This reminds me of an experiment I did in college to see how small of a food budget I could go on while still maintaining three healthy (and delicious) meals per day.
I think I got it down to under $2/meal with a carb, protein, and veggie/fruit component to each meal. Pretty amazing when you factor in that I did ~50% of my shopping at Whole Foods. (they have quite competitive prices when it comes to frozen veggies and dried pasta)
Amazing how far money will go when you don't have very much of it.
Sorry missed this reply. For those still interested.
The key to keeping down costs is to buy in bulk, something I realize is not feasible to all people because it requires frontloading much of the cost. Scale according to what you can afford.
Breakfast & Dinner Example (I'm using very very generous prices, you can find most of these items for substantially cheaper via weekly sales/coupons or costco)
Breakfast:
2 Slices of Whole Wheat Bread = $0.60 ($3 for 10 slice loaf)
2 Large Eggs = $0.33 ($2 for 1 carton)
1 Tomato = $0.50
1 Banana = $0.50
Incidentals (salt, pepper, butter) = $0.10
Breakfast Total: $2.03
Dinner
Pasta = $0.33 (1 bag of pasta at WF = ~$1 and makes about three man servings)
Can of Tuna = $0.50
Frozen Veggies = $0.50 (1 bag of mixed veggies about $1.50, makes three man servings)
Canned Tomatoes = $0.50 (1 can = ~$1)
Shredded Cheese = $0.40 ($4 bag makes about 10 servings)
Olive Oil, Salt&Pepper, = $0.10
1 clove of Garlic = $0.05
Total: $2.38
Heat oil, sautee garlic, add veggies, add pre-cooked pasta, add tuna, season, add tomatoes, check-seasoning, stir-fry and reduce the water down, throw on the cheese.
Again buy in bulk and these prices go down even more. Canned goods, frozen foods, and carbs (rice & pasta are my favorites) are dirt dirt cheap.
For extra health, replace a few meals each week with fresh produce.
I think I got it down to under $2/meal with a carb, protein, and veggie/fruit component to each meal. Pretty amazing when you factor in that I did ~50% of my shopping at Whole Foods. (they have quite competitive prices when it comes to frozen veggies and dried pasta)
Amazing how far money will go when you don't have very much of it.