$4 A Day

I am a self-proclaimed Food Network junkie. Some people like to window shop for things that they don't need and can't afford; I like to watch people cook excess amounts of food that I don't need and eat at restaurants that I can't afford. If you're familiar with FoodTV, you probably know the show “$40-a-Day”, where Ms. EVOO herself, Rachel Ray, shows you how to eat 3 meals on only $40 a day...you know, for the budget traveler.

EXCUSE ME? Since when did $40 become "budget travelling"? I hate to say it Rach, but in the real world your meals take 60-90 minutes to complete, and eating for $40 a day when you are on a budget is a luxury. Take it from a real budget traveler (and lifer); if I had a TV show it would be called “$4-a-Day” and this is how it would go...

BREAKFAST: If you believe in 3-square meals a day, you will have to stretch your pennies a little further than those of us who sleep until noon and only fill up twice a day. If you must eat breakfast, go to a grocery store. A box of 6 granola bars will cost you around $2 (~$0.33/bar), and if it helps, you can cut the bar into 4 pieces to give the illusion of plenty.

LUNCH: Lunch needs to be very strategic and is all about "Location, Location, Location". Because dinner tends to be the most expensive meal, you will want to save most of your money for later in the day and be very innovative at lunch. Here are my top picks for the budget diner (in no particular order):

1) COSTCO- The majority of Costco's red & white checked sampling tables roll out between 11:30am-1:30pm. Once you enter it is essential to come across as a serious consumer. The sample wardens have a sixth sense for “vultures” and when they sense an imposter they tend to be stingier with the product. On that note, make it appoint to strike up a friendly conversation with the demonstrators- ask questions; lay on the compliments (“You work that microwave with such ease…this is delicious!”); and of course, always load whatever they are selling into your cart (you can always put it back later). Costco does attract a lot of rug rats (a.k.a., children). They are your main competition, because the consolation prizes for being dragged unwillingly to Costco, when they would rather be idle in front of a virtual game console, are promises of treats and tasty morsels. Stand your ground and do not let any tiny grabbers take what is yours. On the way out, it is acceptable to stop by the food vendors and grab a fountain drink for $0.55. Stay there long enough to finish your beverage and fill up again before getting in your car; you may even consider saving the cup for your next visit.

2) WHOLE FOODS- Whole Foods is a horrible place to shop on a budget, but is a $4-a-Day dream because they leave samples out all day. And on days when the “buffet” is lacking, you still have the produce and cheese departments that will be happy to cut into just about anything so you can experience the full flavor of what others will buy. WF also usually has coffee samples, so you may consider morning visits to get your day started right. For those of you who are picky eaters, WF provides calendars of their special tasting events so you can pick and choose when you want to show up. And finally, WF bumps up their samples (quality and quantity) around major holidays and events; my favorites are Super Bowl weekend, Thanksgiving, and Easter.

3) GREAT HARVEST BREAD COMPANY- If you like bread, stop at GHBC where the options are plentiful and the sample slices are thick. It is tougher to fill up at GHBC because the stores are small and going incognito isn’t always an option (unlike Costco and WF where you can do 2-3 laps), but it is nice to have a full slice of bread to munch on instead of having to go back a dozen times for 1 cm. cubes of dried out crumbs like you do at other stores.

4) FARMER’S MARKET- The downside of farmer’s markets is that are not always convenient. They happen on certain days, some are seasonal, and they often rotate locations. However, when you find a good farmer’s market, the payoff can be huge. Farmer’s markets are great because they have a variety of goods (produce, meat, cheese, pastries, coffee, prepared foods, etc…), and they also offer a lot of organic products for the environmentalist out there. For those of you who are nutrition minded, this is the best place to get your “5-a-Day”. I will warn you that competition at these markets is fierce as they tend to attract all types of people. The upper echelon who wouldn’t be caught dead bulk shopping at Costco, will show up at the farmer’s market to sample local, award winning spring, grass fed, bottled burbed goat’s cheese, cave aged in imported lotus leaves; and raw, vegan, 15-grain, organic, soy-cheese blitzes with a flax-cocoa nib-raspberry chutney.

DINNER: If you’ve followed the game plan, by dinner you should have about $3. This is when you hit the 99 cent value menus at your favorite fast food. It isn’t the most nutritious choice, but when you’re broke and working late (because you took an extended lunch break to hit up Costco, Whole Foods, and GHBC), it’s there and it’s cheap. Feeding a family of 5 is easy, because at $3 a person you have $15, which right now will get you 2 medium-2 topping pizzas, 5 burgers with small fries, or a bucket of fried chicken. There is something to say about the connection between low incomes, affordability and availability of health foods, and obesity, but we’ll save that rant for another day. Instead let’s talk about dessert at Baskin n’ Robbins, which has 31 flavors that need to be tested for quality control purposes.

Of course, if you really want to eat cheap, move to China! You’ll live like a king (or queen) or pennies a day. The best part about it is that since you will inevitably contract some sort of virus that will have you visiting the squatty potty on the hour, you can eat whatever you want and never put on a pound! Now that’s what I call a real bargain.