Tuesday, Day #9

I, regrettably, am a slightly lazy person, and this is why I am writing a recap of Tuesday’s food intake and monetary output on a Friday.  This laziness unfortunately has led me to slightly forget what I ate this day and exactly what I spent.  (Yes, I know that kind of defeats the whole purpose of this blog, but shhhh.)

Anyway, from the pieces of the day that I can remember, I don’t think I ate anything for breakfast.  Because of this, I got a slightly larger lunch than usual – a Waldorf chicken salad sandwich and a small spinach tortellini soup from (where else) the cafeteria.  I believe this came to $6.02.

That evening I made dinner with the boyfriend at his new place.  I used the porcini fettuccine I got at the market, and bought two bottles of wine to bring for cooking and drinking.  The wine cost me about $8, so $4 a pop ain’t bad.  The boyfriend bought the bulk of the food for the pasta – half and half, dried porcini mushrooms, chicken and crimini mushrooms.  The end result turned out quite good, in my opinion.

Overall damage:  I spent about $14.02 the whole day.  I was able to use the pasta I had bought from the market the week before.  By having the boyfriend contribute to the meal, I saved a bit of money there.  And I am always up for a $4 bottle of wine that won’t give you a headache or poison you right away.

What I could have saved on:  If I had eaten breakfast that morning, I probably would not have purchased such a large lunch – just the sandwich or soup probably would have sufficed.  I will have to force myself to get up five minutes earlier to throw some cereal into a sandwich bag.  (That’s going to be tough.)

Monday, Day #8

New week, same goals – but at least I have a better understanding of what I’m up against.  Today was successful, thanks to a kind and generous boyfriend.  Not only did I get a free, home-cooked breakfast, but he also paid for my drinks at trivia that evening, which is an expense I’m loathe to give up.

I ate lunch and dinner in the comfort of my apartment.  A bowl of cereal and soy milk held me over most of the day, and I was able to incorporate produce from my market trip the week before into dinner:  I made lettuce wraps filled with sticky rice and sauteed shrimp.  I had the rice, shrimp, onions, cilantro and seasonings on hand, and I really liked how I was able to to use the lettuce in things other than just salad.

Overall damage:  $0.  Yay, $0!

What I could have saved on:  I think this is a example of a good day, but I have to realize that it won’t be everyday that the boyfriend can treat me to a meal and drinks.

Week #1 Roundup

I tallied up each day’s expenditure on food and the grand total came to $55.21.

Without analyzing the week in depth, I don’t think this sounds like a very good number for just one week.

But let’s investigate further: I mostly spent my money on prepared food, such as meals from the hospital cafeteria, or from eating out.  In total, I ate four meals from the cafeteria, and I ate out three times this week.  The cafeteria meals don’t bother me, but the fact that I ate out three time does.  I have to stop being so lazy.  It is one thing if someone is going to treat me to dinner, but two out of the three times I ate out were of my own initiation.  In all, I spent $47.46  on food not prepared at home.  That’s almost 86% of my total expense for the week!  Anyone could agree, that is just way too much.

On the other hand, of the meals I prepared at home, I only spent $7.75 to make them.  That is a number I can more easily live with.

Overall, the week was both a success and a failure.  I failed in spending a lot of money on food, but I did realize the amount of unnecessary expenses I have every week.  So hopefully next week will be a better one.

Experiment #4: Getting Out of Festival Season with your Wallet Intact

This is not a complaint – I love the fact that almost every weekend during the summer in Rochester there is a festival taking place.  It’s one of my favorite things about Rochester.  But those festivals do tempt the wallet – and I often fall prey to that temptation.

I started the day off very well – I remembered to pack leftovers from dinner the night before, and the Brussels sprouts and chicken french tasted great the second day around.   I had an apple that I had saved from lunch the day before as well, so when I got home, I wasn’t starving.  I called a friend of mine and we decided to go to the Lilac Festival to see Donna the Buffalo.  Since I didn’t have enough time to prepare dinner before I left for the festival, I thought I could grab something to eat there.

Unfortunately, that’s where my problems began.

The first problem was that I went to the festival fairly hungry, so everything and anything looked EXTREMELY good.  The second problem was that, since I felt I was doing so well with conserving food money, I thought I could treat myself.  So I ordered a gyro with all the fixin’s and a bottle of lemonade.

My grand total was $10.50.

Gahh!  I thought that was a bit much; granted, the gyro was delicious.  But you could get that almost anywhere, even a sit-down restaurant, for less than $10.50.

The experience was enjoyable, nonetheless a tad expensive.

Overall damage:  The leftover lunch cost me $0.25 (yay!), so the whole day cost me $10.75.

What I could have saved on:  Obviously, the gyro was a bit of a splurge.  I could have eaten at home, or looked around for better prices.  However, I think you have to balance spending money on food while still enjoying yourself and the atmosphere of the festival.  I mean, what is more enjoyable than having good food in your belly, fresh air on your skin, good music in your ears and the scent of lilacs in your nose?

Saturday, Day #6

 Saturday was the first day of the weekend I had to work, and I fell asleep the night before without preparing any plan for food.  I was able to eat breakfast for free – cinnamon rolls nicked from a morning meeting – but for I lunch I had to again venture up to the cafeteria for a sandwich.  For $3.28, I got an ample chicken salad sandwich, a pickle and an apple.  I ended up saving the apple for a later time, since the sandwich and pickle were enough to curb my appetite.

I was feeling pretty lazy for dinner, must I managed to rustle up a quick chicken french with a side of Brussels sprouts with almonds.  The sprouts were from the market, and I had the chicken, lemons, butter, sherry, onions and almonds on hand.  I was very pleased with the results, and I was able to pack another serving away for lunch the next day.

Overall damage:  If I break down the cost of the Brussels sprouts, I paid $1 for a basketful, and I cooked half of them that evening.  I only ate half of that half (a quarter of the original amount, for you calculus-inclined types), so I only spent $0.25 on dinner.  $0.25!  Yes, I’m just as impressed as you are.  Added to the cost of lunch, the day only cost me $3.53.

What I could have saved on:  I am satisfied with my expenditure for the day, especially since I planned out leftovers for the next day as well.  I’m thinking this is the best day so far, both cost-wise and amount of food-wise.

Friday, Day #5

Friday was back to work, relatively calm, but a start of me trying to prepare lunch for the day beforehand.  I brought in the cilantro chicken from Wednesday, some lettuce and tomatoes and made a fresh salad when lunchtime rolled around.  I was still yearning for a little more sustenance, so I broke down a bough a small New England clam chowder from the cafeteria – a measly $1.85.  Lunch was both cheap and rather healthy.

Dinner was not so successful, at least in the healthy sense.  I helped the boyfriend move in and unpack a bit, then we partook in the “traditional” first night in a new place meal – take out Chinese.  The boyfriend treated, but I put in about $4 for the crab rangoon I had a craving for. 

Overall damage:  In all, I spent $5.85 on lunch and dinner, and incorporated some leftovers and the cheap produce I bought at the market.

What I could have saved on:  The crab rangoon was unnecessary, but c’mon, who can resist those?  Seriously.

Experiment #3: Making the Most of the Public Market

Thursday was a pretty good day:  I got up early and smelled the lilacs, took some pictures and relearned how to develop film, and I got to buy some groceries at the public market.   I usually go on Saturdays, but since I have to work every other weekend, I’m trying to squeeze in Thursdays as well.  I think I got some good produce for not a lot of dough.  I ended up getting a head of green leaf lettuce for $1.00, a basket full of Brussels sprouts (about a pound) for $1.00, a big basket of vine ripened tomatoes (I would say about 2 pounds) for $2.50,  five limes for $1.00, and a half a pound of handmade porcini mushroom linguine for $3.75.

I wasn’t super hungry on Thursday, so I just munched on cereal for lunch.  I ended up previewing the boyfriend’s new apartment and we went out to get a sub to celebrate.  We dined at DiBella’s, and split the check.  I got a small (anything but) capicola sub, half a dill pickle, half a bag of chips and half a large soda for about $7.

Overall damage: The entire day, I spent $14.25 on food.  I’m really pleased with the produce I got from the market, because from what I remember, I probably would have paid about $4.00 for the head of lettuce, about twice as much for the limes, and $2.99 a pound for the tomatoes at my regular supermarket.  I am sure that the Brussels sprouts would have cost more than a dollar a pound there as well.  This produce should last me through the week.

What I could have saved on:  I could have gotten regular linguine at the supermarket for less, but I have always been satisfied with the pasta from Pappardelle’s - they have interesting flavors of pasta that inspire new dishes, at least for me.  I of course could have saved on dinner by not eating out, but I got a satisfying meal for under $10, and I have to be realistic – I’m not going to cook every night.

Wednesday, Day #3

I didn’t have a chance to make dinner on Tuesday evening, so that gave me no leftovers for lunch on Wednesday.  Since I always choose to sleep rather than prepare lunch in the morning, I had to go up to the cafeteria to get some food.  I ended up eating a grilled potrobella sandwich, which is one of the legitimately good meals found in the cafeteria, so I had to partake.  That meal set me back $3.83.

The evening was a different story – I actually cooked!  (The first time this week!)  I remembered that I had bought some fresh vegetables the previous week, and was happy to find they were still good several days later.  I defrosted some chicken breasts and broiled them with a cilantro ‘marinade’, and cooked up the remaining rappi and bok choi that I had.  I didn’t have to buy anything new for this meal, so I’m marking it as a $0 expense.

Overall damage:  $3.83 for the sandwich, and nothing for dinner.  Dinner was a plus because that left me with leftovers for a lunch during the week.

What I could have saved on:  Again, soup was an option at the cafeteria – a measly $2.00.  Overall, though, I think I spent a reasonable amount of money for the day.

Tuesday, Day #2

I was very gung-ho about this new adventure, and I tried very hard to stick to my convictions on Tuesday.  Maybe I stuck a little too hard to them. 

The day started out well – I brought bread to work for toast for breakfast (to clarify, anything that I bought before the experiment began I am not counting as having spent money on, mostly because I don’t remember how much things cost).  I used the communal jelly in the refrigerator to top the toast, so breakfast cost $0.  (Although I feel like I should bring in more things for the office – since I eat a lot of the “group food.”  This will have to be squeezed into my budget.)  For lunch, I brought in more bread, and come curry chicken salad I stole from my mother’s house – again, $0.  The day was uneventful, and I thought of what to cook for dinner, trying to visualize what I have in the refrigerator back home.

When I finally arrived back to my apartment, I heard my stomach grumble, so I grabbed some Doritos (also stolen from my mother) to munch on as a snack.  This is where, I believe, my trouble started.

I ended up feeling very poorly later that evening (I blame the Doritos), so I didn’t eat dinner and I went to bed early.  So in all, the free Doritos didn’t cost me anything, besides nausea.

Overall damage:  $0, plus damage to my digestive system.

What I could have saved on: If things had gone according to plan, I would have hopefully made a no/low cost meal for dinner, but we’ll have to see what happens when I feel better.

Experiment #2: Surviving my Favorite Bar

After a long and trying day at work, I was relieved that I could relax with my friends at the best bar in Rochester, The Old Toad.  The danger of this bar, however, is the good food and the great beers on tap.  I had prepared myself by eating dinner before I arrived, but I definitely needed a drink that night.

I wanted something “light and fruity” and upon my server’s suggestion, I got the Franziskaner Weissbier.  It was slightly more expensive – $5.75, but it was a hefty 20-oz glass.  That lasted me for the two hours I was there.  I also bought the boyfriend the same, since I am the best girlfriend ever. 

Overall damage: After tip, I spent $13 on two large beers.

What I could have saved on:  I had the option of getting the special for the evening – Custom Brewcrafter’s Nut Brown for $3.50, which is a beer that I enjoy.  With this smaller sized beer, however, I may have gotten two drinks as opposed to the one.

By the end of the day, my cash stash settled at $60.  That means I spent $17 on dinner and two drinks -  a price that I can definitely bring down over the course of the next few weeks.