Here lies the entire contents of my refrigerator: Sam's Choice Cola (the men's) Bar-S Franks (again the men's), an almost empty sippy cup of milk (Butterbean's), various types of cheese, match stick carrots, bok choy, eggs, Oroweat Sandwich Thins, parsnips (bought for the fruit and veggie challenge at WW, still hanging in there -Anyone have a good recipe?), ham, bologna, turkey pepperoni, canned biscuits, iceberg lettuce, coconut milk, assorted condiments and pickles. My freezer is better stocked with chicken breasts, pork loin chops, ground beef, some leftovers and such. My pantry has the normal canned stuff, ramen noodles (my stepson swore he'd eat them, but hasn't), popcorn and cereal. So since my husband is going out of town tomorrow for the week, my stepson is going to be staying with his mama and I'm going to pack my daughter off to Grandma's on Tuesday morning until "one of starts to miss the other" (which for me will be Wednesday, but she can go much longer)...and the budget is rather tight this week anyway, I am going to play Refrigerator Survivor this week! The idea is to eat what is on hand without going grocery shopping for the entire week. Sadly, I know that I will have to make a stop on Tuesday for some produce, because I just can't survive on canned and frozen all week long. I'm so excited! It is going to be like when I was a single teacher waiting for the end of the month to get my paycheck!
We have also decided to do a book study on Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover at church starting in October. I read it this past summer and have been trying to get my husband on board with the budgeting and saving. He has FINALLY agreed that it is something we need to do seriously. So, we are going to get the book and workbook for each family who is interested and start the class in October. I'm thrilled! Not so much about having to live on a budget, but about getting control over our spending and starting to save money. Refrigerator Survivor fits right in to this, because in the past when my husband would go out of town, I would just end up eating out all the time instead of cooking. I'm going to keep a running total of what I am saving by eating at home this week and put that into our savings account or maybe my bicycle account, since I haven't had any serious inquiries about the treadmill on Craigslist.
I'll try to post some of the creative meals that I come up with this week and let you all know how it goes!
This is a great idea. We are trying (again) to avoid eating out because it is even more expensive here (New Zealand) than it is in America. We were used to heading to Whataburger and buying lunch for both of us for $10 or less. Here two meals at McDonalds is $30. Scary! That means we have to get creative about not being too tired to cook and eating what we buy at the super market. Hope you have a fun week playing "refrigerator survivor" (love that name by the way) and I can't wait to hear about what you make!
ReplyDeleteDave Ramsey is great. We listen to him all the time. And having an emergency fund is reassuring to have.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think about our leftovers!! When I am NOT on plan, there really are never any leftovers to eat, because I snack them into oblivion (ribs, chicken, pasta, whatever). Now that I am on plan, there are lots of leftovers and we can use them for lunch or dinner, but my husband won't usually eat the same dinner more than twice. I am trying to get him to make fewer ribs at a time. They are a source of temptation for me so I wish he would make just enough for one meal or two.
ReplyDeleteHe grilled a huge thing of salmon on Saturday and only ate part of it. I ate the rest of it for my lunch and dinner yesterday. Luckily I was in the mood for it. It drives me crazy if there are leftovers that he won't eat and I SHOULDN'T eat.
Can you tell I have a hang-up about leftovers!
Hey thanks for stopping by my blog! My husband and I just started a Dave Ramsey class at our church last week! I'm excited too! I just hope hubby plans on staying on board.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in getting on a 'budget' {gasp} and on your weight loss!
Dave Ramsey's book is awesome. It's changed the way we handle and look at money!
ReplyDeleteHow are you princess
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