Friday, October 17, 2008

It's Come to This...

... I'm eating hummus and stale crackers for lunch in an effort to get my food budget under control! (Yesterday, I bought a little box of fresh crackers from the deli across the street-- today I brought crackers that had been in my kitchen cabinet for months, just to turn the frugality up a notch!)

As usual, I'm trying to focus on the little things I can control rather than the big ones I can't.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nothing wrong there, just make sure the meal is well balanced ! Bring an apple or a banana to work each day (healthy and a cheap fix for sugar cravings), get a refillable container to bring juice/ drinks from homethat you buy in larger size, get a cereal box & container of milk for the office so you can avoid disbursing for breakfast, etc. If there is a refrigerator at the office, a couple of containers of yogurt come in handy as well. Actually, at my workplace some folks do this because they are too busy to run down to the deli to buy something to eat at lunchtime. When it comes to food you are in the driver's seat ! Never feel bad about those choices, as long as your eating habits are healthy and helping you to stay with a budget that works for you in the longer term.
G, NY City

Anonymous said...

You eat ... lunch? ;-P

Anonymous said...

I too have been overspending on eating out. My problem is that I'm always persuaded by my co-workers to go with them at lunch - not that they're forceful - just that it's nice to go out with them.

I'll just have to be a little stronger with my convictions.

Anonymous said...

Whole grains and legumes are quite inexpensive and super nutritious, even when you pay the extra to go organic. Throw in a fresh veggie here and there and you've got a great, inexpensive, nutritious meal that you don't even need to refrigerate during the day.

Anonymous said...

I'm with ya!
Though after brown bagging it for weeks and weeks, and cooking with stuff I already had in my fridge and pantry I broke down and spent some doe-re-mi on dinner at a french restaurant last night. Didn't over do it though.

Have a great weekend! I am going to not open my Mint statement today, but I might throw some more cash in some non retirement funds I already own this weekend...have a good one!

Miss M said...

We've cut back on grocery store trips cause we'd buy more than we need, it forces us to eat out of the freezer and pantry things that have just sat for no reason. I'm definitely trying to cut down on the food waste, things like crackers that were hidden in the pantry until they got stale!

Anonymous said...

Ah yay, homemade food has always been a great moneysaver for me!
But it's ok to go out with work people occasionally, just to keep up the networking :)

Anonymous said...

Madame X,

wanted to share this WSJ article about how the FDR Memorial in Washington DC is making people think about FDR and Great Depression in a new way, with the current climate in mind....

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122426851283545161.html

thanks,
k

Anonymous said...

How sad! What will it be next, water and stale bread? Hang in there.

Anonymous said...

I've been risking my health by using some Wendy coupons that I picked up at a hotel counter -- free fries and Frostie Floats. Still I've had to purchase a 99 cent Double Stacker or 99 cent Crispy Chicken sandwich. Although its not healthy, I'm able to eat pretty cheaply.

Anonymous said...

I recently started eating hummus and I LOVE it!!!!

I have eaten so much of it lately that I ran out of crackers. I eat it at home when I get off work since I bring a sandwich and a piece of fruit for lunch every day.

Have you tried the red pepper flavor? Yummy.

Anonymous said...

I remember doing that in college. I would stretch a dollar so far. I'll need to start watching my food budget too, but I don't think I'll stretch it like I did in college. ha ha

Anonymous said...

Bronx Chica...I have limited my bus rides to work. I only took mass transit today. Also ate leftover breakfast & dinner from the weekend & brung lunch to work. felt so good to save :)