Challenge: Eat for a Week

I've been able to eat well off my previous challenges so this time all I need is a single weeks worth of food.  To make it more interesting lets throw in breakfast.

The Challenge: 5 days - $10

Tip: The most important meal of the day

My mother made me eat breakfast everyday. Everyday! Even if I didn't want to. Now I know she had some good advice.

If you eat dinner at 7PM and only eat lunch at 12PM, that is 17 hours without food! When a baby is born we feed them every 2 hours, slowly increasing that time. How did we grow up to not eat for 2/3rds of the day?

When you eat breakfast in the morning your body is less likely to be hungry. When I didn't eat breakfast I would sit for hours of misery until noon when I would have lunch. Also, your blood sugar levels are affected for not eating for that long and you tend to want to eat more (which is more $$$). You can easily come up with a regiment of breakfasts that cost about $5 per week.

Here are some tips for finding a good breakfast:

• Poptarts (generic at Walmart are 4 pairs for $1.50)
• Cereal (generic box is $2-3 and will last you about a week)
• Toast (quick, easy, $1 per loaf is good for a week)
• Donuts (probably not the healthiest but at my grocery store after 8PM I get mine $3 per dozen)
• Oatmeal ($2-3 per box of 10, get the variety pack to mix it up a little)
• Eggs ($2 per dozen, fry them up quick)

Most of these are good for work. Bring a bowl or buy a special egg cooker to go in the microwave.

Mayo Clinic
WebMD

Now you have no excuse!

I just read a great article at Mint.com (the same people who make the online finance tracking website). If you are reluctant about bringing your lunch to work or just need some help over coming some challenges, this should help you out.

The No Excuses Take Your Lunch To Work Guide

Receipt: $40 / month

Well that completes a month.

This trip came to $20.02 and I managed to get 13 meals, 12 snacks, 12 desserts, and 12 quarts of drink mix. As a bonus I splurged and got "Puffcorn" (a Cheetos/popcorn hybrid), and 2 candy bars. That exceeds my goals assuming I looked around in the parking lot for loose change.

If you've been paying attention, that comes to a total of $38.64 for 24 meals, snacks and desserts including something to drink. That is $1.61/day. At most there are 23 business days in a month so I've beaten my $40/month goal! If you spent $8 at lunch you would have spent $192 over the same time period or even just $5 you would have spent $120. You're welcome. Feel free to send the extra $80 my way :-).

Receipt:
Date: 7/16/2010
Store: Wal-mart Super Center

Great Value Drink Mix - Cherry Limeade 12 quart: $1.98 [Lol the receipt even says "CHRYLM" meaning Crystal Lite Mix]
Maruchan Instant Lunch - Cheddar Cheese: $0.28 [Let me get off to a good start again and I really like the cheddar lunch]
Maruchan Instant Lunch - Spicy Chicken: $0.28 [I want spicy but I know this will be too hot]
Maruchan Instant Lunch - Roast Chicken: $0.28 [3 * $0.28 ~~ $1]
Kit Kat Trial Size 8 pack: $1 [Still on sale, these worked great last time]
M&M Trial Size 8 pack: $1
Twix Trial Size 8 pack: $1 [Hmm, maybe I can make it 12 snacks & desserts and 13 meals to equal a total of 24 this month]
Great Value Crackers - Grilled Cheese: $1.98 [Wanted to try these last time, all we need now are dinners]
Banquet Dinner - Mac & Cheese: $0.88 [Looked tasty]
Banquet Dinner - Chicken Nuggets: $0.88 [Had a craving for these]
Lean Pocket - White Chicken Pizza: $2 [These were very good]
Hot Pocket - Buffalo Chicken SideShot: $2 [Craving wings sauce]
Jose Ole Burritos - Beef, Bean and Green Chilies: $2.98 [8 in a package, 2 per day]
Chester's Puffcorn: $2 [Extra cash, let me splurge]
Whoppers: $0.50 [Splurge]
Reese’s: $0.50 [Splurge]

Subtotal: $19.54
Taxes: $0.48 [stupid 8% tax on candy and drinks]
Total: $20.02 [if this was Price is Right I would have won if I said my showcase was $20]

Receipt Photo:
Some of you probably don't like my stream-of-consciousness commentary so here is just a picture of my receipt

Food Photo:

Challenge: $40 / month

Alright, tomorrow is another shopping day. This time we will round out the month for a total of $40. We started on the 30th so we will end on the 29th and take into consideration the extra meals I purchased last time.

The Challenge: 11 days - $20 total. 7/16-7/29.
This time I only need to purchase 10 meals (11 were purchased last time) and 9 snacks & desserts (12 were purchased last time). We'll also need some more drink mix. No breakfast yet.

Tip: Don't Eat to Beat Boredom

Somewhere in that complex brain of ours is likely a piece of code that says "default to food search" if other alternatives run low. In early mankind, in order to obtain food you had to hunt it down but now modern man barely has to lift a finger for food. Putting a spear through my TV dinner would get me odd looks at work.

In all seriousness, my brain's solution for boredom is sometimes unfortunately "eat". One way to keep your hunger in check, and thereby your wallet, is to always keep yourself occupied. Use brainteasers when you're sitting around waiting for your meeting to start. I'm sure no employer would complain if you asked your boss for a side project or came up with one yourself that was business-oriented. The more we get the "I could be eating" notion out of our heads the less food we need to buy.

Some of these might not be possible at work but here are some helpful tips:
http://www.fitnesshealthzone.com/healthy-living/boredom-eating-simple-practices-to-avoid-it/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Stop-Boredom-Eating&id=305580
http://eatdrinkandbemindful.blogspot.com/2009/06/boredom-eating.html

Tip: Carry what you eat

When I was in college, my roommate and I didn't have a car our first three years.  If we wanted some junk food and soda (or dinner for that matter in our 2nd and 3rd year) we had to take the bus 20 minutes up the hill to the local Price Chopper grocery store. From that experience I learned how to get enough food from the store to the kitchen with as little carrying space as possible: nothing but my hands and a backpack. If you cut out the backpack, you would be surprised how much food you can hold in a few bags dangling from your hand.

If you shop for 10 lunches in the store and you need a cart, you probably have way too much food. Therefore you probably have way too much $$$ flying out of your pocket as well! When you go into the grocery store don't grab for a cart, grab for basket. You'll cut down on what you buy if you have to lug it around the store first. When you realize the sheer weight and volume of the food you will eventually put into your stomach you will probably reconsider that 10lb steak.

Receipt: Let's get started!

My shopping trip went remarkably well!  I surprised even myself.

Altogether I came up to $18.62 for a drink, 11 meals and 12 desserts & snacks.  Throw in another meal for $1 and you've got 12 meals for $20 or $1.66/day.

For each shopping trip I'll transcribe my receipt and throw up a picture. As a bonus you also get reasoning behind my purchases. Receipts will follow order I purchased the items in the store.

Receipt
Date: 6/30/2010
Store: Wal-mart Super Center

Maruchan Instant Lunch - Creamy Chicken (i.e. cup of noodles): $0.28 [ok, lets get something cheap for a good start]
Maruchan Instant Lunch - Cheddar Cheese: $0.28 [mmm, cheddar cheese is my favorite, have to stay away from the spicy ones, they were too hot last time]
Maruchan Instant Lunch - Beef: $0.28 [people give ramen a bad rep, I'm not making it into a dinner just a quick and small lunch]
Banquet Spagetti and Popcorn Chicken - $0.88 [ok, let's see what we got in the cheap banquet meals - WTF these don't go together]
Banquet Southwest Rice and Beans - $0.88 [hmm, sounds good]
Lean Pocket - White Chicken Pizza - $2 [2 hotpockets at $2 so $1/meal if I eat just one]
Lean Pocket - Stuffed Chicken Quesadialla - $2 [ooo, I want to try these they got thrown out last time during refridgerator cleanout]
Hershey's Trial Size 8 pack: $1 [ooo on sale (vs 1.64), 2 pieces a day, I'll need at least 3 packages, maybe I can go for 12 meal under $20 since I'm only at $7]
Mounds Trial Size 8 pack: $1
Reeses Fastbreak Trial Size 8 pack: $1
Austin PB&J Crackers 12 pack: $1.98 [ok, snacks now, if I stick with 12 this is perfect, lets hope they aren't gross, alternatives include cheddar, peanut butter, and grilled cheese]
Arizona Sweet Iced Tea - $2.44 [drinks now, you get to keep the container for other drinks as a bonus, each full gallon lasts me about a week]
Hawaiian Punch Singles 8 pack: $1 [drink the tea, replenish with these 0.5 liters x 8 = 4 liters > 1 gallon. Wow, the regular hawaiian punch gallons are $2?]
Hormel Chili Hot: $1.64 [round out the meals to 12]
Hormel Chunky Chili With Beans: $1.64 [ok that's 12 meals [not! I messed up my counting, you can add another chili and come up to $20 though]]

Subtotal: $18.30
Taxes: $0.32 [apparently in NY there is no food tax except on candy and hawaiian punch]
Total: $18.62 [yay!]

Food

Challenge: Let's get started!

Tomorrow will be my first official shopping trip for the blog.  I like to go on the day that I get paid.  I'll be posting my results and a transcribed copy of the receipt in the evening.  I also have older receipts which I'll be posting from time to time.

The Challenge:  10 days - $20 - $2/day.  6/30-7/15.  Main meal, snack, dessert and drink. I won't use any snacks or desserts that I already have so I can acheive a true $10 lunch work week.  I have enough breakfast so we'll leave that out this time.

Wish me good shopping!

A Man, A Plan, and A Budget

Plan:

I get paid twice a month. It is easiest for me to go shopping during my lunch break on the day I get paid and get enough food until the next pay day. ~2wks of food = $20 budget.

Man:

I work at a good company which has a refridgerator, microwave, and plenty of desk space for my food.  I'm a web developer so needing to eat at my workstation is useful. For more about me, check out my profile.->

Budget:

In order to best fulfil your thrift, you need to have a general idea of how much to spend on each item you put into your cart.  Here are my guidelines for lunch, a snack, a desert, and breakfast:

• $1/day: Main entree - Around half of your budget should be for your main lunch.  You an easily accomplish this with frozen dinners, microwave reconstituted meals, and good planning.  Remember, this is only lunch, its best not to stuff yourself everyday; save the large meal for dinner.
• $1.50/wk: Snack - Something simple you can eat in the morning or afternoon if you are hungry. Think crackers, chips and 
• $1/wk: Dessert - Something sweet to keep you happy.  Trial sized candy and pudding make lunchtime complete.
• $1/wk: Drinks - You'll need something to wash it all down with. The trick is to get a drink you can make a lot of so the cost will average itself down to about $1/wk based on your consumption.
• $1.50/wk: Breakfast - This will keep you fed in the morning to help you get through to lunch. Cereal, oatmeal and toast are good candidates.

I'll expound upon these later in some tips.

What you'll need.

Most of this advice involves frozen foods. Think college student. Your nutritional health is your own responsibility so watch your allergies and doctor recommendations.  But if you want something cheap and can manage a balanced dinner diet, read on.

You will either need a freezer at work or a good lunchbox in order to store your food. Some items don't need a freezer so if you can't manage to bring frozen items from home or keep them at work you should be able to find some items that work for you.

Almost all items require a microwave. Check with your employer if you can donate one to the break room if you don't have one. Walmart or Craigslist should have one for cheap.

Silverware and dishes are a good investment as well. You can bring these to work and wash them at home daily or you can keep a set at work. I have a mug, small plate, large plate, and bowl. Most items can fit on just the small plate or, in a pinch, you can use a paper towel. I have yet to use my bowl, my mug works well enough instead.

Write you name on your food or keep it safe if you have ravenous coworkers.

Next we'll get into buying strategy.

How to each lunch for cheap.

"Packing", "Brown bagging", "Eating In"
Going out to lunch everyday can cost $5-15 per lunch!  With an average of $8 a workday you will spend $2,000 per year! That is a pretty penny.

For the past year I have been saving money by bringing my lunch to work and I hope I can help you save as well. I'll be recording each of my receipts and my tips so you can bring your budget down to about $2 per day. 75% off! If you do choose to go out as a week end reward you could pay for 3 of your coworkers and break out even.

I know you'll find these tip useful and I hope to see some of your own.