Yah! Friday/Payday is here and I made it through the week! If you're just tuning in, I challenged myself on
Monday to survive the week on what was left in the fridge, freezer and pantry.
Wednesday, I almost quit until I really dug deep and found some great stuff hidden in my pantry. Here was our menu for the rest of the week:
Thursday:
Breakfast: a mix of oatmeal, toast, oranges, applesauce and fried eggs. Also ate the last third of a can of dried apricots that I found.
Lunch: Grilled cheese with tomato soup from the day before. Hubbie brought the leftover chili to work
Snack: some cheese sticks that had been buried in the deli drawer and pretzels
Dinner: Lentil soup which turned out really yummy and only consisted of lentils, onions, carrots and chicken bouillon. I also made a huge batch so I froze some for later. Kids also shared a can of peaches.
Friday:
Breakfast: VERY SLIM PICKINS! But everyone was able to fill up on oatmeal, applesauce and more smoothies made with just milk and frozen fruit.
After I got the two older kids on the bus, I checked the bank account to make sure my hubbie's paycheck had been deposited and then the baby and I hit the grocery store!
This experiment has been fun and a real eye-opener for me. I've always been frugal and hate to waste food, but this week I really went above and beyond and found new ways to save, which is great! I figured I could probably get through the week, but I'm pretty proud of how well we ate and how nutritious I was able to keep the meals by using frozen veggies and fruit and jarred applesauce and canned peaches. It was also great to really empty the fridge and wipe it down.
Everyone's comments have been great - I love to hear other people's tips. Thanks so much! I'm kind of wondering if I can make it through until the end of the month on the $200 I spent today on groceries. I think I can....I'll keep you posted!
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Comments (6)
That sounds like a fun experiment. I love lentil soup
Glad you made it through the week!
Congrats!
Congrats on making it through the week!
Good luck on your next goal!
Great experiment! I do this all the time, when I'm too lazy or busy to go to the store
But we don't have a real freezer - just a small freezer compartment in our fridge - so we end up having to go for fresh veg and fruit at least once a week.
What also helps me, is to look at what we still have in the pantry and plan (cheap) meals around those item. For example, I may find some burritos/flat bread and some canned tomatoes and/or beans and I'll get whatever veg is on sale and make "pizza" or burritos. Add salad, et voila: easy meal, cheap and nutricious.
great!