I have seen news articles about various congress people attempting the SNAP challenge, and making some ridiculous choices while doing so.  For example, Donald M. Payne, Jr., Congressman from New Jersey, paying $1.08 for a single boiled egg.   I bought 12 eggs yesterday at the store for $1.89, less than what he would have paid for two pre-cooked eggs.

My purpose with this blog is not to mock those who use food stamps, but rather to present ideas on how you can save money on groceries by making good purchasing decisions.  I hope to be able to share a variety of tasty and nutrition recipes and meal ideas, including those for bagged lunches, in an effort to help everybody eat a healthy diet on a budget.

Additionally, this blog will serve to help me stick to my food budget in order help me keep my finances under control.  I have a number of school loans to pay off and a credit card bill that is a lot higher than I am comfortable with.  There a lot of expenses each month that I have minimal control over, loan repayments, rent, auto insurance, etc., but my food budget is an area that I have almost complete control over.  

Now for the details of the SNAP challenge.  The goal is to spend no more than $31.50 a week on food.  That works out to spending $4.50 a day on food. My personal goal is to keep my grocery budget under $100 (for one person) for the month.   I will be using items that I already have in my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator, so I will do my best to approximate what I spent on those items based on current prices when I use them.  

I will also use this blog to share other money saving, or money creating tips, that I use at home.  Please feel free to use the comments to add links to your own thrifty recipes or to share your own money saving tips.