This post is long overdue, but at the beginning of February I started a '2 week no purchase challenge'. I was spending too much on food so I decided to not buy any for 2 weeks. Because of my interests in preparedness I always have a bunch of food in the house and so it was easy logistically for me to just eat what I already had for those 2 weeks.
It went very well and wasn't altogether difficult. I did have one outing that I paid for at a restaurant, but it was a pre-scheduled event with friends so I consider it more entertainment than food.
This challenge went so well for me and had such a great impact on my food spending for the month that I think I am going to work this type of food spending moratorium into my monthly food budgeting.
Every month I will stop spending any money on food when I reach my predetermined spending limit. From that point on for the rest of the month I will eat only what I already have in the house.
Not only will this help me control my food spending, but it will also help cycle through the food supplies I have stored in my house.
-The Money Monk
