Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge...

candygirl

I might have dreamt it but i'm sure we had an American lady join the OS grocery challenge a few weeks ago.Maybe she can help with this

Girl_least_likely_to

candygirl wrote: »

I might have dreamt it but i'm sure we had an American lady join the OS grocery challenge a few weeks ago.Maybe she can help with this

I remember her too. She came on and couldn't stop for posting for a few days and then nothing else from her! Her name was soemthing like igetnosleep

weezl74

ceridwen wrote: »

Just found the following article of interest:

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/plight-of-the-huddled-masses-a-hard-time-for-thanksgiving-759037.html

Found the bit of clarification I personally was wondering about in it - food stamps are a maximum of $3 per person per day (ie $21 per week - which I gather would be £21 in British food spending power terms?)

Hiya

Well,

I'm hanging my head with shame at having mislead you all!

The USDA site gives this link suggesting that a family of 2 get $78 a week, but on $3 a day maximum we'd only get $42. I'm bewildered. It also says the value of food stamps is enough to cook the thrifty food plan.:rolleyes:

My budget is £40 a month, but we've no way of knowing whether I could assume that's the same as $42 dollars, maybe we do need an American visitor to set us straight!

Perhaps I should rename my challenge, 'can a family of 2 eat healthily for £40 a month, (nothing to do with the USA whatsoever)?'. Methinks it lacks a certain pizazz!:rotfl:

Weezl x

candygirl

Girl_least_likely_to wrote: »

I remember her too. She came on and couldn't stop for posting for a few days and then nothing else from her! Her name was soemthing like igetnosleep

Yea that's the one!!!Glad I wasn't imagining it:o

purpleivy

Do you have a blog Weezl? if so, pls can you post the url. I have had a look here, but not seen it.

DenBo_4

One US dollar is equal to 50p, so surely that's only £21 a month? To feed a family of four?

jordylass

You're right DenBo, but I pointed out to Weezl that $21 buys the same in the states as £21 does here.

I think that is the best way of working it out, although some things (cornflour, OJ, cookies) are much cheaper than they are here, others, particularly bread is very expensive there.

I have spent a fair bit of time there, and buy most of my groceries in Walmart, and for e.g. a CD which is £9.99 here will be $9.99, which is great if you are converting GBP to USD, but makes no difference if you are paid in USD.

moanymoany

Girl_least_likely_to wrote: »

Thanks for the Houmous recipe Weezl, will try that one out. One question - does your OH eat this everyday for lunch? My OH won't eat the same thing twice on the trot

OH loves tomato sandwiches and has taken them for lunch every day for years!

I soak and cook a pack of 500 grams of pulses at a time. I then freeze them, they are easy to use as a quick bang on the work surface separates them into individuals.

weezl74

Mr Weezl does have other fillings in the freezer already for when he fancies a change, lentil pate, liver pate and grated whoopsie cheese with HM chutney are all very doable on my budget!

I can post my chicken liver pate recipe with costings if anyone's interested?:p

Good tip about the batch freezing moanymoany. No room in my two freezers at the mo tho!

purpleivy

moanymoany wrote: »

OH loves tomato sandwiches and has taken them for lunch every day for years!

I soak and cook a pack of 500 grams of pulses at a time. I then freeze them, they are easy to use as a quick bang on the work surface separates them into individuals.

I do this as well, rotating different types that I use.... kidney beans, chickpeas and something smaller and whiter... maybe flagelet or haricot, or even mixed, bagged into 250g units, quick run under the hot tap/nuke in the MW and ready for use.