I’ve been learning about different ways to make smart money choices in order to pay off immensely in the future. I’ve put myself on grocery budgets numerous times in the past and I usually spend a lot on food. I get a craving and then go to the store buy a few (usually expensive) items and then I feed the craving. Doing this almost daily really adds up. Living downtown close to so many grocery stores and restaurants eliminates the need to have food stocked in the kitchen. But I’m changing that! In order to challenge myself not only financially but nutritionally, and to force myself to cook, I put myself on a $40/week food challenge.

There are a lot of great and inspiring videos on YouTube of people eating (healthfully) for only $20 a week and sometimes less! If I had no discretion at all I’d probably spend $100/week on food…and I rarely go out to restaurants. This challenge has been going on for 2 weeks and I’m beginning week 3 today. The first week I went over by $4. So I deducted that from my budget for week 2. Week 2 I went over by $28! Mostly because I literally forgot I was doing this and went grocery shopping.

What I mostly like about this challenge is that it is causing me to cook. I usually avoid cooking and just want food that’s already made, or ready super fast. I’ve also made a few crockpot meals and then I have food for other days of the week as well.

Being grateful to have what I do have and appreciating all the work that others put into growing and making the food that now is in my kitchen has been very helpful in not feeling deprived. I continue to look inward for feelings of satisfaction, fulfillment, and satiety. Everything I want is here within me (or my kitchen) now, I just need to open my eyes to it.