$250ish and counting

Casey and I do something called "PBR Month". A couple years ago during the summer I suggested that we do a crazy frugal month where we buy only items that are on sale and any alcohol that we buy has to be the cheapest of the cheap (PBR, Rainier, Bud etc.). I am overly fond of really good beer and luckily, in the Northwest, we are awfully spoiled by the number of local micro breweries in the area. It's incredibly enjoyable to take advantage of but also very expensive. So I suggested we call this frugal month of no eating out or shopping from PCC or Metropolitan Market (because they easily cost twice as much) PBR month. (Pabst Blue Ribbon anyone?)

January was originally supposed to be PBR month but I kept on accidentally calling it a detox month and Case suggested that maybe I should detox to since I kept on saying I would. And that is how the "beauty detox" was conceived.

I had every intention of being cheap this month but it's very stressful for me to worry about two (big) things. So if I am going to eat absurdly healthy I might as well relax about spending money. That being said I still am not eating out during the week for breakfast or lunch - and I'm pretty sure my morning smoothies are insanely cheap so I might actually be saving money in the long run. I definitely do not feel like I am spending more anyway.

The picture above is my first small shopping trip about a week before the detox, costing roughly $25. I was reading about the awesomeness of veggies and protein and antioxidants and stopped by Bartells to stock up on some decaf green tea, a protein shake that tasted pretty awful, yogurt, coconut water, hand lotion, and a face scrub. If you have ever made drinking the recommended amount of water a goal in your life you will make friends with your bathroom, the sink and some soap. Invest in a good hand lotion. 

Above is my first day FAIL. I start my day with a full tank of water, hot green tea, and a smoothie chock full of vitamins, minerals and a ton of other shit. I crammed so much into this smoothie, including a packed cup of mixed greens, kefir, frozen fruit, almond milk, protein powder and ginger juice. I've put greens in my shakes before and it's totally fine. But this was so pulpy and I put too much ginger in there so I only drank half and called it good. Regardless, everyday starts with an absurd amount of liquids. Trust me - they keep you full. 

Above is my nextshopping trip, at PCC. I managed to spend (as you can see) a whooping 84 bucks on not very much food. Mostly I bought beverages to keep me satisfied a home. It's easy for me to drink a glass of wine (or three) and so to avoid doing that I get to drink other flavorful (and expensive) drinks. The coconut water in the picture is so amazing. It is the best. It's raw so it actually tastes like coconut water instead of the coconut waters you see in the Bartells picture (the first one).

The second shopping trip was at TJs - around the same amount. Three bags worth of food.

 As part of my detox I am doing two shots of aloe a day. I've had crazy bitter aloe but this stuff tastes like water. The company has a "special" process that removes that flavor. I didn't quite think it would taste like water and neither did Casey. In fact, he thought it would be funny to trick me on New Years Eve to give me a shot of aloe (which we had not yet tasted at the time) and I joked that it was probably water in the shot glass (when I actually thought it was Vodka). I guess the joke was on both of us when we did the shot. Ha ha ha. I know, that was really funny. Anyway, aloe has a host of benefits including stabilizing blood sugar, encouraging weight loss, and easing digestion.

These are my drugs. This is my second bottle of these multis that I am taking. Very pleased with this brand. Omega 3's are incredibly important to have in your diet. The western diet is horribly lopsided in terms of Omega 6's v. 3's. We should be having a 1:1 ratio but it's typically more like 10:1 and that encourages inflammation, sebum production, and therefore acne. It's also very nasty if you have arthritis. There are many studies out there that support this - I highly encourage you to look them up.

My dinner tonight was a BLT! Hell yeah! True. And I'm dieting you ask? (I'm not trying to lose weight remember)? I actually bought turkey bacon which I previously turned my nose up at. What? Gross! I want REAL bacon! But it was really, really tasty - no joke! (Look at all those exclamation points!!!)

It has the consistency of a lunch meat, like bologna, but the flavor of bacon, it is applewood smoked after all. It's, like, a super hippy turkey bacon, too. Trader Joe's brand (of course) 94% fat free, non-antibiotic, no artificial ingredients, blah blah blah. Anyway, right - the turkey is still dead so...yeah. (But I saved a pig and their, like 2 times as big, right?)The only down side is that one slice has 180 g. of sodium (8% Daily Value)! Holy cow. I had four slices.

I put an assload of spinach in there and I totally used mayo. To do otherwise would be a sin. Mmmm...mayo. It's also on sprouted whole grain bread.

Moral of the story? You can spend as much or as little as you want if you're going on a diet/detox. I say, if you can afford it - why not spend a little extra to reward yourself and buy fun things to eat and drink. For me, they keep me on track and motivated and excited to try new things. Every time I come home and open a Kombucha I know I am drinking something delicious and good for me. I have detoxed and been miserable and crabby because I did not invest ahead of time in tasty food and drinks. Plan way ahead, buy a mixture of things you know you like and new things to try, and stock your house full of healthy food. You not about to let it go bad are you?!