Feed your family for $30 a week: Great Food for All review and photos – $90 for 3 – 4 weeks of food!
I posted recently about how to feed your family of 4 for $30 a week (or $30 a month for a single person).
We have ordered and received food from both Angel Food Ministries and Great Food for All now. You can see information about Angel Food Ministries, along with a photo of the food here.
Here is my review of Great Food for All:
We ordered the following for March 2009 (a total of $90):
- 1 basic food box at $30
- 1 convenience/senior box at $28
- 2 breakfast boxes at $16 each
Several of the items we received were name brand food items (as opposed to Angel Food Ministries)!
Photo of basic food box (click on photos to enlarge):
Photo of 1 breakfast box:
I purposely took a bunch of pictures, as pictures really help tell the story of these food boxes. I have uploaded all of them our Flickr account.
You can see all the pictures here on Flickr. You can see photos of just the basic box here, the breakfast box here, and the convenience/senior box here.
Summary:
I loved ALL of the boxes we ordered – the basic food box, the breakfast box, and the convenience box. A few items of the items were very close or past expiration date (such as the granola bars), but I am sure this is how they can offer everything so cheap. What I really liked is there were some products we got, such as the Oscar Meyer spicy sausage omelette links in the breakfast box, that you cannot buy in stores. So I really felt like I was getting a treat. The honey buns were delicious, as were the spicy sausage links. We have not tried all the food yet, but what I have tried so far, I have liked. Plus, we live in the middle of nowhere, so many of these food items simply aren’t available where we live, so it was great to be able to eat items we can’t get locally!
I really liked some of the convenience foods in the boxes – you cannot get convenience foods this cheap at Walmart!
They also include nutritional information sheets on all products, along with allergen information.
They recommend that you thaw the convenience/senior box dinners before microwaving them or cooking them in the oven. I would also recommend removing dessert items and bread items from the convenience box dinners before you thaw them, or they tend to become soggy if they are touching the rest of the food. Keep them in a separate container when thawing them.
let me add – At first, I wasn’t sure about the convenience box, especially for the price. (10 meals for $2.80 each). But the more meals I ate in it, the more I liked it! I was amazed at the amount of food you get for $2.80. You cannot buy a frozen meal with that much food, for that price, at the grocery store. Plus, these meals are not loaded as much salt and preservatives as the ones in the grocery store! I can see where these boxes are really useful for older adults to help them get nutritionally balanced meals… a nicely balanced meal and easy to use! With a busy toddler, I simply loved the convenience of these meals, even if you can make your own meal cheaper.
So, we will definitely be ordering from Great Food for All again. If you have the program where you live, I encourage you to give it a try. The food is very different from Angel Food Ministries, mainly because more of it is name brand. I like Angel Food Ministries, and I like the Great Food for All food too. They are both a great way to feed a family of 4 for $30 a month!
Marcy says
That awesome that you found something that works for you! I have heard of Angel Food Ministries, but not this organization. Good info to know. 🙂
Frances says
I was thrilled to read your post about Angel Food Ministries. We just ordered our first box last month and I featured it on my blog. I know I should have taken photos (bad Frances) but I am so glad you did!
At our location in Fairhope, we don’t even have to get out of the car.
This is a great service and the food is top knotch. They are not kidding about the restaurant grade food.
We are still eating through our box of food.
Your Frugal Friend, Niki says
Sounds like a neat service,
🙂
Anonymous says
GREAT FOOD FOR ALL IS GREAT BRAND NAME QUALITY FOOD!
Here is a little bit of info about the dates on food. This should help you understand how it works and that it is not past date
“Sell-By” dates tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.
“Best if Used By (or Before)” date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
“Use-By” date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.
“Closed or coded dates” are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer.
Safety After Date Expires Except for “use-by” dates, product dates don’t always refer to home storage and use after purchase. “Use-by” dates usually refer to best quality and are not safety dates. But even if the date expires during home storage, a product should be safe, wholesome and of good quality — if handled properly and kept at 40ÌŠ F or below. See the accompanying refrigerator charts for storage times of dated products. If product has a “use-by” date, follow that date. If product has a “sell-by” date or no date, cook or freeze the product by the times on the chart.
As you can see, dating of foods is not a requirement. In order to ensure customers of the freshest products, when they are available, fresh-cut meats. If you look at the USDA website, there are several instances where it is stated that if the food is kept at 40 degrees or below, it is good for long after the printed date. Further along in the text it states that if the food is frozen properly, it will be good for years.
Money Savin' Momma says
Anonymous – Thanks for the info! If you don’t already volunteer for GFFA, it sounds like you should! You are a great advocate for the program!
Thanks for commenting!