I am a SNAP recipient who receives $193.00 per month in benefits. To augment that, I am able to budget an additional $32.00 per month for food. Altogether, that leaves me with a budget of just over $50.00 per week. Join me as I share what I do to make it work.
Welcome to Week Fifteen
How have I been writing these posts for fifteen weeks? Even though I’m really missing her, it honestly feels like Sam just left for New Zealand. Speaking of Sam, this would have been the week she returned had she not extended her stay. That means this week’s shopping trip would have had her in mind. Instead, I was still only shopping for myself and still struggling with meal ideas.
This week’s meals definitely lack creativity but the bottom line is that it’s food, and I won’t go hungry. Some weeks I do better than others, but isn’t that life? I think all of us are out here just trying to do our best, and some days our “best” is just surviving. I’m honestly doing well with the exception of being stuck on autopilot when it comes to meals. My mind is too busy looking ahead to Sam’s homecoming, our upcoming visit with family, and all of our summer plans.
In the here and now, I’ve been obsessed with using the Merlin app to record and detect bird sounds. Since it is bird migration season, I’m having a blast filling in my spreadsheet with all of the different birds that are passing through. Merlin has detected over 100 species since March 13!
Other than that, I’m impatiently waiting for my next paint-by-number kit to arrive. I finished my third one last week, and I’ve been enjoying painting so much that I now don’t know what to do with myself since I have nothing to paint. On April 28, I ordered my next paint-by-number kit, which I plan on painting for Sam’s room. Unfortunately, it is just now preparing to leave China.
I ordered both my very first kit as well as this last kit from Colourmost. This same thing happened with that first kit. It “shipped” right away, but it took forever to really go anywhere. In contrast, my other two kits were ordered from ArtVibe, which appears to be the same exact company as Colourmost (my ArtVibe kits actually came in boxes labeled “Colourmost”), but the shipping was much faster both times. Their kits are a few bucks cheaper too. Unfortunately, ArtVibe doesn’t carry this particular kit.
This week has also been an expensive week for me. On Thursday, I spent $293.00 on a visit to the dentist. Luckily, I have a CareCredit credit card, which my dentist’s office accepts. CareCredit does not charge interest if paid in full within six, 12, 18, or 24 months on qualifying purchases of $200 or more. My promotional period for the cost of my dental visit is six months, which works out to $49.00/month. I will definitely pay it off within that timeframe. If I don’t, I’ll be hit with hefty interest charges. That’s the caveat to using CareCredit. Always pay that bill off within the promotional period!
CareCredit has saved my butt many times over the past several years between my dentist visits and vet expenses. If you’re interested, you can visit their website to see if you pre-qualify without impacting your credit score.
Unfortunately, CareCredit doesn’t finance cellphones, which leads me to this week’s other big ticket purchase. My current cellphone is an iPhone SE (first generation). This model was first released in March 2016. I purchased mine for $99.99 shortly after it was discontinued in 2018. It’s been an excellent phone for me, but Apple no longer supports it, and the battery is reaching the end of its life. I’ve been contemplating a new phone for several months, and on Monday I finally bit the bullet.
I am unfortunately an Apple person, which does not really make sense for someone poor like me, but here we are*. Currently, the cheapest phone on Apple.com is the iPhone SE (third generation). The 64 mb model is $429.00, and Apple offers 24-month interest-free financing. I was going to do that, but I was forced to choose a carrier, and they were going to charge a $35.00 “activation fee” for said carrier. I noped out of that and chose to just pay in full out of my savings account. So, instead of financing through Apple, I will simply pay my savings account back each month over a period of 24 months.
I had a $55.00 dollar Apple gift card from recycling an old iPad, so I paid a total of $478.74 for my new iPhone. That includes tax and two years of AppleCare. Hopefully it will be a good phone that lasts me several years. It has to be because I can’t afford to replace it anytime soon. Luckily, I mostly use my phone for phone calls, so that should help preserve the battery life. 99% of the time, I’m using my iPad to access the internet, and iPads are much less expensive to replace (I always purchase certified refurbished models directly from Apple).
What does any of this have to do with food? Not much, I guess. But it does highlight the fact that the necessity of big-ticket purchases doesn’t discriminate based on income levels. They’re a’comin whether you can afford them or not. Luckily, thanks to CareCredit and a modest savings, I was able to handle these expenses.
I spent a total of $771.74 this week, which would equal over 15 weeks of food for me. That’s a lot of groceries. In fact, that’s the timeframe of this whole challenge!
Did I mention I will be spending $450.00 at the dentist next month too?
Ohhh…I also need to get an eye exam and prescription glasses one of these days. I’ll probably put that off for as long as possible.
Meals
Homemade Pizza (2 nights)
This was the same pizza I also ate two nights last week. I had intended to only do two nights of pizza, thinking I would also eat it for lunch. Well, I wound up not being hungry for lunch, so…
It honestly wasn’t too bad eating pizza for four nights, and doing so meant one less meal I had to plan for this week. It also allowed my second dough to cold proof in the fridge for a couple of extra days, and so the flavor continued to develop.
BLTs (2 nights)
I had originally planned to make BLTs with left over French rolls from last week; however, I didn’t like those rolls and tossed them. Instead, I just decided to buy a cheap loaf of bread and kept BLTs on the menu. I have no use for the leftover bread though, so I guess I’ll freeze it.
My first night of BLTs was disappointing because my tomato was mealy. I don’t have high expectations for Roma tomatoes from a grocery store, but the mealiness was gross. And, yes, I used a Roma tomato because they are the perfect size for me. Grocery store tomatoes are all one-note in my opinion, so regardless of what variety I purchase, I’m going to be disappointed. I may as well be disappointed at a lower price point.
I am happy to report that my tomato for Night Two was much better. I also added twice the amount of bacon.
Frozen Pizza (1 night)
Yep, more pizza. Meijer had an mPerks digital coupon for $3.00 off a Screamin’ Sicilian frozen pizza. As I’ve said before, I don’t care much for frozen pizza, but this deal was too good to pass up. I’ll get two meals out of this—two meals (dinner & lunch) for under 5 bucks. They may not be the best meals, but I won’t go hungry. Also, as far as frozen pizzas go, this brand isn’t horrible. Then again, that’s not saying much.
Southwest Soup (2 nights)
This soup started out as chicken tortilla soup back in Week Two, but I don’t like corn tortillas in my soup, so I called it “Tex Mex chicken soup.” Well, I hated the chicken in it, so I was left with just the “Tex Mex.” Now thirteen weeks later, I’m calling it Southwest soup for no other reason than I can’t remember 💩.
With the weather heating up, I’m no longer digging soup. However, I really liked this soup back in February—before I ruined it by adding shredded chicken—and had wanted to make it once more before Sam returned. I have also been struggling with meal ideas, so when I thought of it again, I immediately added it to my list.
Of course I made this soup yesterday, on the muggiest day of the year to-date. And while I loved the freshly ground coriander in it the first time around, I wasn’t digging it last night. It was tasting too much like cilantro, which I detest. The soup was actually “meh” overall. Maybe because I wasn’t craving soup?
Last night I ate my soup while tracking the tornadoes in southern Michigan. It was a scary evening. My heart goes out to the people of Portage, Michigan who were hit by two tornadoes last night. The pictures that are coming out from that area are heartbreaking.
Below is a screenshot of the recipe I created back in February, which I have published on my private food blog. I skipped the lime wedges and tortilla strips this time to save a bit of money. Last time, I forgot to use them anyway.
Total Spent on Meals: $12.38
Baking/Dessert Project
Now that we are heading towards summer at an alarming pace, I have had no desire to bake anything. Honestly though I didn’t really end up baking much this past winter like I had hoped to.
What I have done while Sam has been gone is make desserts—many, many desserts. Unfortunately, my sweet tooth is insatiable, and as a result, my pants have gotten tight on me. And though I will not be making a dessert this week, it’s not due to my pants; it’s because I bought ice cream.
Total Spent for Baking/Dessert Project: $0.00
Stock Up
Yes, I bought another six pounds of strawberries! How could I not take advantage of this incredible sale? I now have over ten pounds of frozen strawberries in a huge 2.5 gallon bag! Yes, only ten pounds. I ate some. 😇 Oh, also! They’re going to be on sale again next week!
Also, Sam wants to have nachos when she gets home. On the Border tortilla chips were on sale, so I grabbed some. While I only saved 98¢, these tidbits of savings add up over time.
Total Spent to Stock Up: $18.52
Miscellaneous
Smoothies
Snacks
So, Edy’s ice cream was on sale 2/$7.00 this week. I also had a $2.00 mPerks digital coupon. How could I pass up that deal? Of course, that means I had to buy ice cream cones too. To my dismay, I later discovered a 75¢ coupon on these very cones that I had somehow overlooked. However, the coupon lasts through June 2, so I may just end up using it.
As far as the chips, I was still craving them, and I had enough in my budget to buy some, so I did. Yeah, that’s not going to loosen up my jeans. At least they were a $1.00 off?
Total Spent on Miscellaneous: $13.63
The Final Tally
This week’s regular price for everything would have been $70.80, but I saved $27.27, which included a $1.00-off coupon from redeeming 1000 mPerks points. These savings brought my grand total down to $43.54, which kept me well within budget!
Grand Total Spent on Food This Week: $43.53
In Conclusion
Closing out Week Fifteen, I’m struck by the juxtaposition of mundane routines alongside major expenses. From repetitive meals to dental visits and a new phone purchase, it’s been a week of balancing necessities with desires. Yet, amidst the financial juggling act, there’s a sense of resourcefulness and resilience that keeps me going. Whether it’s finding solace in hobbies like birdwatching and painting or navigating the complexities of budgeting, each day brings its own set of challenges and triumphs. Here’s to staying resilient, one budget-friendly decision at a time.
*A Bit More on My Phone Decision
I didn’t buy an iPhone solely because I’m an “Apple person.” There were also a few other reasons.
- I am an AT&T Prepaid customer. The majority of phones AT&T makes available to Prepaid customers are for those activating new lines. I’m not about to change my phone number to get a new phone. Furthermore, none of these phones have great reviews.
- The phones from AT&T Prepaid that are available to current customers consist of flip phones as well as two iPhone models that start at $499.99.
- I refuse to purchase refurbished phones from anywhere but Apple; it’s just not prudent. Apple’s current offerings on refurbished phone models cost more than the phone I just bought.
- I also refuse to buy used phones through sites like Swappa. Both of my daughters have been burned by doing so. Plus, I’d rather have a phone that comes with a warranty.
In short, I prefer to buy a quality phone from a reputable company whose products I already know I like and with an interface I am already familiar with. I also like that my phone and tablet are synched.
So, when I say I’m an “Apple person,” it’s definitely not a status thing. Let’s blame Sam for all of this because she gave me her old iPad back in 2014. I fell in love with that damn thing, and now no other brand compares…and I don’t like change. Furthermore, I am definitely brand loyal when I find a product I like. Unfortunately, this time around the brand I happen to like sells really expensive products.
