Breakfast: orange juice and toast with grape jelly
Lunch: pb&j
Dinner: ramen
This experiment has now concluded. Ten page paper to follow with my analysis.
Tomorrow is my 25th birthday (actually, it begins in 21 minutes) and I will be indulging in many delights!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Saturday
Fortunately I managed to keep busy today, so with the end of the challenge nearing this is becoming less difficult. Also, pizza has made my entire week.
Breakfast: orange juice and a banana
Lunch: pizza
Dinner: ramen
Wow, that list is so short and sad looking.
I rode my bike to Centennial Park tonight and caught Vince Gill's impromptu kind of show at the Celebration of Cultures. So much food. I saw churros! So tempting. As I was riding home I swear I caught the smell of gingerbread baking coming out of someone's house. It's sort of weird how my sense of smell seems to have increased tenfold over this week. I never usually smell anything, but maybe the lack of tasting is making me use it more? Interesting.
Breakfast: orange juice and a banana
Lunch: pizza
Dinner: ramen
Wow, that list is so short and sad looking.
I rode my bike to Centennial Park tonight and caught Vince Gill's impromptu kind of show at the Celebration of Cultures. So much food. I saw churros! So tempting. As I was riding home I swear I caught the smell of gingerbread baking coming out of someone's house. It's sort of weird how my sense of smell seems to have increased tenfold over this week. I never usually smell anything, but maybe the lack of tasting is making me use it more? Interesting.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friday!
It's finally the weekend. This is going to be difficult.
Breakfast: Orange juice and a banana
Lunch: pb&j and the last remaining fruit crisp
Dinner: I went to Trader Joe's and picked up vegan pizza dough for $.99. Speaking from a non-vegan's perspective, it is FANTASTIC. I also got pizza sauce at Kroger for $.99. Subtracting that from my $2.85, I have $.87 cents remaining. I made pizza for dinner, and it was so delicious and wonderful and I was so glad I didn't have to eat ramen five nights in a row.
But, wait. In the interest of full disclosure, my friend Kelsey mailed me freshly baked cookies for my birthday today. And I couldn't help it, I had to try one. And then another. So, I ate two cookies today that were gifted to me. I'll estimate the price of the cookies based on size at about $.50, as she told me it wasn't really cheating because they were so cheap to make for her. So I really have $.27 remaining of my $21.00. Which will essentially buy me...nothing. I also felt that a food stamp participant in this position would not turn down free food, and I think that many people are gifted food on their birthdays. Why would you throw away perfectly good food if you were starving? I know, excuses. But I have accounted for them.
I will say, after eating said cookies, I did become particularly giddy. I don't know if it was the sugar or my joy at finally eating something sweet. I am kind of surprised by how large of an effect food has on my mood from this experiment. Today was a great day based on two cookies and homemade pizza. Weird.
Breakfast: Orange juice and a banana
Lunch: pb&j and the last remaining fruit crisp
Dinner: I went to Trader Joe's and picked up vegan pizza dough for $.99. Speaking from a non-vegan's perspective, it is FANTASTIC. I also got pizza sauce at Kroger for $.99. Subtracting that from my $2.85, I have $.87 cents remaining. I made pizza for dinner, and it was so delicious and wonderful and I was so glad I didn't have to eat ramen five nights in a row.
But, wait. In the interest of full disclosure, my friend Kelsey mailed me freshly baked cookies for my birthday today. And I couldn't help it, I had to try one. And then another. So, I ate two cookies today that were gifted to me. I'll estimate the price of the cookies based on size at about $.50, as she told me it wasn't really cheating because they were so cheap to make for her. So I really have $.27 remaining of my $21.00. Which will essentially buy me...nothing. I also felt that a food stamp participant in this position would not turn down free food, and I think that many people are gifted food on their birthdays. Why would you throw away perfectly good food if you were starving? I know, excuses. But I have accounted for them.
I will say, after eating said cookies, I did become particularly giddy. I don't know if it was the sugar or my joy at finally eating something sweet. I am kind of surprised by how large of an effect food has on my mood from this experiment. Today was a great day based on two cookies and homemade pizza. Weird.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday
Breakfast: orange juice and a banana
Lunch: pb&j and a fruit crisp
Dinner: ramen noodles
My dear friend Patsy officially has the most wonderful smelling house in the world. It gives off the aroma of home and dinner and "real" food. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay and enjoy it tonight.
I feel like this is sounding increasingly pathetic as the week moves along...
Lunch: pb&j and a fruit crisp
Dinner: ramen noodles
My dear friend Patsy officially has the most wonderful smelling house in the world. It gives off the aroma of home and dinner and "real" food. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay and enjoy it tonight.
I feel like this is sounding increasingly pathetic as the week moves along...
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday
Another nutritionless, and now nearly tasteless, day of culinary wonders.
Breakfast: Orange juice and cereal
Lunch: PB&J and a fruit crisp
Dinner: Ramen noodles
Second Dinner: Grilled cheese
In between Dinner and Second Dinner, I spent a lot of time procrastinating on homework, trying to make my noodles last for as long as possible, being depressed, then eventually going to Trader Joe's to invest in four bananas. So subtracting that $.76 investment from my expenditures, I have $2.85 left for the week. My head really started hurting in the grocery store, and I felt an insane craving to buy something wonderful and filled with sugar, but I resisted and instead went home to a plate of gross grilled cheese. De-lish.
My friend Andrea also just informed me that TJ's has pizza dough for $.99. This may turn out better than grilled cheese, so it will most likely be my next investment. Yay, pizza!
I would really like a steak and/or chicken sandwich. I don't know how single people invest in meat/poultry on food stamps.
My other friend Mona also informed me today that some farmer's markets will match food stamp allotments with farmer's market tokens. For instance, $20 in food stamps = $20 in farmer's market tokens, increasing their budget to $40 at the farmer's market. The state of Tennessee does participate in this, although I can't find anything stating that the Nashville Farmer's Market is a participant yet.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/ebt/fm-scrip-Bonus_Incentives.htm
An additional news article about this:
http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=13155974
If I had known about this earlier, I would probably be rolling in strawberries and cauliflower and carrots right about now. Maybe some fresh bread and hand rolled pasta. Local grass-fed beef. Maybe even a cupcake. Gah.
Breakfast: Orange juice and cereal
Lunch: PB&J and a fruit crisp
Dinner: Ramen noodles
Second Dinner: Grilled cheese
In between Dinner and Second Dinner, I spent a lot of time procrastinating on homework, trying to make my noodles last for as long as possible, being depressed, then eventually going to Trader Joe's to invest in four bananas. So subtracting that $.76 investment from my expenditures, I have $2.85 left for the week. My head really started hurting in the grocery store, and I felt an insane craving to buy something wonderful and filled with sugar, but I resisted and instead went home to a plate of gross grilled cheese. De-lish.
My friend Andrea also just informed me that TJ's has pizza dough for $.99. This may turn out better than grilled cheese, so it will most likely be my next investment. Yay, pizza!
I would really like a steak and/or chicken sandwich. I don't know how single people invest in meat/poultry on food stamps.
My other friend Mona also informed me today that some farmer's markets will match food stamp allotments with farmer's market tokens. For instance, $20 in food stamps = $20 in farmer's market tokens, increasing their budget to $40 at the farmer's market. The state of Tennessee does participate in this, although I can't find anything stating that the Nashville Farmer's Market is a participant yet.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/ebt/fm-scrip-Bonus_Incentives.htm
An additional news article about this:
http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=13155974
If I had known about this earlier, I would probably be rolling in strawberries and cauliflower and carrots right about now. Maybe some fresh bread and hand rolled pasta. Local grass-fed beef. Maybe even a cupcake. Gah.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday
Last night I was offered food and drinks twice. Vegan chocolate cake and gumbo, things I normally would have tried because I've never had them before, but for the purpose of this experiment are off limits. At Theology on Tap, a group of Catholic young adults who gather to drink and discuss theology topics (as the name suggests), the smell of the wine was nearly overwhelming from the person's glass sitting next to me. I was starving, and I could feel a headache coming on from not eating enough calories for the day. I went home last night and ate nearly half of the cereal box while updating this.
This morning, I woke up feeling very weak and very hungry. I think I've realized that the most difficult part of this is not having enough to eat, but that I am forcing myself not to eat to stay within the budget. I feel like I'm not in control of my own life or decisions. I sort of feel like I'm on a diet with all of these restrictions. It's incredibly mentally taxing, and because I can't eat, all I think about is eating, about timing when I eat to be able to stretch it out as long as possible. I also have found that I need to increase my water intake.
Breakfast:
Orange juice and more than two handfuls of cereal. Probably at least five. And a glass of water.
Mid-morning snack:
Half of my fruit crisp that was supposed to be saved for lunch.
Lunch:
PB&J and the remaining fruit crisp.
Dinner:
Ramen.
I would have liked to go out to eat tonight at one of my favorite studying/eating places, Fido or the Frothy Monkey or Portland Brew or Panera, but that isn't possible this week thanks to not being able to spend any money to eat or drink there. It's only slightly rude to order a glass of water and mooch off of their wi-fi.
Surprisingly, I'm not as hungry tonight as I was last night. Maybe it's not being as tempted by food offered by others. I have also consumed much more water today than yesterday, which helps a lot.
Is it Sunday yet?
This morning, I woke up feeling very weak and very hungry. I think I've realized that the most difficult part of this is not having enough to eat, but that I am forcing myself not to eat to stay within the budget. I feel like I'm not in control of my own life or decisions. I sort of feel like I'm on a diet with all of these restrictions. It's incredibly mentally taxing, and because I can't eat, all I think about is eating, about timing when I eat to be able to stretch it out as long as possible. I also have found that I need to increase my water intake.
Breakfast:
Orange juice and more than two handfuls of cereal. Probably at least five. And a glass of water.
Mid-morning snack:
Half of my fruit crisp that was supposed to be saved for lunch.
Lunch:
PB&J and the remaining fruit crisp.
Dinner:
Ramen.
I would have liked to go out to eat tonight at one of my favorite studying/eating places, Fido or the Frothy Monkey or Portland Brew or Panera, but that isn't possible this week thanks to not being able to spend any money to eat or drink there. It's only slightly rude to order a glass of water and mooch off of their wi-fi.
Surprisingly, I'm not as hungry tonight as I was last night. Maybe it's not being as tempted by food offered by others. I have also consumed much more water today than yesterday, which helps a lot.
Is it Sunday yet?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday
Confession: I became sort of panicked last night about this whole experiment beginning today, and as I was driving through a part of town that I'm not usually in, I spotted a Krispy Kreme and could not resist heading through the drive-through for a single glazed donut, something I probably haven't had in a year. I didn't exactly feel great afterward.
I went to Target yesterday to get the majority of my grocery shopping done. The round-up:
$1.57 Target brand grape jelly
$1.99 Jif creamy peanut butter
$2.00 Sara Lee white whole-grain bread
$3.00 Simply Orange orange juice (I cannot live without this.)
$1.29 6 pack of beef flavored ramen noodles
$.52 can of chicken double noodle soup
$2.00 Life cinnamon-flavored cereal
$1.84 shredded cheese
$.64 can of carrots (I guess I need some vegetables)
$2.54 Special K fruit crisps (obviously not a necessity, and I should probably have substituted actual fruit for this, but I am still lazy and currently addicted to these.)
= $17.39 grand total
So I have $3.61 currently left within my budget for the week.
Today's Meals
Breakfast: Orange juice and two handfuls of Life cereal. This is pretty much my everyday breakfast. I don't drink milk because I'm not a fan, and I eat my cereal plain because I hate the soggy consistency of cereal with milk. I will probably try to get bananas for the rest of the week because they're only 19 cents at Trader Joe's.
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Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fruit crisps. I actually eat this quite frequently, but usually with grapes and an apple. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to afford fruit. I really wanted Chinese food for lunch today, though. The Sara Lee white bread (which I have never bought before, I usually get wheat but it was cheaper) is completely disgusting. Seriously, it's gross and I am never buying it again. I ate it though, even the crust. Gross. I still want Chinese food.
Dinner: Dinner was tricky because I had to run home from work to make ramen noodles and eat them rather quickly in order to drive 30 miles to meet with the family of the children I am observing for the Neuro paper. Normally I would have just stopped and gotten something but even the $1 menu at McDonald's would run up my budget rather quickly.
(On the way to their house, Franklin, Tennessee)
.JPG)
Note: I drink water for every meal besides breakfast. This is something I regularly do, the only other things I ever drink are orange juice and wine or beer or tea on occasion. I have never been a coffee drinker, and stopped drinking soda about...12, 13 years ago? So that part of this challenge is probably the least difficult for me.
I do sort of wish that I did have a husband and children (just for the challenge), because I think that might even make this project a bit easier because of how much more difficult it is to prepare meals for a single person. By increasing the budget and simply splitting a slightly larger meal among more people, I would probably be able to afford something other than noodles for myself every night for dinner. I would probably have had a taco dinner tonight with my imaginary children and adoring husband. But my delicious dinner of noodles with my cat was just as wonderful, really.
I went to Target yesterday to get the majority of my grocery shopping done. The round-up:
$1.57 Target brand grape jelly
$1.99 Jif creamy peanut butter
$2.00 Sara Lee white whole-grain bread
$3.00 Simply Orange orange juice (I cannot live without this.)
$1.29 6 pack of beef flavored ramen noodles
$.52 can of chicken double noodle soup
$2.00 Life cinnamon-flavored cereal
$1.84 shredded cheese
$.64 can of carrots (I guess I need some vegetables)
$2.54 Special K fruit crisps (obviously not a necessity, and I should probably have substituted actual fruit for this, but I am still lazy and currently addicted to these.)
= $17.39 grand total
So I have $3.61 currently left within my budget for the week.
Today's Meals
Breakfast: Orange juice and two handfuls of Life cereal. This is pretty much my everyday breakfast. I don't drink milk because I'm not a fan, and I eat my cereal plain because I hate the soggy consistency of cereal with milk. I will probably try to get bananas for the rest of the week because they're only 19 cents at Trader Joe's.
.JPG)
Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fruit crisps. I actually eat this quite frequently, but usually with grapes and an apple. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to afford fruit. I really wanted Chinese food for lunch today, though. The Sara Lee white bread (which I have never bought before, I usually get wheat but it was cheaper) is completely disgusting. Seriously, it's gross and I am never buying it again. I ate it though, even the crust. Gross. I still want Chinese food.
Dinner: Dinner was tricky because I had to run home from work to make ramen noodles and eat them rather quickly in order to drive 30 miles to meet with the family of the children I am observing for the Neuro paper. Normally I would have just stopped and gotten something but even the $1 menu at McDonald's would run up my budget rather quickly.
(On the way to their house, Franklin, Tennessee)
.JPG)
Note: I drink water for every meal besides breakfast. This is something I regularly do, the only other things I ever drink are orange juice and wine or beer or tea on occasion. I have never been a coffee drinker, and stopped drinking soda about...12, 13 years ago? So that part of this challenge is probably the least difficult for me.
I do sort of wish that I did have a husband and children (just for the challenge), because I think that might even make this project a bit easier because of how much more difficult it is to prepare meals for a single person. By increasing the budget and simply splitting a slightly larger meal among more people, I would probably be able to afford something other than noodles for myself every night for dinner. I would probably have had a taco dinner tonight with my imaginary children and adoring husband. But my delicious dinner of noodles with my cat was just as wonderful, really.
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