Tried the $20/week grocery challenge my sister swore by and ended up with 3 jars of pickled eggs and no real meals

I thought I was being smart by doing that extreme coupon style challenge where you only spend $20 a week on food. My sister did it in Austin and said it saved her hundreds. But I live in a small town in Kansas where the grocery store is tiny. I ended up buying whatever was on clearance which was a ton of eggs and discount pickling spices. So now I have pickled eggs for days and nothing for actual dinners. I spent $18.47 and have no protein left for the rest of the week. Did anyone else try a budget challenge and just get stuck with random ingredients?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.reese8d ago

Pickled eggs are an actual meal if you commit to the bit. My great uncle lived off pickled eggs and saltines for three months straight back in the '80s and he's still kicking. You just gotta lean into the weirdness instead of complaining about it. The real trick with those budget challenges is you have to plan around the clearance shelf instead of just grabbing whatever is cheapest. Next time buy a bag of rice and some beans first, then fill in with whatever random clearance stuff catches your eye.

christopher_singh928d ago

Craig.reese is out here trying to turn saltines and pickled eggs into a lifestyle brand, and I'm not sure if I'm impressed or horrified. My great uncle tried the same thing with expired canned tuna and hot sauce, and let's just say the bathroom situation was not pretty. But honestly, your clearance shelf strategy is solid as long as you steer clear of the "mystery meat" deals.