Harder than initially perceived = Day 7, super relieved
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Way easier said than done describes the CalFresh Challenge. Unless someone has cut coupons to get a can of soup for 89 cents over a dollar or drank cold water to tide them over in between meals, it's "easy enough". A sigh of relief can be heard in Challenger's posts and a realization of how much harder this actually is reflected in their writing.
Almost there, one more day to go. I have to say this was harder than I thought. For breakfast I had a yogurt with some cut up apple in it. For lunch I made myself a chicken salad. I bought some lettuce and I had some chicken left over from yesterday's dinner. For dinner Since I had to prepare myself for my clinical rotation for Saturday I splurged and bought myself a chicken sandwich from McDonald. It was only $1.00. I would of usually bought french fries and a drink but I went with the sandwich only. One more day to go. Should be easier since I have clinical rotation. Will see how it goes.
-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger
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I'm not hungry. I ate tons of top ramen. I'm craving sushi, mashed potatoes, a whole hearted meal. Oh well. Yes, I agree that this is a difficult budget to manage. Especially if you're busy. There must be a compromise possible somewhere.
-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger
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I made it. I am sure glad it is over. Even though it would be nice to keep it up because it would save me money at the end, but it would take a lot of preparation and creativity to keep it up. It does make you think of all the people who do survive on less than 5 dollars a day every day and they don't have the option of saying I don't want to do this. For breakfast today I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. For lunch I had only a salad. It was so hot that I did not feel like cooking on the stove. For dinner I had some chicken fajita, which I found on sale for $1.99 a pound. 1/2 a pound was enough for me. I had it over some white rice. Maybe If I had more time to dedicate to grocery shopping, using coupons and looking for sales I would keep doing it.
-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger
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I made it through the week. Towards midweek it seemed to for faster than compared to the start of the challenge. Probably because I was busy. This was interesting to to do and I'm glad that I choose to do it. I want to see my blogs afterward to look back and reflect on the experience and see what my thought processes were. Since I'm going to a meeting for school I had dinner a little earlier than usual. On my way to work this morning I had a fresh peach and a Odwalla protein bar. That seemed to tide me over for a little while. For dinner I had a can of mixed vegetables again and imitation crab snacks that are really inexpensive. I heated the veggies on the stove top and mixed in my crab with the olive oil dressing that I had gotten. It tasted really good. I liked the challenge, but I have to admit that I'm looking forward to eating more food and having more to drink. By doing this challenge it has made me aware of just how expensive things can get. I have saved a money this week, just by being cautious of the food that I have bought. I think it would be hard for most people and interesting to see if anyone else would be up for the challenge. Thanks again for allowing me to become more aware of your important cause:)
-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger
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September 14th, 2012 Friday TGIF! Today was another day of clinicals for me, which also meant a packed lunch for the road. On my way to the hospital I had a muffin and another one for a little break. When I finally made it home for lunch I made half of a sandwich and another cup-of-noodles. Spending the rest of my day out and about and ending with paperwork, I made rice and egg for dinner. I'm almost there!
September 15, 2012 Saturday Hello weekend! For the afternoon I spent my time at Panera Bread reading and taking notes for school while snacking on the food that I brought. Panera is probably one of my favorite spots to get things done and there is even complementary water to keep me hydrated through the heat. For dinner my sister and I had left over meat from tacos accompanied by fried rice. Washing dishes I realized I didn't take my picture, but I can assure you it was fulfilling.
-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger
