Several years ago when I was living on a very tight budget, I found a way to eat two of my three meals a day for under $1 a piece. Even though I no longer need to 'pinch pennies' as much as I used to, I have still continued to eat the same thing for my meals for around 5 years now. I use the money I save to enjoy other things in life.
My Breakfast:
- Two gummy multi-vitamins
- One cup of coffee
- One packet of "Carnation Instant Breakfast", mixed into my coffee
My Lunch:
- One "Equate Creamy Milk Chocolate Ultra Weight Loss Shake"
I have been told by many people that "what I am doing is extremely unhealthy". While that may be true to some extent, I have found that I get significantly more nutritional value from what I am currently eating, than what a large percentage of Americans eat every day. It is also healthier than the "no breakfast" and "fast food lunch" that I was often eating before I started this.
I have literally been doing this for 5 straight years now, and I feel just fine. My body/system has gotten used to my meal-plan, and I find myself functioning perfectly normally. I have not lost or gained a significant amount of weight; I have significant energy to get me through the day; and I am not really hungry outside my regular scheduled meal times.
I also get asked "don't you get bored of eating the same food every day?". Nope; I actually don't. Maybe it is because I am a creature of habit and I like routine, but I actually like what I eat each day. My breakfast is basically gummy vitamins and a Mocha (chocolate and coffee). My lunch is a flavored shake, which I have grown quite fond of over the years.
I do vary it up once and a while too. If co-workers are going out to lunch and want me to join, I will go with and eat "regular" food. I also tend to break my routine a lot on the weekends, when I am out with other people and eating is part of the socializing we do.
I also have kept my dinner a 'regular' meal, which usually averages between $4-12 per night - depending on what I chose to have. I have always thought about finding a way to make this meal cheaper too, but I have yet to find a third healthy cheap meal that I would be willing to commit to eating on a regular basis. I also do kind of like my one 'regular' meal each day for some variety.
I wanted to share this with you all, since many may be interested to know that it is possible to eat meals for under $1. While you may not be ready to totally commit to such a plan for a long period of time, the option is there for you to save a few bucks on a meal once and a while.
Just to put it in perspective, if you are currently spending $5 per meal, that is $8 per day that you would save. If you did this every day for a year, that would add up to around $3,000. $3,000 is a lot of money!
In addition to sharing my idea, I would like to get some discussion going. Does anyone else in the community have any "cheap, good, and healthy" meal options that they would be willing to share? Does my idea seem crazy, or is it actually a good idea? Are there other suggestions for cutting back on meal budgets?