Bunso's Eating on the Cheap

[janluvs2heel]

Hey Buns,

If your carrier is AT&T, you could do DSL, that would work with your landline & it is not that much a month. Check it out. It is what I have, since I still have my landline.

[bunsofaluminum]

Hey Buns,

If your carrier is AT&T, you could do DSL, that would work with your landline & it is not that much a month. Check it out. It is what I have, since I still have my landline.

well, I ditched my landline a few months ago...BUT...when I went in to take my modem and remote, etc I asked the man a question about the really low rate at comcast for new customers: $14.99 for internet for a year (I think)...my son is 18, he could sign up for that cheap rate and it wouldn't be high speed internet but it would be cheap. We may eventually do that, but when I asked him that question, he told me he could knock enough off of the price of my current internet, to make it affordable. Same high speed internet, at about $30 less per month. Okay. I can do that.

so I won't be as scarce as I thought

[nomikins]

Just about everything is negotiable. I always ask if the price can be adjusted downward. Most of the time it can. The competition is tight for the internets these days. Ask what's the best deal they can give and insinuate you are exploring a number of options, DSL, cable, etc. You may be quite pleasantly surprised!

[bunsofaluminum]

TUESDAY, JULY 12

B:
.20 for two servings rice (one serving=about a cup)
.25 for 1/4 head of cabbage, steamed (cabbage=.99 per head)
.19 for 1/2 c bean sloppy joe/stew/chili
.64

L:

.20 rice
.35 salad greens
.05 salad dressing (I will figure this out for 321 dressing)
FREE black beans
.60

S:
.08 one slice whole wheat toast, dry
.10 pickled cabbage and baby carrots
.18

D: (planned)
baked potatoes, creamy cauliflower topping, salad, dressing, maybe some beans.

.06 two roasted potatoes
.15 for 1/4 c creamy cauliflower topping
.18 for 1/4 bag of greens
.05 salad dressing
.44

GRAND TOTAL FOR TUESDAY: $1.86

not bad. REALLY glad I didn't eat the cheetos

[bunsofaluminum]

Hm. Being broke, and figuring up my daily food costs, has stopped me ONCE AGAIN, from eating something I didn't need (and ultimately, didn't want)...that is, at my client's job, there is a vending machine. It has cheetos. I LOOOOOVE cheetos...at certain times. Of the month.

Well, I was wanting me some cheetos, and I have change in my wallet, and I was thinking "I'll get me some cheetos when we get to his work and eat them with lunch" And I checked the price, and LO! the price verily was .90 (ninety cents)

almost a full dollar, for stuff that doesn't taste that good.

and so, my commitment to eating well wasn't enough to throw me off, but the price of the junk WAS.

and now I am hungry, so I am going to eat something. Cheap. or free.

[kittyadventures]

Nothing like a frugal gormand!

[sksamboots]

Hey, I love your post today. I'm broke and I have to healthy. LOL

[Rosey]

Definitely a good second reason to not eat it. HUGS!!!

[bunsofaluminum]

Hi rosey. thanks!

I love your profile pic! beautiful lady!

[Rosey]

Hi rosey. thanks!

I love your profile pic! beautiful lady!

Your welcome Buns and Thank you.

[Whalesong]

Hi, I'm really enjoying seeing how everyone in controling there food budget. I saw on an earlier post that your daughter likes frozen borritos. Have you ever thought about making your own. I have been making my own for a while now. They are easy to make and you control what goes into them. I double wrap in plastic wrap and have had them last up to a month in frezer. The last ones I made had brown rice, black beans, veggies, and spices in ww tortilla. They cost me about $8 for 20. I just wish I could find a tortilla that is mcdougall legal that would work for these. Oh well I just try not to eat to many and to eat better the rest of the time. Tracy

[bunsofaluminum]

That's a great idea about making the burritos from scratch. I sometimes make these way yummy New York Goodwiches, which are wraps with veggies (no refritos, but grated carrot, slivered pickle, slivers of avocado, some red cabbage, bbq onions, etc) These are way yummy and you have to make a bunch, because you chop a LOT of vegs. Then they're made up and ready to go. i think I'll do them for lunches next week. Don't know if my kid'll eat em. She likes bean and cheese frozen burritos...16 yoa, don'tcha know.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13

B:
.05 for 1/2 c of rice (short grain brown rice @ .42/lb Winco)
.37 one serving of bean chili
.42 (I'm forgetting something)

L: OPEN FACED RAINBOW SAMWICH
.16 two slices whole wheat bread
.15 for 1/4 c creamy cauliflower spread
.05 for 1/2 yellow pepper
.05 one thin slice red cabbage (.99/head and figuring 20 slices/head)
.29 for 1/2 cucumber, sliced
.70

D: RICE AND STIR FRY VEGS
.20 two cups rice
1.58 hy top stir fry vegs
??? sauce.* (just throwing in .15c on a wild guess)
1.93

*Includes: soy sauce, sweet chili pepper sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, powdered ginger. I have NO IDEA the cost of any of these, since they've been in my cupboard for forever.

GRAND TOTAL FOR WEDNESDAY $3.02

and I'm still hungry, so I'm going to eat something free. Prolly some baked corn tortilla chips.

[bunsofaluminum]

okay, why is the scale not moving?

I ate super simple in the last half of June (MWL at least 95% of the time, and ZERO munchies, cuz I couldn't afford them)...had a payday and indulged myself by eating seconds more often, and a little TEENY bit of munching, but I stopped myself inside of two days, and started eating "on the cheap"...keeping my intake under $3.00 a day means not eating seconds, and eating only very simple foods.

Though this hasn't been a MWL challenge, it by necessity HAS BEEN all MWL foods, all the time, since July 6. (wait. I have had bread a couple times a week during this time. One slice here, a slice there, two slices at lunchtime yesterday. It doesn't seem possible, since this is a very simple 100% whole wheat, no oil added bread with only 120 cals per slice and I don't eat it every day, and I don't binge on it. Usually it's toasted with a tsp of jam, or nothing, just to take the edge off when I get home from work STARVING)

At any rate, the scale has not budged. In fact, it was up two lbs yesterday. Whatever.

I'm eating until full, but not overeating (that is, seconds for me is very rare) and I'm eating very simple, whole foods with starches and greens as the ONLY components of my meals. I wonder what gives.

Meanwhile...

Yesterday I made almond milk.

Almonds are $3.53 a lb at winco which comes to .22 an oz, and I used a cup, which is .22x8=1.77 a cup.

So, one batch is 1.77 and I made six cups of almond milk. That equals .30 per cup of milk.

Also yesterday, I picked raspberries from my yard, which are free!

which brings me to this morning's breakfast:

THURSDAY, JULY 14

B:
.19 for 1/2c steel cut oats
FREE fig bits for sweet
FREE raspberries
.03 for maybe 1/8 c almond milk
.22

.03
add a baked potato, because I was still hungry
so it's
.25 for brekkie

L:
.06 two potatoes
.15 creamy cauliflower topping
.35 half a bag of greens
.05 half yellow pepper
.25 half a cucumber
.03 salad dressing
.89

D: (planned)
rice, steamed or saute'd cabbage, flavoring sauce (?) and green salad w/dressing.

Snack:
.25 red pepper sliced

D: (actual)
.15 for 1.5 c rice
.22 one whole roasted green chile pepper, diced
FREE kidney beans
FREE canned corn
.37

$1.76

DESSERT:
.37 one serving banana strawberry ice cream
FREE raspberries on top!

GRAND TOTAL FOR THURSDAY: $1.88

I'm eatin cheap!

[janluvs2heel]

Buns,

Probably too much bread, oil free or not, and even though you say only a couple times a week, that can make the difference, plus the baked chips, it all adds up. If you are still hungry, eat a fruit or better yet, if it is at night, ignore the hungry. I like going to bed slightly hungry, I think that I sleep better.
I think MWL, even though it is a lifestyle change if you want it to be permanent, can be like any other "diet", if you veer off too much & too often, especially during the weight loss period, it doesn't work or really slows down your loss, and for you, especially since you are closer to your goal. I know with me, if I was to veer off even a little bit, it would show on the scale, either a gain or no weight loss. So for you, you seem to be maintaining on what you are eating which is kind of a good thing I guess, better than gaining. A couple weeks ago, I showed a gain of 5 lbs on my weigh in day, I knew it wasn't what I was eating, so I didn't get too upset, it came off about 3 days later, including another pound, but then there I sat, the same weight, for over a week. That made me decide to do a MM & I have already broken thru the plateau. So maybe try a MM for a couple days & see if it jumpstarts your weight loss. I am not a fan of doing that but sometimes it helps get you over the hump.

[bunsofaluminum]

Hi Jan

thanks for your input. I think you're right about the bread. As for being hungry, because of keeping costs down, I really don't eat seconds very often and I go to bed most nights nicely empty. I like the feeling of my flat stomach in the morning!

I could have passed on those baked chips the other night, but wanted something crunchy so...and it was the last of the corn tortillas. I won't be repeating.

the MM is a good idea. Maybe I need to go there. It sorta feels like it already, except I do eat oatmeal in the mornings, but lunch and dinner are often exactly the same meal...if the objective for MM is to monotonize one's foods, thus eating less, I think I'm already there.

I'm thinking I need to really commit to NOTHING processed for awhile. When I did the no processed food challenge back in Oct, I dropped 10 lbs from 190 to 180, and I've been at 180 ish ever since. Haven't been super strict with myself, though.

but I am being strict now, so it's kinda surprising not to see the scale move. It's gotta be the bread. Well, that's okay. I finished the loaf that was out, and there's a loaf in the freezer that can stay there.

and now I'm glad I've kept detailed records for a couple of weeks. I'll go over what I've eaten and see how much is processed after all.

well looky there. I started this a week and a day ago and every day but one, I had bread! I think that may be what is stopping the scale from moving.

maybe. Overall, a day's meals are very low cal, and I'm not overeating on any food. For eating bread (not bingeing, not overeating it) to cause this kind of a stop? It doesn't make sense. If i was eating nothing but bread, or stuffing my stomach super full at every meal (which I have been known to do) ...

well, anyway. I'm going to ditch all processed flour products, period. See what happens, eh?