I've been doing some thinking, which I will get to. But first, something good to share. Working has been agreeing with me, in a lot of ways. I've lost 4 pounds since I started. My day time food choices are better, my night time progress isn't always good, but better days have been happening. I think the structure helps me a lot. I'm really a structure type person. I have always known this. If you saw my morning routine, I don't really stray from the order in which things get done. Anyway.....
I've been thinking about something and I haven't found answers/solutions. It's not really anything bad, well, it depends on how you view what I'm about to tell you.
Since being on unemployment, I really have been thinking about the cost of food (that is continually rising) and being wasteful. Not using up all the: vegetables, fruit, meat, whatever & it spoiling, is wasteful. Is there a way that this can be helped/fixed/solved especially on a VERY fixed budget?
As children, we are taught to clean our plates. I can't help but think that if I don't eat every single scrap of food on my plate I'm being wasteful. Is this "my" issue or does anyone else think like this? I know I need to cut back. Does this mean I make less food & if I'm still hungry I snack on fruit or vegetables or chips & dip? Or do I just get used to the idea of leaving food behind? I wonder if making less, then hunting for something to fill me up might be a set up to over eat, especially if I were to choose chips & dip. Don't judge, I love certain foods, that I don't know if I will ever be able to give up & stay away from. For me not having leads to binge eating, which I think is much worse than allowing myself the things I love.
Also, with the cost of foods, I really can't afford a lot of meat or meat at all. I maybe have meat a few times a week instead of almost every day. I found a delicious Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna that was amazing!! The recipe was vegan, but I made it vegetarian. I didn't want to buy Tofutti or vegan cheddar cheese. I am on a budget. I used low fat cream cheese & Romano cheese for the top. The quinoa filling was amazing!!!! I'm modifying the recipe for myself tonight. I'm going to make the quinoa filling but instead of zucchini I'm going to put it over spaghetti squash. I've found that with my budget, I'm finding alternatives (instead of macaroni & sauce every night). I need to find protein alternatives, which quinoa helps with. I know those legumes help, I plan on making a big pot of lentil soup this week. I have tofu for some Tofu Tacos as well. All of these things get me several meals.
But I worry about spending money & being wasteful. I don't have a lot of freezer room, because my pet's food takes up a good portion of freezer space. This is my new worry. I'm open to any and all suggestions and tips about not worrying about wasting food/money. I write this knowing I have to go through out some lunch meat that I didn't eat all of fast enough. It's so frustrating to me.
Thank you!
:)
One of the things I do is if I buy things that will spoil, I try to plan meals around those items and use them up first. If I buy meat and can't freeze it, that goes on the menu very quickly. Fresh fruit and veggies last longer in the fridge, but also get worked in early. Lunchmeat...well, I'd stick with buying a small package every week, and if you eat that, then buy more the next time. Once you have used up the fresh stuff you bought, then you move onto the stuff that's more processed such as boxed or frozen or canned items. It's hard to stick to a budget when you are a single person, because nothing is sold in packages that one person can use up unless they want to make themselves sick of eating it. Like potatoes. I know those can last a long time, but it's not like most people eat a potato every day. Even with 3 people, I'm the only one that eats them, so I buy a bag to bake, and after two months, the last third of them are shriveling and growing eyes. But it costs way too much to buy the individual shrink wrapped ones.
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