Living off 53 quid a week back in Blighty, but am sure I live off less than $53 a week here in Canada, as I don't drink nor smoke

Source: http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/can...124043671.html

"Iain Duncan Smith claims he could survive on £53 a week if he had to"... I stopped reading it after that bit.

I think it would be very difficult to eat well on it.

You live off less than $53 a week? how? what do you eat? I'm intrigued. I am not trying to be funny or rude just don't know how you do it. Are you including bills etc in this?

I read the link in your post and after council tax and extras he had £20.98 left for food a week. It could be done I guess but not a lot of fresh stuff in there? esp if you have to include toilet roll, shaving foam etc in that.

I watched Extreme Couponing a couple of days ago and whilst taken to the extreme if I remember rightly one woman bought over $600 groceries and paid 1 cent. Yes 1 cent. They all had huge "stockpiles" in their basement and had enough food and laundry detergent for like 50 people. I am clearly doing it all wrong.

Just read an article on the bedroom tax. Ohh deary dear, being unemployed and skint in Great Britain just got a little worse.

For just food I could probably get away with $53 but it wouldn't be much fun.

Closer to $75-80 (if converting the 53 quid) I'd probably be fine.

A job would assist, would it not?

I remember walking around the supermarkrt wiyh a calculator and 8 pounds in my pocket forvyhe weekly shop for me and dd, it wasnt much fun at the time and thank god for value beans and tomatoes, back then they were I think 7p.

I remember when you could go out of an evening, get bladdered and smoke a packet of Woodbines for about 9'/6d. That's about two pounds in today's money.

£53... that'll get you a happy meal every day and a couple of rolls of bog paper. What else do you need??

Have you not watched that documentary on the guy who only ate Macdonalds for a month?

I am a guy coupon collector also, and yes I have done grocery shopping both here and across the border and paid next to nothing. There is a group that actually goes across the border and meet up to trade coupon before going grocery shopping

Talk of which....my mickey dee coupon booklet expires tomorrow, and I sure the hell out of it in the past month

wow the evenings must just fly by in your house

Apparently the guy lives off £155 per week (including his stall income, house benefit and tax credit). Still low, but not quite the same.

You don't even know half of it