Thrifty Thursday: Twenty is Plenty

Firstly, I have to put my hands up and confess - this idea was not an original one of mine. It is actually based off an idea started by Penny Golightly, except that she is far more hardcore and keeps to £10 for a week.
During my first reading of the said post, I was completely and utterly convinced that I could complete such a feat with ease. But as I took my time to read over it again, I was struck by a sudden thought:
"Wait a second...surely this tenner challenge can't include food too?!"

Food can be a rather large expense for me. I like it - I enjoy sniffing it, cooking it, even looking at it occasionally and I especially enjoy eating it. Which is why I know that there is no way in heck that I would be able to survive on £10 for a week.
I eat a lot; if I go longer than 4 - 5 hours without eating, trouble starts to brew. My shiny demeanour starts to dull and fade, I get grouchy, I get grumpy. As my blood sugar drops, so does my mood and I turn into a furious harpy, intent on devouring the nearest edible thing.
It's really not pretty and I would advise keeping a distance of at least a mile (3.6km).

 I once managed to survive on £9 for 5 days. I was incredibly proud of my thriftyness, though entirely focused on finally being able to restock that Saturday for the entire thing but then I completely and utterly blew it on the Friday night by eating out with friends and the portions were so offensively small, I ordered dessert too (sticky toffee pudding - oh, it was divine).
My handy dandy budget that I meticulously fill in every week helps me keep track of what I'm spending and where I've spent it. Which is how I've noticed that my food spending is going up and up and nearing the £40 per week mark.
A few years ago, I'd have spluttered in indignation at the very thought of spending £40 a week on food. What exactly has changed? Surely not my appetite (though with the cold we've been having lately, can you blame me? Obviously my body is craving more insulation.... ^_^)

Anyway, to cut this increasingly long ramble shorter than it could be, I've set myself the challenge of spending £20 per week on food in total for the entirety of February. All food is included! That includes eating out, food shopping and junk food.
Surely, £20 will be plenty?

Tweet