Eat on $30: Day 6

Well, I caved into peer pressure last night and ate dinner out. In a restaurant. After the church-stravaganza, it was suggested that a bunch of us go get something to eat. We didn't go anywhere fancy, but I was definitely aware of how much more it costs for a simple hamburger in a restaurant as opposed to making it yourself.

I'm not going to factor in our dining-out costs with our grocery budget; I never said we were going to avoid dining out entirely. We've done a great job at cutting back, though, as that was the first time I'd eaten in a restaurant in weeks. As enamored as I currently am with Not Eating Out in New York, it's not for me, at least not right now. Too many rules can backfire so very quickly.

I'm not going to let myself feel guilty for eating out last night. Instead I"m going to focus on my successes: I've made delicious soup, bread, brownies, and dal from scratch and we are currently under budget for the week. I feel much more confident in my skills as a cook and whereas a week ago the thought of shopping on $30 a week was an entertaining notion in which I didn't have full confidence, I am now wholly sure it's not only doable, but a much more healthy way to eat.

I've been asked by more than one person, "But what will you do when your cupboards and fridge resources are depleted? How can you stay under budget and still buy all the stuff you need?" Well, that's the point, isn't it? The average food benefit that someone on government assistance (SNAP) receives per month is only $101. So, there are a lot of people who have to live on even less than $30 a week. And that's just in the U.S., one of the richest nations in the world. Besides, these guys have been eating on $30 a week for over a year now and they haven't died, or exploded, or even just quit. Maybe once my overflowing cupboards have stopped flowing and all those bits and pieces stashed in the freezer are gone I'll have to rethink things, but in the meantime, ONWARD!

TOTAL
Spent $21.72 (not counting dinner out last night)
Left $8.28