Your Comments

11/25/2008, 12:17 pm

I did not participate in the challenge but I did think a lot about it and what it must mean to those who are really limited to $3.13 per day for food. I realized that a family with two parents working full time at minimum wage ($7.25/hr) would make too much to qualify for any assistance. We all feel the pinch with the increased cost of living but it is scary to think that some don't make enough money to buy food.

11/21/2008, 3:05 pm

I think with a bit of planning a head of time the process might be able to work..not well, and not with an abundance of food for sure. Good nutrition is a challenge, but spending more on veggies would be better for you than spending dollars on empty calorie cookies. Interesting project..easier to do when it is just a project and not your real life isn't it?

11/20/2008, 4:44 pm

I thought the best approach would be to have a meal plan for the days I am participating. I used the food price guide provided to come up with a menu although I did not eat on campus. I tried to create a healthy menu that followed the DGA but also wanted to feel like I had enough to eat and I didn't want to give up coffee. I don't think I was able to eat enough fruits and vegetables and my fruit selection was limited to the cheaper fruits like bananas. Nor did I get enough calcium and fiber. Protein and carbs were fine. For someone using food stamps with limited nutrition knowledge this would be difficult.

11/20/2008, 10:32 am

My personal challenge was to stay within the dollar limit and yet eat a healthy diet within my caloric range for weight reduction. You'd think that would be easy since the $3.13 limit would naturally force reduction, but it's the trying-to-eat-healthy challange (getting maximum variety and nutrition), coupled with the reduced calories, that adds a level of difficulty.

Who knew that "appropriating" sugar packets from convenience stores would be so useful for my morning bowl of oatmeal?

The $3.13 challenge is not an easy endeavor, and I have a new found appreciation for folks facing such different and difficult circumstances. This experience has given me the opportunity to get outside my comfort zone and walk a mile in others' shoes.

11/19/2008, 11:29 am

I have also noticed that although I am not going hungry, I have had to make many sacrifices. I don't have honey for my tea. I can't afford my daily cup of coffee. I had to buy regular milk (which I am not a fan of) instead of soy, frozen and canned vegetables instead of fresh, and tomatoe sauce for pasta that comes in a can and without any added spices. Not to mention any mid-day snacks have been completely cut out of my diet. Although I am never starving, I do often have to think about what I can afford to eat. Often the thought runs through my head that "If I eat this, will I still have enough food at the end of the week." This is something I have never had to worry about before. Giving myself the mentality that this food has to last me the week because I can not afford to buy any more if I run out, has really added stress to my life. I feel very lucky that I normally do not have to worry about this, and I really do feel for the families that do, especially the families with children. There are so many other things that people have to think about and should have the freedom to think about besides food.

11/18/2008, 10:59 pm

In the weeks leading up to the Challenge, knowing what was coming made me painfully aware of what I was spending on food. Just the "extras", like daily coffee, an occassional ice cream, or a bag of chips with lunch, easily eclipsed the $3.13 allowance. Eliminating this stuff is very annoying, but not really hunger-inducing. Thanks to my wife's aggressive shopping and creative cooking, it really hasn't been too bad.

11/18/2008, 5:55 pm

As a family of four, we are failing miserably. This is partly due to my inability to say no, when my 2 ½ year old daughter claims that she is hungry for a snack a couple of hours after breakfast - too early for lunch. Snacks are generally whole grain crackers or cereal and fresh fruit or vegetables. Like others in the region, our garden is long gone for the season. We do have some home grown goods in our freezer, but not enough to sustain our family through the long winter. Another striking issue, mealtime is a place and time for our family to relax and share. Calculating the cost of every morsel is overwhelming. I feel for families fighting this battle.

11/18/2008, 2:25 pm

We have finished day three of the challenge and on to day four. The variety in our usual food intake has been greatly reduced. We made a big pot of bean/vegetable soup, and divided a chicken into more portions via a chicken stew recipe..But if you didn't like to cook,had limited food prep skills or had limited refrigeration access, this would really be hard. My husband and I have thought what a challenge this would be to invite friends over to share a meal.
Being chocolate nuts, We have frozen our chocolate cookie dough recipe so we can cook off a few at a time to last the week and stay in budget.This has been eye opening and thought provoking...and at times all I think about is navigating the next meal.

11/16/2008, 6:21 pm

If there is one thing that has become more clear to me it is the myth that spending less on food means losing weight. The healthy foods that help people maintain a healthy weight are more expensive.

11/16/2008, 4:45 pm

believe it or not i make $40,000 per year and i live on $20 per week for food. granted i am a single person with no kids, but, give me a break. i have fairly low bill, one relatively low mortgage, no car payment, a couple of pieces of property with very very low taxes, and baarely anything leftover at the end of the month. definitely can't save for retirement, and food? well, i need to lose weight anyway.

11/15/2008, 10:04 pm

The $3.13 has generated a lot of talk and discussion among our family and friends. . Using price lists,coupons and comparing prices at three stores really made me more so much more aware of the challenges, time requirements and ingenuity needed to try to eat well on a limited budget. There were huge price differences in vegetables. Our pasta tonight was served with tomato sauce, but the other add-ins like onions or peppers were not part of budget. nor was our usual spinach salad and dressing
One day completed and six more to go..

11/7/2008, 6:11 pm

Welcome to our $3.13 A DAY Food Challenge site. Our students and staff have worked diligently to make the Food Challenge a reality.
By next Wed, we will have prices and menus posted to help you navigate in the grocery store or at the UNH Dining Halls as you participate in the Challenge.

The real work begins as we each try to meet the spirit of the $3.13.
As for our household, both my husband and I have decided to join for the week. Since I was helping to launch the project, this seemed like a logical decision. Somehow each having $21.91 for the week or a total of $43.82 sounded better to us than $3.13 a day. We have already started key kitchen cupboard discussions re our menu options for the week of the November 15-21. Besides budgeting skills, I have begun to realize the need for good negotiation skills...Just the decision to join has changed how we think about food.
We know this will be challenge, yet we also realize this exercise in awareness will last a week, not longer like in many America families.

Please join our Blog. Whether joining for a meal,a day,a few days or more. We look forward to hearing about your experiences, answering your questions, or giving encouragement to one another, etc.Let us know the strategies you are using to meet the $3.13 Challenge.

Welcome aboard!
Joanne Burke
UNH Dietetic Internship Director

November 15-21, 2008

Welcome!

Join other students, faculty, staff and community members in the "$3.13 a Day Food Challenge" by eating as healthy as possible on the limited budget of $3.13 a day or $21.91 a week. During November 15th through the 21st, 2008, the UNH campus invites students, faculty, staff, and community members to participate in the "UNH $3.13 A Day Food Challenge." The $3.13 amount represents the average amount of money an individual is allotted each day as part of the Supplemental Food Assistance Program (formally Food Stamps, now SNAP). The SNAP was never designed to cover an individual’s total cost of food. It was expected that recipients would contribute 30% of the total cost of food from their own salaries.

Planning to take the challenge?
Join us at Holloway Commons and meet other folks taking the challenge.

Friday, November 14th 12:00 – 1:00pm
Friday, November 21st 12:00 – 1:00pm

We will meet upstairs in the reserved area.

Why take the $3.13 Challenge?

The UNH $3.13 Food Challenge is designed to help us all appreciate the struggle of trying to eat well on a limited budget and more importantly, to remind us of the need for livable wages in America.

Participation in the Challenge should:

Provide the opportunity to reflect on the struggles faced by those with limited incomes,
Highlight the need for long term solutions to food disparity through local food access and
Raise awareness of the need for livable, workable wages for American workers. This should ultimately help to decrease the demand for food assistance.

Getting Started

You may elect to take the challenge for one meal, one day, or one week. If you are electing to participate for the week, you may choose to budget the price of food throughout the day or by the week; whatever works best for you. The food cost allowance for the challenge is $3.13 daily or $21.91 weekly.

Keep in Touch

We want to know what this experience is like for you and what may have motivated you to try it. We hope you will consider letting us know you are participating by completing both the PRE and POST Challenge surveys.