The Best Day 1 Reader Submissions for Cheap Eats Challenge The Contest

During Cheap Eats Week, bold Eater editors, Vox Media staffers, and readers are attempting to make it through the whole week on $10 a day (before tax/tip). There is a complex set of rules (street fruit! the bar snack loophole!) but the gist of it is: spend no more than $10 for restaurant and prepared meals for an entire day. All non-nutritional liquids (e.g., coffee, alcohol) are exempt. Eater editors have been summarizing their meals here, while readers and co-workers have been adding their intel to the forums and social media. Here's some highlights from the #thecontest hashtag.

First day of Eater's Cheap Eats Week Contest! Held out all morning for this massive bowl of Beef Brisket Noodles: $6.00. #thecontest #eater #lamzhou #noodles #eeeeeeats #cheapeatsweek

A photo posted by @_naomini_ on Jul 13, 2015 at 9:36am PDT

Skipped breakfast but following up with a cheap and filling first lunch of #thecontest $5.00 - Hadoota Halal food truck #cheapeatsweek

A photo posted by Ross Velazquez (@shamblingcat) on Jul 13, 2015 at 10:39am PDT

Dinner on day 1 of the @eater_ny cheap eats #thecontest ($10 total bucks at restaurants for the entire day.) Fried seafood from the local Sea $ Sea. A recent price increase almost scuttled the day. With my fellow Sietsema head/son/partner. My half: $4.25 #eaterny

A photo posted by Mark Satlof (@msatlof) on Jul 13, 2015 at 4:20pm PDT

A post-workout snack has me going sweet & salty. A shirasu onigiri (anchovy rice ball) w/a side of oshinko (Japanese pickles). I wanted the bright plum-colored pickles, made w/purple shiso leaves, but those were .50 while the plain green ones were .35. I'm being extra stingy w/my budget since I'm not sure about dinner yet. Since drinks don't count, I went for this White Cream Soda, yogurt flavor. I'm a sucker for non-Western flavored junk food. I also rarely drink sugary sodas, so the fat 10-year-old in me loved this. My Japanese snack break cost a total of 1.84, leaving me with 5.66 for tonight. Ideally, I'd like to eat something leafy and/or green, but I'm also a realist. #Eater #thecontest

A photo posted by Michelle (@mishmashed) on Jul 13, 2015 at 1:29pm PDT

Lunch. #thecontest @Eater @EaterNY chicken gyro. Halal food cart, 40th and Madison. $3.75 pic.twitter.com/TarbeGTn3a

— Meddafore (@Meddafore) July 13, 2015

Woorijip has a 50% off table next to the cashier that usually gets stocked after lunch (around 4-6) and after dinner (9-11). Luckily a few things still left at 630

A photo posted by Sam (@samkimsamkim) on Jul 13, 2015 at 4:11pm PDT

Dinner. 10 chive & pork steamed dumplings $3 and kim chi $2. #thecontest @EaterNY North Dumpling, 27 Essex St. pic.twitter.com/YCLvsJcxkt

— Meddafore (@Meddafore) July 13, 2015

Meal 2 of @eater_ny #thecontest A healthy veggie plate from @diginn ($5.51) with tofu salad, broccoli and cauliflower #cheapeatsweek

A photo posted by @josie_rubio on Jul 13, 2015 at 10:17am PDT

meal #2 of @eater #thecontest chicken and lamb over rice at Halal Guys. $5.99. Grand total of day 1 = $9.49.

A photo posted by Pablo Douzoglou (@pabld) on Jul 13, 2015 at 6:44pm PDT