March 2014 Resolution- No spending except $45 for food.

I’ve debated about my March resolution for about two weeks.  I wanted to do something challenging, but still something I could succeed in keeping.   I knew I wanted to give up spending money, but with exceptions.  First, my monthly bills (rent, utilities, auto payments for cellphone, insurance, etc.) would not count.  Second, medical co-pays for office visits or medication would also be excluded.  At first I thought I would not spend money on anything other than food and beverages.  Then, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be an interesting month if I could limit the amount of money I could spend on food and beverages.  I was thinking about spending no more than $40 in cash or credit on food and beverages for the entire month.  Then I researched the poverty line and saw it was $1.50 a day and decided to increase my allowance a bit.  So, for the month of March, I will not spend cash or use my credit card on anything but $45 worth of food and beverages.  Yes, that is $45 for the entire month, not week.  (And for those wondering, it's not unusual for me to spend $20 a week on groceries.)

No, I did not hit up Costco or do a huge grocery run on February 28^th (or the last week of February for that matter). In fact, here is what my cupboards and fridge look like:

 

No, I will not count the food that currently resides in my cabinets, fridge, freezer, bar or counter top- these items I have already paid for and really don’t want to try calculating how much they cost to factor into the $45

What about St. Patty’s day?  I have some Guinness in my fridge and I have a reception that evening, so I’ll be eating and drinking well on someone else’s dime.

What about my Starbucks habit?  Since I pay with my Starbucks gift cards (which were given to me as gifts), I’m allowing myself to exclude what I spend using gift cards (of any kind) from the $45 as it is not cash, nor credit.  Look at it as my government assistance for the month.

What do I hope to gain from this experience?  A credit card bill that is significantly smaller (hopefully well below my monthly 4 digit average). AND a cleaner cabinet, fridge & freezer (look at it as a spring cleaning of sorts). 

What about my health?  Yes, I'm a vegetarian so I already have a limited diet.  I don't go to fast food joints (partially bc I can only eat their fries and also my town doesn't have a McDonald's or Burger King).  I hope to do this the healthy way and show that it is possible (maybe cheaper??)  to live off nutritious "healthy" items rather than the processed stuff.  While I know Ramen will be a dish I eat a couple times over the 30 days, it won't be a staple.  In the end I do hope that I lose some weight too.

How will I do it?

I plan to spend most of my money on fruits and veggies which will take some planning especially since here in Boston apples go for $1.99  a pound ($1.49 when on sale!) or about $.69 each at Trader Joe's.  (Yes, something I still cringe at after growing up on SoCal where the produce was WAY cheaper.)  If you do the math, I wouldn't be able to afford much after buying an apple for the day at those prices.  I'll use coupons whenever possible (which is a habit I've had for years now) and take advantage of the weekend produce market downtown where they sell spoiling or soon to spoil produce taken off grocery shelves to you at a fraction of the cost.  AND, best of all, I'll blog with photos and calculate the costs of my meals made with any of the items purchased with that $45 so you all can see what I am eating.

So here it goes my friends... 30 days +  $45 = March Resolution.