Eating on the cheap

There is an interesting challenge going on around here concerning food costs. The idea is to eat for a week on a specified minimum amount of money without cheating. I think it's close to $35 covering 7 days. It includes every item consumed morning, noon and night. Cooked at home or in a restaurant. The other challenge is to come up with reasonably healthy choices too. It's supposed to resemble what an average person receives in food stamps. From my experiences in food and cost management it is definitely a doable situation. I lived for almost 6 weeks on proceeds from discarded beverage bottles due to a pair of robberies that took my wages for an entire month in a strange city, Detroit. I learned a lot about making due and stretching a dollar in order to eat. I feel it is an admirable endeavor for whoever participates, they may well learn what some people go through on a daily basis. There are a couple things they must remember if they fail though. The availability of other resources which they aren't allowed to use: Food banks, free school meals, local free community kitchens, surplus gleaning services and church food outreach programs. I believe the cost restrictions are definitely attainable but in this country there is so much food available through so many sources hunger may not be the issue but instead maybe management of one's resources. I wish everyone participating success.

Talking about food here, a recent commercial on dog food piqued my interest. Feeding your animal the proper diet of vegetables and other natural ingredients. In my entire life I have never, ever seen a dog or cat intentionally go to a garden and search out just the right vegetable. Dogs, being a canine garbage disposal, will eat darn near anything dead or alive, recognizable or not. And, if it isn't quite fit for consumption they will either pee on it or roll on it or both. Cats are a little more selective but still don't appear to me to be vegetarian. When someone has a pet that they love dearly it is a gift. But I wonder sometimes just what we are doing to them with all this diet management. Wouldn't they just be happier being an animal? I'm just wondering.