Month two, day one on the SNAP Challenge

Well, I'm on the road to hell.  I had such good intentions to shop several times throughout the month so I could take advantage of the sales but I pretty much shot the whole budget in one day.  I was hungry for healthy foods and the fruits looked so good.  Also, I needed some yeast, whole wheat flour and powdered milk (whey protein powder was too expensive) if I'm going to start baking bread.  I'm bound and determined to add healthier foods this month and one of the cheapest ways to do it is in the bread I bake.  I use old fashioned rolled oats and some oat flour in my oatmeal bread and whole wheat flour and flax meal in the other breads.  This makes for some really flavorful and nutritious breads with some texture to them, but it isn't cheap.

I did go for some packaged side dishes this month because I was able to get free meat with them.  I'll add some frozen broccoli or spinach to them to pump up the nutritional value.  I also got a package of burritos for quick meals.  I can do some Spanish rice and some refried beans to go with them.  It's a lot of starch, but it is a good amount of protein as well.  I hate to do the prepackaged food because of the amount of sodium and all the preservatives, but sometimes it is necessary.

I was surprised at the emotional connection to food as I shopped.  I was drawn to the produce aisle and was almost overwhelmed by the beautiful shapes and colors of the fresh fruits and vegetables.  They really know what they are doing with those displays, don't they?  I wanted to throw a pepper of every color into my cart; but when I looked at the prices and looked at my list, I got the heck out of the aisle.  I could easily spend the $116.50 all on fruits and vegetables but I wanted to stretch this money for a month.  Besides, if I bought all those vegees at one time, they would rot in my refrigerator because I didn't get around to eating them or they just looked better on the display.

I stuck to my list and purchased only two things that were not on the list, but I'm spending a lot of money on the pantry staples.  I wonder when I will I eventually get a supply of the basics built up so that I can spend less on the starchy fillers and more in the produce aisle?  I wonder at what point I will be ahead of the 8-ball and be able to shop without stressing over the cost?   Does it ever happen?