I started by boilign the pinto’s in a pot for like an hour. Then I removed from from the stove and let them cook on high in the crock pot. I had chopped 3 onions and one green bell pepper before hand, so I started to saute them. Once they were soft I added the chili powder and some other choice ingredients, let it cook in the skillet… then added it to the crock. At this point I was a little worried, it didn’t look like chili! I figured I screwed it up and was gonna have to force myself to eat it anyways. I let it cook for an hour, then I decided to add some other random ingredients and the chicken meat I stripped off a chicken thigh . I let this all cook for another few hours, and I swear every hour I tasted it it keep getting better.

I love home cooking!

Beans were

• 16 oz pinto beans $0.66
• 1 green bell pepper $0.69
• 3 Onions  $1.30
• 16 oz Chicken Thigh  $.80
• Misc seasonings

Total cost of meal: $3.41

Dinner was:

• Bowl of Derrick’s Awesome Chicken Pinto Chili
• 2 sliced Derrick’s Awesome homemade bread
• 10 oz Milk  $$0.15
• Opened bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon $1.97

Total cost:   $5.53

Remaining balance for week: $18.67

Lunch was:

• 1 Banana   $0.25
• 1 slice homemade bread
• glass of homemade Orange juice

Total cost of meal: $0.25

Remaining balance for week: $24.20

So I drove out to Vacaville and met my buddy at a local bar and grill. It was nice to get out of the house and socalize with some friends. The hard part was after, we went over to a friends house for a BBQ party.  But … I had already had my food and my beer, so I wasn’t allowed to eat anything or drink anything. It was crazy hard, but I’m proud to say I did it!

Dinner was:

• 1 Cheeseburger
• 1 order onion rings
• 1 Budweiser

Total cost of meal: Free Meal

Remaining balance for week: $24.45

Lunch was:

• 2 hot dogs  $0.24
• 2 hot dog buns $0.24
• 1 oz chopped Onions $0.03
• 10 oz Milk  $0.15

Total cost of meal: $0.66

Remaining balance for week: $24.45

Dinner was:

• Bowl of Mashed Potatoes
• 2 slices Homemade Bread
• 1 Hot dog $0.12
• 1 Hot Dog Bun $0.12

Total cost of meal: $0.24

Remaining balance for week: $25.11

Breakfast was:

• 1 Fried Egg  $0.12
• 2 slices home made bread
• 10 oz Milk  $0.15
• glass hand squeezed Orange Juice

Total cost of meal: $0.27

Remaining balance for week: $25.35

• 1 serving of pork ribs, previously prepared
• 1 serving of asparagus soup, previously prepared
• 1 serving of chocolate pudding, previously prepared

Remaining Balance: $11.43

I’m planning on making a fairly elaborate dinner.  We shall see.

• Hamburger from Paul’s Place in Oceanside, $2.29
• Soda from Paul’s Place in Oceanside, $1.99

It was odd.  After eating the meal and paying for it, I couldn’t help but think of all the things I could make with that money instead.  Oh well, my benefit here was not food; it was a chance to hang out with a good friend.  This week, I haven’t been able to do too much at all.  There is something to be said about food as fuel, but I really think there’s a lot more to be said about food as a shared experience.  I don’t imagine my friend and I will be talking about this meal for years to come, but it is what brought us together.

Remaining Balance: $11.43

• Bowl of asparagus soup, previously prepared
• 2 slices of bread, previously prepared

I would have liked to eat more, but I was just so exhausted I barely wanted to prep what I had.  I was tempted to just have a couple slices of bread and consuming a can of soda just to get some calories in me. I ended up foregoing the soda for soup, though.  It was probably the better move.

Remaining balance: $15.61

• 6″ Cold Cut Trio

Remaining Balance: $15.61