Could You Live on a Food Budget of $42 a Week?

[XLFD]

As President Obama comes into the state campaigning for a 30% plus raise in the minimum wage, the debate continues.  Two Democratic Senators take up a challenge to emulate life as someone who has to live off a minimum wage job as they try to buy enough food for themselves budgeting $42 per week for the task.  I say let it become a permanent project for them and their brethren in the Michigan congress who earn over $72,000 plus expenses and benefits every year for making ridiculous laws and pronouncements:

LANSING — Two Democratic state senators took a "minimum wage challenge" to see if they could buy a week's worth of groceries on a $42 budget to empathize with people who earn the minimum wage.

Sens. Jim Ananich (D-Flint) and Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor) recently went shopping on the budget as part of a program suggested by Progressive States Network, a group that promotes left-leaning policies among and through state lawmakers.

The move comes as debate over the minimum wage heats up in Michigan and nationwide. President Barack Obama plans to discuss the need for a wage increase during his visit to Ann Arbor on Wednesday.

Obama last month signed an executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $10.10 per hour starting in 2015, and has called on increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10.

http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/04/michigan_senato...

[Willy]

I must have missed something. Where does the $42 figure come from?

[AQUAMAN]

Perhaps a avg. $168/mo. in food stamps? Either way, Kroger is charging more than Sav-a-lot. Hot dog buns can be had for $1.00, same with the milk, beans, and soup, all much cheaper.

[XLFD]

The $42 amount comes from 14% of the wages of someone earning $7.40 for 40 hours a week. 

A better gauge may be the day figure which would be $6.  If I didn't like eating out, I could easily make it on $6 a day for food; I made do with a lot less in college, even down in Lansing, where Kroger's are.  They get good sales prices but the good senator got shafted by buying Campbell's condensed soup for $1.67. 

Last week, I got Campbell's Cream of Mushroom and Chicken for $.39 a can without coupon at Meijer's.  You gotta shop smart. 

[Willy]

Some arguments against the minimum wage

[AQUAMAN]

Sav-a-lot has imported Mexico beef in t-bones/ny strips for $4.99lb routinely in the summer. Thanks for the Stossel video, he's always on cue on matters of importance.