Week 3 of the 4 Week Challenge

Week 3 continued to bring some surprising changes in our girls. Primarily, they were hungry. Having sworn off snack foods last week in the interest of saving money, I strongly suspected the far away look in their eyes was akin to the mirage of a thirsty man. No doubt they would be rectifying that.

The girls decided they needed to explore a different strategy - one that employed a filling diet and would include the occasional snack. I watched them brainstorm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. By Friday, I was still unsure what their plan for Sunday shopping might be. I was also a little concerned about how they were going to refill the pantry and fridge they were so rapidly emptying as they caught up on the food they'd been denying themselves the previous week.

I kept them at the same budget limit they'd had the week prior - $125.00. With the subtraction of M's allowance and the addition of their small surplus the week before, their cash allottment was $112.34.

Saturday menu planning was entertaining to watch. Could they add a meal from Wendy's 99 cent menu for a reasonable price? Mom is a vegetarian, they reasoned, and would be happy with a 99 cent potato, thus they would really only be paying for just Dad and themselves. Good idea, they decided, and put it down for Monday's evening meal. There was a Bible conference at our church that week and the girls signed us up for both the Tuesday and Thursday potluck dinners, committing us to a vegetable dish each night. (I found that idea to be particularly ingenious.) Potato soup with cornbread Wednesday night, breakfast-for-supper Friday night, sandwiches Saturday night. Other things on their list included potatoes, milk, produce, ingredients for making waffles, bread and lunchmeat, peanut butter, ingredients for two cakes and soft drinks.

Their total grocery bill:(drum roll, please!) $68.02
Profit to girls: $44.32

Lesson: If you plan carefully, you can occasionally eat out and stay within your budget. If you take advantage of community resources, you can save money while, at the same time, fellowshipping with good friends. If you persevere and refine your strategy, you can eventually make a profit.

Upcoming lesson: At some point, you have to spend the extra money to replenish the stockpile or you will find less and less profit as the weeks go by. The girls learn in week 4 that rolling even a portion of their week 3 profit into the following week would have been wise.