Cooking Challenge:

After yet another trip to the grocery store where I spent far too much money, I've realized I need to make some changes. I love cooking and trying new recipes/foods, but cooking for one can be difficult. I can't continue spending so much money on food; it's literally going to bankrupt me! As I start my new job next week, and am looking to move into a new apartment (more on these topics at another time), it's time I grow up and become more cost conscious. I'd rather not be in debt later because of stupid decisions I make now. However, I don't believe this means I need to sacrifice cooking delicious meals for only one person; I just need to make smarter choices in the grocery store.

I've given myself a challenge. Spending no more than $40-50 a week at the grocery store, I must cook at least 3-5 meals (for one!) each week, in addition to using that money for breakfast/lunch foods. I'm lowering the number of meals purely because I know I'll eat leftovers, meet friends for dinners, and eat an occasional sandwich or frozen food. I know I may not be successful all the time, but I hope it will be a good experience. I don't have an end-date in mind; I'm going to see how long I can keep this going.

I will share this challenge on my blog, including my grocery lists, lessons learned, and of course, the recipes and my (hopeful) successes!

I'm very excited to try this, and hope it can teach me how to spend my money more wisely, as well as become a better cook and try new foods and different ways to cook things. I'm still a "beginner" as far as my cooking skills go, so I'm sure this will be very interesting.

While the challenge will start on Sunday (October 10), I have some recipes I'm trying this week that I will share, including a Mexican fish and chips recipe I'm attempting this evening.

Stay tuned!