$100 challenge - week 1

Money is pretty tight around these parts right now. Though it wouldn't be if I hadn't been spending money on the little things. Those darn little things really add up. So the other night I tweeted the above tweet. The next morning Evani of Simply Evani tweeted back that I should make it into a food/finance challenge. At first I thought to myself...no, I have enough going on. I don't need to add anything else to my to do list. Then Friday morning after I woke up and started getting ready for the gym I said to myself, what the hell why not.

I don't think it'll be too hard of a challenge. I've gotten by on about $20/week before, though back then I was eating junk and now I'm eating a lot better. I still think I should do okay. A lot of veggies and beans and rice. Probably not a lot of meat. I'm also a creature of habit and obsession (currently obsessed with tacos...veggie tacos to be exact).

Combining what I've already got in my cabinets and fridge with what I buy I should be able to make a few tasty meals.

• 6 roma tomatoes
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 yellow bell peppers
• 2 yellow onions
• 6 bananas
• a package of mushrooms
• a package of lentils
• a package of 16 bean soup
• a package of flour tortillas

Total: $14.41

This is what I picked up at the International Market today. I'll add this to what's in my cabinet and fridge to make veggie lasagna, quesadillas, yaki soba, soft tacos and who knows what else. The lasagna will last me a couple of days since it's just me. I've got $10 left for the week and need to pick up some cereal for breakfast and maybe a bag of frozen chicken. I haven't quite decided what other meals I plan on having.

I cut up all the veggies to make cooking easier on me. That's one of my problems. Some nights I'm lazy and don't really eat because cooking takes too much time. With all the veggies cut up I can throw them in a pan and saute them and then make a quick taco or quesadilla...add some chicken to switch it up for fajitas.

I'm also challenging myself to limit my spending on the little things too, mainly eating out/at work. After looking at my finances from my September goals, I spend a lot of money eating out/at work. It really does add up. I could've bought a new sewing machine with all the money I spent on little things last month. I'm not giving up Friday dates, though I do plan to cut down on what I spend. That's the one meal every two weeks that I really look forward too.

If anyone has an low budget recipes, send them my way. Could you stretch $100 a month for food?

reading - Not in Kansas Anymore by Christine Wicker This post brought to you in part by: