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.