That whole No Spend April Challenge? Piece of cake. We I made it {The boys were oblivious to the whole thing} and I can’t wait to do it again later this year.
I truly believe it’s good to get our of your comfort zone every once in awhile.
I know most of you thought I was a total nut to not hit up the grocery store at least once in the past 30 days and I’m totally okay with that. Even though we didn’t eat as many FRESH fruits and vegetables as I would have liked, we did make a big dent in our frozen fruit supply and are now down to just frozen corn and peas in the freezer.
Maybe subliminally I’m just trying to prepare myself to live off the coast of Maine during the winter months and I’m just playing out the possibility of a wicked Nor’easter rolling in {it could totally happen} where I’m totally trapped in a house and can’t make it town to buy milk for an entire month. Maybe Amazon Prime has closed shop and food can’t be delivered. Maybe my neighbors have all gone made and I can’t ask for help. Or maybe I’m the loon and can’t find the door to leave. Maybe I need to be on meds.
Maybe I just needed to detox from the grocery store and EAT THE FOOD WE ALREADY HAD and be grateful for that. Or maybe, just maybe, I needed to do a no spend month so I could buy more groceries in the month of May for an upcoming project and I didn’t want to dig myself into even a bigger hole I couldn’t climb out of.
Well, whatever the reason, you’ll have to wait until next week to find out. 😉
Here are the meals I ate last week {minus the snacks}:
Monday
Breakfast – Oatmeal. It’s the breakfast of champions. Seriously.
Lunch – 32 ounce smoothie Yee-Haw!
Dinner – Homemade soft tacos
Tuesday
Breakfast – Oatmeal
Lunch – Breaded Zaycon chicken and rice
Dinner – Crockpot pasta and meatballs
Wednesday
Breakfast – Waffle with syrup and frozen berries
Lunch – I have no idea
Dinner – Chicken stir fry and rice {Lucy stole our last carrot} 🙁
Thursday
Breakfast – Steel cut oats
Linner – Chipotle {date day}
Friday
Breakfast – Oatmeal with last summers loganberries
Lunch – Tuna salad on top of sprouts
Dinner – Chicken soft tacos, homemade tortillas of course
Saturday
Breakfast – Smoothie {officially out of orange juice!}
Linner – Beans, rice and tortillas
Sunday
Breakfast – Pancakes and Zaycon bacon
Linner – Meatballs and rice
~Mavis
How about YOU? Feel inspired to try a no spend month?
~Mavis
- Total Spent in April $0
- Total Spent in March $136.58
- Total Spent in February $106.85
- Total Spent in Janaury $105.36
Freebies we’ve been gifted or were earned in 2016: $200
- $100 gift card to Whole Foods {Christmas gift from my parents}
- $100 gift card to Trader Joe’s {Christmas gift from my parents}
- 22 packets of vegetable seeds
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Amy says
Congratulations, you are truely inspiring. While I didn’t join you in the challenge this month, it is very eye opening. I still need to add up all of our grocery receipts for the month, I think we came in around $150.
Mavis says
$150 is waaay better than most households, way to go!
Leslie says
Wow, Mavis. WOW! I’m so impressed you made it a whole month without going to the grocery store. I feel silly admitting that I feel so nervous about even attempting that. Ha! We could make it a week, I bet. After seeing your success (and $aving$!) I think I will try for one week and see how we do. Woot!
Jennifer says
Wait. So this means you now have the freedom to spend DOUBLE next month??
Mavis Butterfield says
No. More like $154. BUT, I have something fun planned for May. You’ll have to wait to see what though. 🙂
carrie says
Congrats!
I for one would love to see pictures of your fridge, ,pantry and freezers.
We are going to try a reduced spending month. Reducing to $150 from our normal $700 or more
Mavis says
That’s awesome. I’d love for you to share how you went from $700 to $150.
Jade says
I agree, pictures of your pantry & fridge & freezer would be awesome! Congrats on accomplishing a huge challenge!
Alice says
At least Fred Meyer has milk on sale this week !!
Heather says
We will do a no spend month later in the summer. May is a big month for stocking up on portable meal items like sandwich fixings, chips, cheese, hot dogs and bratwurst, pork and beans. We still take meals to the field, so stocking up is essential when the items are on sale to feed 5 men through 3 weeks of harvest in June.
I would like to see your freezer, fridge and pantry, too. Eating down the food stores helps me reorganize and regroup the things we stock up on. And as the kid gets older, the things we buy in bulk changes as her tastes change.
Is that a new pic of Lucy? I swear she looks more like a puppy everyday!
Helen in Meridian says
Fred Meyer has the big buckets of Red Vines and black licorice 2/$6.99 limit 2.
Lisa Millar says
haha – you are just a little bundle of mysteries aren’t you??
Well done on your ‘No Spend” month.
I went well over in April – 2 visitors and I wasn’t really being as watchful! And I only did one market… (I like to offset what the garden & kitchen bring in against what I spend at the supermarket!)
Colette says
Do you think a food/toiletries budget of $300 a month for 2 adults is possible? Costco and winco shopper.
Linda S says
I want to see pictures of your pantry too; I want to see pictures of everyone’s pantry. The sad truth is (sigh) my kids tell me I’m addicted to Pantry Porn. I’m not proud of this, but I own it. Is there a 12 step program for this?
Susan says
LOL! You’re not alone! I also LOVE pantry photos AND pictures of what people make for dinner.