Tightening My Belt -- My Personal Challenge for One Month in 2010

[DrakeMaiden]

Well, I've got a wonderful unexpected medical bill which amounts to just over my month's allowance for food. And while it wouldn't kill me to take the money out of savings, I would rather not. So . . . I'm thinking about going a month without buying any food instead. Unfortunately, I will still have to pay for animal feed costs and I probably won't be able to go without buying milk and cheese, but I think everything else, I can either forage from the slim pickings in the garden right now or just use stored foods (especially the remaining pumpkins and potatoes from last year's garden) . . . and then there are eggs that I could be eating a lot more of (I just don't like eggs that much).

Since I pay for all my food with cash, I am planning to just not take out any cash for about a month (except for the cash I need for animal feed). I am thinking I may buy the milk and cheese using the stray coins that have collected over the years, which I had planned to only break into when things went south.

So, I guess I am looking at this as an opportunity to learn how to feed myself on a drastically reduced income.

If any of you have any tips that you think might help me, I'd love to hear them.

 

[big brown horse]

Great idea! I would love to do the same thing, and I know I could do it by myself. Unfortunately I live with a Russian Wolf that eats everything including the spoons, forks and knives...seriously what do teenagers do with utensils????

Tips? Well I would quickly go out and buy some dried beans and lentils before your month starts. (Very cheap and you can make wonderful soups etc. with them.)

And Girl! Eat your eggs!!! Devil them, make quiche, souffles, custards, etc. Can you trade them with someone?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

But at least your Russian wolf is cute and helpful!

Luckily, I have a good stockpile of beans, lentils, and rice. It is one of the reasons I think I can do this.

I am selling some eggs, but not reliably at this point. Unfortunately, I can't trade them with someone who has something I might need. :/ My neighbor who has goat milk has her own eggs and my neighbors who don't have chickens don't have anything to trade . . . that I know of.

 

[big brown horse]

Yeah, she is cute and helpful...

Just curious, do wild huckleberries grow on your land or can you forage them on the trails?

I'm so excited, I want to do it too!!

Are you going to make one last grocery trip? If so what are you planning on buying?

 

[SKR8PN]

Buy a gallon of milk and turn it all into yogurt. Quick, cheap, easy and good for you. We also buy all of our chicken on sale at $.59 per pound. Those are the two cheapest ideas, right off the top of my head.....

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Sadly, the huckleberries wouldn't help until summer and I am planning to do this NOW. Still want to join in the fun? LOL It won't be as easy as doing it in the summer. I am currently eyeing the nettles that are starting to grow nicely.

I am cutting the cord as of today, but my month won't officially start until next weekend. I still have some cash that I haven't spent this past pay period so I will only use that to buy milk and cheese and anything else that screams necessity.

This probably won't be 100%, because my husband does buy a small fraction of the groceries and I know there are certain meals that he will not want to give up for frugality's sake . . . like our Friday night nacho night. But I won't ask him to buy any more groceries than he usually does.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Buy a gallon of milk and turn it all into yogurt. Quick, cheap, easy and good for you. We also buy all of our chicken on sale at $.59 per pound. Those are the two cheapest ideas, right off the top of my head.....

Thanks SKR8PN. I will be turning the majority of the milk into kefir, which I would say is about equivalent to yogurt.

I have a frozen smoked duck in the freezer than I never took the time to plan a meal around. I think I will be doing that some time this month.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Go without cheese, unless you make your own.

I tell you what, lets make this fun....

PM your snail mail addy to me, I will send you a weeks worth of supplies and you have to make due with what I send you.

So you only need to worry about three weeks of food. I promise I will send you fish, meat and some other stuff I put up myself.

You will need to post pics of your meals as well.

 

[Blackbird]

Psssst!!

Drakemaiden! Make sure his food isn't covered with powdered caster bean. Shhh.

 

[big brown horse]

Sure you will M_P!

Watch out DM, M_P is going to show up in a kilt at your front door!

I agree, you need to post recipes and photos!

(I forgot that huckleberries aren't ripe until the summer.)