Yesterday I posted that my friend Air Traffic Mike is doing a $100 challenge – he bought $100 worth of groceries, and starting yesterday, he’s seeing how long he can live on them, how cheaply he can eat. ATM is a retired air traffic controller and can afford to eat out every day, but he was just curious how much money he could save, if he needed to in these tough economic times.
I did a little searching and found a way to do the $100 challenge even cheaper. There’s a nonprofit program called Angel Food Ministries that sells food in bulk at very affordable prices. You don’t have to be unemployed or on government assistance to qualify – anyone can order from the organization. You pick up your food package at one of the many delivery points, which are mostly churches. A search revealed 37 delivery points within 20 miles of the 38103 zip code.
Every month they sell a box of food for $29 that will make healthy, delicious, balanced meals for about a week. Their August box includes four 6 oz. New York strip steaks; 1.5 lbs. breaded chicken nuggets; 2 lbs. ground beef; 1 lb. fish wedges; four 6 oz. pork chops; 1 lb. pasta and a 26 oz. jar of pasta sauce; broccoli, carrots, corn and cauliflower for veggies; and milk and eggs. At only $29, you could do the $100 challenge and still have $71 left to spend on beer. Or, if you’re out of work, you have $71 left over to put away for a rainy day, or to spend on a professional resume writer or interview coach.
They have other specials too. If you don’t like to cook, they have a box of a dozen frozen dinners. They have an after-school box for kids. They also have veggie boxes, and for those who like to grill they have a grill special box full of quality meats. All of these contain enough food for about a week, and none of them are more than $29.
For more about Angel Food Ministries, visit their website.