At first, the idea of the Food Stamp Challenge was for Americans to see what it’s like to live in poverty and spend a mere one dollar per meal, but organizers of the effort are now touting their challenge as a way for Americans spend less on food and pay down their debt. Utahns Against Hunger, who began the challenge as a way to bring publicity to difficult conditions suffered by the poor, said in a press release that the challenge was fun, but since nobody died or even suffered very much, they were going to change the direction of the challenge.

“Honestly, there is just too much healthy and filling food people can get for a dollar a meal,” said Gina Cornia, founder of the UAH. “You can buy a head of lettuce for a dollar, and ten pounds of potatoes for under two bucks. Add a head of broccoli or cauliflower, and you’ve got like four days of food for four dollars.” Apparently, people taking the Food Stamp Challenge often tried to mimic the unhealthy, prepared food choices made by those on food stamps, so items such as Twinkies and Moon Pies were purchased instead of carrots. Still, people who took the challenge were able to survive just fine on these processed items, and would have done even better had they used common sense to make their purchases.

A local farmer named “Ploughboy” Jason had this to add: “If you really want to eat a lot of lettuce for a dollar, plant a 100 foot row of the stuff for a buck. That’s what the seeds cost, and rain is free.” For those unaccustomed to 100 foot rows of vegetables, this would yield about 100 heads of lettuce, 70 heads of broccoli, 150 pounds of carrots, or 200 pounds of potatoes. “If you’ve got a bunch of welfare babies,” Ploughboy continued, “they can tend the veggies for ya.”  He also pointed out that gardens could mix and match the produce, and leftovers could be sold. “It’s called gardening,” he said. “People have done it for a long time.”

Another player in the demise of the Food Stamp Challenge has been the fast food restaurants, often maligned for selling food that is unhealthy. “The fact of the matter is that I can be a Mcdollar menu-naire three times a day and be pretty satisfied,” said Representative Keith Ellison (Minn), who took the challenge last spring. “Double cheese and a water sounds pretty good right now.” Most of the major fast food chains have dollar menus, and people can always trade in their food stamps for cigarettes (at participating local grocers) and just fork out the cash at the restaurants. “If I planted a nice garden and a few fruit trees and then went out for fast food about five times a week, I’d come out way ahead on this dollar-a-meal deal,” assessed Ellison. The Democrat has co-sponsored a bill that would provide education for people in poverty to learn how to grow vegetables and send their children to park ponds to fish. “Worms are free,” he said.

Members of congress are so excited about the potential for people spending less on food that they want to encourage Americans in credit card debt or mortgage trouble to consider joining the Food Stamp Challenge as well. The average American spends over $2300 on food each year, but at three dollars a day, that cost would be a mere $1000. In a household of twelve children, all needing Nike Air Force shoes, that’s a savings of $15,600, or enough to buy a new fishing boat. Even an average middle class family of five would save $6500, which could pay the property tax bill and maybe a couple of house payments. Research suggests that Americans consume more calories than necessary on a daily basis anyhow, so combining better, cheaper foods with less of it would allow citizens to be healthier and wealthier.