What we used to eat

At various times in our lives, Scott and I have been healthy eaters. We've run marathons, and climbed mountains, and lost pounds and pounds and pounds. And we've been unhealthy eaters. We've binged and drank and lay on couches and gained pounds and pounds and pounds. Healthy eaters: huge, delicious salads with raisins and fun greens and every imaginable item of produce, including both hearts of palm and hearts of artichokes. Unhealthy eaters: Donuts after midnight, Whoppers with fries after midnight and nary a vegetable to be seen, unless you count ketchup. Neither of these eating styles pays any regard to the food's cost.

So, we've eaten everything and now it's time to reflect on the days when our food budget was fat. Those days aren't so long ago, less than a week actually, so it's easy for me to remember exactly what we used to eat.

Breakfast. Scott would have a huge bowl of cereal, swimming in milk. We have special "Scott cereal bowls" that hold 20 ounces. And we would buy the good stuff. Scott loves Frosted Mini-Wheats and while we would generally stock up on them when they were on sale, he would eat 1/4 of the box in a single serving. Connor lived for Pop-tarts and Grant was learning to love them too. Connor would generally eat 2, Grant 1, they'd split a banana and wash it all down with milk. I would generally eat a bagel slathered with both butter and cream cheese and milk in a glass that was so giant that it was a pint if it was an ounce. Man, with all of the carbs we were eating, how did we have the energy to do anything? Never mind the cost, $0.75 for cereal, $0.60 for Pop-Tarts, $0.50 for bagel with fixin's and about $0.80 for milk. wow!

Lunch. Scott comes home for lunch sometimes, so let's pretend this is one of those days. Scott might bring home McDonalds, he passes 2 on his way from the office. Connor and Grant would share a Happy Meal (chicken nuggets with apples) and Scott and I would order salads and sandwiches from the Dollar Menu and share an order of fries. Scott and I would drink soda while the boys would have milk. That's financially sensible, right? Wrong! At about $12 per lunch, that's more than our current daily budget. And what's with all of the fat? Oink! Oink! Other lunchtime favorites include: corn dogs with pretzels, the BOSS (but with potato chips and coleslaw) chicken strips with an assortment of cut fruit and several expensive kinds of dipping sauces, and even Lean Cuisines. At $2.50 per boxed meal, the only thing getting lean is our wallet.

Dinner. I am actually a pretty decent cook. Or at least, I can follow directions well. Especially those printed on the side of a box. I rarely buy expensive cuts of meat, we're definitely a pork chop & chicken breast family. So let's pretend you're visiting us for dinner. Here's what you'd be served (and my apologies to everyone whose ever eaten at my house and been served this, it's my favorite thing to make because it's hard to screw up): pork chops, Rice-a-Roni and some kind of vegetable (peas or beans.) And of course, I'd have made some kind of dessert like apple crumble, homemade cookies or ice cream with a homemade fruit sauce. Another thing I would sometimes do for dinner was I head to Trader Joe's without a grocery list and select something we hadn't eaten for a while. That's never cheap because I'm buying an entree, matching side dishes and condiments along with countless other unplanned purchases like dark chocolate bars, starfruit and wines with funny-looking labels. Eating like this cost us about $8 per day, with another $3 for dessert.

So our average daily food spend was about $25.65, or just under $800 per month. Seeing it all in it's fatty, greasy, sugary, spendy glory is nauseating, and since our spending is on par with the average American family, I can only imagine that our plates aren't too different from those of other families. But here it is, warts and all. Rather, here it was, because I can do and will do better for my family, financially and healthfully.

Scott went to Chicago today so he packed a lunch. But, here's what we ate today:

Breakfast
- S&K Oatmeal with brown sugar
- C Yogurt, 1/2 banana, some of Mommy's oatmeal, milk
- G Cereal, 1/2 banana some of Mommy's oatmeal, milk
$1.12

Lunch
- S (in Chicago for the day) a piece of bread, orange, pasta with peas and sauce, cereal for a snack
- KC&G can of Lentil soup and crackers, milk for the boys
- G also ate a string cheese
$2.20

Snack
- K had tea, G had milk, and we fed each other cereal
$0.14

Dinner
- SKC&G hamburger patties, cheese, peas and homemade sweet potato oven fries served with ketchup and salad dressing.
- C&G had milk
$4.75

Dessert
- C&G had 3 cookies each
- S&K had 2 servings of cereal each
- S had tea
$0.49

Total for the day $8.72

I think I need to try and push more fruit tomorrow, it seems like we ate a lot of cereal today.

Tomorrow, It really tastes as good.

The Rules

It's almost impossible to create a restrictive meal budget without setting up some rules. Scottie and I have talked and talked and talked some more about what can and can't be consumed and what should and shouldn't count. And Scott is actually more hardcore than I am, so when it seems like all he's getting to eat is bread and water, this was his idea too.

The Rules

• We have a $400 budget for the entire month (the month is defined as 28 days, but if we're not starving too much, we will extend it a full 31 days. ).
• We will keep track of 2 totals, the amount spent and the amount consumed. Not all items purchased during each shopping trip will be consumed immediately, or in their entirety.
• Any food that Scott and Kellie consume outside of the home will count in the food budget.
• All food in the Freeze household at the start of the experiment is considered "off limits" and will be labeled as such. (see exceptions).
• All food brought into the Freeze household during the period starting January 4 and ending either January 31 or February 3 must be paid for out of the $400 budget.
• Food that is purchased does not have to be consumed within the week, portions may be frozen or reserved for future use.
• All food will be labeled with the item's total cost and cost per serving (or cost per basic unit of measure, i.e. cost per tsp, TBSP, or cup).
• Connor is allowed to eat snack at preschool without penalty.
• Connor and Grant are allowed to eat snacks at play dates but we will bring a snack from our house as first choice.
• Kellie will host a book discussion on January 20 and must pay for the refreshments (including wine) out of the $400.
• Kellie and Scott will go out one night and must budget and save $30 for the event.
• Scott's place of employment provides beverages and snacks for its employees, but Scott is limited to water, tea, or black coffee.
• When Kellie attends board meetings or other social events, unless she has prepared and paid for the food, all food and beverages are off limits except for tap water.
• If Scott has to attend a lunch meeting, he must pack and bring his own meal, food may not be purchased for him.
• We can collect and use coupons.
• We can comparison shop.
• We will weigh ourselves and our children on January 4 and again on a weekly basis. Weight loss by either child means that they are not getting enough to eat and the experiment should be reconsidered.

Exceptions

• Pantry staple items that we already own (like salt and pepper, olive oil, and baking supplies) will be labeled with cost per basic unit of measure. Amounts used will be deducted from the $400 (i.e. we do not need to buy another box of salt to use 1 teaspoon from it. We can "buy" the needed amount from the box we already own.) Cost for the entire container will be gathered from local and online grocery stores.
• Vitamins, pain relievers, and cold medications do not come out of the $400.

Yes, I know that I sound like a robot, I just wanted to make sure I've covered anything.

Tomorrow's post, What We're Giving Up

Why 400?

At first glance, $400 seems like a lot of money. $400 represents a good day of shopping or a fantastic pair of shoes or new window treatments for my dining room. A lot of money, but I chose it because it seemed like a number that I could wrap my head around. A nice round number, $400 for 4 people. $100 per person for a month of food.

My ultimate goal is to make it from January 4 to February 3, an entire 31 days. As we live our experiment, we may need to adjust the date to January 31. I don't want my young children to starve or become miserable. Either way, this is going to be a huge challenge. $100/28 days equals $3.57 per person per day or about $14.29 per day for the family. If we can stretch our experiment out for the entire 31 days, the daily budget slips down to $12.90 per day.

And that doesn't count our extra challenges. Scott and I have decided that if we are going to limit our food finances, we must still live our lives in a normal way. We must perform several tasks throughout the month.
1) We must entertain at least 4 people in a social setting. (I have budgeted $40 for food & wine)
2) We must go out for a night of fun. (We can attend only if we can budget and save $30)
3) We must attend our regularly scheduled events, and if we eat anything, we must pay for it out of our budget.

All of these expenses must come out of our $400 effectively bringing our daily food budget down to $11.79 for 28 days or $10.65 for the entire 31 day period. $10.65 seems like the cost of a lunch at a casual dining restaurant, not the daily food budget for a family of 4. Is this even possible? What in the heck will my family eat?

Tomorrow's post: The Rules.