Sunday, May 10, 2009

Poverty Lesson Three: If it's not edible, I don't want to think about it

My life now seems to revolve around food. When I am not eating, I think about when I can eat, what I can afford when I do get to eat and how I am going to get to the store so that I can purchase the food to eat. I am trying not to spend all of my $6.72 a day on food, so it is getting increasingly more difficult to purchase enough food that is somewhat healthy and filling.

Poverty Lesson Four: The quality of food that I am able to purchase has decreased.

Prior to starting my poverty experience, the Grocery Guru (as seen in the ad section of the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News and on Channel Two News) offered to give me some tips on how to buy more with less money. His tips included looking for sales on food and using coupons. I was impressed that we were able to purchase approximately $110 worth of food for only $30. However, I was not impressed with the selection or quality of the food we purchased. The food that the Grocery Guru selected for me included cereal, popcorn and cough drops. While those are good snacks, they do not constitute a balanced meal. I have noticed that the least expensive food is often the most unhealthy. I can no longer afford most produce, dairy or meat products. When I first started the experiment, I had enough money left over to buy whatever apples, carrots or bananas were on sale. Now that I am forced to spend only about $4 a day on food, I no longer have that luxury.

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