4.45 a Day: November in Review

When I started this project, I really didn't think I could make it through the month of November with a grocery budget of $267 for two people.

I was worried we'd end up eating more and more cheap/unhealthy food the closer we got to the end of the month.

I was sure I'd run out of idea for meals.

And, at the start, I was overwhelmed by the amount of planning that I quickly realized would need to happen each week and each day to make sure I didn't waste any food and that we always had meals ready to eat. I have never loved my freezer more.

Overall, I'm really very happy with the way things turned out for November.

I've had a lot of fun with this project and as a bonus we've nearly eliminated processed foods from our diet. And, I've certainly put my culinary school education to good use.

I plan to stick to this budget for the foreseeable future with a few adjustments.

For the month of December I am going to focus on controlling portion sizes, increasing the amount of whole grains in our diet, and adding far more vegetables.

On to the results...

From the start, I decided that any money I was able to save by purchasing items with fuel saver rewards would be added back in to the food budget.  During the second week of the month Charlie filled his car up and saved $1.50 on gas. He didn't get a receipt. (Grrr...) Two days ago he filled up again and saved $5.25. All together, we saved $6.75 on gas in November.

When all was said and done I came in $1.42 under budget!

And, I still have all this in the freezer: 1.5lbs of ham, 3lbs of turkey, 4 meals worth of gnocchi, 2 bags of frozen broccoli, 1 bag of frozen peas, 1 container of bread crumbs, 1/2 a bag of lima beans, 18 eggs, 1 butternut squash, and a 9 inch turkey pot pie that I made last week.

With all of that I could easily last another week.

For those that are interested, here are some of the more valuable takeaways I have from this month: 

1. Sale items are not always the best choice
Sale items are only a good value you if you actually use and enjoy the item. Yes, I'm mainly talking about the ham here. I bought a 6lb ham because I could get a 14lb turkey for free. I hate ham. Nearly every meal that we've had with ham has made me angry.  However, the abundance of ham has made me a bit more creative with meal planning. I've tried several new recipes looking for a way to eat ham that I'd actually enjoy.

2. Stock up on staples
If there is a good sale on something you use often, stock up. For example, during the last week of November butter was on sale for $2.99. Normally, a pound of butter is  $4.29. I now have 5 pounds of butter in my fridge but I have already deducted a pound a week from December's budget.  Of course, you have to be careful with expiration dates when stocking up.

3. Repeat meals but change the flavors
During the first two weeks of November I tried to have radically different meals every other day. However, I was wasting a lot of time and energy planning this way. Over the month I learned that I can do stir-fry's, sandwiches, gnocchi and many other dishes each week without getting bored by changing the spices/sauces/other ingredients. Orange-scented stir-fry one week with spicy chicken stir-fry the following week, and then peanut chicken the week after that feels like you're eating really different things when really you are using the same basic ingredients.

4. Make ahead meals are amazing
You always need a back up plan.  If you are already in the kitchen, it rarely takes more time or effort to simply double a recipe and freeze the leftovers. I did this with beef stew, pasta, gnocchi, and all the bread I made this month. Having meals already made that I could quickly thaw and eat were a lifesaver during the 3 or 4 times this month that something unexpected happened and I wasn't able to cook what I had planned.

5. Processed or prepared foods don't save that much time
I always hear that eating healthy is too expensive. Or, "I don't have the time." Well, not all of my meals were a beacon of healthful eating this month but overall we ate better on $267 than when I spent whatever I felt like at the store. Yes, I spent a lot of time during the first two weeks figuring how to plan and shop, but now I know what to look for and what to avoid. I also have at least 15 meals now that I know I can get on the table in 30 minutes or less. And, yes, culinary school has made me much more efficient in the kitchen, but, other than the bread I made, none of this month's meals were terribly sophisticated or time consuming. If you really want to eat healthy and eliminate processed foods from your diet, cost and time are just two more excuses getting in your way.