Indian Buffet

Went to an Indian buffet with coworkers for lunch. Had two heaping plates of veggie dishes so along with the two bananas I had, I'm guessing I hit 10 servings overall!

10 servings of fruits and vegetables on $13.81

$3.81 over budget for the day

$34.26 under budget overall

Going bananas!

Bananas were on sale at Trader Joe's for 19 cents each! That's the cheapest fruit I've seen available in SF outside of farmer's markets!

Daily Summary

• Groceries, $0.76: bananas on sale at Trader Joe's, apple at Safeway*
• 0 servings, Breakfast: peanuts & rice
• 0 servings, Lunch: silk nut milk
• 1 serving, Snack: banana
• 8 servings, Dinner: brown rice, beans, tvp chili, and a LOT of added spinach
• 1 serving, Snack: apple

* Received a refund of the rotten apple from yesterday and bought a cheaper variety (gala vs. red delicious).

10 servings of fruits and vegetables on $0.76

$9.24 under budget for the day

$38.07 under budget overall

Bulk Buying

Brown rice and pinto beans were on sale, so I bought 10 pounds each. Even though the upfront cost put me over for the day, I'm saving overall by a good margin.

$0.99: 15 ounce can of pinto beans -> 6.6 cents per ounce

vs.

$8.46: 10 pounds of dry pinto beans -> 20 pounds & 5 ounces cooked -> 2.6 cents per ounce

That's about 60% off the price of canned beans. While canned beans are undoubtedly more convenient, I have a pressure cooker, so dry beans aren't too much of a hassle. Totally dry, the pressure cooker can finish them in about 30 minutes. Soaked overnight, it only takes 15 minutes.

Daily Summary

• Groceries: $20.31
• 0 servings, Breakfast: silk nut milk
• 0 servings, Lunch: silk nut milk
• 8 servings, Dinner: tvp curry, rice, and 4 cups of veggies
• 1 serving, Snack: orange

The apple I bought looked perfectly fine, but the core had been eaten through by insects so I had to toss it out :(.

9 servings of fruits and vegetables on $20.31

$10.31 over budget for the day

$28.83 under budget overall

Silk Saturday

Whipped up another batch of tvp chili, this time with tons of spinach and the free tortilla chips from work yesterday. Later, I made red lentils, rice, and veggies (masoor khichdi), before heading to the supermarket. 

Since I've been good on both my budget and my diet, I wanted to splurge a little bit. Before, splurging meant going overboard with takeout. This time, I went with some +protein Silk nut milk (heh) on sale and grabbed it along with the usual frozen veggies and fruit. 

Daily Summary

• Groceries: $9.69
• 2 servings, Lunch: tvp chili with spinach and tortilla chips
• 6 servings, Dinner: masoor khichdi
• 2 servings, Snack: nut milk, apple, and orange

10 servings of fruits and vegetables on $9.69

$0.31 under budget for the day
$39.14 under budget overall

I love work meetings!

There's at least 1 big department meeting at work every week, which means free food for the whole floor. There was a ton of fruit left over, plus some tortilla chips I took home.

Daily Summary

• 0 servings, $4.29 - Breakfast: peanuts
• 3 servings, $3 - Lunch: tofu, broccoli, brown (and peanuts added after pic)
• 3 servings, $0 - Snack: watermelon, strawberries, and pineapple
• 4 servings, $0 - Dinner: masoor khichdi

10 servings of fruits and vegetables on $7.29

$2.71 under budget for the day
$38.83 under budget overall

Public Transportation Snafus

Except for the first 2 days of this month, I've used public transportation, rather than Lyft. Today was a tough one. I had a board game night with some friends that required 2 separate bus lines. Unfortunately, I got a limited stop bus and ended up on the wrong side of Golden Gate Park :(. With some quick checking online, I was able to find an alternate route that put me within walking distance and I actually made it on time. Still, the temptation to just click for a Lyft ride was strong. Speaking of temptation, I resisted my normal game night gorging and passed on the cookies. Separate issue from my budget, but I'm about 40 pounds overweight, so I've been cutting back on junk food, too. I ate dinner before heading over and drank sparkling water, which was my only purchase for the day.

After game night, I found an alternate route with a bus line to an underground stop. San Francisco can get rather cold in the summer, so I didn't want to be outdoors more than necessary on a chilly night. Turns out, I was on the wrong corner for the unfamiliar bus and had to take my regular route after all. Of course, I missed the connecting bus. It was an 18 minute wait in the cold for the next one. I sooooo wanted to use Lyft, but stuck it out and waited. It wasn't that bad and my wallet was certainly in better shape than the usual takeout & lyft combo for game nights!

Daily Summary

• 0 servings, $0 - Breakfast: peanuts & rice
• 4 servings, $0 - Lunch: masoor dal & rice
• 2 serving, $0 - Snack: 2 bananas
• 4 servings, $0 - Dinner: masoor khichdi
• 0 servings, $2.45 - Drink: sparkling water for game night

10 servings of fruits and vegetables on $2.45

$7.55 under budget for the day
$36.12 under budget overall

Coasting Along

Even though I've been eating the same thing for quite a while, it actually hasn't been bad at all. I've settled into a routine and each meal still hits the spot. I'll probably change some stuff up this weekend, but so far so good!

Daily Summary

• 0 servings, $0 - Breakfast: peanuts & rice
• 4 servings, $0 - Lunch: masoor dal & rice
• 1 serving, $2.34 - Snack: apple (+orange & 4 bananas for later)
• 4 servings, $1.99 - Dinner: TVP curry & rice (cost from frozen veggies)
• 1 serving, $0 - Snack: orange

10 servings of fruits and vegetables on $4.33

$5.67 under budget for the day
$28.57 under budget overall