Summer and Jobless

I'm making some serious changes in my life and I'm trying to shrink our monthly food/toiletry expense to about $500 a month. I'm nervous about the feasibility of this but it is the goal I want to start with.

Today, for the first time, I shopped with a cash budget and refused to make any exceptions or justifications. By the time I stocked up on a good sale for toilet paper and power steering fluid for my leaking van, I only had $30 for food. That doesn't go far at all but I got the basics that I needed for this week to supplement the stuff I've got (my pantry is pretty well stocked). This refusal to justify that I could spend the cash for the food budget and exclude the other necessities. This is a bit of a breakthrough for me since I seem to be a professional rationalizer...

My schedule is WIDE open this summer so the fact that I didn't get to buy more stuff is not such a problem. I have tons of basics at home and it will not be a problem to bake/cook from scratch. I'm actually enjoying the challenges. I suppose that is because for now, my paychecks are actually going to be larger than they were before and this is just an experiment for a couple of months.

This week, I am endeavoring to expand our recipes. I'm planning to post pics and recipes and especially how the meals are received (by the picky-ish kiddos!).