Reply #16: Simplicity is mostly a choice.

[lumberjack_jeff]

To the extent that my experience is relevant to this topic, our predictable income is modest, and a $450 grocery budget is based on that income. We also have irregular income which pretty much offsets any unexpected events.

Although our income is significantly below $50k today, it was once significantly more, and we restructured our lives and assets to accommodate that change. We live comfortably.

I am not poor. You make a very good point that frugality and poverty are not the same thing. Stocking up does help. My experience is only relevant to the observation that having only $450 or so for food is not in itself an insurmountable barrier to good nutrition.

This year we grew squash, carrots, cucumbers, green beans and cabbage, but the tomatoes were the most beneficial. Because time permits, we intend to have a much larger garden this year. That said, gardening is not a money-saving enterprise. One does it for fun, for exercise and for the benefit of getting better produce than can be purchased.

The nutritional value of food is mostly retained in the process of canning. There's nothing wrong with canned vegetables. Even the surplus vegetables here get canned. Fresh vegetables are a seasonal luxury.

Given the constraints facing the poor, and assuming that we consider chronic obesity is a societal problem, what are some solutions?