Splurge Solution

How do you rectify spending too much? Spending less. Hopefully, I’ve made some gains in that respect this past week.

I focused on using food that I already have at home. For example, I used the ground turkey from my freezer and the papardelle in the cabinet to make a delicious pasta. I also tossed in some of the carrots (from the 10-lb bag). All I had to do was spend $1.79 on a jar of  tomato/basil pasta sauce from Trader Joe’s. Not only did I use my existing assets, but I also freed up space in my cabinet.

I even picked an orange from my neighbor’s tree. Don’t worry. He could really care less ’bout ‘dem oranges. It wasn’t the sweetest orange, but it wasn’t half bad.

I’m still averaging $14/day, even with this week’s spendthrift methods. But, at least I haven’t increased to $15/day. Right?

So, from two trips to Trader Joe’s and one trip to Pancho’s for a burrito, I spent $53.83.

What’s left? $3336.95

Saturday Splurge

Double oops. We’re way over the limit now. This how it happened.

I went to a local cafe to get some work done. When I sit in a cafe for two hours and focus just on work, I can get a lot more done. All I have to do is buy something, like coffee or lunch, and then hook up to the free wifi and plentiful supply of electricity. It’s certainly worth the price of admission. But not this time. After forking over $7.31 for clam chowder in a bread bowl, my computer simply wouldn’t connect with the wifi.

Meanwhile, Lyndon was off conquering the local hills with his bike. To celebrate his success, and rightly so, he spent $12.50 on a Croque Madame. A bit pricey, if you ask me. But, what do you expect in upscale Woodside?

Then, that night, we dined at Pho Hoa Via. It’s simple and not fancy. Still, it’s plenty fancy when you’re trying to restrict yourself to $10 a day. Two bowls of noodles cost us $24.50.

All tolled, we spent $44.31 on Saturday. That’s more than four days worth when we’re already over the limit.

What’s left? $3390.78

Over the Limit

It’s been 16 days since I started on my quest to spend just $10 a day on food. Based on the total expenditures of $224.91, I’ve been averaging $14 a day. Oops.

For the record, I spent $3.75 on a ham & cheese croissant yesterday and $58.10 on groceries at the Chinese market.

What’s left? $3435.09

Lifting Lemons

I’m proud to say that I haven’t done much shoplifting in my life. When I was about four years old, I swiped a candy bar and hid it under my jacket. Then, once outside of the store, I revealed the stolen good to my grandma. For some reason, I thought she would collude with me. I was wrong. She turned right around and forced me to return the candy bar. Lesson learned.

Not that taking lemons — or other neglected fruit — from neighbors’ trees is the same thing. Having lived in the suburbs for nearly two years now, I’ve noticed that good quality fruit goes to waste. In June, there’s the apricot-looking loquats, which are refreshing and delicious. In the winter, I see lots of persimmons, oranges, grapefruits and, of course, lemons.

Ahhh, lemons. Perfect too soothe a sore throat, or to flavor various culinary delights. I’ve seen prices for lemons go for as high as $0.99 each. With a cold this past week, I knew that I needed a few to make my grandma’s lemon tea. The local grocery store was selling lemons for $0.69 each. I only bought one. Instead, I had already picked three from a tree in the neighborhood. I ended up using all four lemons. That means I saved $2.07.

All in all, I spent $15.15.

I also bought $7.57 worth of groceries at Trader Joe’s and spent $10 having lunch with a friend.

What’s left? $3496.94

Out & About

A couple of days ago I took my weekly trip to San Francisco. This week, it was a long day with obligations and errands. I brought some carrots and hummus and some other snacks. But, still, I wanted a real meal. I ended up going for a carton of chow fun. It was $3.

It was a lot of grease, which left me wishing that I hadn’t eaten it. Costco’s $1.5o hot dog is a much better option, at half the price. (Did I mention that it comes with a refillable drink?)

I bought some vegetables at a Chinese grocery store, along with some preserved fruit, which cost more than $4. The total came out to $8.46.

What’s left? $3529.66

I Was Hungry

Today, I went to Costco merely to purchase a hot dog. You know, their famous loss leader: a big kosher hot dog and refillable drink for $1.50 (comes out to $1.62 w/ taxes).

I didn’t want to eat out, especially when the fridge was full of prepared food. But, I was out and about — and I was hungry. The most convenient and cheapest option — but certainly not the most nutritious – was Costo. 

What’s left? $3541.12

Cheers for Chavez

No, not the late activist Cesar Chavez. I’m talking about Chavez Market in Redwood City. We discovered its taqueria, which is also inside the market, relatively early on after moving to the area. Fresh is the word. For the first, I tasted pico de gallo made with red, ripe tomatoes. Freshly made corn tortillas hot off the grill melted in our mouths. If they don’t smell like popcorn, they just ain’t fresh.

Then, a couple of days ago, I rediscovered the place. I had always assumed that their groceries were probably a bit cheaper than prices at Safeway, Draegers and other markets in the upscale Menlo Park where I live. The produce, selection of spices, dairy and practically everything else is a noticeably cheaper. Of course, Chavez doesn’t have the variety of other markets.

I mostly purchased ingredients to make chili. Since I chose a recipe (from Williams Sonoma’s “Vegetarian”) that called for dried beans, I saved mucho moolah. I spent a total of $11.47 on beans. It’s enough for around 8 batches of chili. One batch would require about four cans of beans. At roughly $1 each, one batch would require $4 of beans. You could only make three batches with canned beans for every eight batches with dried beans.

On the other hand, each can of pureed tomatoes cost $2.39. Since I bought four cans (I made two batches of chili), I spent $9.56 on pureed tomatoes. Time to stock up on pureed tomatoes from Costco.

Total spent at Chavez? $36.02.

What’s left? $3542.74

High Tea, Lazy Sunday

This afternoon, as the sun was clearly showing signs of setting, Lyndon and I headed out for Cafe Barrone. It’s about a half-mile walk through the quaint downtown area. I ordered a sour cream streusel coffee cake and a tea. I always ask for two mugs of hot water. That way, Lyndon and I can share one order of tea. Total cost was $4.33.

We love to sit there with my dog, Abigail, and read all the discarded newspapers. There’s plenty of good ones, like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. We usually top off our trip with a visit to the neighboring bookstore, Keplers. We can stay in there for hours browsing the shelves and inadvertently entertaining the other patrons with our very friendly dog.

What’s left? $3578.76

Moolah & Manna

Here’s some data that’s more solid: numbers from the US Statistical Abstract, which is compiled through census data. In 2006, the last year for which data is available, a family (I’m unsure as to how they define a family) spent $61111 on groceries.

That’s nearly $17 a day. But, I’m gonna aim for $10 a day since we’re just two people and the number has a better ring. With 366 days in 2009, the yearly total would be $3,660.

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping for the first time in 2009. Instead of purchasing loose carrots for $0.99/lb, I went for the 10-lb bag that cost $3.99 (or $0.39/lb). I saved $5.91. Total spent was $46.91. We also spent $30 eating out with friends.

What’s left for the year? $3583.09

A New Year for Eating and Saving

Happy New Year! Probably not as happy as usual with the economy in the pits, and all. Yesterday, I proposed to my husband that we try to avoid eating out for an entire year. Not that easy. I view this feat most challenging because of the social obligations and/or traditions and/or habits. Meeting friends/family in a restaurant is a way of bonding and catching up. So, it’s Jan 1st, and we already have a date to meet with friends tomorrow, Jan 2nd. I’m not going to be draconian about it. One lunch at a casual eating establishment is not a big deal. But, I will be keeping tabs for this year.

A big way to cut back on food expenses is to take a serious look at how much you eat out. According to the USDA, Americans can spend up to 44 percent of their food budget on eating out.

My husband and I have already cut back on eating out. But, I know we can do better. Last night, for New Year’s Eve, we went to our favorite restaurant “Tofu House”. It’s casual and moderately priced. The total came out to about $26. I sat and savored every bite, knowing that I was to embark on this challenge.  At face value, $26 isn’t much. But, I’m sure that would eat up (pun intended!) more than an entire day’s budget.

Today, we had Puttanesca (a pasta sauce) that I made and froze several weeks ago with pasta that I purchased at Costco. Then, for dinner, we ate my aunt’s house. That means we’re starting the year without touching our budget. Feels good.