Midnight tonight marked the beginning of the SNAP Challenge and what is the start of a very long week. In order to prepare for the next few days, Dalyan, Carlie(my roommate) and I ventured to Martins in search of healthy, yet practical food items that fit our tight budget.

We left campus around 5:10pm, thinking that we would have more than enough time to be back for my sorority's chapter meeting at 6:00pm. The next thing we knew it was 7 o'clock, my meeting was almost over, and we still had shopping left to do. I assumed that we wouldn't be buying much food, so logically I thought that it wouldn't take much time for us to find everything that we needed. I couldn't have been more wrong. I completely underestimated the painstaking time it takes to compare various prices and brands of different foods and ultimately decide what fit best into my budget. Unlike someone juggling a full-time job and 3 kids, the only variable I had to schedule my shopping around was a meeting for a sorority....not to mention that I had my own car to use as transportation.

I honestly don't think I have ever really compared the prices between two products at the grocery store. When I go grocery shopping at home, my mom usually gives me her list, I pick out what she wants, pay, and leave. When I grocery shop at school and am not sure which brand I should choose, I call my mom and ask for her opinion. I am so fortunate to have been surrounded by healthy, organic foods as I have grown up, but this also means that I have been completely sheltered from what food shopping in the real world is like.

For example, Dalyan and I spent a good fifteen minutes comparing these two jelly/jam jars, debating which one to buy. I was surprised that I was automatically drawn towards the Smuckers jar, simply because I recognized the brand. I didn't recognize the other brand, and it was about $1.50 less than the Smuckers, so for some reason, I automatically considered it to be a cheap, unhealthy jam that wouldn't taste good. When we turned the jars over though, we found that both included almost the exact same ingredients and caloric information. Taking the time to compare various prices, brands, and ingredients was something that I had never done before, and I'm going to be so much more aware of what I'm buying and WHY I'm buying it from now on. 

Here are some more pictures from our adventures in the aisles of Martins!

This organic pasta sauce costs $9 per bottle (one jar of this is equal to the price of 2 days worth of food!)

Carlie and I LOVE vodka pasta sauce..we were SO sad when we realized it was way out of our budget

Carlie and I tried to find a cheaper equivalent to the vodka sauce, but unfortunately only the marinara fit our budget 

Although Carlie and I didn't have such great luck in the pasta sauce department, Dalyan definitely scored in the frozen foods section, especially when he found Hungry Man microwavable dinners ;)

Those who know me will tell you that I am an avid pasta eater...I could it anywhere, anytime. BUT my one condition is that it has parmesan cheese...without the parm, its just a disappointing bowl of whole grain carbs. At the beginning of our shopping trip, Carlie and Dalyan broke the news to me when they mentioned that I would most likely not be able to afford parmesan cheese for my pasta. I gladly welcomed their challenge, and I made room in my budget so that I could buy the Stop & Shop brand for a dollar less than the Kraft brand that I usually buy. 

After a productive, tiring and eventful evening, I returned to campus with the following food items! (not pictured below is my jelly and bread that Dalyan accidentally brought back to his room!)

I honestly get a little nervous when I look at this picture, because it is still so hard for me to understand how this is going to last me an entire week! 

Here goes nothin, wish me luck!!