For the last couple of months, Jason and I have been trying to give up something every month for the sake of eating better, spending less, or a combinations of the two.
In September, we tried giving up meat– and were only able to make it through a week. To be fair, we didn’t move into our apartment until the twelfth, which meant that we were living in a hotel, and only had a mini fridge with a broken seal and a questionable microwave.
It was actually astonishing to see how few options were available in the freezer section at the grocery store… of all the options of frozen meals, there were only two non-meat options. Mac & cheese, and a cheesy broccoli and macaroni dish. Clearly healthy options. We bought a broccoli and cheese dish, but it was soggy and obviously very processed…ugh. We also bought some whole wheat tortillas, black beans, and microwavable rice.
It didn’t last long. There’s only so many black bean and rice tortillas one can eat before giving it up and running to Subway for an Italian sub.
Looking back at that, it was clearly not wise to try and do that particular challenge while we had no kitchen and no access to a decent fridge. However, it did open our eyes to how often meat products are used as a filler in . Combining that knowledge with having watched Food Inc., it’s hardly surprising to me that America has all sorts of ailments stemming from shitty unhealthy eating.
In October we gave up drinking.
Honestly, it was far easier than I imagined it would be. We just didn’t buy any booze. And though we still have a bottle or two of wine in the apartment, we just didn’t drink. We spent less, we both lost a little bit of weight, and I realized that we can bond just as well over a cup of tea or hot chocolate at the end of the day as over a beer. (Though I still love me some beer… )
For November, we gave up eating lunch at restaurants. Instead, we packed a lunch every day, usually consisting of a sandwich or soup, with yogurt, fruit, and popcorn for a 3 pm snack. And again, it turned out to be much easier than I anticipated. [We did eat out two or three times over the course of the month... once or twice because our usual lunch venue was unavailable, and only once because we forgot lunch at home. 
Not bad, if I say so myself.]
And now… it’s December! (Already?! I still can’t believe it.)
Inspired by (Dr.) Allison at Smart and Sassy with Sprinkles, Jason and I have decided to do our own spending freeze for the month of December. Our guidelines are here, and I’ll update with our progress over the course of the month. I’m excited to see how we do!
