July 23-31
Monday: breakfast-John: Scrambled cheese eggs with turkey bacon, toast
me: boiled egg toast 1/3 of an orange
John work lunch: Sliced deli roasted chicken breast, homemade potato salad, fig bars, cottage cheese and pineapple, wheat crackers
dinner: Roast deli chicken breast, potato salad, fried green tomato*
supper: soda, 1/2 peanut butter jelly sandwich, grapes, fig bar, coffee
snack: milk, fig bars, cashews
Tuesday: breakfast-John: peanut butter toast, coffee
me: toast with cream cheese
John work lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grapes, honey roasted peanuts, celery
dinner: Small piece of chicken breast, frozen Rice and Bean enchiladas
supper: chicken livers, 1/2 biscuit, potato salad (all leftovers)
snack: soda, nachos
Wednesday: breakfast: John's treat of breakfast sandwiches from the country store
dinner: Roast beef/Swiss/Lettuce/Tomato sandwiches on onion rolls, chips, orange sherbert
supper: Chicken-tortellini-Salad, Italian bread, grapes
Thursday: breakfast eggs, toast, sausage
lunch: burgers from local diner
supper:
Friday: breakfast: peanut butter toast with peaches
lunch: out with Mama her treat
John: turkey and lettuce sandwiches, chips, grapes
supper: leftovers from lunch
John: leftovers from my lunch, too!
Saturday: breakfast: cream cheese and bagels
Dinner: Spaghetti a la Diable, salad with carrot and zucchini, Italian bread
supper: Cubed steak sandwiches, peaches
Sunday: breakfast: cold cereal, peaches, toast
dinner: roast beef, wild rice, zucchini au gratin
supper:
* green tomatoes $2.00 (used 1/2 of one)
soda $2.99
grapes $4.23
cheese $2.50
cashews $2.79
milk $1.00
bread $1.29
orange sherbert $1.79
onion rolls $1
roast beef $2.99
Swiss cheese $1.99
Doritos $2.00
Bagels $1.19
Zucchini $1.78
peaches $5.00
wild rice $.69
$37.66 with lots of leftovers
Monday: Breakfast: peach pancakes, sausage
Lunch: turkey and Swiss sandwiches, grapes, fig bars
Supper: Roast Beef Hash, Salad, Cheesy bread, Orange sherbert with peaches
Tuesday: sausage, fried eggs, toast
lunch: out with John from entertainment fund money
supper: bagel and cream cheese, peach
turkey luncheon meat $3.29
bread $1.29
1/2 pack all beef Polska Kielbasa $1.50
$6.08
I confess I am very disheartened to see these figures this week. I'm tempted to say all around the challenge was a bust this year for one reason and another. But...
I managed to save some money towards vacation the first week...and the second week when we had company I had to pull it out and use it to help defray the extra costs. I didn't have a savings this past pay period due to that spending I did just prior to the third week when the one store had such great sales on items that were missing in the pantry. I can't say there were NO savings, just the savings meant to be used for vacation went to other food requirements.
The total amount saved/used was about $174, not an amount to be sneezed at by any means. I remind myself now that this would have been OVERAGE had it not been for the savings I did manage.
I am out of many things in my kitchen. Our meat stock is low, quite low. I look forward this next pay period to going to meat market and restocking. I am pleased however that we managed to make it through an extra month without going to the meat market at all. That too was a savings, not entirely included in the amount above. I was able, thanks to our freezer stock, to replenish a few of the outages.
I don't know, truly I don't, if given the cost of food now compared to the same time period last year, $25 per person is even possible. That said I decided to average what I spent overall for the month, including company meals and divided this by 4. My figure at that point was $54.56, which is just $18.24 over what I intended to spend for the month. In which case I am not quite so downhearted!lol Perspective in all things, right?
I think, truly that if I do this challenge next year I will change the rules slightly. While I stuck hard to the usage of what was already on hand and added in only those things which I actually purchased to use this month, next year I'd like to try to actively purchase food strictly for use and not count on my stockpiled foods. I believe that would really put the challenge to a test! Second, I would like to increase slightly the amount per person per week. But that is July 2013 we're discussing, so I'll make no further plans until then.
As a closure for this month, using the government's figures for recommended spending for food as of June 2012, I find that mine and John's expenses land us right in the middle between Low cost and Moderate spending. I can live with that figure, since we do not grow any of our own food at all. And knowing this will help me to relax a little on my vigilance.
I discovered during this challenge month that John is less adamant than I about our current budget. He made it plain during week 3 that he wanted what he wanted and was less concerned about what was spent. Mind you he is not a particularly demanding person. His wants are very modest if sometimes a bit out of my current budget range. I've agreed to compromise: we'll limit snacks for OUR sakes, not the budget's, but I will buy to suit his desire. So if he decides he wants a big huge steak I'll buy him a big huge steak. If he wants a certain type of cookie rather than homemade and it isn't on sale, I'll buy it. I know that he isn't likely to ask for me to treat these sorts of wants twice a month and would seldom request it weekly. I'll even go so far as to say I'll even give in to my own wants now and then, too. Truly I have to agree with what he said to me during that third week when we discussed that treat he wanted: "If we're so bad off that $5 extra is going to make us go belly up, then say so. Otherwise, let's just relax, okay?" Well he's right. So I'll relax.
Now on to August!
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