On a Budget

I am not sure what exactly started the conversation or where we got our information, but a random day back in December, Martin and I got to talking about money and eating habits.  Specifically we were 1) re-evaluating how much we spent each night on dinner (mostly eating out) in regards to the national average of $5 per person per dinner (or at least that was the number we came up with) 2) our general understanding that unhealthy foods such as fast food take-out is, in most cases, cheaper than the healthier options of cooking at home and 3) how hard could it really be to cook a nutritious and tasty dinner on a $5 per person budget each night? 

Before we knew it, we had set ourselves out for a new challenge.  For the month of January and beyond, we were going to cook at home every night for less than $9 a meal (two people less $1 for shared supplies already on hand like olive oil and spices).  We still allowed one night out a week for our date night and we made exceptions for when friends were in town, but overall we were putting ourselves on a budget.  No more Tuk Tuk Thai or Golden Boy Pizza because we were too lazy to plan ahead or too tired to cook the food we had bought. 

Much to our surprise, with a little planning and coordination, the goal has been relatively easy to maintain!  And while sometimes well below our $9 threshold, each dinner has been nutritious, delicious and always something new.  We started rereading old cookbooks for ideas and coordinating the weekly menu to use all ingredients with little waste.  We have enjoyed home-made pizzas, cobb salads, turkey burgers, chicken Cesar salads with fresh Parmesan cheese, mushroom and chicken risotto, chick pea cauliflower soup and the kitchen sink frittata that comes in handy on those lazier evenings. 

While the initial challenge was only for January, we have continued through today seeing benefits not only in the bank but also on the waistline… Bon Appetit!