Stretching your food budget

"...they bought literally nothing but food - and still they could not keep alive on fifty dollars a month. They might have done it, if only they could have gotten pure food, and at fair prices; or if only they had known what to get - if they had not been so pitifully ignorant! But they had come to a new country, where everything was different, including the food. They had always been accustomed to eat a great deal of smoked sausage, and how could they know that what they bought in America was not the same - that its color was made by chemicals, and its smoky flavor by more chemicals, and that it was full of "potato flour"; besides? Potato flour is the waste of potato after the starch and alcohol have been extracted; it has no more food value than so much wood, and as its use as a food adulterant is a penal offense in Europe, thousands of tons of it are shipped to America every year. It was amazing what quantities of food such as this were needed every day, by eleven hungry persons. A dollar sixty-five a day was simply not enough to feed them, and there was no use trying..." --Upton Sinclair, The Jungle

We've come a long way since then, but even with labels declaring the information needed to make informed decisions, people still don't recognize when they aren't getting good value for their money.

Any time you make a purchase you should ask if the item you are buying is 'worth it'. To know if something is 'worth it,' you must know the purpose of the thing. Food has two primary purposes: to provide energy and nutrition. Food is expensive when its ratio of price to benefit is high.

Some people buy diet foods to lose weight. This is the antithesis of good value! The way to lose weight is to count calories. The way to be healthy is to do cardiovascular exercise. If you are trying to lose weight, don't be scared by my methods. Instead, eat most of your food in morning, have a moderate lunch, and eat tiny dinners. It's easier to be hungry when you're asleep. Count every calorie and limit your daily intake to 750 calories less than your Katch-McArdle calculated basal metabolic rate requirements. Recalculate your limit when your activity level changes. (Sigh. Always see a doctor before starting any diet, yadda, yadda.)

The first time you try my technique you will need extra time. Start at one end of the grocery store and walk down each food isle, skipping fresh and frozen produce. Pick up each item you like to eat and subject it to my tests, below. Subject sale items to the test, too; it's always good to try new foods. If the item passes these tests, put it in your cart -- otherwise put it back. At the end of this exercise put back excess food or make a second trip though the store if you need more. Then visit the produce sections to finish your shopping.

Rule 1: Make sure it it provides enough energy.

The "average"; American needs 2000 calories per day. If you pay one penny per calorie for your food, it will cost you $20 per day, or $600 per month, to eat. If you want to save money, it's time to maximize the number of calories you get out of every penny.

I live on Kauai in Hawaii. Food is very expensive here. We limit ourselves to items (not including produce) which provide at least 4 calories per penny and eat very well. On the mainland, you may be able to get as many as 8 calories for every penny you spend. Once you start looking at your food this way you will be shocked at what foods you can afford that you thought you couldn't, and what foods you thought you could afford that you can't.

Multiply the price of each item up by the number of calories per penny you have decided on and then multiply that by 100. You don't have to be exact. If your math is poor, bring a calculator. This is how many calories the item needs to be 'worth it.' If an item is $2.12 and you are shooting for 4 calories per penny, the item must have about 850 calories.

Multiply the number of servings in the container by the calories per serving to determine the total number of calories in the item. If there are 2.5 servings of 412 calories each, the item has about 2.5*400=1000 calories.

Meats are expensive and can be difficult to evaluate since their caloric content is rarely labeled and because some calories are lost during cooking. If you are not vegetarian you may need to alter your calories-per-penny limit when buying. To get an idea of how much you should expect to pay, keep these calorie content numbers handy.

If the number of calories in the item is close to or greater than what it needs to be 'worth it', go on to rule 2. Otherwise, wince at how expensive the item is and put it back on the shelf.

Rule 1: Make sure it it provides nutrition.

Sugar, corn syrup, white flour, bad oils, and fat are all enemies of nutrition. They are also very cheap, and will cause many of the products you pick up to be "worth their energy content."; Many people end up supplementing poor food choices by buying high calorie, poor quality foods, like white bread, rice, or junk food. Some of these foods can have ridiculously low price to calorie ratios.

Check the number of grams of sugar in the item and compare it the the number of grams per serving. If these values are too close, put the item back. Be suspicious of items with large amounts of fat or bad oils, but remember that some foods, such as cheese and eggs, can be very nutritious by nature of their high protein content, despite their high fat content. Reconsider any items with large amounts of white flour. Choose items with 100% whole grains: Brown instead of white rice, 100% whole wheat instead of white bread. These items taste better and are more nutritious.

Be especially careful when choosing breads. Companies love white breads because they are cheaper to make. Also, unused wheat germ can be sold separately for even more profit. Many "whole wheat"; loaves are actually nothing more than white flour breads with coloring and token amounts of wheat germ mixed in. 'Wheat flour' is almost always refined white flour made from wheat. Make sure the label says, '100% whole wheat' or '100% whole grain.' Knowledge is power.

Diet sodas, mustard, candies, chips, salsa, and other items are almost never 'worth it'. While vitamin C is very important, most fruit juices are mainly sugar water. Buy 100% fruit juice, and be aware that even most of these are mainly apple or grape juice with high sugar contents. By shopping carefully you can afford to buy token amounts of these 'fun foods' anyway.

You will find many foods you thought were a great deal are terrible money sinks. Tomato based pasta sauces are nearly devoid of any nutritional value outside of Lycopene, and have almost no caloric content. If you ate nothing but canned condensed soups you would have to pay a fortune. Ramen is almost pure refined flour.

On the other hand, some foods that you thought were too expensive to buy are often worth it. Supreme pizzas with vegtables and meat, while usually having copious white flour, often may be found on sale for less than 4 calories per penny. Eaten occasionally they are an excellent food. Trail mix, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, generic fish sticks, whole grain breads, exotic whole grain rices, whole grain breakfast cereals, nut butters, some meats, and cheeses are all delicious items that are healthy and inexpensive. In moderation, hamburger patties and some sausages occasionally qualify. If you need more calories, buy more brown rices, beans, nuts, and high quality vegtable oils. Whole milk, in particular, is often a great value, even here on Kaua`i where it sells for between $4 and $6 per gallon.

Coupons are for advertising, not saving money. Collect coupons as you see them instead of trying to track them down. You will find that even with a coupon, most of the items being advertised are not worth their prices.

Most of the foods you buy will be on sale. Since sales change weekly, you will come home with different foods each week. Stock up on special foods you really like when they are on sale and 'worth it.'

With practice, you can quickly identify foods likely to be 'worth it.' In no time you will be enjoying widly varied, delicious foods and saving money at the same time.