If you had to go to the grocery store, and only had $20, What foods would you buy to last you 3 days?

...Hypothetical situation, of course.

corn tortillas (1.00)
black beans or refried beans ( 4 cans = 4.00)
apples (I go to the farmer's market so 3.00)
frozen green beans (1.29)
bread (I think it's like 5.00)
soy milk (2.50)
soy nut butter (1.5)
jam (well.. my mom makes jam so I always steal some from home!)
lettuce (1.29)

19.58! That would last me more than three days actually. 

$20...Thats about £10, right? (I'm gonna work in £s, double it to get the $ equivalent)

1 box hawaiian crunch £0.59
1 litre light soya milk £1.33
4 sachets highlights hot chocolate £0.73 (If necessary, I could probably live off this lol)
1 bag apples £1.73 for lots
1 bag bananas £0.68 for 5
spinach £0.96
garlic £0.25
tuna tin £0.40
raisins £0.50
kraft dressing £0.88
1 box eggs £0.73 for 6
1 loaf bread £0.94
1 tin baked beans - £0.23
Total - £9.95
Around 4500 calories for the whole lot! Thats like 1500ish a day... Wow, I need to get me down to the market lol!

plain rolled oats $1.29
Non fat dry milk $2.99 (makes 2 gallons)
eggs $1.29
1 pound dry beans .79
carrots @ $1
cabbage @ $1.25
bananas (@ .49 a pound) $2
Whole chicken (@ .99 a pound) $4
Potatoes $2.99
Onions $2
Tomato paste .49

Total $20.09 for enough food for 3 meals a day for nearly a week, assuming that there are spices and condiments in the house.

-fresh spinach

-coleslaw mix

-fresh garlic (3 for 0.99)

-yogourt

-spaghetti squash

-fresh green beans

-english muffins

-eggs

-milk milk and milk!

-espresso beans ( make lattes with the milk)

I ran out a few days ago to pick up some stuff and I got to thinking it would be enough to keep me going for at least 3 days. Actually, since I love to crunch numbers, I analyzed it for 5 and this is what I came up with:

1 loaf bread 1.81 1 dozen eggs 1.50 1 gallon non fat milk 2.38 2 lb carrots 1.06 1.17 lbs banana .63 2.23 lbs yam 1.32 1.5 lbs Braeburn apples 1.56 bag raw spinach 1.39 5 lb russet potatoes 1.18 1 lb butter 1.89 2 liter bottle Diet Pepsi 1.25 16 oz 2% cottage cheese 1.41

total 17.38

this would be enough to eat the following "rations" every day for 5 days:

3 slices bread 186 cal 2 eggs 140 cal 2 tblsp butter 201 2.5 cups milk 226 4 oz carrot 46 cal 4 oz banana (half a banana, basically) 100 4 oz apple (half an apple, they're pretty big) 57 1/3 cup cottage cheese - 75 grams - 71 10 oz white potato 260 1.5 oz - about 1 1/2 cups - spinach 10 4.5 oz yam 191

a bit starchy, perhaps, but I didn't set out doing this on purpose, I could do better, but it isn't really too bad. There's about 1500 calories total, 47 grams(26.9%) fat, 60 grams(15.1%) protein and 229(58%) carbs. Fiber is a bit low (19 grams) and cholesterol a bit high (474 grams) but I don't have cholesterol problems, so that would be okay. It's also got more than enough vitamin A, C, and Calcium, but only half the iron you'd need.

This is an interesting experiment, kind of like the Food Stamp Challenge where people undertake trying to live for a week off 26.45. I did it for a whole month, and my diet was a bit better than the above one. For 3 to 5 days, this still beats drive thrus and take outs.

i'd grab tofu, rice, some vegies and some fruit and tat'd last me..

i'm not a big eater and i make my own juices and grow some of my veges and fruits..

tofu and rice with brocolli is a meal that can last me nd my ma about 2 days!

frozen veggies

oatmeal

tofu

brown rice 

I would buy:

A bag of Pinto Beans

A large onion

About 4 carrots

A few fresh jalapeno peppers

Some flour tortillas

A box of storebrand cereal

A half-gallon of nonfat milk

Some apples

A loaf of bread

A jar of good peanut butter

Some bananas

I would cook the beans with some onion, carrot and jalapenos. Eat burritos for dinner, eat cereal for brekkie, and eat peanut butter sandwiches with banana for lunch. And have apples and carrots for snacks :)

who needs twenty dollars for three days... wow that would add up to a lot of grocrey money for a month!!

-eggs

-spinach

-bananas

(i could live off eggs and spinach for three days.. the protein would keep me full, as for the bananas' they fill me up and are easy to grab on the go)

I'd spend about 1/3 of the money on chicken breast, 1/3 on carrots, green peppers and onions, and 1/3 on brown rice, or white rice if that was all I could afford.

But honestly, I don't think I could possibly stretch 20 bucks for three days with me, my wife and 2 kids. 

small package chicken thighs (remove the bone and skin myself)

16 oz bag dried great northern beans

1 can cambell's tomato soup

package fajita seasoning mix

(the above in the crockpot makes a killer soup, as far as i'm concerned)

that's prob $7, so....

coffee (small canister)

half-gallon milk

oatmeal

bag apples

canned green beans or a bag of frozen broccoli

bread and cheese if there's money left over

i think i could feed bf and myself on that for 3 days, with some of the crockpot soup left over at the end.

oatmeal (1.50)

eggs (1.25)

bag of apples (2-3.00)

Natural PB (3.50)

ba of froxen brocoli (2.50)

brown rice Box (2.50)

plain nonfat yogurt 2 (4.00)

I think is around 20 or maybe 21

1 box of a healthy high protein cereal/granola ($4)

1 half gallon of skim milk ($2)

celery and carrots ($2)

bag of salad ($3)

whole wheat wraps ($4) 

turkey/chicken with the rest

and soup?

nonfat cottage cheese, broccoli, oatmeal, canned tuna, and apples.

i think its so funny how almost everyone has said broccoli, oatmeal and apples haha. 

eggs, oatmeal , fruits,vegetables, corn tortillas, fish, last, hotsauce