Day 14

I've been putting off opening my mail, and last night I finally looked over everything. My car insurance has gone up substantially since I registered my car in the state of California. I am looking at reducing my plan right now, but I owe $320.00 for the month of February (ouch!). It looks like the $1/day food budget will be continuing until April 1st as a way to cover the increase of my insurance fees.

It's getting easier to be creative on a small budget and I've started thinking of it as a game. The free oranges off the tree yesterday have inspired me to continue to look for free produce here in sunny Southern California. Also, I have a trip to the grocery store planned for later this week and I am excited about getting some new items like eggs. Simple, cheap protein.

This afternoon, I finally met up with one of the parties on neighborhoodfruit.com, and I scored a huge bag of yellow grapefruit! I was so excited, I cut into one right after I took the picture. They are delicious! Also, I scored flat of strawberries! My friend who took me to dinner last night gave me the strawberries as a gift. The strawberries are wonderful and juicy! The oranges I picked are also in the picture.

I'm sure that this week will be easier to stay on target. With the addition of free produce, my diet is looking pretty good and a lot healthier.

It's always fun to snack on the weekends, and I did just that. I ate oatmeal for breakfast, strawberries mid-morning, a slice of bread with peanut butter around noon. Later in the afternoon, I ate a half a package of ramen and a Valentines day cookie (a gift from a coworker on Friday). I had a grapefruit before dinner. Then for dinner, I had more ramen and a small portion of broccoli.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

slice of bread with peanut butter- $0.12

ramen- $0.20

brocolli- $0.10

total- $0.56

Day 13

I've been enjoying more free food today! The university catered lunch for the students in my cohort today, so I had veggie pizza, salad, and soda. It was a really nice treat. After lunch, I went to print out my homework and noticed a few orange trees on campus. I wasn't tall enough to reach the oranges, but I found a couple of students in my cohort who agreed to help. I ended up with four huge oranges that are almost ripe. I am putting them in a paper bag and will check them tomorrow. A nice, juicy orange sounds so good!

I've been checking out neighborhoodfruit.com, and have yet to have any luck. I am still emailing someone with grapefruits and hope to pick up the fruit tomorrow. Also, there is a public avocado tree listed in the city of Claremont. I drove past the address and unfortunately I don't know what an avocado tree looks like. I stopped and looked around, but there weren't any trees with fruit on them in the area. I am hoping that the trees will begin producing fruit in the near future.

In addition to my free lunch, I had oatmeal for breakfast. A friend of mine is taking me out to dinner tonight, so I am way under budget for today.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

total- $0.14

Day 12

It seems that there are opportunities for free food almost daily. I had prepared for today as usual; I had oatmeal for breakfast, packaged up my pb&j, and took my vitamins. During morning break, I went into the employee breakroom and there was a pleathora of food! It was so exciting! There was veggies and dip, apples with an apple slicer, crackers with artichoke dip, and various desserts. I stocked up on fruit and veggies, plus a little bit of everything else. I even took home a few leftover mini-cinammin rolls. (They only had 4 grams of fat for two rolls, so I figured they wouldn't kill me- at least not immediately.) I also scored 2 apples (yeah for fresh produce!)

For dinner, I ate ramen and broccoli. I had dessert too! I had a Valentine's day cookie that one of my coworker's gave me. I was up until midnight working on papers for school, so I had a late night snack of a slice of bread with peanut butter and drank juice. I don't want to think about how many calories I had yesterday...I was pretty excited about the free food in the breakroom, so I went a little overboard.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

pb&j- $0.32

ramen- $0.20

brocolli- $0.10

slice of bread with peanut butter- $0.12

juice- $0.08

total- $0.96

Day 11

There are a lot of opportunities for free food that I am discovering. Today, one of my coworkers brought in orange cranberry muffins to share. Yum! I actually didn't have time to eat mine until 3pm today, but it was so good when I finally got to it. I also found some starburst candy in my school bag that was free at school last week and a few mini candy bars from the stash in the classroom. I love sugar and it came in handy when I was writing my paper this evening.

Despite loving the free food in my life, I realize that I am allowing myself to eat anything that is put in front of me. I haven't eaten this much garbage for so many days in a long time. I remember when I was in college, there was a time when I ate a lot of ramen, pb&j, and french fries. I came home with an extra 15 pounds. I think I may need to exercise restraint when it comes to free food and make healthier food decisions over the next 18 days if I don't want to finish this experiment heavier than I am today.

Today, I also had to purchase more peanut butter. I stopped at Walmart this evening to see if I could afford their peanut butter, and I couldn't. It was almost twice the price of the peanut butter at Food for Less, so I had to put it back and walk out of the store. I've always assumed the food at Walmart was cheaper than other stores, but I was wrong! I made a quick stop at Food 4 Less and bought peanut butter. It is getting easier to walk into a store and only purchase what I had originally intended on buying and nothing else: peanut butter -$1. I've never lived like this...so at least I'm growing as a person if nothing else!

With that thought, here is what I ate and spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

pb&j- $0.32

ramen- $0.20

extra serving of pb as a snack- $0.06

total- $0.72

Day 10

Well, free food Wednesday was nice...but left me wanting more. I was excited about the free snacks at my Wednesday evening seminar. I munched on cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, sunchips, and chocolate kisses. Yet, on my way home, I had the strongest urge to stop at Del Taco for a veggie burrito. Even after two helpings of fruit and sunchips, I just couldn't get full. I ate ramen when I got home from school. I've started draining the water and just eating the noodles with a small portion of the seasoning. I like it because there is more of an opportunity to chew the food, rather than just slurp and swallow. But, it's probably better to eat the noodles with the broth because then the noodles are balanced out with liquid, so you stay hydrated.

In addition to the free snacks and ramen, I also ate oatmeal, pb&j, and a couple of donut wholes that my coworker shared during collaboration. Finally, I ate I a slice of bread and drank juice right after eating ramen in a desperate attempt to get full.

oatmeal- $.014

pb&j- $0.32

ramen -$0.20

powdered juice - $0.04

slice of bread-$0.06

total- $0.76

Day 9

Well, today was a surprisingly exciting food day!

I got up this morning and ate oatmeal, drank iced coffee, and prepared my pb&j for lunch. I also packed rice as an afternoon snack. I worked all morning, and was actually looking forward to my pb&j, but I had a meeting before lunch. After the meeting, my boss surprised us with a trip to lunch! It was very exciting! I realize I sound like a senior citizen, but between work, school, and my budget, a nice lunch out is a big deal. I had salad with honey mustard dressing (so good) and two slices of veggie pizza (delicious!). It tasted amazing! I seriously felt like I ate like a queen.

When I got home from work, I ate what I had prepared for lunch for dinner. I also drank artificial juice. Later on in the evening, I had a slice of bread. I'm not sure if I was really hungry or just hoping it would taste like pizza, but either way, I ate a slice of bread.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

pb&j- $0.32

rice -$0.14

powdered juice - $0.04

slice of bread-$0.06

total- $0.70

Day 8

Weekdays are so much easier to stay on a diet. There is just so much less temptation and the busy-ness of work distracts from what you are eating. Today, I had the standard meals: oatmeal, pb&j, rice, ramen, and lots of water. I also had a slice of bread this evening as a snack. I think I'm bored with my menu, so I have more desire to snack. I am looking forward to obtaining free produce from a woman with neighborhoodfruit.com. She emailed me yesterday to let me know that she has grapefruit, which sounds so awesome, but she has yet to provide me with an address/pick-up information. I'm really excited about the grapefruit! If nothing else, it is something to look forward to.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

pb&j- $0.32

slice of bread- $.006

rice -$0.14

powdered juice - $0.04

ramen- $0.10

total- $0.80

Day 7

I woke up this morning feeling like complete garbage. I think yesterday's influx of exercise, caffeine, and calories really did me in. After vegging out for 2 episodes of "Man vs. Wild," and drinking two glasses of water and a glass of fake juice, I felt a whole lot better. Bear Grylls also has a way of making you feel like a wimp if you're not defending yourself against boa constrictors and eating scorpions. I think that the next time I'm lacking motivation, I'm going to have to watch more "Man vs. Wild" because I seriously felt like a schmuck lying in bed and watching TV.

Once out of bed, I ate my standard breakfast of oatmeal. I've also been drinking my coffee iced, just so that it's a little diluted and less bitter. For lunch, I ate the remainder of my salad from last night's surprise meal. I felt a little guilty eating it because it wasn't part of the plan, but not guilty enough to throw it away. The salad, technically, cost me nothing, and therefore, fits within budget. As an afternoon snack, I ate a slice of bread with a tablespoon of peanut butter. I was evaluating the jar of peanut butter today because it's getting low. Then I realized that the jar was supposed to last at least 8 days, and I'm on day 7, so I have definitely stayed within my goal. Yeah! I have at least enough peanut butter for 2-3 more sandwiches. I'm planning on having ramen with broccoli for dinner. I'm also finishing out the first week of the experiment without any real struggles or issues. I'm feeling pretty proud right now!

I have attached a picture of my receipt from my trip to Food 4 Less on Friday evening. I bought 5 packs of chili ramen, a package of frozen broccoli, and a container of powdered juice mix. I spent $3.96 on Friday, and $9.92 a week ago, for a grand total of $13.88. I have 6 packages of ramen, a huge bag of rice, a loaf and a quarter of bread, a bag of broccoli, 42 servings of powdered juice, a half a jar of jelly, a about 5-6 tablespoons of peanut butter left. The only thing I will need to buy more of in the near future is peanut butter. I am right on target with my supplies and my budget.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal: $0.07

slice of bread with pb: $0.12

ramen:$0.10

broccoli: $0.10

juice: $0.08

total: $0.47

Day 6

I knew when I started this experiment that weekends would be harder because of the temptation to eat out and to treat myself to different foods. Yet, I am still focused and am continuing to stay within budget.

This morning, I looked into finding free fruit in Orange County. Thank you Tony for the link to neighborhoodfruit.com! The website is awesome! I found a few listings for free oranges and am waiting to here back from the other parties. There were only a few listings, but I'm sure there will be more and more as we continue into the Spring/Summer months. I'm super excited about free produce!

Today, I had oatmeal for breakfast and pb&j for lunch. I also drank coffee (that was a Christmas gift from my dad), and my new powdered juice mix. It's funny, but having the choice of drinking the artificial juice is really nice. I was hungrier than usual today since I went bike riding. I had two afternoon snacks: rice with Del Taco mild sauce and a piece of bread with peanut butter. For dinner, I had a small bowl of ramen, and was planning on eating more ramen when I got home this evening, but I had a surprise meal with my friend Kevin. He took me out and treated me to a delicious salad with greek olives, tomatoes, and salmon. Today was the best free food day thus far! Thanks Kevin!

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

pb&j- $0.32

slice of bread with pb- $.012

rice -$0.07

powdered juice - $0.08

ramen- $0.10

total- $0.83

Day 5

I've been getting headaches lately. I had one yesterday and one all day today. I don't think I've been drinking enough water. Also, I think the pure carb diet is sending my body into shock. I'm planning a trip to Food 4 Less to see if I can afford some veggies and/or fruit.

Today, I switched things up and had some rice for dinner. It was definitely a nice change and rice is so inexpensive, that you can eat a lot. I had a cup at 7 pm, and ate more when I came home from the grocery store (with a small serving of broccoli). I ended up going to the store after dinner to purchase more ramen for the weekend. At the store, I scored a bag of frozen broccoli for $0.98, powdered juice mix for $0.98, and 5 packs of chili ramen for $0.20/each. (I will post the receipt tomorrow morning)

Overall, I ate less today than yesterday and was less hungry. I had oatmeal for breakfast, pb&j for lunch, and about 2 servings of rice for dinner with a small portion of broccoli. I also had candy hearts and a mini-candy bar from the free stash in the classroom. I think I'd have a much harder time following this diet if it weren't for the free food along the way!

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

pb&j- $0.32

rice -$0.14

broccoli -$0.10

powdered juice - $0.04

total- $0.74

Day 4

I woke up this morning energized and ready for the day. Fun food Wednesday was definitely a nice treat, and I have to admit that I even hugged my professor last night (I think all the sugar went to my head!). Oh, and my advisor gave me a bag of pita chips that were leftover (double score!). So, I was extra coherent this morning and had the brilliant idea of bringing rice to school with me as an afternoon snack. I ended up cooking a huge pot of white rice while I was getting ready. I took my rice and pb&j to work with me for lunch and afternoon snack. My dog, Chloe, loves rice too, so I let her have about 1/2 cup with her dog food.

Today, I followed the same basic menu: oatmeal for breakfast, pb&j for lunch, ramen for dinner. My coworker gave me a diet coke at lunch today (thank you, Nancy!) and I had way too much candy. One of the worst things about being a teacher is the unlimited access you have to candy! There are stashes of free candy all over my classroom! I have a ton of leftover Valentine's day candy and bag of mini candy bars that my dad bought for the kiddos. I have no idea how much candy I ate today, but someone told me that you need fat to feed your brain...so consider this brain fed! My goal for tomorrow is not only to stay under $1 for food, but to stay away from the free candy.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $.014

pb&j- $0.32

rice -$0.07

ramen- $0.10

(only 1 serving today)

total- $0.63

*p.s. I am drinking coffee, but it was a Christmas gift and is therefore free

(thanks dad!)

Day 3

I've been thinking about my own view of food and eating. In the past, I thought I knew that food was a physical need, when in fact, I've always based my food needs on cravings and desires. For example, when deciding what to eat for a meal, I usually think about what sounds good and what would taste good. These two questions have nothing to do with the physical need for food. Following this idea, on most days, I've taken eating, which is a physical need, and made it emotional and based on what I want. In doing this experiment, I've removed a lot of the emotional desire to eat. Right now, I know what I am allowed to eat and what I eat isn't based on just the desire for a specific food.

It's becoming easier to follow a specific food regime, and I did have some food freedom today. As was expected, my professor brought an array of snacks to our Wednesday night seminar. I nibbled on apples and caramel dip (yum!), pretzels, chips, and coke zero. Wednesday is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week because of the free food!

Besides eating free food, I also had oatmeal for breakfast (and for afternoon snack), pb&j for lunch, and ramen for dinner. One of my coworkers shared some hard candy with me at a meeting this afternoon too, so today was definitely a fun food day.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- $0.14

pb&j- $0.32

ramen- $0.20

total -$0.66

Day 2

I feel like I am already learning so much about saving money and not wasting food!

I'm learning to break down the meals I'm allowed into smaller meals. So today, I ate 6 small meals. I had half of my oatmeal for breakfast, half of my PB&J for morning snack, the other half of my PB&J for lunch, the remaining oatmeal for afternoon snack, a handful of candy hearts (that were left over from Valentine's) at 5:30 p.m., and then ramen for dinner. I am full...not that I wouldn't really love to eat a huge salad and minestrone soup...but, I'm really not hungry or feeling deprived. Oh, and one of my coworkers brought in some tangerines from their tree to share, and I snagged a small one that I ate with the candy hearts (healthy, eh?).

Here's what I spent on food for today:

oatmeal- 1 cup- $0.14

pb&j sandwich- $0.32

(with double the peanut butter and jelly)

ramen- $0.20

total- $0.66

I plan on following the same menu tomorrow, and I have some free snacks to look forward to. On Wednesday evenings, I attend a seminar for the university. My professor always brings veggie trays and assorted goodies. I am definitely looking forward to the free food tomorrow. I realize that it may sound like I am cheating, but the goal of my experiment is to stay within a pre-determined budget ($1/day). The food that will be at the seminar is free and provided by my wonderful professor, so I will enjoy the snacks just like the other students.

One last note, if you must eat ramen, then try the chili flavor. It's by far the best!

Day 1

It's 5:15 pm, and I'm hungry! I just put ramen on the stove and I'm excited for dinner.

Breakfast and lunch today were super easy. I got up and had my oatmeal and coffee with Chloe, and packed our lunches since we were going to the beach. The doubled portion of oatmeal was too much and I ended up sharing it with Chloe. She liked the first bite, and then even she wouldn't eat it. I had my PB&J sandwich at the beach with a bottle of water. When I got home this afternoon, I was dying for a snack. (What was I thinking- I have no snacks!!!) I settled on a teaspoon of peanut butter straight out of the jar. It was not really what I wanted, but it was something to eat.

Later on, I stopped at my work to do a little prepping for tomorrow, and I found a small chocolate heart in my desk (jackpot!). I'm really happy that I'm allowed to eat free food. I definitely felt my spirits lift when I found the chocolate.

I'm getting ready for my final meal for today and drinking more water. This is going to be harder than I anticipated. At least I have work tomorrow, and I will be too busy to think about what I'm eating.

Here is what I spent on food today:

oatmeal- 1 cup- $0.14

pb&j sandwich- $0.32

(with double the peanut butter and jelly)

extra snack of peanut butter - $.06

ramen- $0.20

total- $0.72

Pre-experiment Day 3

Let me just say that I am so excited right now! I just went to the grocery store and got most of the food I will need for the next 30 days and I spent under $10. (Thank you Food 4 Less!) I have high hopes of splurging on some tang and snacks with the remaining money, but want to see how hungry I am with the menu I've planned. Here is a break down of what I bought and the number of servings per container.

Oatmeal (for breakfast)- $1.98= 30 servings

Bread (sandwiches for lunch)- 2 loaves - $2.88= 24 sandwiches

Peanut butter (for sandwiches)-$1.00=16 servings

Jelly (for sandwiches)-$1.68= 45 servings

Rice (for dinner) - $1.38= 20 servings

Ramen (for dinner) - $1.00=10 servings

If I were to only eat one serving for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then technically, I would be able to eat just the items I've already bought with the addition of another jar of peanut butter and that would last for the entire 30 days. However, I've never measured portions at meals, and I suspect that I eat more than one serving at most meals. At this point in time, I'm relieved because I only spent a grand total of $9.92 at the store today. That means that I could go back to the store in 15 days and spend $15 more on food and still be within budget.

Tomorrow is the first day of the experiment. I am planning on eating oatmeal for breakfast, PB&J for lunch, and ramen for dinner. When I broke down the cost of each item per serving and totaled what I would eat in a day, I came up with $.39. This means that I can double the servings of oatmeal, peanut butter, jelly, and ramen and still be at only $.66/day. I will try to eat just the doubled portions (as described above) and see if I am hungry at the end of the day.

I am nervous about starting the experiment, but I think this will be really good for me!

Pre-experiment Day 2

My $1/day food budget experiment is scheduled to start on Monday, and think I need to set some ground rules before the experiment begins. I recently bought some staples like coffee, tea, and pasta. I could set aside these items until after the experiment is over, but I think I'll be tempted to eat them. I've decided that the food that is already in the house is free game during the experiment. My goal in doing this experiment is to minimize my spending, and to live like many people do, on a small budget. That being said, I will be budgeting $1/day for food or $30 for 30 days. I will not be begging for food, but if there is free candy or coffee at school then I will allow myself to have some. The goal is not self-deprivation or starvation, but a greater awareness of food and the time and money I devote to food. The timeline for the experiment is February 15, 2010 to March 16, 2010. I would really like to continue the experiment until April 1, 2010; however, I like the idea of having some flexibility and the chance to re-evaluate where I'm at and what I've learned on March 16, and decide from there if I want to continue.

I talked to some friends from school today about the experiment and they were not excited. They said that I would probably gain weight and become really unhealthy. I, of course, hope that doesn't happen. I'm hoping that the experiment will help me to stop snacking when I'm studying and to pay more attention to portion sizes. I am getting anxious for the experiment to start and anxious to see how frugal I can be.

Pre-experiment

Friday, February 12, 2010

This week I've been stewing on how to live on a budget. Over the last month, I've had unexpected expenses for car repairs and doctors appointments. I am already on a tight budget. I sometimes splurge on clothes and shoes, but after reviewing my bank statements, I saw that I spend most of my money (after rent and credit cards) on food. I love food! I've been a vegetarian for years, and I love organic produce and sprouted grains. On my days off, I love to walk the isles of Whole Foods and sample the newest products. I am becoming a foodie, and my pocketbook and waistline are suffering.

A year or two ago, I saw a teacher on "Good Morning America" who had lived on a $30/month food budget. The teacher was a younger man, and he ate plain oatmeal, pb&j, and ramen (or cheap noodles) everyday. He drank water or black coffee, and didn't splurge on teas/sodas, fruit, or fresh produce. He was able to spend about $1/day on food. I've always been intrigued by that teacher's sacrifice. And now, after realizing how much I spend on food, I'm ready to try the same experiment.

I went grocery shopping a few times this week, and I have some yummy, healthy food to enjoy this weekend before the experiment starts on Monday. I'm getting ready to make a strawberry, blueberry, and soy milk smoothie for breakfast. I have spinach salad in the fridge for lunch, and I am going to make some homemade soup for dinner. This weekend, I plan on eating the last of my peanut m&m's, enjoying a glass of wine, and snacking on guacamole and chips. I'm not sure how well I will do in this experiment but it's worth a try.