This is Day 28 & 29 of a month long food stamp challenge. If this is your first visit, please check out this link to see all of the posts and get a better understanding of what is going on.
Early on Day 28 John had back surgery. For that reason he did not eat breakfast, and the remainder of his meals on that day consisted of hospital food. Michael brought coffee creamer, cinnamon rolls and a leftover lunch but nothing more as the surgeon assured us that John would most likely be ready to go home later that day. He was not.
Complications led to an overnight stay and I (Michael) was not leaving John alone in the hospital when he was still fuzzy from anesthesia and in severe pain to boot. I had nothing else 
to eat and was ready to go without to make good on my promise to stay the course through the remaining days of this challenge. After debating with John for nearly three hours about me eating dinner, I asked the Facebook readers what they would suggest that I do about a meal. I provided them my options and the near-unanimous decision was that I should get a sandwich.
I’m being completely up front when I tell you that I don’t think I have ever had a more emotional meal in my life. It took 10 minutes before I could eat the first bite and I cried through most of it. If you ever doubted my commitment to this challenge, you wouldn’t have if you’d have been there last night, that’s all I can tell you.
I was sitting in a hospital cafeteria choking down a fast food meal that I didn’t want to eat looking across the table at John who was under the knife just a few hours before. I had food to eat and the most important person in my life there with me. Last night was the first time I understood what it was to have a real thanksgiving meal. I’ll never forget it.
To be as fair as I know how, I’ve deducted the amount of my meal from the budget.
MEALS
DAY 28 BREAKFAST: $0.20
creamer
(hospital-provided coffee)
cinnamon rolls
LUNCH: $0.00
leftover chicken & mashed potatoes
DINNER: $5.72
SUBWAY tuna sandwich
DAY 29 BREAKFAST: $0.97
coffee
sugar
creamer
cereal
LUNCH: $0.00
soup made on Day 26
DINNER: $4.55
meatballs in V8 veggie sauce
sweet peas
- Consumed Days 28 & 29 : 11.44 [+6.56 for 2 days]
- Consumed To Date (month): 131.94 [+120.15 for the month]
- Spent To Date: 235.15
- Remaining Balance: $44.03
PROLOGUE: We are very happy to be home, though John’s medical issues are not over yet. I have a new appreciation for our perpetually messy kitchen after not having one to cook in, and I will not complain again about my pillows that are never quite perfect after sleeping in a cramped and unforgiving hospital room chair last night. There are two days left of this challenge but something tells me that we’ve been through the biggest challenges we could have faced already.
No Question of the Day. Just please, please take 5 minutes right now to be thankful for what you have. However much or little, be thankful.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Great share tonight, Michael. Hoping John’s complications resolve themselves quickly and things return to whatever ‘normal’ becomes. Tom/@SolakNC
Meatballs…we had them this week too, including the peas. I substituted the rice for a slice of wheat bread and pulled out a pint of pickled carrots made last year. Hope you guys are doing well :)
Love you!
Love you too.
We made these meatballs from the side of beef we purchased at a reduced price. They were DELICIOUS!
Many thanks, my friend.
the meatballs look delicious. Meatballs and meatloaf is some of my favorite comfort food! Hope it comforted you, too. :-)
While i am certainly glad you ate, Michael–and i would have bawled you out if you hadn’t!!–i hope it was with the realization that the people who are dependant on food stamps, not just the $amount, would not have been able to under those circumstances. If your entire food budget is the food stamps, you have to eat with food stamps or do without. And even when you buy food without food stamps, if you have a certain amount budgeted and you are trying to get by, in a situation like this it would have had to come out of gas or laundry money, and gas is pretty much for just getting to work with, at this point, so it would mean washing a couple loads’ worth of laundry by hand.
John, you are one of the sweetest men in the world, and i wish you a speedy recovery. Best to both of you!!!
I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this, but never again ask anyone else if you should eat. Your health is more important than what you are doing here. You are my hero. Hugs and kisses to John. Since I’ve had back surgery, I know all too well how hard it is.
Michael, I totally agree with Deborah — never ask anyone again if you should eat!!! If you didn’t take care of yourself how could you expect to take care of John when he needs you too??? I know your committment to this challenge is unwavering and that says a lot for the kind of person you are — which is amazing : )
This is real life.
Sometimes circumstances occur where if you want to eat, you need to buy it.
Don’t feel guilty.You included it as part of the food challenge, which was a perfect decision to make.