Day #3

I'm going strong in this experiment. I like it! At the heart of it all, the big change is that I am using shelved food in the kitchen that needed to be used. We were getting in the habit of defaulting to the easy, frozen stuff when we did cook at home. Or, we'd go buy a lot of ingredients just to cook one meal when there were several other things we could've whipped up with what we already had.

If I did the math of all the canned soups, veggies, boxed pastas, meal kits, noodles, sauces that have been going unused in the kitchen---hmmm, I'd guess $200? That is probably a conservative guess. The other beautiful byproduct of getting creative & cooking with items I already have is the fact that it forces me to do some "clean out." Yes, I am tossing things that have expired, do not fear. I am not privy to using anything that is even a day over the date printed. That is a gamble I'm not willing to take, even though I'm told that some things can still be used a week/month/YEAR after the date. Yuck.

So Saturday night I made us a tuna helper kit, salad, and rolls. Yesterday, I used up the crab legs we still had in the freezer (our freezer was pretty stocked before I decided to try this so there are still many meats to choose from) and whipped up some mashed potatoes and green beans to go with 'em.

I spent some money last night, but it was all within my 'exceptions' list. Got some gas. Went to Wal-Mart & got milk, bread, veggies (oranges, bananas, avocados, yum!). And yogurt. (That goes on the list with milk, as I need to eat it in my pregnancy. It is a miracle-drug for prevention of problems, I tell ya).

It is AMAZING how much different this Wally trip was. Before, I'd peruse the aisles with coupons, adding other cool-looking items along the way. While the coupons saved, I totally bought things I really didn't need in the first place. I also used to stock up a ton on frozen pizzas and pot pies for Tan (his two favorites). Now, I am not forcing Tan to eat the way I am going to eat. This week, I will still be able to cook many meals that I know he will like...but eventually he will want his frozen goodies. He'll just need to go pick them out himself since I am not buying those types of things, which is probably preferred by him anyway. BUT with me cookin' for us using fresh veggies coupled with cupboard items, he'll eat healthier meals. He's been wanting to eat better, so I hope the experiment coincides with that as well.

Anyway, I'd typically leave the grocery store with a $80-$90 tab. Last night--- $15! And I even got to go through the coveted "10 items or less" lane. At my local WM that is a gift within itself. It is always a crowded circus. But I was literally in and out. Yee-haw.