What we ate

For the last 30 days, Scott and I have kept detailed records of everything our family ate.  I wanted to take a look at not only how much we spent, but how much of specific food items we ate.  Here's a sampling:

15 pounds of Bananas
8 pounds of Cheese
36 chicken thighs
4 dozen Eggs
12 gallons of Milk
6 pounds of Pasta
12.5 pounds of Potatoes

We certainly ate a much wider variety than what is listed above, but the above foods seem to be our staples.  We also went through 2.5 canisters of oatmeal, a small jar of peanut butter, a small jar of jelly and our small bottle of ketchup has about 1Tbsp left.  We have also eaten a lot of bread, both bought and homemade.

Even though it was annoying to back through our receipts and categorize the foods that we bought and ate, I  remembered the food and what meals each item was used for.  I don't think I've ever been as aware of my food in my entire life.  It will be interesting to see if I still feel compelled to write the prices on the foods that I buy.  I find it oddly comforting to know how much things cost.  For example, today, I braved the post-blizzard roads to head to my grocery store to take advantage of double coupon day and a few coupons that expired tonight.  I bought at least 3 items that with coupons, were not only free, but were money-makers!  I like free money!  And I like my free mustard.  I can understand how extreme couponers can get addicted, but don't worry, I feel no need to accumulate a lifetime supply of mustard.

Almost as addictive as free food through coupons is using up something in my fridge or pantry.  We're really using up a lot of stuff and eating all of our leftovers.  And leftovers=free food!

Here's what we ate today

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

Snack
- S Nuts
- K Cereal
Total $0.27

Lunch
- SKC&G Pasta with Sauce and Canned Tomatoes, Mixed Vegetables and Garlic Bread
* Charged self $0.50 for use of Spices (garlic powder and oregano)
- C&G Milk
- S Tea
Total $3.18

Snack
- G Milk
Total $0.04

Dinner
- SKC&G Chicken Thighs with Corn
- C&G Leftover Pasta
- S&K Leftover Rice with Salsa and Sour Cream
Total $1.61

Total Spend $6.43

Tomorrow, Final Thoughts