We tracked Walmart store brand prices for 10 items over the last year and found that the prices were remarkably stable – and quite low. All 10 items cost only $21.32 on Feb. 15; but as a practical matter, what can you do with those items? As it turns out, you can do a fair job of feeding two people three meals a day for seven days using only these 10 items.
I worked with AI to come up with a simple meal plan. It wasn’t the most nutritious (no fruit or veggies), and it provided closer to 900 calories/person/day than the recommended minimum of 1200. It would do in a pinch, but the defects can be simply cured for additional $7.39 – a total of $28.75.
ORIGINAL ITEMS: $21.36 (exactly the same as on Jan. 15)
– Yellow onions/lb: $.96 ~ 4 onions
– Russet potatoes/lb: $0.88 ~ 4 potatoes
– Bread (white): $1.42 ~ 20 slices
– Creamy peanut butter/16 oz: $1.98 ~ 32 tbs
– Ground beef/lb: $6.96
– Boneless chicken breast/lb: $2.57 ~ 2 breasts
– Rice/lb: $0.92 ~ 6 cups cooked
– Dried black beans/lb: $1.50 ~ 6 cups cooked
– Whole milk/gal: $2.62 ~ 16 cups
– Eggs/doz: $1.97
ADDITIONS: $7.39
– $0.85 – additional cost of substituting a 2 lb bag of rice for the 1 lb bag
– $1.97 – salsa/16 oz ~ 30 tbs
– $0.98 – frozen peas & carrots/12 oz ~ 2 1/3 cups
– $0.98 – frozen corn/12 oz ~ 2 1/3 cups
– $1.08 – 6 small bananas
– $1.53 – 3 Fuji apples
7 DAY PLAN FOR 2 (with additions): $28.71
Day 1
B: peanut butter toast (2 slices toast, 4 tbs peanut butter); 2 bananas; 2 cups milk
L: 2 fried eggs over 1 cup rice, 1/4 onion, and 2/3 cup peas and carrots
D: 1/3 of the chicken roasted together with 1 diced potato and 1/4 cup onion, 4 tbs salsa
Day 2
B: scrambled eggs (3 eggs scrambled with 1/2 cup milk and 3 tbs salsa)
L: 2 peanut butter sandwiches (4 slices bread, 8 tbs peanut butter); 1 sliced apple; 2 cups milk
D: black beans and rice (2 cups rice, 1 cup beans, 1/4 cup onion, 3 tbs salsa); 2/3 cup corn
Day 3
B: peanut butter toast; 2 banana; 2 cups milk
L: hash (1/4 lb ground beef, 1/2 diced potato, 1 cup black beans, 1/2 diced onion, and 2 tbs salsa)
D: 1/4 of the ground beef sautéed with 1/2 onion diced and 2 tbs salsa; 2 cups rice( 2/3 cup corn
Day 4
B: scrambled eggs; 2 slices toast
L: black beans and rice; 2/3 cup corn; 2 cups milk
D: 1/3 of chicken cooked with 1/4 onion; 2/3 cup peas and carrots; 1 potato mashed with 1/4 cup milk
Day 5
B: peanut butter toast; 2 bananas; 2 cups milk
L: egg fried rice (1 cup rice, 1 egg, 1/4 onion, 2/3 cup peas and carrots)
D: 1/4 of the ground beef sautéed with 1/2 onion over 1 diced baked potato with 1 cup black beans and 2 tbs salsa
Day 6
B: scrambled eggs
L: 2 peanut butter sandwiches; 1 sliced apple; 2 cups milk
D: rice bowl (2 cups rice, 1/3 of chicken shredded, 1/4 onion, and 2/3 cup peas and carrots)
Day 7
B: peanut butter toast; 1 sliced apple; 2 cups milk
L: black beans and rice; 2/3 cup corn
D: hash
This plan provides 1400-1600 calories (including ~ 53 g pf protein) per person per day.
