{"id":212,"date":"2026-04-16T15:18:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/?p=212"},"modified":"2026-04-16T15:18:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:18:40","slug":"i-tried-to-feed-my-family-on-just-40-for-48-hours-heres-what-happened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/?p=212","title":{"rendered":"I tried to feed my family on just $40 for 48 hours. Here’s what happened"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I tried to feed my family of four on just $40 in 48 hours, and I quickly realized that when I’m not mindful of how much I’m\u00a0spending, it can add up quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Why did I do this? I was trying to fill a space on my bingo card.Let me explain.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>I\u2019m participating in LCCM’s\u00a0Hurdles to Housing challenge<\/a>, a fundraiser designed to transform perspectives of homelessness in Lebanon County and raise\u00a0at least $5,000 for LCCM\u2019s FRESH Start Emergency Shelter & Resource Center.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The fundraiser ends Friday. You can help us reach our goal!<\/a>The challenge is a 30-day event that encourages fundraisers and their families or teams to experience just some of the real-life issues that go along with families and individuals experiencing homelessness or who are on the verge of homelessness.The challenges range from living in cramped living spaces, to going without your vehicle for a day, and finding somewhere other than your own home to sleep for a night.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The challenge that my family and I completed – well, tried to complete – was living for 48 hours on the USDA\u2019s Thrifty Food Plan<\/a>,\u00a0which is also used as the basis for benefits provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).\u00a0According to the plan, my family of four, which consists of my husband and I, our 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, would need to spend the bare minimum of about $600 per month on groceries, which averages out to about $20 a day.<\/span><\/span>A report by the United Way points out some potential flaws with the methodology used to calculate that cost.<\/a>According to the United Way ALICE report (asset limited, income-constrained, employed), the cost of foodincreased in Pennsylvania by 18 percent from 2007 to 2017.The original US federal poverty level (FPL) was based on the premise that food accounts for one-third of a household budget, so that a total household budget was the cost of food multiplied by three. Yet with the large increases in the cost of other parts of the household budget, food now accounts for only 12 percent of the bare minimum budget for a family or a single adult in Pennsylvania, according to the report. <\/a>The report<\/a> notes that because the methodology of the FPL has not evolved in tandem with changing lifestyles and work demands, the FPL significantly underestimates the cost of even the most minimal household budget today.I’m inclined to believe this because I\u00a0had to wait until the weekend to attempt this challenge. There was no way I\u2019d be able to stay within budget during the week, as both my husband and I not only work full-time (I work 40 hours per week, and he works 50 hours and travels throughout eastern Pennsylvania), but we are also involved in ministry during the week and sometimes weekends.What I\u2019m saying is that we order take-out from restaurants – a lot.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>We began this challenge Saturday morning and ended Sunday evening. Just finding two whole days to do this was challenging because we weren’t home the entire time.\u00a0 My kids also spent the day with their grandparents on Sunday, so they ate lunch and dinner there. My husband had band practice Saturday morning, and played in the band at church on Sunday morning.\u00a0This meant that there would be a reduction in the amount of food being prepared for those meals.I also had some food items that didn’t cost anything, as well as some items that were meant for earlier in the week, but our busy schedule during the week meant bumping those meals to the weekend. Eating it during the week just didn’t pan out (no pun intended).<\/span><\/span>Below, I list out the meals prepared over the weekend. I broke the cost down by package, not by portion used. I do realize that this may not provide the most accurate picture, or could determine whether I could stay within the $600 monthly budget, but the goal was to just be mindful of living within a relatively strict budget.\u200b<\/span><\/span>Here\u2019s a breakdown:<\/span><\/span><\/div>
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Saturday breakfast<\/font><\/span><\/span>Eggs ($1.42)<\/span><\/span>Maier\u2019s Italian Bread ($2.48)<\/span><\/span>Provolone cheese ($2.68)<\/span><\/span>Butter ($2.08)\u00a0<\/span><\/span>1 quart of milk ($1.73) (only my daughter drinks the milk)<\/span><\/span>Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal ($2.50)<\/span><\/span><\/font>