Day 7, eating on...well, less than $30/week

Whoops! Left this one hanging for a while. My apologies to anyone who was following my progress, and thank you if you came back to check up on it!

Okay, so I don't actually remember what I ate on day 7... but I know I stayed on budget! I did indulge in a London Fog from the Starbucks at school, as it was a snowy day, which kicked my total food expenditures to a mere $14!

I think my success was based on having a good pantry, making and freezing the soup and chili, and of course those treats from my mum. Also, changing my point of view on leftovers was important. I have a bad habit of throwing the leftovers in the fridge and forgetting about, or ignoring them until they're rotten enough for me not to feel bad about throwing them out. It's honestly quite bizarre and I'm not sure where it started. There's less wasted food around here thanks to Brian, who almost compulsively eats all the leftovers as soon as possible (yet won't take a lunch to work with him unless I'm staring him down in the morning).

But now I've begun to get into the groove and I'm comfortable making soup, preparing at least part of my lunch the night before and using those leftovers for somethin'. My next goal is to plan the week's menu before doing the weekly grocery trip. We'll see when that comes to fruition...

Day 3, eating on $30/week

Today was an early rise [insert bread joke here] due to an early class. The temptations were staring me in the face, but luckily, I’ve already been staring them down for two days, so what’s one more, really?

After a coffee at home, I knew I’d be in need of a bit more caffeine in our 3-hour long news meeting so I brought a really quite big mug (actually it’s a stein…) and a few bags of jasmine green tea to school with me to stash in the locker. While not as satisfying as a freshly whipped up mocha, it was still nice.

Lunch wasn’t too special, but I was glad to have the leftovers, which were easy to grab in the morning.

The real difference between today and previous days was that I did groceries for the first time of the challenge! I thought I would probably spend almost all of my budget at Safeway, but miraculously, I didn’t!

Day 2, eating on $30/week

Okay, well this post was meant to be another somewhat informative piece so that you could get something out of my semi-struggles. However, it's been a long day, so it will be a little short, again without photos.

The good news: I didn't spend anything on food today.
The bad news: the point isn't not to spend, it's to stay within a budget. I guess technically my week should start on whatever day I do groceries, but whatever, as long as we learn something, right?

First, a couple of links:
An article I wrote on nutrition on a budget. It also mentions that according to a study, the price of food in Calgary is rather inflated.

“Read the food flyers and plan your meals around what is on sale that week,” said nutritionist Elizabeth Christianson. “Make a shopping list and stick to it. Don’t shop for groceries on an empty stomach, and if possible, leave the kids at home. Buying in bulk saves packaging costs and can cost less.”

Things you should not eat on a budget (or ever).

Day 1, eating on $30/week

I was buying boots last winter with my mum and we stopped for a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks stand in the mall. The coffee was mum’s treat, and I think she offered because I was getting so visibly stressed out by the impending expenditure. It was time for me to step into a pair of well-made, totally-not-vegetarian, totally-not-Payless boots.

As I sat fretting and sipping, mum recalled a similar shopping trip years ago, when I was very small, four maybe. I had just spent all of my money – probably $12 – on a new purse, and after paying the cashier I burst out crying.

Since then, I have changed my shopping etiquette slightly.

Still not buying it

So, I spent $10.25 on my cab home last night. This was taken from tip money that I made last night, which totalled $52 before cab and after tipping out the doorboys. I don't think I really broke a rule there. Maybe stretched it though because there were other ways for me to get home: could have walked to the train, took the train, walked from station to home. But when it's cold and almost 1 a.m., I think a cab is a safe choice.

Today I spent four hours at the Jubilee Auditorium volunteering for the Kiwanis music festival. It is for an assignment on altruism. I didn't really feel very altruistic, but I know that my time did go to a good cause. Considering I would have probably just sat at home playing Valkyria Chronicles otherwise, I think this is a good thing. The volunteer coordinator suggested I grab lunch at a nearby food court (more money I didn't need to spend) while I waited for my first session to start. Instead I had a complimentary coffee (I even had cream in it! It's not as good as soy, but it was actually quite lovely) in the volunteer lounge and read some of Brave New World.

The rest of the day will include dinner with the boyfriend - cooked by us with ingredients from our combined pantries. I'm thinking asparagus risotto and somethin, but I'm not sure we have enough veggies to make it properly. I really want to pick up some mushrooms and/or chard. But I'll see what I have first. Part of this whole exercise, a big part in fact, is to clear out my over stuffed food stores. It's good to have supplies so I can whip up a meal anytime. But when I have so much food and just keep buying more, it means plenty of it goes to waste.

Then we'll probably watch some Firefly and take some photos before we both go to work at 9. There's a new menu at work and I'm sorely tempted to try the new homemade vegan burger, but there's no sense in eating at 9 pm anyway. I'll wait until I'm working next Saturday afternoon.

All the bus transit was paid for in my tuition months ago, so that isn't an expense either.

So far, so good, I'm thinking. But now I want some wine.