I took a few days off to enjoy the new year and see Chicago-based friends and family, so I labeled the pantry today. It wasn't quite the cathartic event I'd hoped; I basically put everything in the pantry on 2 shelves, leaving one shelf for "approved" and budget-friendly foods. I did put nifty labels on the "forbidden foods" that read "off limits." I'm so hardcore. The pantry is bare, except for a bottle of olive oil that I bought last week and have labeled with it's total price and cost per Tablespoon.
I did the same thing in our refrigerator, which admittedly, hasn't had food in it for several weeks. We have slowly been eating everything inside of it in preparation for this experiment. Other than condiments and an unopened jar of pizza sauce, there is a lemon and a carrot and a bottle of sparkling grape juice from New Year's. The carrot is reserved for the next snowfall's snowman. Like the pantry, everything has been labeled with "off limits" stickers.
I did the same thing in our refrigerator, which admittedly, hasn't had food in it for several weeks. We have slowly been eating everything inside of it in preparation for this experiment. Other than condiments and an unopened jar of pizza sauce, there is a lemon and a carrot and a bottle of sparkling grape juice from New Year's. The carrot is reserved for the next snowfall's snowman. Like the pantry, everything has been labeled with "off limits" stickers.
Once I felt sufficiently like we had absolutely nothing to eat in our house (and both boys were asleep) I ran to the grocery store. This was my first taste of what life will be like on the budget. A cruel taste; it tasted like panic. I spent $20.25 and I feel like I bought next to nothing. Milk, bread, oatmeal, crackers, soup, pasta and sauce, canned corn, margarine (SO much cheaper than butter), string cheese, and bananas. It seems like I have tomorrow's food and little else. I used a $1 coupon for the oatmeal, which was expensive, but will last Scott and Me for 2 weeks. I also brought 2 grocery bags, which saved me a dime. I know, it's only a dime, but a dime is almost a bowl of oatmeal, so that counts for something. I know I will have to go to the store again tomorrow and Wednesday, because we don't have enough food to last long. Our grocery store will double 5 coupons on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so I'll get more soup and yogurt then.
Tomorrow it all starts. I am nervous, but Scott keeps reassuring me that it's all going to be fine. The boys will eat what I prepare and this will be a challenge, but not impossible. I hope so. We will all weigh ourselves tomorrow so I will have a baseline for the boys and can make sure they're getting enough to eat. Scott said he's willing to share how his weight is changing. The last time we were thrifty, we gained a lot of weight, so hopefully, we'll eat a lot better.
Tomorrow it all starts. I am nervous, but Scott keeps reassuring me that it's all going to be fine. The boys will eat what I prepare and this will be a challenge, but not impossible. I hope so. We will all weigh ourselves tomorrow so I will have a baseline for the boys and can make sure they're getting enough to eat. Scott said he's willing to share how his weight is changing. The last time we were thrifty, we gained a lot of weight, so hopefully, we'll eat a lot better.
Tomorrow, Day 1
Yeah! Tomorrow's the big start. Good luck! Great blog so far!
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you and your family. I'm interested to see how the next month plays out and see what challenges you overcome as a family along the way.
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