Breakfast Day 2-
After sleeping in (it was my day off) and I wasn’t hungry but with no immediate plans I needed to do, I figured breakfast was a good choice. I went back to my oatmeal that was so tasty yesterday and made another bowl. I know some people including my husband can’t eat the same thing every day but if I liked it the first time I can eat the same thing multiple days in a row! So I made myself a bowl of oatmeal and instead of strawberries like yesterday I added a banana ($0.81). It was just as tasty and if we’re sticking to a budget bananas are a more affordable option and they seem to go bad so fast, so I figured we needed to use them up!
I’ve also found that oatmeal is a great way to start the morning. With the entire container of oatmeal
only costing $2.49, I think I’ll be sticking with this economical meal way past my 7 day challenge.
Lunch Day 2- I stayed with what worked, TUNA! Like I have said before I enjoy eating tuna, and yesterday I made a delicious tuna salad from the economy sized tuna ($1.99) I have a bunch left, so I changed it up by toasting my bread and added some tuna salad. I know this isn’t a tuna melt, but at least with warm bread it worked haha.
I added a yogurt ($0.25) and I was full.
Dinner Prep Day 2- I have a lot of left over chicken from cooking the entire bird last night, since I maybe cooked it too long, it fell off the bone and shredded into little pieces with no work by me. I was first thinking chicken noodle soup, but who wants soup when its 70+ outside! This is where I had to go back to my list of the groceries I had purchased and think of other options to make sure I don’t waste anything! I had originally planned to make pork fajitas but I thought why not chicken fajitas? I purchased green peppers which were on sale 3 for $1.00. Again, this is where I learned a tip from thrifty Peggy! If the ad or sign says 3 for $1.00 you DON’T have to buy 3! I bought two and my total $0.67. This is something grocery stores do so people add more to their cart. Makes sense, if you’re in a hurry you’re going to throw three in your cart because that’s what the sign says!
Dinner Day 2-
So I mixed the green peppers ($0.67) and onions ($0.30) and I had half a left over red pepper so I threw that in there too, I mixed them all on the stove add my shredded chicken and some spices I already have.
Since I threw all the left over chicken into a container it also had some broth mixed in too, which made the dish taste amazing!
I also bought Minute Made Instant Brown Rice ($2.19), I was thinking I should buy the $1.00 rice that is in the package that you boil. However, Peggy came to the rescue she told me the most affordable rice isn’t always the best option. That rice can take up to 45 minutes to cook and is A LOT of work! She suggested getting the minute made rice, this takes minutes like the box says and although it’s a dollar plus more, it makes just as many servings. If something is going to take 45 minutes to cook as a side dish you are not going to want to make it and it will just sit there and go to waste. Minute rice is quick and easy, I also purchased the brown rice so it’s a more healthy option.
It was an easy meal and one that only took 20 minutes to make. Plus, the best way to be economical is to make sure you don’t let anything go to waste. I still have onions and green peppers left that I will use later this week and I have quite a bit of chicken left too for another dinner.
I also plan to eat tonight’s dinner leftovers for lunch later this week. Being thrifty is fun, and I plan to keep this up!
The biggest struggle I faced today was not eating when I was bored, I know many people face this challenge but with it being my day off I was struggling. I tried to keep myself busy since snacking wasn’t an option unless I wanted to stick to my list. I didn’t account for any snacks since I had to stay around $4 a day. Luckily, I got back to work tomorrow and I should be plenty busy to fly past any urge to snack!
$4 A Day Challenge 