If all the days in this challenge are anything like yesterday, I'm putting up my white flag and surrendering.
Work was harsh, and all I wanted to do was grab a big fat latte, a veggie soup and some mac 'n cheese from Whole Foods. But nope. I get bean salad. Damn good bean salad, but bean salad all the same.
Week 1 verdict: Ok. But no more bean salad.
Day 8's total expenditure: $15.48 on groceries I hope will carry me most of the way through the week. Rice crackers, Soy milk, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, a bag of mandarin oranges, an apple and a pound of strawberries. Really...that's not a lot of groceries for $15. The oranges and milk made up half of the bill on their own.
Day 2 of Week 2 (Day 9 overall). Super late night...2 hours of sleep. Late start...grabbed some toast on the way out the door and ate it on my walk to work. I am COMPLETELY out of coffee...and yes caps were necessary there...this is coffee we're talking about. So I spent a precious $2.18 on a Starbucks coffee...they gave me a Venti instead of a Grande, so I got my money's worth, and it kept me going for the rest of the day.
Yesterday a super awesome co-worker and friend of mine phoned me from Costco to see if there was anything I needed while she was there. Almonds! Got 1.36 kg for $10! Great deal...but also, most of the remaining money for the week. They're great snacks and super healthy, and I always like to have some around. Will have to seriously plan out my meals now...like...more than I am already.
Basically for the rest of the week, I have $4.05 (if I find any money, it's a total bonus...but I might have to start taking the recycling back to the depot for the extra change). That's Tuesday - Saturday. Somewhere in there, I have to spend an additional $4 because a friend and I are going out for burritos. They are only $8 and fill me up for at least 2 meals - but still...it's $4 over what I've got to spend.
Now, if I was living here longer, I could totally plan out a little garden and grow some veggies and herbs. It would be so much cheaper and healthier. It's so difficult to do that when you don't own a piece of land to use for sustenance...even a small one, due to landlords' restrictions, the fact that you don't live there long enough to plan out a garden and tend to it year after year, etc. Also access to land is so restricted! I know they are coming up with little community gardens all over, and that's an awesome step in the right direction. What's the long-term plan for us being reliant on ourselves for food, rather than the international marketplace, oil prices, shortages, natural disasters, etc.? To tell you the truth, I wouldn't sit around waiting for someone to figure it out for you. It's almost spring - start growing your own food. Compost. Hang dry your clothes. Take control of your needs so that you don't get "stuck".
My almond provider, from above, also took a book out of the library for me:
Sucking Eggs: What Your Wartime Granny Could Teach You About Diet, Thrift and Going Green.
I have just started it, but I'm sure it'll teach me a thing or two...Hell, I'm already re-using my teabags.
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