$5/day challenge- the list

The  trick to making this work is shopping for more than one meal and more than one day at a time, and buying ingredients that compliment each other so that you can use your leftovers throughout the week. I asked the friendly internet for some cheap and healthy recipe suggestions before shopping, and then armed myself with my ingredient list.

We stopped ourselves a little under the $70 limit for the week because we already have chicken breasts and ground beef at home, so purchasing more would have been wasteful. Also, you may notice as I cook this week I use a few ingredients here and there not on this shopping list. If your home is already stocked with olive oil, spices and herbs, no need to include them in your count. I have those items plus a jar of chopped garlic, a bottle of lemon juice, some white and red wine, and a few leftover grapes that I plan to make use of as well. The challenge is about a lifestyle change that has longevity, not about eating boring food or letting what is in you refrigerator currently go to waste.

All of that said, to keep us honest, I'll post the total cost of each meal as I make it. As long as it averages out over the week, though, you've done it! (my challenge, my rules). This shouldn't be an impossible feat, just a good challenge to make us get off our butts and into the kitchen :)

Here is what we bought for the week:

bag fuji apples- $5.49

jar Simply Jif creamy peanut butter- $3.99

bag yellow onions- $3.99

16 oz bag dry chickpeas- $2.99

16 oz bag dry great northern beans- $2.59

Loaf wheat bread- $2.25

Cucumber-$1.57

2 green bell peppers- $1.61

2 packages cherry tomatoes- $6

1lb roundeye steak (lean)- $5.14

Red wine vinegar- $3.99

Head of lettuce- $2.99

Head of cabbage- $2.31

4 cans tuna in water- $5

6 oz fat free Vanilla cherry yogurt- $1

8 oz Cheddar cheese- $3

8 oz Meunster cheese- $3

Local farm fresh medium eggs (30)- $4.99

Celery- $3

Total- $67.49 (with tax)

The challenge begins October 1st!