Sunday, September 6, 2009

Day 25 - A Month Without Groceries

September 6, 2009

I cannot believe today is Day 25 of the challenge. The last three and a half weeks have gone by quite quickly and I feel like I have made some significant changes our eating habits. We have not thrown away any leftovers and the only groceries we have purchased have been 2 gallons of milk. The foods we have been enjoying have been healthful and for the most part delicious. I can see this experiment turning into a longer term commitment to use what we have on a more frequent basis.

People have asked me what I plan to do at the end of the challenge and if I will end up spending a bunch of money to restock the pantry. Although I expect to make a grocery run to purchase fresh produce, meats, and additional dairy products, I don't feel I will need to spend too much money to keep my family fed. To challenge myself further to maintain the good habits I have developed over the last month or so, I am budgeting $100 for the restocking efforts. Beyond that, I will budget $250 a month for the family. I will keep you all posted on my progress.

I have not returned home yet to cook for my family, but they do have some food on hand I prepared before I left to get them through lunch. Additionally, tonight my husband and daughter are attending a neighborhood potluck party and should have plenty to choose from there. Our contribution to the potluck is a couple dozen cookies I baked right before I left home. All in all, I don't think they will have any problem eating well tonight. The hosts of the party indicated they are making carne asada. Yum! We sure have great neighbors.

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