I made way too much.  But it’s the problem of not enough dry goods left to save it for another batch, but too much to eat in one sitting.  I am a huge fan of my mac and cheese.  I consider it home made because I

• Pour noodles from a bag into boiling water.
• Cut up chunks of velvetta cheese.
• And mix with butter.
• Stir over low heat.

So tomorrow for lunch: sandwich and mac and cheese.  Awesome.

So here is my first shopping day.  My weekly budget is normally $50.00 but I am currently broke…extra broke.

So here is my weeks food.  We have brats (YUM!) and good for three+ meals, pork chops for another three meals, bacon wrapped filet, instant mashed potatoes, peas, shrimp, pasta sauce, ravioli, cereal and soup.  And I have a few things at home still…tonight I am making mac and cheese.  But I think I got quite a bit of food for less than $20.  

Not to bad for a first shopping experience.  I did forget chips—I have spinach dip at home.  Eh…over all I did quite well.  And only one extra purchase…the soup.  I love soup.  Almost any kind of soup.  Especially clam chowder.  So here’s to hoping it’s decent.

And yes, I took the photo with my groceries on my bed…where else would you do that?

From Cnn.com

Now, my project isn’t going to be this restrictive.  My plan isn’t necessarily to prove a point that food stamps don’t often provide enough.  Or completely give up my dunkaroo habit.  But rather to learn to cook at home most of the time and try to eat a bit healthier by forgoing processed foods.

But I thought it was interesting.  I think I could eat on $30 a week because I am not really a huge fan of fruits and veggies—well, I like them but I am happy with the canned kind that last forever and are cheaper.  Or even frozen fruit—smoothie anyone?  But I certainly wouldn’t agonize over bell peppers…

But I also love more expensive things…like seafood…like LOVE.  Like will not give up.  So we’re sticking with the $50 budget.

I meant to take a picture of my celebratory burrito…but I got distracted in my excitement.  Luckily, they all pretty much look the same.  So I offer this google supplied burrito.

Mine was free—thank you frequent customer punch card, I will miss your delightful climb to free food.  And it had chicken, shrimp, cheese (LOTS!!!) and refried beans.  It was a messy burrito experience as the bottom collapsed under the weight of its own amazingness.  

I felt a pang of sadness as I finished the final burrito bite.  Farewell good friend.  I also need to say good-bye to my Whataburger guy…after all, he might worry if he doesn’t see me for more than a few days in a row.  (Honestly, I go there about 4-5 times a week.)

I used to be a sex worker and I made a nice living.  I was young and didn’t particularly care about finances so I ate out a lot.  I had the funds and it was easy and quick.  When I didn’t know where I would be or what my schedule would be like on any given day, it was sometimes a necessity to quickly stop by subway between appointments. 

Now, two years later, I work in corporate America.  I make a decent salary, but not anything like I made before.  After living paycheck to paycheck, I realized that I needed to make some changes.  Also, I suspect it’s not normal to know the name of the gentleman at the drive through window of your local Whataburger. 

At almost 26, I still live like a bachelor.  My garbage consists of takeout bags, pizza boxes and empty beer bottles.  The sad thing is I can cook.  I even have the time now to cook, but until recently, I lacked the motivation to make lasting changes.  I would only cook when money was unusually tight.  And that only counts if one considers ramen and mac and cheese to be cooking.  In my defense, my mac and cheese was usually “homemade” as in I cooked the noodles, cut up a block of Velveeta cheese (product) and butter—no squeeze pouches here!  Anyway, hardly cooking…I know.

Now the question is…what can a single girl do in the kitchen?  The problem I usually run in to is quantity.  I fail to cook for one…or even two or three.  I end up with massive leftovers that are confined to the back of my fridge to rot.  Yum!  So one goal is to make convertible meals—things that easily transition for the next lunch or dinner.  And I don’t quite mean taking one nights meatloaf and making a meatloaf sandwich.  Though I cannot knock the meatloaf sandwich!  Honestly, though I am not quite sure where that will go…but chicken is very adaptable so I see some promise here.

The only goal is budgeting.  I don’t want to give myself too tight a budget…remember, I am pretty good at making ramen and mac and cheese and I can do that on the cheap.  But I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on lobster and steak each week either.  (I am pretty sure I could do that easily.)  So my first goal is $50.00 a week, about $200 a month…as opposed to over $500 I have been spending.  I will also give myself an eating out budget, $50 a month perhaps for coworker dinner and drink nights.  Okay at that rate I will save $250 a month.  $3000 a year. 

The next phase of the plan is to move a portion of those savings into an account and create some exciting reward later on…no clue on that one yet.  I just know if I don’t move it out of my primary account, I will spend it.  Somehow.  On something.  Which only minimizes my goals here.

I am not sure if there any rules yet.  Outside of the oblivious—eat out less and stick to the budget. 

But for this week, because I am super broke until payday, I am going to clean out my fridge and cabinets so I can take stock of what I have and need.  Due to the complete lack of staples (or really anything), my first week budget will be doubled so I can make those initial purchases. 

Mission Home Cooking starts Saturday October 1^st.  But for tonight, one last burrito and beer off the record.  Cheers.