling ingredients, like a few remaining cups of rice or couscous, and invent recipes to incorporate them.”
So, is surviving on $4 a day feasible? Biallas said the challenge wasn’t enjoyable, and the dietary quality of her meals was mediocre. Still, it’s possible.
“I’m grateful that my earnings allow me more freedom and flexibility in grocery shopping and eating out than many people have,” Biallas said. “But it was definitely a humbling experience.”
Your Turn: Would you accept a similar challenge? How might you rethink your eating habits or grocery spending?
