With the many expenses of our trip this summer, Rita and I are trying our best to spend our money wisely. When it comes to food, this expense can make or break the bank. You can either spend hundreds of dollars on fast-food and restaurants, or you can budget your money at the grocery store and markets–what we have realized is that by doing the latter, not only can you save money, but you can eat tasty and plentiful meals, too!

If I told you that Rita and I have been eating 3-4 full meals every day for less than $5 each per day, you’d probably think I was crazy. Well, you’d be half-right, but not by much. We had initially planned to spend $70/week on groceries, which meant $10/day for the two of us–or $5 each. As it turns out, we are spending more than $70, but only by about $10-20. When all is said and done, that means we are spending about $6 each per day on food.

For three meals plus snacks, it seems almost impossible to spend only $6 on food. I have to admit that I was surprised also, but it is possible. Not only is it possible, but I have been eating more food (and more healthy meals) than ever before!

The key is frugality and anti-laziness. To get by on a total of ~$12 a day, Rita and I have gone back to basics: buying fresh fruits and vegetables, freshly baked bread, and core ingredients rather than pre-packaged foods or ready-made dinners. It is a win-win scenario in that we save money and we have much healthier meals. The only thing we have to do extra is spend a bit more time preparing meals–a small price to pay. For example, rather than buying a $3.50 loaf of branded bread with lots of preservatives, we buy a freshly baked loaf for $1.27. The fresh stuff goes stale more quickly, but we can buy two loaves of higher-quality bread for less than the price of one mass-produced loaf that doesn’t taste as good.

Overall, eating on a budget has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of good ol’ home cooking and to the enormous amount of money that can be wasted on fast-food and pre-cooked/packaged meals. It has also made me feel healthier and enjoy my meals more. Of course, it is still nice to enjoy eating at a restaurant once-in-a-while, but as for the majority of meals, going back to basics is definitely the way to go!

Chow-mein egg noodles with sauteed beef and fresh veggies covered with spicy-Thai sauce. Price: ~$3 for 2 people.

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