NationStates Jolt Archive

With inflation what it is (esp. in California), and considering today's Wall Street Journal editorial on food stockpiling:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120881517227532621.html

...I thought I'd post a thread asking for tips and expertise on the topic of food, food prices and food stockpiling. It's important to me for financial reasons after all, and I figured some others here might be in the same boat.

So, the important questions:

1. Does food price inflation bother you? How are prices in your area? Where were they a year ago?

2. Do you stockpile? If so, what do you stockpile? Any tips on shelf-life and bargains?

To answer my own questions, I'll list the prices of my staples, where they were a year ago (I keep *all* my recepits :)) and any tips that I know of:

Corn, 50 pound sack: $9.10 today, $7.79 a year ago.***
Tuna Fish: regular can: $0.60 today, $0.50 a year ago
Pork and Beans, can: $0.48 today, $0.40 a year ago
Tortillas, 36-count: $1.47 today, $1.18 a year ago
Saltines, regular box: $2.04 today, $1.79 a year ago

Makes me wish I had stockpiled a year ago! :p These five products are all I eat - almost nothing else - which means it costs me about $0.50 more just to eat today, compared to a year ago. Crazy. :eek:

***Corn tips: Lots of small air-tight drums are best, 'cause the weevil larvae in the kernels hatch and grow after about 3 months if allowed air. Special note: I've eaten the weevils for years, but apparently the moisture they produce aids the growth of aflatoxin, a toxic fungus which destroys the human liver. My liver feels fine, but it's good tobe careful.

So, does anyone have similar stories, or helpful suggestions? :)

i dont stockpile but i do buy in quantity when things are on good sale.

First, if you keep all your receipts and go through them then you really should find a hobby and get out more.

2nd, stockpiling rice is prob a good idea. Wholesale prices for Thai rice has trebled since the start of this year alone (from $300 to $1000 /tonne) and is expected to reach $1300 /tonne soon.
And rice goes well with mexican food, which appears to be all you eat.

Buy a few slabs of baked beans. They're cheap, full of protein & will last for years.

First, if you keep all your receipts and go through them then you really should find a hobby and get out more.

Eh. My filing system is really very simple - took about 30 seconds to fetch those prices. ;)

2nd, stockpiling rice is prob a good idea. Wholesale prices for Thai rice has trebled since the start of this year alone (from $300 to $1000 /tonne) and is expected to reach $1300 /tonne soon.

Yes, I've heard that about rice. I don't eat rice, so I didn't pay attention to those headlines, but that does seem like good advice, definitely.

And rice goes well with mexican food, which appears to be all you eat.

Nah, I just buy tortillas 'cause they keep a lot longer than bread. That's the closest to Mexican I get, although I do break down and buy a taco every once in a while. :p

Have lots of babies and jar them. Smoke the meat of the women who don't make it through childbirth. Save the rest for your underground harem/larder.

All you hoarders had better watch out for the Paris Mob. ;)

Buy a few slabs of baked beans. They're cheap, full of protein & will last for years.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I already buy them 30 at a time, but getting a pallet seems prudent, so long as I can find a way to transport it home.

Nah, I just buy tortillas 'cause they keep a lot longer than bread. That's the closest to Mexican I get, although I do break down and buy a taco every once in a while. :p
You buy beans, corn, pork and tortillas and you expect me to believe you when you claim you don't eat Mexican?
C'mon!

At any rate, tuna and rice might an ideal meal. Throw in a chopped tomato and a bit of soya sauce. I basically lived off that for years while at uni

You buy beans, corn, pork and tortillas and you expect me to believe you when you claim you don't eat Mexican?
C'mon!

At any rate, tuna and rice might an ideal meal. Throw in a chopped tomato and a bit of soya sauce. I basically lived off that for years while at uni

I eat it all straight-up, believe it or not. :p The pork & beans comes in a tomatoey sauce (there's no pork in it, beyond a tiny cube of pork fat at the top) and the tuna I just eat raw or with worcestershire sauce on saltines. I guess I could wash the tomato sauce off the beans and do Mexican sometime, though. ;)

I literally have no idea how much I pay for those kind of things. Is that bad?

I literally have no idea how much I pay for those kind of things. Is that bad?

Not if you're wealthy, I guess. ;) Really, it took a few months before I really noticed the prices climbing upward - hard not to notice when every item you buy, without any exceptions, is increasing in price every week.

Not if you're wealthy, I guess. ;) Really, it took a few months before I really noticed the prices climbing upward - hard not to notice when every item you buy, without any exceptions, is increasing in price every week.

The only time I would've ever noticed an individual price change was when I was in University but to be honest with you nowadays I couldn't even tell you my total grocery bill.

The only time I would've ever noticed an individual price change was when I was in University but to be honest with you nowadays I couldn't even tell you my total grocery bill.

Mine is $17/month, give or take a dollar or so. It's good to at least have some idea, I think. Helps to plan for the future.

Mine is $17/month, give or take a dollar or so. It's good to at least have some idea, I think. Helps to plan for the future.

$17? a MONTH? I can guarantee it's more than that.

$17? a MONTH? I can guarantee it's more than that.

I can guarantee it isn't. :p It's the corn - 50 lbs lasts a long, long time. ;) It's enough for a person for 6 months at least, if you ate nothing else, and for $9.

I can guarantee it isn't. :p It's the corn - 50 lbs lasts a long, long time. ;) It's enough for a person for 6 months at least, if you ate nothing else, and for $9.

I meant I can guarantee mine is more than that (a week!). I fully trust you to be honest about you corn expenditure :D

I meant I can guarantee mine is more than that (a week!). I fully trust you to be honest about you corn expenditure :D

Aha. Okay then, sorry. ;) It's definitely easy to spend that much in a week given today's prices. I work with a few people who probably spend $17 just on *coffee* in a week. :p

1. Does food price inflation bother you? How are prices in your area? Where were they a year ago?
Yeah, it is starting to bother me. I don't know the exact rate of increase, but food is definitely taking a bigger bite out of my monthly budget. Four years ago, I spent about $30/week at the supermarket. Now, I'm spending about $45/week on the same food. The prices are increasing faster than my income during the same period, of course, so I am losing the ability to save money.

EDIT: I notice people talking about spending less than $20/week on food. I'd like to shop at your markets! I buy mostly fresh produce, and man, it costs!

2. Do you stockpile? If so, what do you stockpile? Any tips on shelf-life and bargains?

I don't stockpile. I prefer fresh foods and starting my meals from all raw ingredients, so I'm used to buying just what I will cook during one week. Maybe I'll have to change that. I don't know yet. I'd rather find some other way of dealing with the issue.

Aha. Okay then, sorry. ;) It's definitely easy to spend that much in a week given today's prices. I work with a few people who probably spend $17 just on *coffee* in a week. :p

Yeah, it's easy. I am pretty amazed at the $17 a month figure. I'd imagine most people spend three figures a month.

Yeah, it's easy. I am pretty amazed at the $17 a month figure. I'd imagine most people spend three figures a month.

Regular supermarkets are insane - that's problem #1, before you even consider food price inflation. Inflation doesn't compare to the price-gouging that our local stores (Albertson's, Ralph's, etc.) do. Wal-Mart + the feed store for corn are the best things ever to happen to grocery shopping.

Yeah, it's easy. I am pretty amazed at the $17 a month figure. I'd imagine most people spend three figures a month.
Yeah, actually, the more I think about it, the more it's getting under my skin.

My typical, most-minimal weekly grocery bill looks like this (actual human foods in bold):

tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, celery, grapefruit, some other kind of seasonal fruit, 1 quart milk (~$1.50), 1 lb bread (~$2.00), 1 lb pasta (~$1.00), 1 container hummus (~$3.50), 4 cans cat food (~$2.00)

That costs me well over $20.00 every WEEK, not month.

Add once a month costs for ~11 oz coffee (~$4.00), 10 lb bag cat litter (~$7.00), and Kashi 7-grain breakfast cereal (~$4.00), toilet paper (~$3.00 - that price has gone up a lot recently); and quarterly costs for household products like paper towels, laundry detergent, etc.

And this doesn't even include drugstore personal care products. All this is for a 1-person (+ 1 cat) household, btw.

I can't imagine how $17/MONTH is possible.

I can guarantee it isn't. :p It's the corn - 50 lbs lasts a long, long time. ;) It's enough for a person for 6 months at least, if you ate nothing else, and for $9.

tell me more about your grocery habits...... I need help.

Regular supermarkets are insane - that's problem #1, before you even consider food price inflation. Inflation doesn't compare to the price-gouging that our local stores (Albertson's, Ralph's, etc.) do. Wal-Mart + the feed store for corn are the best things ever to happen to grocery shopping.
There are no Wal-marts anywhere near me, and I have no car to get to any bulk store like Costco. The best I can do is the Boston Haymarket, where I can get produce that didn't get sold to markets and restaurants, for close to wholesale price. But the Haymarket is a seasonal thing that runs only from late May through November, like the farmers' markets.

EDIT: As it is, the prices I listed in my first post are from the cheapest supermarket in my possible travel range -- The Market Basket, which offers significantly lower prices versus the competition, which is Foodmaster ($), Shaw's ($$), Stop'n'Shop ($$$), and Whole Foods ($$$$).

I can't imagine how $17/MONTH is possible.

You're right - the topic is about food and I was thinking food. My perscriptions cost me an additional 10$ every 6 weeks, but I don't consider those "groceries." Sorry about that if it was confusing. I also cheat a little by using the restroom at work most of the time and showering with scalding water and soap rather than using expensive products like fancy soaps or shampoo.

tell me more about your grocery habits...... I need help.

It's all about the corn. 2 cups of corn is something like 1600 calories (dry), and costs about 5 cents. I either boil the corn and refrigerate or deep fry it in huge batches and store it in old Quaker Oats canisters.

My usual daily routine is: Corn, 1600 calories, 5 cents. Pork and Beans, 385 calories per can, at 40 cents. That brings me to 2000 calories, which is all I need, for $0.45 cents per day, or less if there's snacks or unwanted leftovers at work, which is true about 1/3 of the time. :p Of course, that was prior to inflation, which is the topic. The inflation is what's making things hard.

My usual daily routine is: Corn, 1600 calories, 5 cents. Pork and Beans, 385 calories per can, at 40 cents. That brings me to 2000 calories, which is all I need, for $0.45 cents per day, or less if there's snacks or unwanted leftovers at work, which is true about 1/3 of the time. :p Of course, that was prior to inflation, which is the topic. The inflation is what's making things hard.

You're going to be hard up if food costs creep up to more than $0.50 a day? I don't think they're paying you enough.

That diet can't be healthy, can it? What about fruit and veg?

It's all about the corn. 2 cups of corn is something like 1600 calories (dry), and costs about 5 cents. I either boil the corn and refrigerate or deep fry it in huge batches and store it in old Quaker Oats canisters.

My usual daily routine is: Corn, 1600 calories, 5 cents. Pork and Beans, 385 calories per can, at 40 cents. That brings me to 2000 calories, which is all I need, for $0.45 cents per day, or less if there's snacks or unwanted leftovers at work, which is true about 1/3 of the time. :p Of course, that was prior to inflation, which is the topic. The inflation is what's making things hard.


Why do I have visions of you in a room eating your corn and beans all covered in tinfoil?

You're right - the topic is about food and I was thinking food. My perscriptions cost me an additional 10$ every 6 weeks, but I don't consider those "groceries." Sorry about that if it was confusing. I also cheat a little by using the restroom at work most of the time and showering with scalding water and soap rather than using expensive products like fancy soaps or shampoo.
I didn't list prices for produce because they change so frequently*, but it's still the bulk of my grocery bill because I have to buy the same volume of food every week, while non-food products don't have to be bought so frequently. Even if you delete all non-food items from my list, it's still about $20.00/WEEK.

(* For instance, Market Basket packs up lemons and sells them for a set price; it used to be 4 lemons for $1.89; they recently had to change it to 3 lemons for $1.79 because the price of lemons went up)

It's all about the corn. 2 cups of corn is something like 1600 calories (dry), and costs about 5 cents. I either boil the corn and refrigerate or deep fry it in huge batches and store it in old Quaker Oats canisters.

My usual daily routine is: Corn, 1600 calories, 5 cents. Pork and Beans, 385 calories per can, at 40 cents. That brings me to 2000 calories, which is all I need, for $0.45 cents per day, or less if there's snacks or unwanted leftovers at work, which is true about 1/3 of the time. :p Of course, that was prior to inflation, which is the topic. The inflation is what's making things hard.
You don't eat any fruits or vegetables?

You're going to be hard up if food costs creep up to more than $0.50 a day? I don't think they're paying you enough.

That diet can't be healthy, can it? What about fruit and veg?

He just roams random houses eating off of kids plates at dinner time. Plenty of vegetables left over.....

Fruit he can get from rummaging trash cans at the school cafeterias.

He just roams random houses eating off of kids plates at dinner time. Plenty of vegetables left over.....

Fruit he can get from rummaging trash cans at the school cafeterias.

That has to be it. :D

You're going to be hard up if food costs creep up to more than $0.50 a day? I don't think they're paying you enough.

That diet can't be healthy, can it? What about fruit and veg?

It's already over 50 cents/day with inflation. I just haven't memorized the new prices and didn't want to go back to page 1. :p

Anyway, beans are a vegetable, last time I checked. ;) And I keep a jug of lemon juice in the fridge for my Vit-C, which has lasted me a year - I drink lemon with tap water for flavor, and add to the jug with fresh lemons from the neighborhood.

It's the $140/month for gas that makes the food prices important - gas is an inelastic good, at least in California. :p

Why do I have visions of you in a room eating your corn and beans all covered in tinfoil?

'Cause you have an active imagination? I dunno. :p

It's already over 50 cents/day with inflation. I just haven't memorized the new prices and didn't want to go back to page 1. :p

Anyway, beans are a vegetable, last time I checked. ;) And I keep a jug of lemon juice in the fridge for my Vit-C, which has lasted me a year - I drink lemon with tap water for flavor, and add to the jug with fresh lemons from the neighborhood.

It's the $140/month for gas that makes the food prices important - gas is an inelastic good, at least in California. :p
Beans are a legume, not a vegetable. They are very nutritious, but they do not give you all the vegetables and minerals you need. You need food that has colors -- green, red, yellow, orange, purple. Those colors come from nutrient chemicals that beans do not contain. And that year-old jug of lemon juice is not doing you much good, either. You get more vitamin C from one piece of fresh citrus fruit than from an 8-oz glass of citrus juice (because the pulp and membranes contain the vitamin, too), and one red bell pepper or a few ounces of kale will give you significantly more C than an orange or lemon. You also need other vitamins beside C, btw.

Beans are a legume, not a vegetable. They are very nutritious, but they do not give you all the vegetables and minerals you need. You need food that has colors -- green, red, yellow, orange, purple. Those colors come from nutrient chemicals that beans do not contain. And that year-old jug of lemon juice is not doing you much good, either. You get more vitamin C from one piece of fresh citrus fruit than from an 8-oz glass of citrus juice (because the pulp and membranes contain the vitamin, too), and one red bell pepper or a few ounces of kale will give you significantly more C than an orange or lemon. You also need other vitamins beside C, btw.

Dunno. I'm still standing here, so it must be a decent enough diet. ;) I probably get some vitamins from the corn, and I get Niacin, B-12, B-6 and phosphorus from the tuna. One can of pork & beans has 35% daily iron, 12% calcium and 33% daily potassium. So I think I'm good for the time being.

On topic: if anyone else has tips to share: share! Don't be shy. :p

Well, when you start putting your food in to the gas tank instead of your mouth prices are bound to go up. I'd say the easiest way to tackle food inflation right now is to demand an immediate halt on all new biofuels development in the United States that uses food crops as feedstocks. Cellulosic and waste products are fine, but turning corn in to liquor to use in cars makes absolutely no sense.

It's all about the corn. 2 cups of corn is something like 1600 calories (dry), and costs about 5 cents. I either boil the corn and refrigerate or deep fry it in huge batches and store it in old Quaker Oats canisters.

My usual daily routine is: Corn, 1600 calories, 5 cents. Pork and Beans, 385 calories per can, at 40 cents. That brings me to 2000 calories, which is all I need, for $0.45 cents per day, or less if there's snacks or unwanted leftovers at work, which is true about 1/3 of the time. :p Of course, that was prior to inflation, which is the topic. The inflation is what's making things hard.

That's horribly unhealthy. I mean I could do it........I have, worse even, but I'm feeding people who need more substance. You should eat like, some fruit. When I was worse off than now I would buy "day old" fruit from the grocery store, just pick out the really icky ones, there's some good stuff left. I could get strawberries for $.30/lb, which were at the time like $1/lb. Broccoli goes bad too, just cut off the brown parts and eat the rest........you can get a steady supply cheap.

Out of curiousity I looked around for a recent receipt..

I spent $140 on food and drink that would probably last a little over a week (although I'd have to replenish milk etc).

Now, I can see lots of areas where I could make cuts but I don't think there's any way I could get it down to less than, say, $20 without being ridiculous.

Out of curiousity I looked around for a recent receipt..

I spent $140 on food and drink that would probably last a little over a week (although I'd have to replenish milk etc).

Now, I can see lots of areas where I could make cuts but I don't think there's any way I could get it down to less than, say, $20 without being ridiculous.

how many people does that feed? I'm feeding 4 for about $200 a week, including all our personal care stuff and prescriptions (except for hubby whose meds cost way more than anything else we buy....yay big pharma!)

Out of curiousity I looked around for a recent receipt..

I spent $140 on food and drink that would probably last a little over a week (although I'd have to replenish milk etc).

Now, I can see lots of areas where I could make cuts but I don't think there's any way I could get it down to less than, say, $20 without being ridiculous.

I know they've been demonized in the popular media, but I promise you: the Wal-Mart crowd won't bite you if you wander inside. :p It's okay, really!

how many people does that feed? I'm feeding 4 for about $200 a week, including all our personal care stuff and prescriptions (except for hubby whose meds cost way more than anything else we buy....yay big pharma!)

2 - my wife and I.

I should add to my previous post that I eat out quite a lot, so that affects the total and also that the $20 figure would be for just me, so maybe $35 compared to $140.

2 - my wife and I.

I should add to my previous post that I eat out quite a lot, so that affects the total and also that the $20 figure would be for just me, so maybe $35 compared to $140.

You guys eat well?

We don't go out to eat, but like once a month, but less recently... and much less in the future I'm afraid.

That's horribly unhealthy. I mean I could do it........I have, worse even, but I'm feeding people who need more substance.

It really isn't unhealthy, I don't think, given the vitamin contents I listed earlier. I'd still suggest the corn for anyone, on a budget or not, since prices are on the rise. You mentioned having kids in the music thread - they'd absolutely love some kettle-corn flavored corn nuts, I guarantee it. Salt and sugar is all kettle corn is. It was my favorite as a kid. :)

You guys eat well?


I'd say so although a large chunk of the $140 that would go if we were to cut back would be the wine. We have fairly expensive tastes in that regard.

It really isn't unhealthy, I don't think, given the vitamin contents I listed earlier. I'd still suggest the corn for anyone, on a budget or not, since prices are on the rise. You mentioned having kids in the music thread - they'd absolutely love some kettle-corn flavored corn nuts, I guarantee it. Salt and sugar is all kettle corn is. It was my favorite as a kid. :)
Sadly one of my kids has developed a corn intolerance... she might like the kettle corn, but after the puking and hives, she'll be pretty pissed off at me. haha.
I'd say so although a large chunk of the $140 that would go if we were to cut back would be the wine. We have fairly expensive tastes in that regard.
Ah, wine. I drink cheap wine, on special occasions.........really cheap wine. Spumante FTW.

Cheapness=habits
No soda, no alcohol, no smokes :( almost no meat. Bought food=Veggies, fruits, yogurt, bread & powdered milk.

I have started growing some of my own vegetables and herbs from seed. Pretty soon apples too likely. Its easier and much cheaper to grow it than buy it. We bake all our own breads at my house as well. Less stockpiling more self sufficient.

pfft, food...I don't need your fancy luxuries.

I´ll go and study hamsters. Those critters know how to stockpile like pros.

Here's what you do: First, eat a lot around the end of summer and throughout autumn; get a nice layer of fat going.

Second, bury acorns, LOTS of them -- chances are you'll forget where you buried some of them, but hey, at least you're planting trees.

Third: Breed now. You don't want to waste energy during the winter months, so get all the sexual frustration out of you in the convientent and bountiful months of spring.

Fourth: Grow a dense coat of hair -- Body heat costs energy.

Prices ARE going up in CA, but at the moment I'm still more worried about yet another drought than stockpiling food. Although I suppose one does follow the other.

Clearly, moving back home after school and into the lap of middle class luxury has done me much harm. We spend, on average, about $500/month on groceries--for a household of 2. Granted, a lot of that is toilet paper/cleaning products/etc. We spend a LOT on fresh produce, and though we've been trying to cut back, too much of that is wasted if not eaten right away. I feel disgusted and ashamed. I'm going to rewrite the grocery list right now!

Of course, when I lived with a friend during school, our monthly budget was somewhere around $75-$100/month. But we stole fruit from school and ate one meal a day.

Thumbless Pete crabbe:
Make sure you are getting enough iron. From the sounds of your diet I wouldn't be suprised if you had a decent iron deficiency (results in lethargy). You need iron to carry the oxygen in your blood.
Also, there are more vitamins (and more important ones) than vitamin C... that is why you need a balanced diet. Eating the same canned food every day is not a balanced diet.

Food might be expensive, but a stay in hospital from your organs crapping themselves is even more expensive.

On topic though:
Each week I'll spend $50-$70 on food for myself. (Aussie dollars)
I get 3 balanced, relatively healthy meals a day for less than $10 a day. I can't see a practical way of spending less than that and still eating healthy.

It really isn't unhealthy, I don't think, given the vitamin contents I listed earlier. I'd still suggest the corn for anyone, on a budget or not, since prices are on the rise. You mentioned having kids in the music thread - they'd absolutely love some kettle-corn flavored corn nuts, I guarantee it. Salt and sugar is all kettle corn is. It was my favorite as a kid. :)

mate. That IS unhealthy. You CANNOT get everything you need without fresh food, partic fruit/veg.
your 1 bean / tuna / sausage..... erm.
Yeh, even if you HAVE covered all the major requirements, there are lots and lots our bodies need in small doses that we just don't read about on the labels of whatever, but if you have the kind of diet you do then...#

Hey, maybe we're wrong and you're right, but it might be a good idea to go and ask your doctors, or a nutritionist...

personally, nice food is one of the most important luxuries to me :) i spend tons.

I spent about €3-5,-- a day on food. I don't stockpile anything, my fridge currently contains: carton of milk, food for tonight, packet of butter.

I always cook fresh (with the occasional pizza-craving exception). I eat fairly healthy, but i do have a big crisps addiction going on.

I also don't stockpile. I am not equipped with space and adequate equipment to keep food from spoiling over time. Even grains go stale and lose their nutrients eventually. For instance, TPC's faith in huge sacks of dried corn may be misplaced, as I've recently read articles by nutritionists that declare that the nutrients in corn actually have a very short self life and start breaking down within 24 hours of harvesting. In the time it takes to dry the kernels, it will have lost much of its nutritive value.

Right now, I'm trying to rework my diet/recipe list to get more nutrition bang for my dollar out of every item I buy/cook/eat. No Empty Calories!, is my new motto. But I'm still buying fresh food for short term consumption. I'm considering whether and how to finally give up my urban nomad lifestyle and buy a property where I can grow some of my own food. Back when I lived in Vermont, I had a tiny plot next to my apartment house where I could garden, and the vegies I was able to produce in a space just about 3x8 feet still made a noticeable difference to my grocery bill for three out of four seasons. If I get serious about it, and get a decent plot of land, I could stretch that out to a year-round effect.

I'm an overseas student, so I don't have the luxury of being able to long-term stockpile. Consequently, your stockpiling severely pushes up my shopping bills, since I can't keep anything for more than a couple of months at a time. It's tricky enough having a huge loan to pay back as it is without struggling to make that money keep me alive.

Don't try filling your bath with mayonnaise.

$17US a month?!!:eek:
That's $132HK.
I spend prob $1500HK (~$200US) a month on groceries. easily. Heck, I've spent that on groceries in a week.

I lived off nothing else but rice and tuna for years (which, btw, I had again tonight cause I couldn't be arsed cooking).
That and vegetable soup with home-made bread. Actually that's bloody awesome - made some just last week - but when you're eating it because you can't afford anything else, it doesn't taste as nice.
Anyway, because I was forced to live and eat so frugally for pretty much a decade (University followed by unemployment followed by low-paid, dead-end jobs, followed by post-grad diploma), and because I can afford to eat well now, I do. I mostly shop at the organic supermarket. Not just for the organic buzz, but the food quality there is fantastic. It's my little treat to myself.

It's the $140/month for gas that makes the food prices important - gas is an inelastic good, at least in California. :p

I know that living in California makes gas important and rent high but I still don't understand how you have to spend so little. I don't want to pry into your personal life but couldn't you get a better paid job or move closer to work or do anything that would mean that you don't have to scrimp on your health in order to save a few dollars?