18 weeks out

Well, this week was the first week back to training.

I did pretty well, as my body is weak and recovering from a nasty flu strain.

I got in 4/6 days resistance training and 4/5 days cardio training.  It is a new program for me and I am a little unfamiliar with it so I am using this first week to go through it, kind of like a "test run" to get my feet wet.

Now that I am a little more "in the know" I am going at it hard this upcoming week.

I have also decided to incorporate some classes (new and old favorites) into my routine.  On the line up:  Pilates (<3), Kickboxing (I have taken a few classes before and it always kicks my butt!), Zumba (we will see how this one goes).

Along with classes, I want to mix up my cardio training with swimming, jumping rope, and playing tennis with my Husband, although, I am not sure how much "cardio" benefit I will get...I am not stellar at tennis, but it will be fun if nothing else.

Yesterday I prepared my meals for the next 7 days.  It took a while, but I had a plan and stuck to it.

I made:

Chicken Salad*

Frittata Cups with Oatmeal*

Protein Pancakes*

Huevos Rancheros with Rice*

Shrimp Stir-fry*

Chili*

Shredded Chicken for Salads*

Tropical Coconut Shrimp Variation*

Chicken with Cauliflower. Onion, and Squash Medley


                                 
             *Recipes will be posted on the RECIPES page.

On another note, my Husband and I are still determining what living frugal means to us and we are constantly re-evaluating our budget. 

While we were talking the other day, he showed me this link on Budgets Are Sexy. 

There are many posts on the site pertaining to budgets but the one he showed me was about grocery bills. 

Normally, we budget $1000 a month for food.  This includes grocery trips (to include toiletries, cleaning products, trash bags, laundry soap), coffee trips, and eating out. 

Upon looking at this page we decided to slash our budget in this area and do an experiment.

Instead of $1000 a month, we have cut it down by 30% to $700 (which, is still well above what others spend.  This gives us $150/week at the grocery store and $100/month for eating out. 

We have our own personal spending allowances that we can use for coffees, lunch out during the work week, or whatever else, but the money allotted for groceries and OUR date dining is reserved for just that.

That saves us $300 a month which comes to $3600 a year!  That is a lot!

So, I decided to start the experiment at the store yesterday.

Right now, I am cooking for myself, so I cut the $150 in half.  That was my food budget for the week.

Before heading out to the store, I took a detailed inventory of what I currently had at the house.  Building meals from that, I added items I needed to supplement.  This helped my list stay small as I wasn't creating a menu where I needed to purchase every single ingredient. 

Then, I was off to the store.  I did not deviate from my list.  I purchased only what was on it.  My total was $56.  There were 2 items I was unable  to purchase on this trip, so that will add about another $7 to my overall grocery total, bringing it to $62. 

When I left the store, I was hungry and would have to prepare my food once I got home.  I hadn't had my cheat meal yet so I decided to go get some Indian food.  My total balance there was $18; totaling $80.

My Husband thought it would be more like $100, but we were both pleased with $80.

Now my fridge is stocked for the next 7 days and I can come home after work or the gym and just pop it in the microwave.  No fuss.  No mess.

Stocked up!  Everything is pictured here except the chili and the chicken with the Cauliflower, Squash, and Onion Medley.

No deviating this week!  It is all about the planning and prep!!

My plan is, because this food should last until next Saturday, I will most likely go shopping Friday after work and then come home and cook after the gym on Saturday morning. 

So, that is my update for this week!  I can't believe in just under 18 weeks, I will be up on that stage!  Time to get cracking on my vision board!!!

And I am interested in knowing, what do you spend on average per week at the gro sto?  What does this total include (food, pet food, toiletries, cleaning/household supplies)?  How often do you eat out?  Is this amount included in your overall food budget?  How do you break this budget down?