I think it’s time

Time to discuss this “$100 Food Challenge” – don’t you?

You see, last month I was on Twitter (big surprise there) – and decided that for 4 weeks my family of three would live on a measly $100 plus our pantry/freezer contents. Now, before you jump to conclusions, thinking – yeah, sure, I bet you’ve been stockpiling – wrong. I intend to pretty much list everything I have to start with. The point of the mission is to see if it’s possible & still exciting (meaning, not 28 days of Ramen Noodles, for example) – and not CHEAT. If I had a huge stockpile, where’s the fun in that? So, I won’t be cheating.

I’d say the contents of my kitchen right now are pretty much what every American kitchen has. I’ll list everything exactly on the 30th of June, because who knows what I may use between now and then. I want to be fair.

Now, WHY am I doing this?

First and foremost – to see if it can be done. Second – the economy sucks and money saved is a GOOD THING. Typically, between our meals at home, my husband’s lunches at work, and the occasional meal out, our little family runs through $600 or more a month. Some of you say that your coffee bill alone each month is $100 – so for you, this might be a wake up call. We stand to SAVE a whopping $500 this month JUST by being frugal in the food department. Imagine the possibilities! Do this 3 months out of the year and what do you have? A CRUISE, people. 7 nights of pampered bliss. So for me, it’s worth it to give this a shot.

Now, the rules are simple. Rule number ONE – Set an amount for yourself. We chose $100 because it’s a good (low) round number. It averages us a little over a dollar a person a day. That ain’t much. So maybe you are a family of 4 and you want to give this challange a try, too. Try $150. You more than likely spend that in one week, don’t you? Between groceries, a trip to DQ and the kids lunches? See what you can get by on. Set your goal and get the family involved and excited about it. If you normally spend $650, you’ll have $500 at the end of the month. Once you succeed, do something frivilous and reward yourselves! Maybe decide in advance as a family what the reward will be, then everyone will be on board. It’s only 4 weeks. In all honesty, most of us could sustain ourselves on what’s currently in the freezer and pantry without spending a dime. It might not be the most pleasant month dining wise, but it could be done.

Rule Number TWO- Don’t change your life just to succeed at the challenge.

Huh? Isn’t the the idea?

What I mean is, don’t start mooching off of friends and family everyday just to make it. If you already do that – well, don’t stop, but don’t START. For example, my Mom has Sunday Dinner at her house every week. Usually. So we intend to keep going. But I am not going to start asking her to make Saturday Dinner, too. See? Easy rule.

Rule Three – and this one is a BIT of a cheat. July is full of parties and holidays, I know. Just go ahead and stock what you think you are going to need for that barbeque or party. Don’t miss out on life…but don’t go nuts, either. TWDers, the recipes are already listed for July. Grab now what you need or decide to skip certain week’s recipes. You decide what you can live with or without.

That’s pretty much all the rules. So JOIN ME! Leave a comment here with a link to your blog saying you want in (and for how much if you’ve decided). Then, on the 30th, post about it and tell the Blogosphere what you intend to start with and get them excited about it, too.

July 1 through July 28. It’s gonna be a trip, and I hope some of you will come with me! I will feature a link on my sidebar to everyone on the Mission with me, so let’s GO.

(Now, what am I gonna do with the reward…..put it towrds a fancy new camera for my blog? hmmmmm. What are YOU gonna do with it?)