Day 7-With it being the last day I went all out for a breakfast/lunch combo. Since it’s the weekend I slept in a bit and when it’s 11:00 a-m you can combine the two meals and just eat more right?
I had bought pancake mix at the store on the first day. Peggy had told me breakfast for lunch or dinner is a good way to stretch a buck! I had a waffle maker so I just added an egg to the mix and some milk and make waffles.
My husband scrambled up some eggs with some salt and pepper, while I made waffles. I also had some extra strawberries left from the week so I cut those up and added them to the top of the waffles. It was so good to combine the tart taste of strawberries with the syrup! Plus, what a meal, we were both stuffed!
For dinner, I had a mix-matched items. I am at work, so staying busy has helped and I’m not all that hungry. I settled for my last yogurt, a
n apple and a cookie a co-worker made-Thanks Alisa!
Although, this isn’t the most ideal meal, it does the job!
As I come to the end of this “challenge” I’ve learned a ton! I have always thought of myself as a thrifty person. My friends have joked I’m pretty cheap, so when I decided to take on eating on $4 a day, I didn’t think it would be all to hard.
I also thought I knew all the “money-saving tricks” in the book, boy was I wrong. Thanks to Peggy, I learned a bunch of new tips that I will take with me from now on.
The biggest step I took this week was the CHICKEN! I was so scared to take that on, and my husband loved it so much, it will be on my monthly grocery list from now on. For $3 I got 5 meals! That is crazy! We have chicken at least twice a week as it is, and to know I can tackle a full chicken and still make great meals is a good accomplishment!
Other tips learned, if it says 3 for $1.00 you don’t have to buy all 3 to get the discounted rate!
Other tips on shopping smart can be found at www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings
In all, this was a great experience that gave me a greater appreciation for what I do have. Eating on $4 a day is not easy and for those that have to make it work, I commend you! While stretching $28 over 21 meals can be done, it’s not something I would want to do every week! I learned that planning is key, and stretching your meals into multiple options can make a big difference!
A big thank-you to Peggy from IA State for helping me jump-start this challenge in the right direction and lead me on the path to “smart shopping” from now on!
$4 A Day Challenge 
YEAH! cookies!
Did you have any vegetables during the week other than the peppers, onions and potatoes?
Kathy-no I only had what I blogges about so peppers and onions. I did miss the normal veggies I eat on a regular basis, but for what I had to work with it worked just fine.