$100 of Food in 40 Days

As we've been catching up on bills and figuring out just what it is that we want to do with our time and money I've noticed that time passed us by at an unexpected rate. Suddenly, it is the week before Thanksgiving and a month before Christmas. We are still living mostly paycheck to paycheck and although we made a budget our money is leaking away in small but noticeable ways.

Food is likely our biggest budget buster. I say likely when I mean that it drains away our money takeout food by fancy coffee drink until we are suddenly without once again. I know how to cook, one of the major reasons behind me working from home was the ability to help us save more money. Working from home means no work wardrobe, less gas and wear on the car and no commute time. Best of all, no daycare costs. I get to spend time doing the things I love with the people I love. Living on a budget is hard, even when we have dreams that motivate us the day to day motivation is difficult.

With the holidays just a deep breathe away I have committed the next month to a strict food budget. An effort to give us the chance to save while also giving us that chance to get ahead of our bills and closer to living outside of the check-to-check slump.

While the holidays bring many great deals, the food sales are hard to beat. I used this opportunity to stock

up on ham, turkey, flour, sugar, potatoes and an abundance of canned goods. Carrots, celery, broccoli, apples and onion help round it out with something fresh. Dairy goods like sour cream, real butter, cream cheese and milk will also help me stretch meals with extra protein and flavor.

In addition to this shopping trip with a mission, I have my pantry stocked with diced tomatoes, corn, tuna and baking essentials.

With Pinterest by my side, I developed a 40 day meal plan that will get us through the end of the year all while eating delicious meals and even some desserts. I will be using whole parts of the meat I have purchased and documenting my challenge via this blog.