21 Dollar Challenge – Day 4

Today was crazy. I woke up with a killer headache that decided to stick around all day. We had a plumber come out and re-do our pipes (or something) because apparently pipes only last 40 years, which is how old our house is, so they were decaying from the inside out. Sounds scary, huh?
That being the case, the water was off ALL day (until dinner). And me with no real leftovers! I pretty much ate toast whenever I was hungry. But I also was really bad and got some skittles at the store. I don’t know for sure if skittles are vegan, but I did not see any non-vegan ingredients on the package so I happily ate them while watching The Last Song. I was strangely hungry ALL day, so instead of meals my day consisted of constant snackage.

Breakfast was the remaining two servings of my leftover green monster and half of a banana:

• Green Monster: Included in yesterday’s total
• Half of a banana: $0.10

Breakfast Total: $0.10
I am going to include everything else that wasn’t dinner in the ‘lunch’ category, just to keep things simple.

• 4 pieces of bread: $0.16
• Some earth balance, peanut butter, and tofu cream cheese: $0.20
• A tomato: $0.13
• Skittles: $0.69
• Some Spinach: $0.06
• Half a can of beans: $0.33

I think that is everything. It probably seemed like more food because I kept getting up to grab something else!
Lunch Total: $1.57
Here, I would like to point something out. If I had NOT gotten the skittles, my lunch total would be just $0.88. Just sayin.
Dinner was simple: Quinoa with lemon juice and some spices, accompanied by some sweet potato chips. I had leftovers from both. Hello, tomorrow’s lunch! I used this recipe at allrecipes.com and it was really good. I just improvised for the sweet potato chips. My previous experiences with quinoa have not really been noteworthy, but this was! I can count on this to be my go-to meal when I’m short on time (There’s no picture, but to be honest it just looked like cooked quinoa in a dish).

• Quinoa: $1.20
• Sweet Potato: $1.60 (Note to self: Sweet potatoes, while delicious, are kind of pricey!)

Dinner, including leftovers: $2.80
Total for Day 4: $4.47 (Without the skittles: $3.78)
Money left: $1.41
I think it is safe to say that I will not come in under $15. So far I have learned that Sweet Potatoes, Candy, Avocados, and Tofu are kind of spendy! Even though that tempting bag of skittles is only $0.69, think of the beans and veggies you could buy for that same amount! Quinoa is pretty pricey too. I also learned that bread (if chosen carefully) can be VERY cheap, along with greens, beans, and bananas. Even though I will most definitely go over, I am going to keep on trucking until day 7 to see what the week total is. I might not be able to reach my goal with the $6.00 deducted for spices and oils, but I am certain I can stay under $21.00, and maybe even under $18.00.
What do you find yourself snacking on when you can’t (or don’t want to) prepare a meal? Mine’s toast!