I can’t believe a whole week of this year’s challenge is already finished! I kind of dreaded doing the challenge, but I’ve already learned a lot from just one week’s worth of mistakes and victories. In the summary below I’ll show you what I bought last week, the recipes I made, a daily breakdown of what I ate, and what hurdles, mistakes, or “wins” I encountered along the way. If you’re just joining me, you can read all about my September Challenge here.
My Plan
Because I only have to feed myself, I planned on making two main recipes for the week that I could alternate for lunch and dinner, plus a side or two to help bulk out my meals and add variety. I don’t really plan breakfast, because I usually stick to oatmeal or eggs, depending on my mood.
The two main recipes I chose this week were Mexican Lentil Stew and Bowties and Broccoli. Both provided a decent amount of vegetables, which was one of my goals for the challenge. I was trying to keep my protein intake a little on the higher side because of the strength training I’ve been doing, but I don’t think I hit that mark this week. I could feel my body wanting meat, or more eggs at least. I ate way too many eggs this week.
I also baked a batch of Everyday Cornbread, which just about saved my life. That simple, no-frills cornbread really helped fill me up and I liked that I could eat it with my Mexican Lentil Stew or with eggs for breakfast in the morning. It was really versatile and really satisfying. I might another batch in week 2.
And then there was oatmeal. Not only did I eat it for breakfast for quite a few of the days, but I also found myself eating it in the evening when I didn’t have much left in my daily budget, but was still hungry. Something about warm, thick oatmeal really fills me up and thankfully it’s super cheap! #win
One of my other goals for this month is to make sure that I get a decent amount of produce. I felt like I had a decent amount of vegetables this week, but wanted to add some fruit to my menu. I bought a personal sized watermelon because they were on sale and a few bananas. There wasn’t much plan to these choices, I just picked what was inexpensive and hoped that I would make myself eat them. *fingers crossed*
Groceries
As I mentioned in the intro to this year’s September Challenge, I’m going to try really hard to use what I have on hand first. Learning to use up your leftovers is a skill that needs to be exercised, and this challenge is the perfect opportunity for me to hone that skill. As I progress through the four weeks of this challenge, I’ll be running out of those leftovers and pantry staples, so most likely get more difficult as I go. Week one was pretty easy, thanks to those leftovers, and I stayed below budget at only $25.
I took a look at the three recipes that I wanted to make and made a list of the things I needed to buy (below left). Luckily, I had a lot of stuff in my fridge, like some half limp celery and old cilantro. The celery and cilantro were about a half day away from being bad, but I used them anyway and scratched them off my list.
Here are some challenges I ran into at the grocery store:
- Missing price tags on the shelf. A few items didn’t have their price listed anywhere, so I had to guess based on past experience. Luckily, I was pretty close.
- I had to estimate the cost of my bulk goods and produce. I don’t really trust the scales that they have in the store, so I had to hope they were accurate and estimate the cost of the goods to keep track of my running total.
- I kept track of my grocery total on my phone’s calculator as I picked up the items from my list. When I was almost at the end, I accidentally cleared out the total and completely lost track. I couldn’t add it back up without back tracking through the entire store to find the prices again, so I had to just estimate instead.
- I WANTED TO EAT EVERYTHING. It was only day one of the challenge, but just knowing that I was restricted made me want everything. Even things that I’d never eat normally. Petit fours? Yes. Cheetos? YES. Potato salad? YES PLEASE NOW. It was crazy.
Here is what the week’s groceries looks like…
It’s not a lot of food, for sure.
What I Ate
So, luckily I had some stuff in my fridge leftover from the week before, like Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza, eggs, cream cheese, mozzarella, pitas, and a few tortillas. That stuff helped me fill in the gaps between meals and made up for some of my poor planning. All that stuff is gone now, so I have to make sure to plan better for week two! I also made use of some pantry staples, like sriracha, brown sugar, and peanut butter. So here is all seven days of week one:
9-1 Total $2.57
- 1 large egg $0.27
- 1 small tortilla $0.14
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella $0.25
- 1 slice Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza $0.86
- 1 slice Everyday Cornbread $0.19
- 1 slice Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza $0.86
(That pizza is really filling and the “hunger” from the challenge had not yet set in.)
9-2 Total $4.16
- 2 small tortillas $ 0.28
- 2 large eggs $0.54
- 1 oz. cream cheese $0.25
- 1 cup coffee $0.16
- 1/4 cup milk $0.08
- 1 bowl Mexican Lentil Stew $1.33
- 1 slice Everyday Cornbread $0.19
- Watermelon (1/6th of melon) $0.47
- 1 slice Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza $0.86
(My appetite increased dramatically from 9-1 to 9-2 because I had worked out really hard. Funny how much exercise impacts hunger.)
9-3 Total: $3.20
- 1 cup coffee $0.16
- 1/4 cup milk $0.08
- 1/2 cup (dry) oats $0.13
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter $0.11
- 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar $0.02
- Watermelon (1/6th of melon) $0.47
- 1 pita $0.33
- 2oz. cream cheese $0.50
- 1 serving Bowties and Broccoli $0.58
- 1/2 cup (dry) oats $0.13
- 1 Tbsp butter $0.10
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.04
- 1/2 banana $0.11
(Yes, I did wrap up that other half of the banana and save it for the next day! LOL)
9-4 Total $3.31
- 2 large eggs $0.54
- 1 slice Everyday Cornbread $0.19
- Sriracha $0.10
- Salt and pepper $0.05
- 1 cup coffee $0.16
- 1/4 cup milk $0.08
- 1 bowl Mexican Lentil Stew $1.33
- 1 slice Everyday Cornbread $0.19
- 1/2 cup (dry) oats $0.13
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter $0.22
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.04
- 1/2 banana $0.11
9-5 Total $4.08
- 2 large eggs $0.54
- 1 slice Everyday Cornbread $0.19
- Sriracha $0.10
- Salt and pepper $0.05
- 1 cup coffee $0.16
- 1/4 cup milk $0.08
- Watermelon (1/6th of melon) $0.47
- 1 serving Bowties and Broccoli $0.58
- 1 bowl Mexican Lentil Stew $1.33
- 1 slice Everyday Cornbread $0.19
- 1/2 cup (dry) oats $0.13
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.02
- 1/2 Tbsp butter $0.05
- 1/2 banana $0.11
- 1/4 cup milk $0.08
9-6 Total: $3.39
- 1/2 cup (dry) oats $0.13
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter $0.22
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.04
- 1/2 banana $0.11
- 1 cup coffee $0.16
- 1/4 cup milk $0.08
- Watermelon (1/6th of melon) $0.47
- 1 slice Everyday Cornbread $0.19
- 1/2 Tbsp butter $0.05
- 1/2 Batch (24 cookies) Snickerdoodle Cookies (to bring to BBQ) $1.94
(Because I had a big Labor Day BBQ to attend on this day, I ate breakfast at home and then used the remainder of my daily budget to make cookies to bring to the BBQ. I filled up on the potluck style food at the BBQ to last the rest of the day.)
9-7 Total: $3.20
- 1/2 cup (dry) oats $0.13
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter $0.22
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.04
- 1 cup coffee $0.16
- 1/4 cup milk $0.08
- Watermelon (1/6th of melon) $0.47
- 1 bowl Mexican Lentil Stew $1.33
- 1 slice Everyday Cornbread $0.19
- 1 serving Bowties and Broccoli $0.58
(I was still pretty full from the BBQ the night before!)
Weekly Total: $23.91
Receipt Total $25.01
I came in below goal for both totals, so I know I have a little wiggle room to work with next week!
Leftovers
Eating on a strict budget is all about the leftovers. I didn’t eat all of my Mexican Lentil Stew, so a few portions went into the freezer. Those will be nice to fall back on over the next few weeks when I need a change of pace. I also have enough for a few more portions of Bowties and Broccoli that I’ll work into my rotation. The coffee and oats both came with about 30 servings per package, so those two purchases should last me throughout the duration of the challenge.
I divided the Mexican Lentil Stew into seven portions of 1.5 cups each right when I was finished cooking. This helped me keep my portions in check and made sure it would last throughout the week. Once cooled in the fridge, I transferred a few to the freezer.
Lessons
- Having even one splurge meal (like the Labor Day BBQ) can go a LONG way towards killing hunger over the following days.
- Next week I need more protein.
- Having small snacky things, like pita and cheese, are important for those times that I’m hungry, but not hungry enough to eat a whole meal.
- I did not “make myself” eat the watermelon, as intended. A lot of it ended up in the garbage.
- Cheap coffee is better than no coffee. I love my morning routine.
- Carbs make me feel good (the cornbread and bowtie pasta made me happy and satisfied every time).
- Social situations are still tough when working on a super tight budget, but everyone likes cookies and luckily, they’re cheap to make! (there was a great discussion with a lot of fantastic suggestions from readers about what to bring to a potluck in the comments on the September Challenge post. Check it out!)
- Having the time to tally my total each day is very helpful (last year I was too busy to do this daily). That way I knew when I could afford an extra snack and I ended up less hungry in general.
- I still wanted to put butter on everything. When I’m hungry (physically, not mentally or emotionally), I want more calorie dense foods, not more food in general. …and that means butter.
- I definitely need to plan better!
Okay, so week one was hard and I think I only survived thanks to the “cheat day” with the potluck BBQ. Despite that, I’m optimistic about week two and have already done my shopping and begun cooking. It’s going to get more difficult from here on out, but hopefully with the extra practice I’ll also get better. :)
I’d like to make a suggestion to help your budget. I found that weekly ads from stores in your local area can have some great deals. I use the “Flip” app which updates the weekly ads for me and I can browse for the best place to shop for that week. Also, if you get the Sunday paper, dont throw out the coupons, look through them and sometimes you may even get stuff for free. My sister-in-law uses the “Retail-Me-Not” app for some coupons as well. Hope you are able to exercise this and stretch your dollar a bit more!
I love the site and love the posts, keep up the amazing work!
I’ll have to check out that app, thanks!!
I eager to see how you will incorporate more produce into the meals. What about snacking on stuff through the day? Fruit and veggies I mean. Like with hummus, PB, etc. Although those dips are a splurge I guess money wise.
I did the veggie/hummus snack idea for last year’s challenge. It worked out pretty well. I’m not a HUGE snack person, though. If my meals fill me up, I prefer not to eat between meals because if I do, I usually over eat.
Hi Beth – I was wondering if you have ever read anything by the Fruglewoods, for ideas on menu planning/grocery shopping as they keep their groceries for two full-sized humans to $300 to $350 a month – http://www.frugalwoods.com/2015/02/25/our-frugal-grocery-list-revealed/
They have done a lot of work around costs per servings, such as eggs versus oatmeal – http://www.frugalwoods.com/2014/07/14/breakfast-the-hidden-destroyer/ and then talk about how they optimize their lunches – http://www.frugalwoods.com/2015/01/23/our-epically-frugal-lunch-recipe/
and even their snacks – http://www.frugalwoods.com/2015/08/14/the-frugal-snack-hack-that-always-has-your-back/
Nice! I’ve never seen that website before. Thank you so much for sharing!
I love your book and this website. I do not think you are eating enough calories, especially if you are lifting. Have you thought about baking (after marinating–sriracha, ginger etc..) tofu or tempeh? You could get 4-5 servings for about $3. I would suggest a pre and/or post workout substantial snack like an apple with 2T of peanut butter (I sometimes eat half of it before, half after). While you are staying under budget the calorie deficit is undermining your workout in both performance and results. Good luck!
Thanks for doing this again. It’s really helpful and inspiring. And great tip on the cookies for the potluck… I’m never really sure what to do for those kinds of things and usually spend more money than I mean to.
I LOVE the fact that you shared your daily breakdown and totals and appreciate your transparency! One quick question is if you considered estimating your calories eaten for each day–I work out every day and from looking at your list, I feel like I would be starving, so I would be curious what the calorie count was–maybe I’m just used to snacking more throughout the day than is your habit though :) I know we all eat differently and know what works best for our own bodies!
I might do that at some point, yes! I know I was WAY under last year, but my hunger seems much more in check this year. :)
This actually would interest me greatly too!
I was wondering the same thing…how many calories were you eating per day that first week. It didn’t seem like much, especially if you’re working out. Just curious.
Well, the second half of the week I felt as if I was getting a cold and so my workouts stopped. :( I’m sure my appetite would have been larger if I had continued with my exercise.
What stood out to me (and I know this wasn’t the point of your post, but still) is where you mention the differentiations of hunger into physical – emotional – mental.
I’m really curious: how would you describe being hungry mentally?
I think “mental” hunger is the reflex feeling of hunger that happens just because I know I can’t have something. Kind of like when you’re dieting and you know you can’t have chips so you automatically want chips. It’s almost like, I know I’m GOING to be hungry, so I already want the food now even though I’m not physically hungry yet.
For me, mental hunger is when I see a recipe in a magazine and really want to make it, even though I am not hungry physically or emotionally (I am a terrible emotional eater—last week my dog had to be neutered and he got so upset even driving into the vet’s parking lot (too many shots recently) and I had to literally drag him in the front door and he howled as they led him away. On the way home, I stopped at McDonalds and stuffed my face.)
That is so interesting to think about. Thank you both!
I always thought that type of hunger was also emotional (out of boredom), but this makes a lot of sense.
And Mable, you’re not alone! Currently writing my thesis, and I had to hide the car keys so I don’t drive to the store to get snacks. Hope your dog is feeling better!
This is really motivating me to keep track of my own expenses again… I spent about 40 EUR last week on ALL my food stuff. about 30 EUR went to groceries and about 10 EUR went to a cocktail and some snacks with friends..
this week i want to do it with just 30 EUR. I have quite a few things in my freezer (mostly protein) that i really should use up at this point and it will make it ALOT cheaper for me this week…
hang in there! i love these posts!
I can’t believe that milk cost you $2.49! I live in Germany and a liter of milk (close to a quart) costs me .51 cents. Crazy.
That’s why many of our dairy farmers are currently throwing burning hay bales at politicans in Brussels ;)
Where I live, milk was $3.49 last week and this week it is $3.69, at all three grocery stores in the area. I’d kill for milk at $2.49!!
It was $2.49 for a half gallon, if that makes a difference. :)
I can’t believe either of those milk prices: I live in Northern Canada and 3-4L of milk (jug or bags) is $6-7.
Interested to see how it goes with your strength training while on a budget. How do you handle eating before/after workouts? I recently began a weight training program and am trying to balance getting enough nutrients to satisfy appetite/build muscle yet make it on a tight budget.
I don’t do anything special as far as when I eat, I pretty much just eat when I’m hungry. :) I thought I was getting a cold towards the end of the week last week, so I didn’t work out AT ALL. Now I have to start over this week. :(
I think it’s super helpful that you provided such a detailed summary! I also find that I’m super hungry after exercising – I once polished off a pound of chicken after lifting.
So when I first saw this post on your front page, it took me a while to realize that you made a new post since the image was the same as the one used for the September challenge introduction and the title was almost the same. I might be the only one with this problem though…
When my kids were little, I used to really have to stretch a dollar. My savior was always dry northern white beans. A big bag is only a few dollars. I’d cook them with a smoked turkey wing (also cheap) or some leftover bacon grease and we’d have meals for days. You can eat them with a big hunk of cornbread and as your servings dwindle, they are a great side dish. Can also be an inexpensive potluck contribution.
My go-to recipe to use up melon that isn’t being eaten is agua fresca. Crazy easy, always delicious, and it takes care of the leftover fruit.
Yes. And watermelon freezes well. Either chunk it and freeze on cookie sheets or puree it and freeze in ice cube trays. Then take it out to blend for Agua fresca, watermelon lemonade or whatever you like.
Whenever I have a lot of watermelon or any melon really, I usually make agua frescas out of it. i find it easier to just drink it instead of trying to make myself eat it.
I agree with your breakfasts. I’m usually not awake enough to be creative. I stick with cereal or eggs and toast with my two cups of STRONG tea. I do seem to need more snacks than you do. You could make veggie burritos for lunch. I like to combine black beans, onion, corn, peppers, canned diced tomato and cilantro if I have it, oh, spices too like cumin and chili powder. I have also used this mixture to make enchiladas, using canned green enchilada sauce and some cheese on top. It makes a lot and the beans are both proteins do filling. I think you are doing very well on your challenge. Isn’t it terrible that once you know you can’t have something, you crave it like crazy! That’s what dieting does to me.