I spent a month eating on $2 a day — here's what a typical day looked like (2024)

Table of Contents

Every morning started with oatmeal and a banana — topped with a Sugar in the Raw packet, which I scavenged from various places. I typically ate a second banana mid-morning to hold me over until lunch, which was normally a tortilla loaded with peanut butter. My mid-afternoon snack — sunflower seeds — held me over until dinner, which was anywhere from three to five servings of pasta topped with a heaping tablespoon of butter. All in all, the typical day consisted of 1,970 calories for a total cost of $1.91. "Luxury items" — a sweet potato or an egg — made an appearance two to three times a week, starting in week three, and altered the numbers slightly. While it certainly is not the most glamorous or nutritious way to eat for a month, it's more than possible with strategic shopping and a healthy dose of willpower.

Personal Finance

Written by Kathleen Elkins; edited by Libby Kane

2016-02-07T17:30:00Z

I spent a month eating on $2 a day — here's what a typical day looked like (1)

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It turns out that eating on $2 a day is more than possible — if you buy in bulk and don't mind eating the same thing every day.I know because I tried it in January. I was inspired by a young Elon Musk, who gave it a whirl as a teenager to see if he had what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

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While I don't recommend this nutrient-starved lifestyle —and neither does Musk—if you're curious as to how I did it, here's what a typical day looked like. I also included the cost and caloric breakdown to give you an idea of just how far you can stretch $2:

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Every morning started with oatmeal and a banana — topped with a Sugar in the Raw packet, which I scavenged from various places.

I spent a month eating on $2 a day — here's what a typical day looked like (2)

Breakfast cost: 1 banana ($0.19) + 1 serving of oats ($0.20) =$0.39

Breakfast calories: 1 banana (100) + 1 serving of oats (170) = 270

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I typically ate a second banana mid-morning to hold me over until lunch, which was normally a tortilla loaded with peanut butter.

I spent a month eating on $2 a day — here's what a typical day looked like (3)

Snack cost:1 banana= $0.19

Snack calories:1 banana=100

Lunch cost: 1 serving of tortilla ($0.25) + 2 servings of peanut butter ($0.36) = $0.61

Lunch calories: 1 serving of tortilla (120) + 2 servings of peanut butter (380) = 500

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My mid-afternoon snack — sunflower seeds — held me over until dinner, which was anywhere from three to five servings of pasta topped with a heaping tablespoon of butter.

I spent a month eating on $2 a day — here's what a typical day looked like (4)

Snack cost:1 serving of sunflower seeds = $0.14

Snack calories:1 serving of sunflower seeds =200

Dinner cost:4 servings of pasta ($0.48) + 1 serving of butter ($0.10) = $0.58

Dinner calories: 4 servings of pasta (800) + 1 serving of butter (100) =900

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All in all, the typical day consisted of 1,970 calories for a total cost of $1.91. "Luxury items" — a sweet potato or an egg — made an appearance two to three times a week, starting in week three, and altered the numbers slightly.

I spent a month eating on $2 a day — here's what a typical day looked like (5)

Cost:$0.50per sweet potato,$0.23per egg

Calories:115per sweet potato,70per egg

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While it certainly is not the most glamorous or nutritious way to eat for a month, it's more than possible with strategic shopping and a healthy dose of willpower.

I spent a month eating on $2 a day — here's what a typical day looked like (6)

Kathleen Elkins

Investing Correspondent

Kathleen is a correspondent at Insider, covering investing and the path to financial freedom.She started her career as an editorial intern at Business Insider in 2015, covered personal finance at CNBC Make It for four years, and returned to Business Insider in 2021.She graduated from Williams College in 2014 and resides in Los Angeles. Follow her on LinkedIn.