Surviving on 165USD

[gcninja]

(Before reading this, I would like you to know I am not a hippie/activist/garnering for attention, I just want to try an experiment and would like some suggestions or encouragement)
So, recently I found out from an employee who I've known for a couple months and leaves next month that the pamphlet the company shows around (I haven't seen, but I already work for them) to people to hire then says that you can survive here on 165-180 bucks a month.I found this surprisingly full of shit as
A) a small meal costs $3.31 for usually some rice and meat (beef/chicken/pork) and thats about 8-10oz all together (4oz rice and 4-6oz of the special on top)
B) our store, though it does not charge taxes, is still more expensive than the regular stuff.
i.e.: A new razor is 20bucks, a box of hot pockets ~$5-7, candy is double its price

The store does give 10% off to locals, and the cafeteria 50% to employees, just soemthing to keep in mind while reading on

Not to mention cafeteria food isnt the best, and the healthy stuff is at least 5 dollars (naked juice is 4 or 2.21(w discount), bags of chips (pooore brothers not cheetos and such) are .55c (w/ disc), even the chicken is 5.25(~2.60) for a small (~6oz) piece. Our employee cafe, while pretty good prices, again the foor is either burgers, stir fry, chicken tenders, fried beef, etc.

As you see from the description the food here sucks and any attempt at living on a budget is nigh impossible it seems
I want to attempt to live on 165 for a month.
As I live at home, my plan is not to eat anything here, only if I buy it from the store out of my budget.

Basically, WHAT IF I just moved here and had no food and only 165 in my pocket

I want to begin next pay day (this upcoming weds) 6/15/11 until 7/14/11. This will be 30 days. Again, I live at home so water is here and that's all I will drink, unless again, I buy something from the store. This is in order to simulate somebody living in the dorms as opposed to somebody living in a trailer as I do.
My daily budget is $5.50. I have speculated that if I buy triscuits or something snack on at home I'll be better off

Hints, tips, tricks, encouragement?
If this kicks off well I might do a day to day or week to week journal.
Note: there are parties and people share food, so if this happens its not cheating, but I will NOT ask people for food.
Thanks for reading

[Elomin Sha]

When I was a student I lived off spaghetti and dolmio sauce (no meat). It could last a few days when making a big bowl of it. I'm told not to reheat but hey, I'm still alive.

[Metcarfre]

Sorry, is it $165 just for food, or what? Lodging?

If it's just food and you can cook, I say totally doable.

[Dutch guy]

Is that surviving on 5,50 a day on just what you buy at that particular store or just in general?

Because I can make some pretty freakin fantastic meals for that over here in the Netherlands. (Just gotta buy big and have a cooler to store meals. It's surprising how much cheaper stuff becomes when you start cooking for 3 days at a time)

[gcninja]

it would be 5.50 a day when split even, I can splurge and buy something big to last. Also metcarfre, for normal employees, lodging is taken out of the pay check automatically

[Metcarfre]

I can and have survived on <$30/week before, and in my experience food tends to be cheaper in the US (though obviously not in all areas). Cooking is your friend. Do you have access to a microwave at work? Big pots of spaghetti and other pasta, soups, tacos/burritos/wraps, cheap in-season fruits and veg, etc. are all easy, inexpensive and good.

Do you want some recipes etc?

[Master Gunner]

If you're just talking food/transportation/luxury budget, then I've already easily survived on far less. Lodging is the expensive part.

[gcninja]

The only thing allowed in a dorm is basically microwave and fridge, but I'll what the store has for sell. Again, prices here are higher than the average us store because its a tourist spot.
I don't plan to buy soda or anything and just live off water. I plan to see if I can last without the store as long as possible too.

[Jillers]

Ramen and peanut butter are you friends for living cheap. Also chicken and discount hot dogs if you feel like you "need" meat.

[Lorithad]

Mac and cheese 3 meals a day for 30 days works out to less than 120 bucks for the month. It can also be combined with hot dogs for a little extra protein without bumping the total cost up too much.

[theDreamer]

Throw in some real cheese sometimes, some hot sauce for flavour, and drink lots of water.

And you're set.

[Metcarfre]

Lack of any real cooking facilities severely curtails your choices; however, on that budget you can still eat quite well with a lot of fresh fruits and veg, well prepared, supplemented with eggs (which can be easily cooked in a microwave) and peanut butter for protein. I myself loathe the stereotypical 'student meal plan' of ramen, PB, mac&cheese etc.

[Danzama]

Find some free water, and only eat two meals some days?

[gcninja]

Well seeing as this is pretty popular I'll what I can do starting wednesday, and keep you all updated.
Worst case is I can live off the crackers and jelly provided at work for customers

[Dutch guy]

May I just say I find it utter bullshit you are not allowed a way to properly cook meals? (I assume even if there is a common kitchen it won't be much good or too filthy to use) A 2-burner stove should not really be a problem I'd think.

[gcninja]

Well the girls dorm has a kitchen with a fridge thats full, and a microwave. I've never been in the kitchen of the male dorm however. Not even toasters are allowed. They have size limits on the fridges and power limits on microwaves (800W IIRC)
And you can't really hide them as they have monthly fire drills and all rooms are checked.

[gcninja]

I do apologize, this is the list of what is and isnt allowed in the dorms. I don't live in them so I don't have a great knowledge

What do you think now?

[Dutch guy]

I am amazed people manage to survive at all. Cooking a decent meal is a necessity in my opinion, and you cant do that without a propper stove.

[gcninja]

we survive, as stated, on mostly cafeteria food, nuke-ables, and what you can make in a slow cooker IF you have one.
Also, I just noticed the top rule and lol'd
"If necessary exit through your window"

[the_lone_bard]

I'd like to say that here in aus i live on about $350 a month, that includes rent internet food and smokes.

I tend to cook most of my food in the oven, even though steak + oven = IM EATING A FUCKING SHOE!

Though that is more due to the fact that my sleeping is just plain broken and i tend to wake up at 2-6pm and cook my 1 meal a day at 11pm-2am when everyone else is asleep and i can't really wake them by frying up a steak.


As far as meals go... pasta is incredible on a budget, minced beed here is about $3-4 for a small package, enough to make pasta sauce, 2 cans of diced tomato's $2. tomato paste (I use the "expensive" kind.) $4, spices etc are fairly cheap when you take into account how much you use them, garlic powder, basil, oregano, cayanne pepper, rosemary, thyme, lemon pepper (If i'm ever cooking fish.)... then you just need cheap pasta which, by definition is cheap, you save about 5c a pack by getting homebrand over name brand, but who cares, it's freaking pasta there is no difference.

Cook up your sauce, store in freezer since you've just made enough for 5-6 meals out of $10 worth of ingredients.

includes enough meat as well.

[Phenonemis]

Popcorn, popcorn, popcorn, popcorn. If yo got a microwave, then buying a LOAD of unpopped popcorn is cheap and easy, and it can be a filling snack, especially as you can make it nice but putting salt or sugar on it. Rice is another VERY easy way to last. Soup for every meal would also work. You could by a decent sized baguette and that could last you for up to 8 meals.

[Dutch guy]

Also, cheap and easy meal if you have a method of frying bacon or similar:

cook pasta (I usually use Tagliatelle), fry bacon slices, mix egg and cream (something like unwhipped whipcream or something. Enough to make a good sauce) throw sauce over hot tagliatelle and let solidify. Throw bacon into pasta, throw in some cheap vegetable (I usually use frozen spinache for this) and let it warm up a bit. Enjoy. Because a usual portion of cream and a box of eggs contain enough to make 3 meals out of this, and its all dirt cheap this stuff is great if your on a budget. Tasty too.

[goat]

165 is pretty easy, but then again I have a stove/oven, and don't mind eating the same meals over and over again.

My suggestion for drinks: go invest in one of those big canisters of drink mix (lemonade works well). Drinking water can get old, and sometimes you need a little flavor. It's ~$6 for a canister that supposedly makes two of those sports water coolers. Just figure out the appropriate dilution to make it a glass at a time. Helps change things up some.

[Dutch guy]

Or do as i do with lemonade mixing. Add just enough to give it just a tad of flavor. It's no longer boring plain water, and a can of syrup lasts forever. (I do about 2 weeks on a 750 ml can, drinking 2 liters of water a day each day)

[korri]

Dude, you can have a crock pot. GET ONE!! For about $10 you can get soup broth, veggies, rice and some chicken and boom! Lunch and dinner for a week. I do this all the time and it works out great.