As I mentioned in my Food Challenge 3rd Week Summary, I do not feel like was was a good candidate for the $4.50 per day food allowance based on the SNAP (Food Stamp) formula salary, rent, and basic utilities.

I still believe that the only big sacrifice I made was eating out.  I discovered it is  that $4.50 per day is sufficient if I think about how I spend money and eat “sensible” food.  However, I did not make any changes to my lifestyle other than food allowance. I did not move out of my house. I did not give up driving. I did not give up my job. I did not give up socializing or family events.

I officially broke the Food  Challenge Monday night when I went to a local establishment and took part in a “Game Day Special” and had a delicious steak sandwich with a cheezy, garlicy spread on a toasted roll…. with beer battered fires and a beer. The single meal cost  was three times what I had been spending on an entire day’s food.

What I found surprising was how guilty I felt eating the sandwich. I kept doing the mathematical calculation on how many of the the same sandwiches I could have had if I purchased the ingredients and prepared them at home at home.

Though I never experienced true hunger during my experiment, I did learn the value of good food. I believe I have experienced somewhat of a paradigm shift when it comes to making food purchasing decisions.  Perhaps my monthly budget will stretch a little farther as a result of my learning.