28 Days Later

When Scott and I decided that we would reduce our family's spending by cutting our food budget, we both imagined the longest month ever.  We had never imposed a strict food budget before and our imaginations definitely got the best of us.  We pictured our lives on a food budget as us living off of rice and beans, possibly starving, with cranky children.  We had no concept of what $400 could buy in food terms because we never calculated what we spent.  When we said we would forgo convenience and fast foods, we chose 28 days as our first goal, but basically, 4 weeks was our opportunity to cop-out early if we were miserable.  Originally, we were going to write a blog as a record of our month, but not tell anyone about it.  We were changing our lifestyle for ourselves. but we quickly realized that if no one knew what we were doing, it would be easy to cheat, slip, or give up.  The more people rooting for (and against) us, the more we wanted to succeed.

So here we sit, 28 days later.  What I originally thought would be oppressive has been freeing.  I have renewed love for cooking and I find great satisfaction in scoring a good deal.  Food tastes best when it's free.  I have tried new recipes and reacquainted myself with foods that I'd forgotten.  My children are happy with what they're eating, are taking part in mealtime, and Scott and I don't feel that we're sacrificing nutrition for cost's sake. (Grant is lukewarm on anything that isn't a cracker or a banana, but he's 18 months old, and tomorrow could be different.)  We have 3 days left in our 31 day challenge and I know that Scott and I will keep out thrifty habits going and try to streamline our food buying skills even further.  $400 is a do-able budget, but it took us changing our food philosophy and learning how to better shop and plan to be able to follow it.  I am learning a lot from money-saving experts, old friends, and new friends, and I look forward to the many things I have yet to learn.

Ironically, the movie 28 Days Later has been on TV lately.  Scott and I saw it in a movie theater long ago.  Scott loves horror movies and I like survival stories, so this was a good mix for both of us; even better for me, the actors had British accents.   If they only could have worn period costumes and had dance sequences, it would have perfect, but I digress.  In the film, the hero wakes from a coma to find that a plague has eliminated London's population.  Most of the remaining population are crazy zombies, but a few survivors band together to help each other.  "Hmmm," you're asking yourself, "how do Zombies have anything to do with Kellie's food budget?"  Stay with me, I'll get there.  In the film, the hero simply tries to survive.  That's what I thought this month would be about.  Surviving.  Eating cheap food and getting from one day to the next.  But, in reality, we're doing more than surviving; we're thriving.  We're eating great meals and getting amazing suggestions from a community of friends who help each other.  We're introducing better eating habits to our children and we've reduced snacking and some unhealthy foods.  We're certainly not perfect, I can't wait to see how much cheese we've eaten this month, but for as much as I still have to learn, my improvements are vast.  With a few days left, I know that next month's budget is going to get even better. 

Next month I'll have access to all of the things that were originally "Off Limits" in my pantry and cupboards.  28 days ago, my refrigerator was empty and my pantry was too, except for a bottle of olive oil.  Scott and I are trying to come full circle, trying to get our "our amount spent" is as close to our "amount consumed" as possible.  I know I won't be able to eat every can of tomatoes or corn, and I might even have a few chicken thighs left in my freezer, but we could get close to empty.  The blizzard scheduled for the next 48 hours will certainly help; I was planning on doing our grocery shopping on Wednesday, but I may be snowbound.  It's just as well, even when a pantry looks like a whole lot of nothing, there are meals waiting to be discovered and made.

So here's my thought for today, it's 28 days later, and our life is nothing like a horror movie.

Here's what we ate today

Breakfast
- S Cereal and Milk
- KC&G Oatmeal with Brown Sugar
- C&G Milk
Total $0.59

Lunch
- SKC&G 4 Cheese Grilled Cheese and Tortilla Soup
- C Applesauce
- G Banana
- C&G Milk
- S&K Tea
Total $3.91

Snack
- G Milk and Crackers
Total $0.08

Dinner
- SKC&G Tacos (taco shells, spicy ground beef, refried beans, brown rice, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream)
- G Crackers, Banana and Yogurt
* Charged self $0.50 for use of Spices (cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper)
Total $4.11

Dessert
- SKC&G Banana Milkshakes (banana, milk, ice & chocolate)
- C Banana
- G Milk
- S&K Corn Muffins
Total $0.90

Total Spend $9.59
  
Tomorrow, Size Matters