After a challenging week in the big picture, I'm taking solace in the micromanaging the little picture. Pennies add up to dollars, doncha know?

So this week, we're eating out.

*gasp*

Of the pantry, that is!

I took my last $10 in cash and headed down to the local farmstand. I bought slightly bumped tomatoes and lumpy butternut squash, a big head of lettuce, one cucumber, bruised apples and berries that were a tiny bit squishy.

Then, I went shopping in my freezer and cabinets. I had a few cut-up chickens, ground turkey, many kinds of canned beans and peanut butter for protein. I had the aformentioned veggies as well as some frozen corn. I had english muffins, whole wheat bread, frozen leftover cheeses, and all the pantry staples.

Monday night: Barbequed chicken drumsticks and thighs on the grill, cheesy rice and salad.

Tuesday night: Chili w/ leftover barbequed chicken stirred in.

Wednesday night: Butternut squash/apple soup with homemade bread rolls and sliced cheese.

Thursday night: 2-bean enchiladas w/ salad.

Friday night: Homemade pizza

I even "watered down" my son's milk with the powdered milk I had in the cabinet.

I know that one week's worth of grocery savings doesn't make up for having to replace a car, but when you work on the little pieces then it adds up eventually!

My son is a picky eater. There. I admitted it. And when it comes to snacks, he's even pickier. Only animal crackers will do.

So, I had developed a habit of buying him a small one-to-two-serving box of animal crackers every time we were at the store, be it the drugstore, the grocery store, the big-box general store, or anywhere they had that cute little red box with the circus animals on the side and the white string across the top. At $1-$1.50 a pop, it seemed like a sweet indulgence for my adorable boy.

But $1.50 a pop, multiplied out by three times a week, four weeks a month, twelve months a year, that's quite a lot for cookies. Even if the box is cute and a semi-appropriate serving size for the boy.

Enter logic. The store brand box at my local grocery is $0.99 for at least a dozen servings, and I already had the re-usable plastic containers. I bought the store brand, and when I got it home I pre-divided it into toddler-sized portions. Half the portions made it to the car for distribution before entering a store, and half stayed in the kitchen cabinet for further dispersal.

Twelve servings of cute red-box-with-circus-animals animal crackers = $18.

Twelve servings of store-brand animal crackers in plastic reusable containers = $1.

A toddler who doesn't know the difference? Priceless.