Yeah, we're off-topic, but I love food so I'm gonna keep running with it. :)
Gonna chime in and say, again, that quantity matters.
@sliverstorm mentioned that a loaf of bread lasts a day for 2 people, which to me is mind-boggling - I make 2 loaves a week (whole wheat sourdough) and that seems to be PLENTY for a family of 4 (2 smaller children, though the toddler eats as much as I do, no teenagers - teenagers count as at least 2 adults, for meal-planning).
Cheaper meal examples (note: in CAD, so your 1.20 is 1.60 in my money!):
- Tonight, we are having a kalamata olive and herb sourdough foccacia (homemade, is rising and will get stuck in the oven when we get home: 1.50$ for ingredients, mostly because olives aren't cheap) and tomato and white bean soup (ingredients: 9$ for #10 can of san marzano tomatoes and dried white beans and a bit of cream, made with home-grown basil and chicken broth). Should be enough for dinner for 4 and lunches for 2 adults tomorrow, plus extra soup to stick in the freezer. Relatively healthy, and under 1.50/meal, once you account for the soup in the freezer for grab-and-go lunches.
- Last night, we had eggs (2 eggs for me, 1 for the preschooler, 2 for the toddler, and 3 for the husband - 2.30$), with sliced carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes (3$), and about 1/3 of a loaf of whole-wheat bread (so, 2 slices per adult and 1-1.5 per kid - roughly 50 cents in ingredients cost). Again - under 1.50/person. (Caveat - this is my 'oh god I'm exhausted I can't deal with cooking and the kids are hangry' kind of meal)
- Last weekend, we made a merguez and bean tagine with dates and preserved lemons, on rice, with slivered fennel salad (the kids, side-note, downed that like no tomorrow). 11$ ingredients cost, fed us with an extra lunch for the adults - 1.80/portion.
... I would definitely not call this subsisting. I'm personally quite, QUITE happy with these menus.