Goal #2 Update: Spend only $20 a week on food!

Goal #2: Spend only $20 a week on food (including dining out!) between now and Christmas….

Week #1: Monday 11/26/07 – Sunday 12/2/07

I expected week number one to be easy, because I have lotsa lotsa Thanksgiving leftovers. I also went on a soup cooking binge the last couple weeks, so I have frozen Chili, frozen sausage cabbage veggie soup, and frozen ground turkey veggie tomato soup.

I know technically I spent money on these things when I initially bought them. But I don't have record of how much I spent on them, and only eating things that I buy with my $20 dollar budget kind of defeats the purpose of this experiment... to save money! So my only rule is to only spend $20 each week. Previously bought food, free food, donated food... all acceptable.

First, I took a little time to think of what the challenges I would have, and also think of what I had going for me to make this easier.

Challenges:

It will be hard to pack dinner on the two weekdays that I go straight from my full-time job to my part-time job…. And hard to drive by taco bell without stopping. :)

It will be hard during Thursday night happy hour… no ordering food!

Diet coke…my one true love. Stopping daily at the gas station for a $1.49 44 ounce soda could cost me nearly $11 of my $20 weekly budget! Time to find the best deal/sale on soda!

I suggest you address your challenges ahead of time, so that you have time to make a plan!

Bonuses:

I have tons of Thanksgiving Leftovers.

I just baked a dozen Oatmeal-Apple-Diet Muffins at my Mother's house over Thanksgiving weekend! These are perfect for breakfasts on the go.

I might get a dinner or two from my parents. My Mom likes to come visit me (she lives 40 miles away) and my Dad likes to invite me to his house for Sunday night dinners.

Food Log:

Sorry if its TMI to write down everything I eat, but here is my daily food log, including how much money I spent each day. If the food doesn't have a cost by it, then it is something I had in my pantry, fridge or freezer.

11/26/07 Monday
Oatmeal-Apple-Diet Muffins
Baby carrots
Chili & Stuffing
Turkey w/ cranberry sauce
Fudgsicle
Diet Coke $1.32

Total: $1.32
Remaining: $18.68

11/27/07 Tuesday
Oatmeal-Apple-Diet Muffins
Stuffing & Green Beans & Turkey
Fudgsicle
Baby carrots
Black bean burger topped w/ Parmesan cheese & salsa

Total: $0
Remaining: $18.68

11/28/07 Wednesday
Oatmeal-Apple-Diet Muffins
Turkey Alfredo soup & Stuffing
Fudgsicle
Chili
Bowl of cereal
Diet Coke: $1.32

Total: $1.32
Remaining: $17.36

11/29/07 Thursday
Oatmeal-Apple-Diet Muffins
Diet Coke: $1.32
Stuffing & Green Beans
Burger w/ fries $6.50 (I watched the big (disappointing) Packer game at the bar)

Total: $7.82
Remaining: $9.54

11/30/07 Friday
Oatmeal-Apple-Diet Muffins
Stuffing & Turkey
Restaurant Chicken Fettuccini Portabella FREE (Mom took me out to dinner)

Total: $0
Remaining: $9.54

12/1/07 Saturday
Pancakes
Diet Coke $1.32
Turkey (last of my thanksgiving leftovers!)
Sausage Pizza $6.91 (It was a horrible winter storm, and all I wanted was to cozy up with a movie and pizza... I was weak!)

Total: $8.23
Remaining: $1.31

12/2/07 Sunday
Eggs w/ black beans & salsa
Diet Coke $1.32
Leftover Pizza

Total: $1.32
Remaining: -$0.01

Grand Total Spent: $20.01

Review:

Even with all of the leftovers I had, I still VERY EASILY spent $20 dollars. Those little things really do add up! The two biggest purchases (burger & pizza) happened on "special" days. There was a huge Packer game, that I do not get at home with my cable package. I knew I would most likely watch the game at the bar, and therefore eat dinner there. So I tried to pick something cheap, and not order an appetizer. And then Saturday there was a huge snow/ice storm, and I was craving pizza. The stress of the weather made me weak, and I went down to the gas station and bought a frozen pizza (Sometimes convenience trumps price). But I have to realize that "special" days are likely to happen every week, and learn how to get through different circumstances without overspending.

I was also worried about my Diet Coke addiction. Although I did not go out and buy Diet Coke on sale somewhere, I did severely limit my consumption. Next week I am going to do the opposite, find a good sale and buy lots of Diet Coke for as cheap as possible.

Now that I am out of Thanksgiving leftovers, and my freezer stock has a dent in it, I am very excited to see how Week #2 goes. I will need a completely different strategy....and I think it involves a very well planned grocery list.

Stay tuned for some "Pantry Shopping" Recipes that I have thought of while browsing through my pantry.