End of the experiment

Today is the last day of my month-long experiment. For lunch I had some of the daal and some rice; for dinner, more of the daal and some tortillas. I still have some broccoli, bottle-gourd, etc. left over.

I just sat down and calculated how much I spent on food this month. Including yesterday's splurging, I ended up spending $108.50 ; which is surprisingly close to the $112.86 budget I had started with!

Looking back, I think I enjoyed this experiment. It gave me an incentive to cook more, something that I like. It forced me to think twice before buying stuff in the grocery store, only to throw it away later when it went bad. This used to happen a lot with produce: I'd see something interesting and feel like cooking it up, but wouldn't find the time; and fresh produce goes bad fairly quickly, so I'd end up throw it away.

This experiment also forced me to examine what I eat, and how I eat. Now that the cash constraint is gone, I will use my experience to further improve my diet. For instance: I'll keep the moong sprouting assembly line going. I like eating sprouted moong for salad.

It also changed what I do in the morning when I get up. Earlier, I would get up, make chai, and then just lounge around or slowly get ready for work. During this experiment, however, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat at the cafeteria at work, so I had to hustle to prepare breakfast and pack lunch. Maybe I'll continue to do that.

And finally: had it not been for the farmers market and the Mexican grocery store, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off. The farmers markets are a great advantage of living in a population center. I have a new-found appreciation for them. Had I just shopped at Safeway, there's no way I could have stayed within budget and eaten healthy. It would probably have been mac-and-cheese daily for me. :(

So, with big sigh of relief, I can end this experiment.

From tomorrow onwards, I'll be sure to incorporate more green, leafy produce in my diet. And heirloom tomatoes!