I think their results will be slightly skewed since they have a "stockpile." In business that's called an inventory and just because you have something in stock doesn't mean it cost $0

exactly the whole thing is just a silly gimmick. It looks like some are buying into their bs grift. They will make a nice amount of money off of this.

Yeah, exactly. I can already tell you it's not possible. You can't even feed 4 people in New England for just over $30 a week, let alone gas it takes to get to work and such.

What would be "funny" in a bad way is if child protection services removed the children for neglect.

(of course this would only happen if the whole thing wasn't a scam)

That's kind of where I was at, with it. "Hey, guys, wouldn't it be so funny if people became alarmed at the decisions we're making, and we all got to go on the TV?"

There are no $0 days, since they are eating up the stockpile.

This is very unrealistic, but if they just end up seriously cutting back, they are ahead of the game, right?

Now, what I want to know is, if they eat through the stockpile and end up at a food bank or charity drive, are they still going to count that as a $0 day?

I bet they are. Cheaters.

Yet more people want their 15 minutes of "fame/shame" if it works, all the power to them, but it's impossible in this day and age, and as said a few times above, if you have "inventory" then that cost money. I could live on $0 a year if I had a few barrels of gas and solar panels and wind turbines and a butt load of food stockpiled, but alas, I'd have to purchase all that now...and umm...don't have the money.

I gotta kind of disagree with all of you. I read a fair bit of their blog and they seem to be sincerely surprised at the media attention they have suddenly obtained. There is no plea on their website for donations or sponsorship, so how could they be trying to make money from their project? There is no prize at the end of the year for them achieving their goal - just their own pride at achieving an accomplishment they set for themselves as a family.

And their advice on savings is very specific and useful. They indicate exactly where to get the coupons, surveys, and discount incentives that allow them to shop for things at pennies on the dollar. People are following their lead and saving a ton of money. It's kind of cool and I respect them for their effort in sharing their personal family experiment.

No stockpile, family of four (my family) in 1997-1999:
Made 1100 a month, I have no idea how much was groceries, household items or personal care expenses, and how much was other things like insurance on the car. The rent for our home was $360, including water, heating, garbage collection and power.
I think we had for groceries, household items or personal care AND medical expenses about $800 a month. The thing that set the balance off at the end was the medical expenses part.

Damn, its hard to find even a room in the area that I live in (Fairfax, Virginia) for $360.

I think I give that out in Christmas tips for the building staff. Sigh...NY

you don't understand the way the internet works. The way publicity works. People have became millionaires with far less substantive ideas.

Thank you - I was just about to say the same thing. She had an idea, she wrote about it. blam. instant flaming. I guess the lesson is, don't write about it until after you do it. Even then, don't write about it. ;)

Won't work. At the rate they're going so far, not even counting the stockpile, they'll spend $2800. They'll have to start spending much less if they're sincere about this.

Also, I'm amazed that milk is only $2.30 per gallon in NH. Even considering the exchange rate, that's much cheaper than it is in Canada.

Exchange rates included, almost everything is cheaper in the Us than here (Canada). Some marketers tack on up to 30% to products sold here, just because Canucks are willing to pay more. Grrrrrrrr

You want cheaper milk grow your own cows, Canada.

USA USA USA USA

I live right on the Canada US border and a lot of people come down here to buy their permitted 2 gallons of milk, 2 dozen eggs and a tank of gas. Savings totals around $20 even with the exchange rate.

Happy cows live in America?

the blog has been removed it says