Saturday 15 October 2016

The day we shop

We have pretty much finished our week of research and mental preparation, and I'm still finding it
A few books of inspiration.
hard to wrap my head around.

Until we have all the ingredients in our kitchen, the real portions of what we can actually afford, it still feels a bit like a fantasy,

Our list of what we think we'll be able to get keeps dwindling, I'm still uncertain exactly what we will come home with to live on for the next 7 days.

The ever dwindling wish list.
I've already to committed to a few cheats before we even get out the door for our shop, so I'll come clean right away.

First, our kitchen has always had salt, pepper and some kind of oil, so we will use the portions we have on the shelf instead of buying more.

Next, there is a leftover portion of applesauce and leftover yogurt in the fridge that we will use rather than let it spoil.

And last, we have a loaf of bread in the freezer which was given to us by Mum (who got it from the Salvation Army when volunteering. Bread twice donated.) which will only be used if we run out of food and need to eat emergency bread stash on our last day.

Whew. It is amazing me the amount of guilt I have for these small extras, and the amount of stress relieved when they are no longer on the list to buy, Potential for flavour, and perhaps a batch of muffins if we have enough flour after bread making.

All other kitchen/pantry goods will be put out of sight until the challenge is complete.

Thanks Victoria!
Except one last cheat I'm allowing for Sasha: A jar of pickled cucumelons (one of her favourite things) which were gifted to her yesterday, and she will be able to snack on these while they last.

I have already received lots of support from friends near and far, especially those who have mastered life on meager budgets with a family. I am most grateful for the collective wisdom of my friends and family and their willingness to share.

The mental challenge of sourcing out the best for the least is draining, and it hardly seems fair to only do this challenge for a week when the people we are trying to help with this campaign must endure it daily.

Even before we shop I know that a truly healthy well balanced meal on this budget is not likely possible on a regular basis. I know that we will not starve, but I'm not sure we'll ever be full in the days to come.

We'll see what we come home with later today.



2 comments:

  1. I wish you good luck!!! Those lists look incredibly painful and meticulous. Who has time for that on a weekly basis?? Unreal. I'm following along with great interest.

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    1. Thank you Pauline! It took a while to compare pricing on everything we hoped to buy, and many things were off the list right away. We've had periods of severe penny pinching, but there was usually a pay check coming soon to get us back on track. And we had cupboards/freezer with things to work with. Hardest part of this is the expectation that you start with absolutely nothing. I already failed that by using a few things on the shelf.

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