You may have seen that I recently completed the #SNAPChallenge, a seven-day challenge to live on a food budget of only $28. Although brief, it was a very insightful and inspiring challenge. Here’s a summary of the experience.

Summary

I decided to do the SNAP Challenge to understand living on a strict food budget like those living on food stamps. I also wanted to demonstrate that, while on a strict budget, you can still eat nutritious foods. So here’s what I bought: a produce-heavy selection of foods.

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it through the full week. On the Sunday evening – the last night – I ran out of food. In order to eat a healthy amount of calories for the day, I purchased food for my last meal.

Throughout the week, I felt like I was on a diet: I was somewhat hungry and had little freedom with what I could eat.

I kept track of my calories and the cost per meal, and found that I was getting about 1300-1400 calories per day. That’s a healthy amount of calories for me, but it’s on the low end. I lost about about 3 pounds during my SNAP Challenge week.

If I had to live on $28 every week, it would almost be like a permanent, unwelcome diet plan. Mentally, I wanted to be done. Physically, I felt somewhat lethargic. I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed some key nutrients.

Takeaways

Although I was very determined during this challenge, I have to admit… it was hard! I was hungry and craved dairy; I may not have been getting enough calcium. As you can see from my meals listed below, I became very dependent on quick and easy doses of energy in the form of spoonfuls of peanut butter. Getting enough calories and nutrients was a major issue.

Throughout the challenge, I felt like I was almost always cooking. Fortunately, I work from home so I was able to take breaks to make meals. Most people don’t have that liberty. I can see why fast food value menus become appealing for someone on a tight food budget.

Not only was I constantly cooking, I was constantly thinking about my next meal. After I woke on day 5 to find that my bread spoiled (the most devastating part of the challenge), I was constantly concerned that I would run out of food. Spoilage is a real issue for people living on a strict food budget.

Although I didn’t make it through the week, I did end up with a few leftover ingredients: about 1/2 jar of peanut butter, 1/2 bottle of olive oil, just under 1/2 bottle of balsamic vinegar, and 1 head of garlic. Oh, and I also have a container of schmaltz (aka chicken fat) which I processed and saved. After all – every calorie was critical.

Looking at the positives, the leftover items were some of the most expensive parts of my initial purchase. If I were to continue this challenge, I would be able build a small stockpile of ingredients, allowing me to buy even more with my $28 budget.

From this experience, I learned to be a better budget shopper. Next time, I would buy different items, with less produce and more calorie-dense foods. For example, next time I would buy a bag of brown rice or dried beans instead of a second avocado – one avocado was more than enough.

SNAP Challenge Meals

Here’s what I ate during the challenge.

Day 1

Breakfast: Toast with Banana and Peanut Butter
Cost: $0.37; Calories: 386

Snack: 1/4 Cantaloupe
Cost: $0.25; Calories: 46

Lunch: Veggie Hash (spinach, garlic, sweet potato, broccoli, dried cranberries) with Poached Egg
Cost: $1.06; Calories: 375

Dinner: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic Bread
Cost: $1.10; Calories: 588

Dessert: 1 Tbs Peanut Butter from the jar (don’t judge – you’ve all done this before!)
Cost: $0.08; Cal: 105

Total: Cost: $2.86; Calories: 1,497

Day 2

Breakfast: Banana Pancakes (1 small banana, 1 egg) with Peanut Butter topping
Cost: $0.45; Calories: 297

Snack: 1/4 Cantaloupe
Cost: $0.25; Calories: 46

Lunch: Chicken Sandwich with Avocado, Tomato, and Spinach
Cost: $1.22; Calories: 397

Dinner: Spinach Salad with Walnuts, Cranberries, Orange Balsamic Dressing and Garlic Bread
Cost: $1.94; Calories: 637

Total: Cost: $4.04; Calories: 1,412

Day 3

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Broccoli, and Tomato
Cost: $0.72; Calories: 281

Snack: 1/2 Banana with 1 Tbs Peanut Butter
Cost: $0.17; Calories: 136

Lunch: Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs with Tomato and Avocado
Cost: $1.21; Calories: 466

Snack: 1/4 Cantaloupe
Cost: $0.25; Calories: 46

Dinner: Veggie Panini with Spinach, Tomato, Avocado and Dried Cranberries
Cost: $1.43; Calories: 387

Total: Cost: $3.87; Calories: 1,316

Day 4

Breakfast: Open-Faced Egg Sandwich with Avocado and Tomato
Cost: $0.73; Calories: 297

Snack: 1/4 Cantaloupe
Cost: $0.25; Calories: 46

Lunch: Veggie Panini with Spinach, Tomato, Avocado and Dried Cranberries
Cost: $1.43; Calories: 387

Dinner: Balsamic Braised Chicken (made with Garlic, Balsamic Vinegar, 1/2 Tangelo and Homemade Chicken Stock). Side of Steamed Broccoli
Cost: $1.71; Calories: 440

Snack: 2 Tbs Peanut Butter
Cost: $0.16; Calories: 210

Total: Cost: $4.28; Calories: 1,380

Day 5

Breakfast: 2 Tbs Peanut Butter
Cost: $0.16; Calories: 210

Snack: 1 Hard Boiled Egg
Cost: $0.14; Calories: 70

Lunch: Balsamic Braised Chicken with a Side of Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
Cost: $2.00; Calories: 641.5

Snack: 1/2 Tangelo
Cost: $0.54; Calories: 34

Dinner: Cranberry Chicken Patty (made with Chicken Thighs, Cranberries, Egg, Spinach, and Garlic) with side of Sweet Potato Chips and Balsamic Glaze
Cost: $1.52; Calories: 457

Snack: 1 Tbs Peanut Butter
Cost: $0.08; Calories: 105

Total: Cost: $4.34; Calories: 1,575

Day 6

This became a “leftovers day” eating whatever was easily accessible.
Breakfast: Avocado Deviled Eggs (4 halves)
Cost: $0.67; Calories: 213

Snack: Steamed Broccoli with Balsamic Glaze
Cost: N/A; Calories: N/A

Snack: Small Handful of Walnuts
Cost: N/A; Calories: N/A

Snack: Leftover Chicken Patty with Balsamic Glaze
Cost: N/A; Calories: N/A

Snack: 2 Tbs Peanut Butter
Cost: 0.16; Calories: 210

Late Lunch: Egg Drop Soup (made from 2 Eggs, Homemade Chicken Stock and Garlic)
Cost: $0.34 (not including stock); Calories: 220

Dinner: 1/2 Balsamic Braised Chicken Breast
Cost: $0.69; Calories: 194

Total: Cost: N/A (over $1.86); Calories: N/A (over 837)

Day 7

Breakfast: 1 Hard Boiled Egg
Cost: $0.14; Calories: 70

Snack: 1 Tbs Peanut Butter
Cost: 0.08; Calories: 105

Lunch: Spinach Salad with Dried Cranberries, Balsamic Braised Chicken Thighs and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Cost: $2.08; Calories: 383

Snack: 1/2 Avocado
Cost: 0.75; Calories: 161

Dinner: 1/2 Balsamic Braised Chicken Thigh with Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato
Cost: $1.32; Calories: 449

Total: Cost: $4.37; Calories: 1,168
**I did not have enough to eat this day, so I later bought a second dinner**
I’m glad that I did this challenge, but would I do it again? Probably not. I give major credit to those who are living on food stamps. I can only imagine just how difficult it is to live on such a tight food budget.