Budget Update or How to Eat Out on $14

If you're watching the magic counter to the right, you will notice we spent $20 and change this week. This is our budgeted amount, and we are well within our allotted money so far, but we had a break down this week starting with snacks at Quick Trip on Monday after school. Yes, we could have eaten a snack at home, but the slushy goodness of frozen cherry drink mixed with Dr. Pepper was irresistible. Of course, what's a drink without a nosh? The guys picked up a hot dog and a couple of spicy taquitos. This little foray into convenience store heaven set us back $6 and change, and primed the pump for todays spending.

This morning we awoke to a refrigerator devoid of leftovers and a bread-challenged pantry which presented a problem for our empty lunch boxes. We had actually intended to eat sandwiches today, and I had even saved some Kaiser rolls from last week for that very purpose. Nonetheless, at 5:45 a.m. Jeff meandered into our room and announced, "The rolls are cocooned in a spider web of white mold." While this sounds pretty and poetic, it's not good news when the only bread-stuff in the house is making a lacy fashion statement on its way to the garbage can. (In case you're wondering, we polished off the regular bread last night making patty melts complete with sautéed onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper.)

Since our lunch plans had gone awry, we decided to eat in the school cafeteria. After all, $3.50 seems a small price to pay for a full lunch including soup, salad, entree, side, dessert, and drink. When we invited a couple of guests to join us at our restaurant du jour, the total hit $14 for the four of us. To tell the truth, today is the first time I've eaten in our school cafeteria and it was (surprisingly) pretty good. Yes, the veggies were limp and overcooked, but the main course (teriyaki chicken) was tender, juicy, and well-seasoned. The rice was a little dry, but the sauce from the chicken remedied that problem easily enough. I was disappointed in the salad fixings (The cafeteria was running low by the time we arrived.), but well pleased with the moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. Beverage choices included lemonade and cold, fresh iced tea - not something I would have expected at school.

The only thing that bothered me about the whole experience was the plate. When I was a kid, the cafeteria had real plates - or at the very least it had a compartmentalized tray geared to hold each part of the meal. Today, we used Styrofoam plates and plastic utensils. As conscious as we have all become about the environment - our school is practically littered with recycle bins - I find it ironic that the cafeteria hasn't gotten with the program. Perhaps by the time the dollar amount and environmental impact of heated, soapy water is stacked up against the molded foam plates that will last a millennium in the land fill, it all comes out the same. I don't claim to be an expert on this sort of thing. But I do think we're regressing when we eat a nice - albeit ordinary - meal off of the kind of plates I only resort to when we're moving. Maybe next time I'll take my picnic kit - complete service for four including real plates, napkins, and utensils that fit neatly into a small backpack. This should give the people at the neighboring tables something to talk about.