As a little experiment, I decided to keep a log of my eating habits for the week. I thought it would be interesting to see how much I actually spend and consume. Below I’ve listed everything I ate and drank last week, excluding water, and how much the purchased food cost.

Saturday

• Brunch: Two slices of French bread with a bit of dijon mustard and sweet mesquite turkey meat from the deli. Mixed-herb salad with crushed pecans, pickled beets, tomatoes, and a balsamic vinegar, olive oil dressing. A cup of V8 tropical juice.
• Snack: a bit of blue Stilton cheese with some sesame rice crackers.
• Drink: A slushie from the corner store. $1.50
• Dinner: A couple of small spring rolls with a spicy flank and steak Pho. $15
• Drinks: Three pints of Blue Buck pale ale from the pub. $10 My friend covered most of this for me, to cover a previous night out.

Sunday

• Brunch: Two slices of French bread with an egg salad spread on top (two semi-hard boiled eggs, a tablespoon of mayo, and some curry powder).
• Snack: a bit of blue Stilton cheese with some sesame rice crackers.
• Dinner: Spicy BBQ chicken breast, rice, Mixed-herb salad with crushed pecans, pickled beets, tomatoes, and a balsamic vinegar, olive oil dressing, and a slice of French bread to soak up the excess dressing. A cup of V8 berry juice.
• Grocery bill: $36

Monday

• Breakfast: Cinnamon raisin bagel with light cream cheese. Glass of soy vanilla protein drink. Cup of coffee.
• Lunch: Leftover chicken, rice and salad.
• Drinks: Two cups of tea.
• Dinner: Chicken curry and rice. Glass of V8 berry juice.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Cinnamon raisin bagel with light cream cheese. Glass of soy vanilla protein drink. Cup of coffee.
• Lunch: Leftover curry and rice. Bottle of Coopers Sparkling Ale.
• Drinks: Two cups of tea.
• Dinner: Grilled jem salad with mango balsamic vinaigrette and pancetta crisps. Braised Lamb Shank with Yukon Gold mashed herb potatoes, roasted vegetables, and rosemary port demi-glace. Flourless almond chocolate cake with candied orange crème anglaise. Two glasses of Sumac Ridge Cabernet Merlot. $45

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Cinnamon raisin bagel with light cream cheese. Glass of soy vanilla protein drink. Cup of coffee.
• Lunch: Chicken chowmein, beef brocolli, sweet and sour pork, and won ton soup. $9.50
• Drinks: Two cups of tea.
• Dinner: Chow mein with fried tofu and zuchini. Couple of glasses of V8 berry juice.

Thursday

• Breakfast: Stale coffee cake muffin. $2.
• Lunch: Turkey club sandwich and a yogurt cup with fruit. $8
• Drinks: Three cups of tea.
• Snack: apple fritter
• Dinner: Spicy Baconator meal from Wendy’s. $10

Friday

• Breakfast: Slice of banana bread. $2.
• Snack: handful of smoked almonds and salted pecans.
• Lunch: Fish and chips with a pint of Hermann’s Dark Lager. $20
• Dinner: Chunk of filone with some garlic, bruschetta turkey.
• Grocery bill: $30

Conclusions
My total cost for the week was about $190, which is sadly fairly close to the normal. This means I’m probably spending somewhere between $600 and $800 a month on food, which does seem a little outrageous. I’m slowly moving towards packed lunches, which will help with the cost, as everything near my workplace is fairly expensive.

I do usually eat a little healthier than this. We have a special event happening in town, and many restaurants are offering three course meals at a discounted rate, which is what I had for dinner on Tuesday. On Thursday, I was just too lazy after rock climbing to make anything, so I ended up with the Baconator meal. Anything named Baconator has got to be all kinds of bad for you.

So, there you have it. Possibly not the most riveting reading, but I found it interesting to do. I may look at being a little more frugal in the future. Starting tomorrow. Right now I’m off to grab some Vietnamese.