Day 5, Friday, and last day

Day 5: $11.75. only prioritized for a quick breakfast of an almond butter sandwich, $0.75....then friends visited and we went for a late lunch to the ever holy vegan-thai buffet at Araya’s. Finally, lots and lots of greens as well as too much other good stuff, $10...still full in the evening and ate a final lb of fruit, $1...$0 remaining....

Day 4

Day 4: $4.5 last day of exams for me. I ate the last little bit of beans and rice. ½ order of Pho soup, $3; another 1.5 lb of fruit, $1.5. almond butter still plentiful and delicious. This could mean a little party tomorrow of $11.75.

Day 3, Wednesday

DAY 3: $1.5...I had to focus on exam-taking, studying, and baby care, so I didn't spend time on food prep--I almost finished off the last of the beans + rice, and for $1.50 I bought ½ lb each of apples (2 medium), carrots (4 small), and oranges (1 large)....$18.75 total spent, no booze, $16.25 remaining.

I’m finding that what is really required this week is to pay close attention to what I consume and buy. If I didn’t do this I could see myself eating a lot more cheese and peanut butter.

Day 2

DAY 2: $4.5...I mostly ate the same beans and rice from Day 1 and and I also had ½ lb of oranges, $0.5. In the evening a family member just in town for a limited time made a Turkish dinner--it’s difficult to price this...I had already eaten my calories for the day, but it was a luxurious meal that included carrot, cucumber, radish, beans, and bread--the ingredients must have cost less than $4 (though very nicely prepared, and I only provided the labor to bike 30 minutes to get there), but I’m not sure and I’m assigning $4. Perhaps this disqualifies me for "accepting outside food" but I think I priced it generously and it wouldn't have been right to refuse food from visiting family from Pakistan.

Day 1 & snacks for the week.

1st I'll buy some snacks for the entire week: To snack on during the week and to get me through sleepy afternoons, I bought ½ lb almond butter ($3), ½ of 2L of coke ($0.5), and a large dark chocolate bar ($2.50)

DAY 1: $6.75...¾ lb mixed dried beans $1.50, onion + green pepper + tomato paste $2; 1lb dry rice $2; 1lb fruit $1; spices $0.25. I made some fancy beans with grilled onions and pepper. This will be enough for 3 days and will save me time in this week of final exams, child care, and family time. This was enough fruit to snack on, but I didn't really get much for greens...this may be a pattern for this week.

INTRO

My beans-and-rice dominated diet will make the Hunger Challenge much more do-able; but even if I can eat easily on $7/day, I feel the I do the Challenge at least to support its existence, for merely by way of its existence we demonstrate another aspect of our system that aims for subsistence.

This week is unique for me in that I’m working just one day (I’m on Paternity Leave, but also full-tie at the UW this quarter), but I have final exams and I also have extended family in town from Pakistan who love to cook stellar food. I will also be caring for a 10-week old girl whenever I’m not taking exams (co-caring for her in the evenings), so my meals will likely be quick and simple. The last several months I’ve also been slacking on my veggie intake, so I’ll try to boost that.
I’m vegetarian and I prefer to buy organic. I will be eating most meals on my own, which is typically the case, but I hope we can splurge for take-out once this week.