Yes, fast food (eating out) and convenience food is easier in the short term; however, it is certainly more of a strain on our wallets and health long term. I look forward to hearing about Prism.

Our month was not nearly as stellar and still we were able to reduce our grocery budget by more than half. Also, by tracking our spending, we were able to see that the almost 2/3 the food money we spent in January went toward 4 (just four!!!) take out meals. What an eye popping revelation.

Also, did anyone else get sticker shock going back into the grocery store? I was appalled by the prices. Surely they couldn’t have gone up so much in one month. I’ve always kept numbers in my head of staples rather than in a price book so I don’t have anything to refer to, per se. Still, I couldn’t make myself purchase what would have been a light round of grocery shopping prior to the challenge. For instance, we used to buy multiples of refried beans, tortillas, and salsa each week — we’re Mexican and eat a lot of tacos. Since the challenge, I’ve been making beans, tortillas, and salsas from scratch. I can’t go back now. I can’t make myself pay the amount of money I used to take for granted as necessity.

Anyone else finding it hard to shop the way you did before the challenge?