If they pooled their money together and cooked communal meals they could stretch the budget a bit.

I'm thinking bean soups, vegetable soups, chili with macaroni, rice w/fried eggs on top (don't knock it until you try it).

A chicken is cheap and can make several meals once it is cut up.

My Adult Children weren't that interested in cooking at that age.

Buy whole chicken's and roast them in the oven. At least 4 meals per chicken.

Buy larger quantities of hamburger and repackage into smaller portions and freeze them.

Ground Turkey is cheap. I've made Turkey Chilli and Turkey Burgers.

Roman Noodles (my store has them for $.25) Add frozen veggies and left over meats.

This is a great experience for DS3. I'm sure you are proud of him.

Gayle

When I was broke, single, and feeding four kids, I always hit the day old bakery. Cheap bread for sandwiches, toast, french toast, bread pudding, flavored croutons, flavored bread crumbs for coating. With some eggs and a loaf of bread, I could feed all of us a french toast breakfast or "breakfast-supper" for under a dollar.

Mac and cheese. You can add a small bit of ground beef, tuna, and/or veggies for a filling meal.

Ditto the ramen noodles. Canned ham or chicken can add some protein.

I was going to say Mac and cheese too. Hamb.& Mac with velveeta/milk sauce. Dollar stores have some cheap foods too. Like mentioned before, day old bread store. They have chips, and other things as well.
Leslie

How about once a week--breakfast for dinner. Pancakes or French Toast, with a small side of bacon, and a big serving of hot applesauce makes an inexpensive dinner.

Obviously, shopping sales, using coupons come to mind. Buying in bulk--huge bags of rice cost so very little, for example. Check alternative shopping--it's MUCH cheaper to buy produce at the Chinese market in my area, than in the supermarkets (I can get a beautiful pineapple for $2-3 at the Oriental market, they're over $6 at the supermarkets). How about care packages from mom and dad to supplement?

I imagine, though, that amount is just a stipend to help them. It's not really supposed to be enough to actually supply 100% of a person's food. After all, one who has the time and means to give up a year of their life to volunteeer for a year--I'm sure it's assumed that they have some other means, and they're probably expected to add to that amount, when needed.

They are given a food allowance of $ 4.50 /person /day.

So do they then have to pack a lunch too from that $4.50, or do they go home for lunch? I'd think $31.50 a week, for groceries alone would buy quite a bit, if one paid attention to shopping and buying what was on sale that week.

I live alone, and have been meaning to do a cost study of just what is spent monthly on actual food products.

Sue

I agree with you Ronf, $4.50 doesn't sound like enough per day for a young person like that (they still pile through the groceries at that age). Especially if they want fresh fruit and veggies, which are an important part of the daily diet in my opinion. I don't have anything better to add than what the previous posters have suggested.

Cooking from scratch is probably the healthier and cheaper option. If they want a quick meal, cooking a hamburger is probably less expensive than a sandwich because ground beef is cheaper than lunch meat. If you buy cheese, buy the big block instead of slices. Stay away from the chips as a side. The price is unreal for what you get and not as filling or healthy either.

Meatloaf is pretty easy to make and can be extended by adding breadcrumbs.

If they want chicken strips, it's cheaper to buy the fresh or frozen filets and make their own instead of buying pre-made. Here's a recipe I use with leftover bread crumbs. http://www.hiddenvalley.com/recipes/view_recipe.php?recipe_id=64

The price of food has gone up so much lately, its hard to say definatively what is cheaper. (I can't keep up.) We buy the 10# bags of potatoes and make baked potatoes from them instead of buying the 'big' potatoes specifically marketed for that purpose. They make a great meal covered in homemade chili.

Another meal I love is Indian tacos. We don't make it often, but it is filling and relatively inexpensive. I love it with ground beef, but Pinto or other beans could be added for additional protein or in place of meat. I'm adding a link with a recipe. There are variations to the recipe. For instance, we use regular flour and not the unbleached. See the link for for the general idea. The fry bread is also a great dessert if you just pour some honey on it.

A simple baked cake from a box is also an inexpensive dessert for a group.

Quiche is a great, but easy meal to make. I make mine without a crust so its even easier. You can put various, meat, cheese, veggie combos together so it's a great way to use up leftovers. If they could find someone locally to buy eggs from, they may be able to get a better deal than the stores.

In my household, the most waste on food is letting it go to waste rather than what we actually spend. Having a plan for leftovers is probably one of the best ways to save money.

Here is a link that might be useful: Indian Tacos

When I was broke I'd make lots of pancakes, freeze them and substitute them for bread and sandwiches. I ate a lot of tuna fish/cheese and pancake sandwiches. Peanut butter and jelly work well on a hot pancake when butter is expensive.
A scrambled egg wrapped in a hot or cold pancake tastes too too.

Noodles ramen is good especially if you cook the noodles in the juice from a can of cheap vegetables. Minute Rice goes a long ways too if you add veggies to it. Protein can be a problem but then tuna fish is cheap too. Milk, I learned, is the cheapest 'good food' in the world.

Potatoes don't cost much and are easy to cook.
Un-scraped, full size carrots are fair inexpensive as well as celery. Unfortunately broccoli and cauliflower are pretty expensive and don't go far enough to justify the cost.

Rice and veggies stirred in store brand italian dressing is very good.

Dollar stores are a good place to buy condiments. I've never bought a bad can/jar of anything of anything. It's also a good store to stock up on cheapo zip lock and other closure baggies.

Bulk cheese is cheap and goes a long ways too and you can freeze it until you need it.

Eggs are a great source of protein and fairly cheap. If your son is working hard he'll quickly metabolize any fats.

Does your son like what he is doing?
It sounds like a great cause!
Do they hire fat, middle aged women with fading eyesight, busy eyebrows and a very blonde mustache?

Lori

Spaghetti--
Fried taters with eggs--
Veggie soup--

Donna (^_^)

Food stamps?

I found that the cost can be soooo much when you are making things because you don't have the little things like seasonings, and they cost a lot when you buy enough of them.

My mom used to make this, and it is my DSILs favorite--

Crumble fry a pound or so of hamburger. Make mashed potatoes from scratch. To the VERY, VERY browned, almost burnt hamburger, sprinkle two tablespoons of flour. Brown two minutes more. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water, salt, pepper and a bullion cube, and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to let the flavors blend, adding water as necessary to keep it saucy. Place a huge mound of mashed potatoes on the plate, spoon a large spoonful of meat and sauce over the potatoes. Yum.

I love Lori's sugestions, and she covered some of mine.

Add to that, Oatmeal! Oatmeal is one of the cheapest "good-for-ya" meals and it sticks with you for a while. A big box or bag of oatmeal can make lots of breakfasts or evening snacks. Oatmeal in the evening will keep that tummy from rumbling during the night!

Peanut butter and jelly, or peanut butter and anything, makes a good lunch.

I think a large jar of store brand applesauce goes much farther in suppling fruit rather than a bag of apples, although an apple is easier to take with you.

For some reason toast seems like more to eat then just bread.

When our boys were in college, they were always laughed at by the rich kids who's parents were footing their bills, because they would buy things like the large box of cheerios for snack food.

He will learn a lot from this experience, and it sounds like a wonderful thing he is doing.

Pool their funds to stretch the meal dollar..it can be done.,and tell them to get hold of whatever groups are in their areas....here in Ontario,we have the United Way,Kinsmen,Rotary club,that sort of thing...maybe someone could help them there too,since they are doing what they are doing.

Well my first suggestion would be to all combine their money. I mean heck you can make a spaghetti dinner to feed 12 people for about 10 bucks.
Pasta and rice are always food and dollar stretchers.
I don't know about the area they are in but in our neck of the woods we have stores like Sav-a-lot. These stores sell not name brands but good products for cheap. As a matter of fact the sign inside the store says, shop here and save 40% on your grocery bill.
12 people at 4.50 a day for 7 days a week adds up to $378 a week. Trust me I could feed 12 people for a month with that amount. I know these are young people and possibly not as careful with their money, but when you figure the total amount of $$$$ per week, it seems like a lot to me.

Use store brands.

If they have them, shop at Wal-Mart Super Store. Their groceries are usually a lot cheaper than stand alone grocery stores. Buy frozen veggies - they are usually a lot cheaper and taste better than fresh. I can get a huge bag (around 2lbs I think) of frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower for a very reasonable price.

Wishing them all the best. You must be very proud of him.

Thank you all for the suggestions.
Yes, they eat their meals together and can combine their funds for shopping. Also, Americorp has a Sam's membership so they can shop in bulk.
I could also pass the word on to Grandma and she'd love to send him a care package.
Thanks again.

Ron

Is there a Big Lots there or a store like that? I just bought fancy pasta imported from Italy for 80 cents a 16 oz. package. They also had cheap sauce. Tell him that the group should shop at the all the discount stores.
Clare

I also think they'd do best to pool their money and take turns cooking. One dish dinners to feed a group. Invest in a Crock Pot. Then they can purchase less expensive cuts of meat. Throw into the pot with some veggies, make some rice or noodles and it will feed an army!
No need for gourmet cooking skills. Anyone can do this.
They can stock up on staples like pasta, beans, inexpensive meats,veggies, canned tomatoe sauces, cereals and grains.
Check out the day old section for rolls, bread and veggies. Usually lots of stuff that is just fine for casseroles and slow cooked meals. It may not look its best but hasn't lost any goodness.
Plan, Plan, Plan. Planning ahead and shopping with a list. Plan for left overs and don't waste a thing!
Stretch meals with larger portions of rice, pasta and grains. Fill up on veggies rather than expensive meats.
Make sure everyone gets a good hearty breakfast to start their day with. Hot oatmeal and some protein first thing will keep them satisfied longer and give them energy for the day.
Tell them Thank you! They deserve to eat well!

A crock pot is a great suggestion, too. After my youngest DD moved half-way across the country, she fell on some hard times. I went to the dollar store and bought the ingredients for a care package. I sent cleaning and hygiene products, lots of ramen and Mac & cheese, canned meats, seasonings, tuna, flavored tuna, canned veggies, etc. It ended up being enough food to keep her going for weeks and helping her get on her feet financially.

DS and his GF live in a studio apartment on our property. They don't want to be dependent on us, but towards the end of the month we know they're short on cash and looking for inexpensive meals. We have them up for dinner at least 2 times a week, but they like to make it on their own ;o) They make food in quantities and freeze the extra. Chili, meatloaf, roast chicken are all things that can be stretched into extra meals. From the roast chicken they have extra for soup, pot pie, and sandwiches. The meatloaf is used for another dinner and sandwiches. Chili goes a loooong way LOL. They also make a large pot of sauce and have pasta at least twice a week. Or they'll buy frozen breaded eggplant and make eggplant parmigiana with pasta or eggplant parmigiana sandwiches. They make their own version of Hamburger Helper with leftover macaroni and cheese and ground beef. Ramen noodles are a staple, too. Ham steaks can go for 2 dinners. The first night as a ham dinner and the second night in an omelette. Sounds like your DS is doing a wonderful thing! I'm sure you're very proud.