After yesterday’s migraine fiasco, I woke up praying to the God of Caffeine for a little help. I didn’t really know how to make my tea more caffeinated (if that was even possible) but I did put less milk in it, which at least helped the taste. “You can do this”, I kept repeating to myself. I had my bowl of cereal and out the door I went. Lunch was the same as Day 1, a portion of macaroni. I had brought a half-orange but ended up keeping it for my afternoon snack. The thing with having pasta for lunch is that it is super filling but doesn’t necessarily provide long-lasting energy. So around 3, I was more than ready to have my orange slices. Dinner was the same as yesterday (fried eggs with steamed broccoli) although definitely more exciting. See, my awesome husband ordered silicone heart-shaped egg rings on Amazon. Did it change the taste of the eggs? Not at all. Did I like them better because they were shaped like hearts? Absolutely.
Now, I had to make an executive decision. Although I didn’t end up with the same horrible migraine I had yesterday, I still get a pretty bad headache this afternoon. I am not 100% but I am thinking that it is because of my lack of coffee in the morning. It really is the only big difference in my meals so far. Since I had spent $30.38 at the grocery store on Monday, I still technically had $1.12 left in my $31.50 weekly budget. So I hit the Dollar Store for something I never thought I’d buy there…7 oz of coffee grounds. I figured any caffeine would be better than none. I felt like a drug addict looking for cheap cocaine on the streets. So pathetic. Apparently my love for coffee is actually an addiction, and the absence of caffeine causes withdrawal. Where can I sign up for the next season of Rehab with Dr. Drew?
Let us now forget about my ridiculous addiction to focus on today’s SNAP Challenge question.
What have you cut out of your routine to stay on budget (e.g. COFFEE)?
Coffee indeed. I first planned to get tea instead of coffee but I now plan to have cheap coffee instead, to see if it helps the headaches. If I still have headaches tomorrow though, I will know it isn’t related to the coffee and might switch back to tea, to feel slightly better about myself.
I also had to cut out random snacking from my daily life. I usually get home from work and browse the fridge and pantry for a snack. Then, after dinner, I like having something sweet to end my day. No room for that in this week’s budget! Another “treat” that was immediately nixed was alcohol. I wouldn’t say that I drink very regularly but I do enjoy a glass of wine or a cider, especially over the weekend. If I wanted to be able to buy food this week, it clearly wasn’t an option.
Last but not least, I have to cut down on variety. I usually have a different meal and different meats most nights of the week. This week, I’m having eggs and nothing else. That’s definitely a little bit depressing. I also had less variety in terms of produce. I usually love to buy a lot of fruits and vegetables but this week, my only options are spinach, frozen broccoli, strawberries, oranges and a mango. And much smaller quantities of each than I am used to. If I were to eat all of one, I’d quickly run out, so I really need to portion it out. Not ideal, that’s for sure.
Today’s calorie count: 883 calories; i.e. 500-calorie deficit from my recommended daily goal, according to MyFitnessPal.
The Hungry Quebbie 