Day 3 - So far so good

We've plowed through half of our budget. We're not big planners so we're proceeding with caution, only buying a day or 2 in advance. I think we're doing good so far - already 3 days into the challenge we have a really good idea about how filling our meal choices have been, what we need to do differently and what we need to buy at the next trip to the grocery store. 

All in all not so different from our usual - we've been in college mode for a few years now and have it down to a science. But like Allison we're realizing that it's hard not being able to use any existing food in the pantry. Because we can't fall back on anything we've stocked up on, $12/day doesn't seem to go as far as it usually does. We're finding ourselves having to re-examine our eating habits.

I've come to realize that the toughest part for me is the snacking! I guess I've always known that I'm a snacker - I prefer to have smaller meals and to munch throughout the day on crackers or popcorn or nuts or something. But not this week. B and I dedicated most of our budget to making sure we had 3 full, rounded meals leaving little wiggle room for snacking. Going into this, I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. But then I lost count of how many times I got up to check the kitchen for something to nibble on yesterday afternoon, only to return empty handed, stomach growling. And when I'm out of the house and I feel like stopping into a store or a cafe for a quick bite? Nope. A quick bite is not in the budget. Sorry. 

B's biggest issues is the lack of seasonings. He's one of those people that puts salt on everything he eats. And as the chef of the house, he takes his seasonings seriously. So now he goes on and on about how bland everything is. But other than that he's doing a little better on the challenge than I am; He eats big meals with few snacks in between. And even though he got roped into this - he's actually been the one keeping me on track.

But, I think he is keeping a mental list of all the things he will eat when this week is over. I have a feeling that next week we'll be eating like kings. 

Now we have a better understanding of our individual eating habits and what it takes to sustain us throughout the day, we've slightly adjusted our shopping plan. While at Trader Joe's today getting our rice milk we were able to squeeze a couple of snacks into the budget. 

So far so good.