First the preparation.
Seeing as my wife is out of town this week, I decided to set aside my starter pantry to avoid cheating. In the picture you can see my choices: Red Sauce, Pasta, Bottle of Juice (would have preferred Orange, but as that is perishable, I didn't think it should count), Sauerkraut and Canned Tomatoes for my Veggies, Baked Beans, Tuna, Cereal, Peanut Butter, Two Pasta Sides, Chocolate Bar for my snack, Kielbasa for Meat, Salt and Mayonnaise for my Condiments (I'd really have trouble giving those up, but I wish I could include pepper too), Eggs, and Butter.
When I agreed to do this challenge, I initially thought it would be a cakewalk. After all, I did go to college, where frugal living is a necessity! I even remembered back to when my wife and I first moved in together and I was absolutely shocked when she wanted to spend more than $20/week on groceries. So, this should be easy for me. Right???
Wrong. From just the first day, my smugness has already worn thin. It's amazing how little we forget, how routines set into our lives, and how much we condition ourselves to take for granted.
Sure, I can eat on three bucks a day. That's not too hard. But I will be either hungry, malnutritioned, miserable, or some awkward combination of all three. As of this writing, I am seriously jonesing for a glass of Diet Sunkist (I drink it like it is God’s own sweet nectar). I considered trying a cheaper brand, but I don’t even think that would fit in the budget…and I’m spoiled when it comes to brands.
That brings up another point. Take a close look at what I started with for my emergency pantry, and you’ll see that all the brands are premium…and they were all chosen by me. This is a luxury that people do not get when visiting a food pantry and, as unfair as it may be, I now recognize this as a significant means for me to complete this challenge.
I know I’m rambling now, but the concept of brand choices brought another thought into my minds eye: what about the rest of the stuff? You know, life’s necessities. Things like toilet paper, paper towels, detergent, bath soap, toothpaste, etc. This stuff isn’t cheap, and I know I have my own particular brands. I do consider myself to be on a semi-limited budget, but if I were really struggling the cost of these personal brand choices would severely limit me.
Okay, I’ve blathered enough, so I might as well get down to it. How did my first day go?
The First Day
Short answer: it has been quite easy, despite my desire for orange soda, and a desire for a small caffeine kick from my favorite chai tea.
Slightly longer answer: I was up all of last night working on a project for a client and didn’t go to bed until 8 AM, so I slept most of the day away. As it stands, the only thing I’ve consumed today is water (filtered, which probably shouldn’t count either), even though it is almost 6 PM my time.
Don’t get me wrong, because my stomach is growling like a bunch of angry bears…and I’ll need to address it soon.
I haven’t fully decided on what to have for dinner, but I want it to be good since it is likely to be my only meal today. I’ll definitely give specifics on my next entry, but I am currently thinking about the pre-made potato salad I bought over the weekend (it cost $2.69 for 16 ounces). It is within budget, but is it healthy to only eat potato salad for a day?
I’m sure my wife has an answer but, as I said, she’s out of town. So her vote doesn’t count.
Until next time…
-P
No comments:
Post a Comment