Note: If this is your first time to this challenge, you may want to read over the frequently asked questions. You may also be interested in how I did it without spending a whole lot of time by incorporating lazy couponing

I was talking with my sister and explaining to her that with couponing, I think that I could live on $1 a day for food and have plenty to eat. She looked at me skeptically thinking that I was exaggerating.

“No, really, I could live on $1 a day and not be hungry,” I said. “All you would eat is cereal and junk food,” she countered. That is not a healthy diet for a month. “I think I could have a fairly healthy diet on $1 a day,” I replied. “At least a lot healthier than you think.” “Including fruits and veggies?” she asked, the skepticism in her voice coming through again. “Including fruits and veggies,” I said. “You couldn’t last a month,” she said sure of herself. Thus the “Eating Well on $1 A Day” challenge was born with the following rules in place:

1. I will begin on May 1 and will have no accumulated food of any kind. I have $31 to spend ($1 for each day of the month). I can start buying food on May 1 and can not exceed the $31. I must document the cost of the food with receipts.

2. I can only use 2 computers to print coupons. Although I have access to more which would make this challenge much easier, we agreed that not everyone will have access to a lot of computers. However, we also agreed that anyone reading this has access to at least one computer and should be able get access to another one using a bit of creativity.

3. I can only use 2 inserts from the Sunday paper each week. Although I have access to many more than this (I usually pick up anywhere from 3 to 5 copies for free from the local coffee shop alone each week), we decided that not everyone would have access to dozens of inserts. We agreed that anyone could get the coupon inserts from at least 2 Sunday papers with a bit of creativity. I am allowed to use up to 2 of previous week’s coupon inserts that I already happen to have.

4. I can use as many coupons as I want that I can get in the grocery store where they are available to everyone.







5. I can only buy food from retail outlets (grocery stores, drug stores, food markets, etc). I can’t supplement what I buy at the store with free food from trees, dumpster diving, friends, food banks, donations, growing my own, etc.

6. I can only use deals that anyone else would have access to getting.

It should be an interesting challenge and I will have my work cut out for me, but I think that it will be possible. If nothing else, it will certainly be a food event that will bring some surprises and humor…

So, here is what happened with this challenge.

Day One: What I bought

Day One: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day Two: The Object Is to Stay Alive

Day Three: Eggs & Bananas

Day Four: Berry Smoothie (but not the type you want)

Day Five: Getting Into A Routine

Day Six: Sugar Withdrawals

Day Seven: The First Week

Day Eight: Drinks

Day Nine: Eating Breakdown

Day Ten: One Third Done

Day Eleven: Fingers Crossed

Day Twelve: Score!!

Day Thirteen: I Hate Shopping

Day Fourteen: 2 Weeks Down Summary

Day Fifteen: Tampons & Pantiliners

Day Sixteen: Over The Hump

Day Seventeen: Different Perspectives

Day Eighteen: Disappointment

Day Nineteen: Tough Day

Day Twenty: Forgetfulness Is Costly

Day Twenty-One: Peanut Butter Revelation

Day Twenty-Two: Disaster!

Day Twenty-Three: Math Deficient, But Lucky

Day Twenty-Four: One More Week

Day Twenty-Five: Decisions, Decisions

Day Twenty-Six: Turkey Franks

Day Twenty-Seven: My Current Food List

Day Twenty-Eight: Irritable

Day Twenty-Nine: Should I Continue?

Day Thirty: Discount Find

Day Thirty-One: Final Day

10 Things I Learned Eating On $1 A Day For A Month

I continued the challenge.

I have decided to continue this $1 a day challenge, but now that I have established that it can be done with fairly strict rules, I will make some changes allowing me a little more freedom to really take advantage of the coupon deals and throw some creativity in there as well:

1. I am no longer limited to 2 computers and 2 inserts from each Sunday paper. I can use all coupons that I can get hold of as long as I don’t pay for them (eBay, coupon brokers, etc) and I am only allowed to pay for 1 Sunday paper.

2. I am allowed to use food out of my garden (although that probably is more than a month away before it produces anything).

3. I am allowed to go to the local coffee shops and buy tea (only tea) there. I don’t consider this breaking the spirit of the challenge. I go to coffee shops because I am much more productive if I get into a new setting at least once a day (this was one of the toughest things about the challenge), but it is not fair for me to use their wifi and not pay to be there.

4. I am allowed to forage for food and get food from alternative places than just regular retail outlets.

5. If I come up with other ways to get free / cheap food, I will put it to the vote of the readers here as to whether or not it is an acceptable way for me to get it — and abide by their decision.

Day 32: What Was I Thinking?

Day 33: Should I Be Proud Of This?

Day 34: Apparently, I Don’t Know How To Eat Corn

Day 35: Major Coupon Blunder

Day 36: Free Beer

Day 37: Mail-In Rebates Are A Pain

Day 38: Blackberries!

Day 39: Blahh

Day 40: Being Hungry Sucks

Day 41: Costco Is Expensive

Day 42: Time Consuming

Day 43: Balanced Diet

Day 44: This Is All New To Me, Too

Day 45: Fighting With Wildlife

Day 46: Coupon Organization

Day 47: Where To Get Sunday Coupon Inserts

Day 48: My Simple Coupon Strategy

Day 49: Should I Be Able To Eat Free Farmer’s Market Samples?

Day 50: Square Watermelons

Day 51: Should I Be Allowed To Buy Things For Others To Get Free Food?

Day 52: There Aren’t Any Good Coupons

Day 53: Squirrels Are The Enemy

Day 54: Air Travel On A Tight Food Budget Sucks

Day 55: Should I Be Able To Forage Food From Private Property?

Day 56: How Sad Is A Cooking Injury?

Day 57: Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Day 58: Should I Be Able To Use Basics That I Have Purchased, But Don’t Bring With Me When I Travel?

Day 59: Is Gum Food?

Day 60: Is It Acceptable To Bring Your Own Food To The Movie Theater?

Day 61: Apparently, Eating On $1 A Day Is Too Easy

Day 62: Challenge Goals

Day 63: Perishable Food Dilemma

**Step By Step CVS Moneymaker Example

Day 64: Cooking Is By far The Biggest Challenge

Day 65: I’m Avoiding Grocery Shopping

**Poll Results

**Step By Step Safeway ecoupon MoneyMaker Example

Day 66: Wild Turkey (not the drinking kind)

Day 67: Free Dinner From My Sister

Day 68: Travel Day

**Major Coupon Disaster

Day 69: Eating Squirrel Leftovers

Day 70: Giant Lemon

Day 71: Free Birthday Party Food

**Step By Step CVS Extra Bucks Money Maker Example

Day 72: Shopping Without Coupons

Day 73: I Can’t Flip Omelets

Day 74: With Compliments Like That…

**Step By Step Safeway Moneymaker Example

Day 75: Can I Take Condiments From Restaurants?

Day 76: Cooking Rebellion

Day 77: Recovering From Cooking Rebellion

Day 78: The Plastic Bag Omelet

**It’s Hard Giving Money Back To A Store – CVS Step By Step MoneyMaker

Day 79: Maturity Of A Three Year Old

Day 80: More Than One CVS Card?

Day 81: The Coupon Man

Day 82: Some Foods Don’t Mix

Day 83: Bacon!

Day 84: Free Cheese!

Day 85: The Coupon Man Poem

Day 86: I Still Can’t Flip An Omelet

Day 87: Roasted Stuffed Green Peppers

Day 88: Sometimes It’s Worth Missing A Morning Smoothie

Day 89: Creating Havoc At The Hospital

Day 90: Major Decisions

Day 91: I Still Think I Can Change The World

Day 92: Walking Helps Me Keep My Sanity

Day 93: Getting Coupon Lazy

Day 94: I Gave Up 3 Days Worth Of Food For A Girl

Day 95: Recruiting Child Labor

Day 96: A Small Cooking Miracle Takes Place

Day 97: More Protein Than I Really Wanted

Day 98: Garden Rivals

Day 99: Realising I Have No Common Sense

Day 100: The Final Day

For more reading

I have had numerous requests for people wanting to know how I do my couponing and was able to eat well on $1 a day. Here is my guide to Lazy Couponing for those who hate couponing (in the traditional sense), but still want to reap the rewards that couponing offers:

Introduction: How to Coupon for the Rest of Us

Step 1: The First Month

Step 2: Start Collecting Sunday Newspaper Inserts

Step 3: eCoupons