$5 a Day Challenge: Grocery List

See what Sean bought to whip up 3 meals a day with just $5.

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Oven-Fried Chicken

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With so many Americans currently strapped for cash, we challenged our Digital Studio staffer Sean Kirby to eat 3 meals a day for 5 days from $25 worth of groceries. Holley Grainger, registered dietician and host of our Dinner Tonight video series, gave him some tips on proper nutrition and recommended that Sean aim for 2,000 calories a day. As there was food left over after 5 days, he decided to shoot for 10–making the average daily budget a measly $2.50 a day. Here's Sean's shopping list, plus the video chronicling the entire 10-day experience.

See the Video 

Sean's Grocery List

  • 1 loaf Sunbeam Old-Fashioned white bread
  • 1 (16-ounce) can Campbell's chicken noodle soup
  • 1 box spaghetti
  • 1 box macaroni and cheese
  • 1 jar peanut butter
  • 1 (16-ounce) carton of quick-cooking oats
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 dozen extra white eggs
  • 1 gallon 2% milk
  • 1 (32-ounce) jar grape jelly
  • 1 bag whole kernel frozen corn
  • 1 bag extra-fine frozen green beans
  • 1 package cheese singles
  • 1 Kirkwood chicken pot pie
  • 3 bananas
  • 1 rotisserie chicken
  • 1 Totino's Crisp Crust pepperoni pizza
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