Food.

I have come to the conclusion that I take food for granted. I'm used to fresh fruit, lots of veggies, buying two kinds of milk (skim for me, whole for Justin), etc. However, this month we didn't do all that well with our budgeting...we've put ourselves on a spending moratorium until Friday, when I'm paid again. And I'm "out" of food. At least, that was my first thought when I opened the fridge this afternoon after work.

In all reality, I'm far from being out of food. I'm just out of food that I love (or key ingredients of dishes that I love...I'm out of cheddar cheese, which I love on EVERYTHING). I've got pasta, canned veggies (green beans, black beans, corn, etc), salsa, cereal, bread, peanut butter, eggs, a wheat tortilla or two, raspberry jam, a little bit of milk, some Stagg Chili, a can of chicken noodle soup, maybe even some frozen chicken breasts or ground beef. I've just got to be creative about what I do with the things that I have!

The only thing that's tough is a lack of fruit. I LOVE having fresh fruit, and hate to go even two days without it. But, I think we may have some applesauce, and that just might have to do for now. In all reality, I COULD go buy a few things to tide us over until Friday, but the point is that I don't want to. Many people have a heck of a lot less than we do in their kitchens, and they're feeling blessed for having anything at all. I think the both of us need to learn to appreciate food a little bit more than we do. We need to learn to be thankful for what we have, and to use what we have to the best of our abilities. We need to value the food that we have and not let it go BAD in our fridge without ever opening it (I must confess that's happened to several bags of salad mix since we've been married).

So here's the plan:
Lunch Tomorrow: Black beans, corn, tortilla, salsa
Dinner: Raspberry Balsamic Chicken
Thursday Lunch: Leftover chicken or a can of soup
Thursday Dinner: I'm working a fundraising dinner, will eat there. Justin can have leftovers or cereal.

I think I might stretch out buying groceries as long as possible, even after payday. I might have to break down for fruit, milk, more bread, and cheese, but other than that, I'm gonna try to do with what I have for as long as possible!