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Could you survive on $62 a week in groceries?


groceriesCruising through Epicurious the other day, I came across a post in the editor's blog, Epi-log. She pointed to a thread in Epicurious' forum about a woman doing an "experiment" in hunger, to see what it would be like to live at what the American government defines as "poverty level." The woman did a little bit of research and says, "From what I have read in governmental statistics, poverty for a household of two is an annual income of $13,000, or $250 a week." After housing, food is the second highest expense, and based on the statistics, she is going to try to live on $62 a week for food for two people.

It made me think. As a single person, that would mean I would be living on $31 a week for food. I was sort of embarrassed to say that while I could easily spend that on a croissant and coffee for a week, a family of two is living on that for three meals a day, seven days a week. I've blown more than that on one meal of sushi before. In fact, I think I spend $31 each time I go to the grocery store, which is about every other day.

I thought about how I would do with $31 a week. It made me really think about things I take for granted, like wine, cheese, and desserts. Perhaps I'd go back to eating a lot more Korena food, which is heavily based on grains and vegetables, which are not as expensive as fish and meats.

How about you? How much do you spend on groceries a week? Would you be able to make do if you were cut back to $62 for two people?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

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Butterscotch sauce is a rich and buttery treat that makes a great seasonal dessert topper in place of chocolate or whipped cream.

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