Feed Yourself For Only $845 A Year
What if you could feed yourself for a year with only $845? How much money could you save? A company called Shelf Reliance will let you do just that.
With your $845 purchase, they’ll deliver to your door, for free, #10 cans (3.44 liter, 110 US fluid ounces) of the following:
Two cans of spaghetti, four cans of white rice, four cans of quick oats, two cans of cornmeal, three cans of white flour, sixteen cans of whole wheat flour, one can of carrot dices, three cans of potato chunks, three cans of potato pearls, one can of banana chips, one can of apple slices, one can of chocolate drink mix, one can of cheese blend, eight cans of instant milk, one can of small white navy beans, one can of pinto beans, one can of small red beans, one can of lentils, one can of lima beans, one can of tomato powder, one can of chicken bouillon, one can of butter powder, one can of baking powder, one can of baking soda, one can of iodized salt, five cans of white sugar, one can of freeze dried sweet corn, one can of freeze dried mushroom pieces, one can of freeze dried chopped onions, one can of freeze dried raspberries, one can of freeze dried strawberries.
The average American spends almost $200 a month on food, but for you that would be only $70 a month. That’s a total savings of $1,500 a year. It’s probably impossible to spend less on food unless you want to go the monkey chow route.
If CoinByCoin was still a single man, he’d try this method in a heartbeat. But, as it is, his wife is not so keen on the idea. Has anyone tried Shelf Reliance’s food or is willing to try it? Please leave a comment below.
Click here to buy Shelf Reliance’s year supply of food while it’s on sale for $845.
Also, see the previous CoinByCoin article discussing the economic value of buying in bulk.
Filed in thrift 4 Comments so far
anonymous on 04 Dec 2009 at 12:46 pm #
The linked food package is a “basic package”, based on just 1000 calories per day. So, it is more like a half-year package.
chris on 04 Jan 2010 at 1:37 pm #
I can’t eat this crap. refined grains will kill you and make you fat. yes you need to spend more to be healthy + good for the environment.
jess on 23 Jan 2010 at 12:11 am #
Did you notice that this $845 plan doesn’t include meat? That means people who need meat protein in their diet must spend more money then what this plan includes. But this sounds good for vegetarians.
I can imagine foster parents really taking advantage of this when they are on a minimal government stipend.
Dvortygirl on 26 Jan 2010 at 11:06 pm #
It’s not economy if I can’t or don’t want to eat it, or if the bugs eat it first. I won’t eat the canned spaghetti; I’m sure it tastes disgusting and spaghetti sauce is not so hard to make. Canned lima beans? Yuck, no thanks. As for salt and baking powder, I have some in the pantry. I already do buy them in bulk. I don’t know what to do with the tomato powder, but I grow my own tomatoes and occasionally get around to canning the excess. Butter powder, I imagine, can be reconstituted into something resembling butter, but I’d rather have real butter (bought in bulk, frozen) for those things that need it and a jug of Costco olive oil for stir frying. I have an apple tree, and I’ve grown a few of my own potatoes. I mean to grow more next year. I currently have onions and peas and garlic in the ground, and I expect to plant lettuce and spinach as soon as there’s a break in the rain.
I’m trying to save money on food *and* eat better. That means growing some of my own fruits and veggies and buying more basic ingredients (flour, vegetables and beans rather than bread or canned soup), and not letting food go to waste. I already do buy in bulk, sort of, but for one person that means only the ingredients that can keep on the shelf or in the freezer. And while I haven’t chosen to eliminate meat, I have been eating less of it lately. One thing I have cut out is boxed breakfast cereal.