Cut The Crap - Day 1

I was inspired by the movie Julie and Julia to write this blog. I know that’s fairly unoriginal, and I apologize for that. Still, like most people who need to write, I’ll take inspiration anywhere I can get it. This blog will chronicle a journey, and I hope to write something – even if it’s drivel – every day.

My first idea was to chronicle my family’s move from processed, preservative-laden foods (i.e. CRAP) to a simple, healthy diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats. I think I’ll still do that, but given that my husband lost his job last week, I might also chronicle how we’re cutting other extraneous crap from our lives... you know… in order to make ends meet without putting us on the street.

So here’s a little background (and I’ll try to keep it short).

• My husband and I have been married for nearly 15 years. I weighed 125 when we got married. Rob weighed 215. We now weigh 170 and 285, respectively. As you can see, 15 years have really packed on the pounds.
• We have two beautiful children, aged 5 years and 9 months. Our kiddos are healthy and thriving without any weight issues. I chalk that up to high metabolism and an active lifestyle for them… at least for the 5 year old. J
• Rob wants to go back to school, and he was actually hoping to drop to part time before the work-rug was pulled from under his feet.
• Without telling you how much I make, our mortgage = one of my paychecks each month. I only get two.
• We have no credit cards. We have no daily Starbucks habit. We aren’t overpaying for cable/internet/phone (my company reimburses me $50/mo for my internet anyway). I have a Crackberry that I use for work, and even though I’m not currently being reimbursed for that, it really does help my productivity. We already have cheap car insurance, AND we have no car payment (YAY!).

So now we’re at this crossroads. I wanted to get rid of all the “non fresh” food in our cupboards and fridge and then start with “fresh” stuff. But, given the money situation, I’m not sure that’s a wise move. We’ll be eating what’s in the cupboards and the fridge, and replace all of that with fresh, more natural foods as we go. And what about other things? What can I actually cut that will make the one-income calamity more easy to weather?

Do you guys have any ideas? Suggestions?