Starting this week, I am going to be participating in “Project: Food Budget.” I’ve been wanting to make a budget and save money on food for a while, so I thought it would be a good idea to join some other blogs in a group effort.
I am only cooking for one other person, so I am making my weekly budget $20. It might be a bit ambitious, but I think it’s reasonable. I do most of my shopping at Pathmark and ShopRite, though I sometimes go to the health food store to splurge on specialty vegan ingredients like Daiya cheese.
This week, I decided to do a food inventory. I went through our refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards, and I found 82 ingredients! Here we have been complaining that there is nothing to eat, but we could probably live off this food for a month. I also put everything into categories (condiments, vegetables, etc.) so I can easily create meal ideas.
But the Can-Can Sale is going on at ShopRite! I decided to stock up. I had run out of some basic ingredients, and there are some snacks and ingredients we would like to make our favorite recipes. Other than that, I am going to start creating meals from what I already have.
Total food cost this week: $40
Planned foods this week: veggie quesadillas; veggie pizza; rice pilaf… other simple meals.
Some new goals for this challenge:
* Use the food I have before it expires.
* Eat different meals each week.
* Start looking for coupons, deals and sales.
* Buy a lot more fruits, veggies, and dried beans/grains; and a lot fewer processed foods.
Here are the other blogs involved:
Reluctant Vegetarian
Maria Marz
Veggie Converter
Low Budge Veg
Ashley's Dairy Free Cooking Blog
Beauty, Fitness, and Health...Oh My!
Motor City Girl In the Steel City
Veggie Burgher
Baked Beans and Broccoli...Vegetarian Budgeting
Sweet Rehab
Good to meet another vegan too. A food inventory is a fantastic idea! I bet if I did that, I'd get a lot more ideas for meals based on what I have. So sad to have food hidden in the back of a cabinet expire!
ReplyDeletei did an inventory once. it was eye opening. though got hard to keep current. looking forward to see how you fare with your goals. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah my next task is to catalogue the expiration dates. Tedious, but very helpful. I also thought of donating to a food pantry the food that I won't be able to use before it expires. I'm sure I have some.
ReplyDelete