Part of my early retirement plan involves simplifying what I eat. What I mean by this is reducing the variety of meals that I eat with each meal fulfilling the following characteristics:
- Reasonably cheap
- Quick and easy to prepare
- A high proportion of it fresh, raw or lightly cooked
- Nutritious
- Delicious - well, I've got to like it!
It's important to me that this is a middle way strategy - I've toyed with the idea of extreme diets in the past, such as raw foodism or extreme budget diets, but I have a suspicion that many of these are at least as much about identity construction in the late-modern age as much as they are about what they claim to be about it - What I mean by this is that while people advertising their healthy diets are obviously keen on the supposed health benefits, and while people on extreme money-saving diets are clearly interested in saving money, it is just as much true that the people on these diets have a psychological need to be recognised as a 'raw foodist' or the 'budget cook' (ok maybe its less the case with the later).
I'm not claiming to be any different by writing posts like this by the way - I really do want to retire early, and this requires renunciation - but I also like the idea of being (in a few years time) the guy who managed to (semi-) retired in his late 40s through employing renunciation as part of of his strategy. Somehow blogging about this now motivates me towards this goal.
Anyhow, my food/ diet plan. (BTW I should make it clear my diet I simply mean 'food plan' with a goal to simplifying, being healthy and saving some cash, I am not doing this as a means to weight loss - Lord knows I'm thin enough already!
My early retirement food strategy
Breakfast - Everyday
- Muesli or porridge with milk or yoghurt - What can I say, I love porridge and I love muesli!
Second Breakfast
- Toast
- Oatcakes
- Home-made muffins
- Home made flapjacks
- Fruit*
Lunch - Some kind of carb with as much salad as I can stomach
- Bread and soup with as much salad as I can stomach, basically whatever comes off the allotment
- Whatever I've got available in bread (i.e. a sandwich)
- Sardines on Toast
- Last nights dinner with cous cous
- Pancakes with fruit
- Tuna pasta (especially if running l8r)
- Fruit*
Dinner - some kind of carb with whatever veg comes off the allotment
- Potatoes with roast veg
- Ratatouille with rice
- Stir fry
- Dahl with courgette
- Chili
- Home made pizza if I've got the time
- Beans and eggs on toast
- Home made muffin(s) and fruit* for dessert
As far as I see it - there's sufficient variety above - and every single meal type ticks most of the criteria. Sorted.
Eventually I hope to evolve into 'man of the forest' and just graze, but that'll only happen post-work. This is a pragmatic meantime strategy.
*My fruit strategy involves buying about 15 apples and 10 pears and oranges a week as well as having blueberries, strawberries and raspberries from the allotment for about 3 months of the year.
Anyway, that's me, easily pleased!
That diet looks good and healthy.
The 'Man of the Forest' plan sounds a good one. Will this be full-on Grizzly Adams?
Ideally, although I think I'd struggle with the remoteness, even in Wales.
I've got this crazy ideal-idea of just buying some land, establishing a forest garden and then building a meditation pagoda in the middle of it (open to the elements) and just sitting there in between grazing.
I'll either go crazy or become enlightened, which is probably the same thing.
The forest garden and the meditation pagoda sounds pretty idylic.
Looking forward to the next instalment...
Thanks - Although I'm holding of dreaming/ planning until I get an offer on my flat - feel a bit stuck ATM.
Good luck with the sale...
Have you got a daily/weekly budget for food? I was surprised how little I spent on food once I started cooking at home everyday (and I must get one of those travel coffee cups, that would save me ££££s). A young friend told me he spends £20 a week on food, although he treated me to a meal for my birthday and that used up three weeks food budget 😳
Hi - I spend about £30-40 on food, although I could do better. It's just about the only area where I don't try too hard to save, it's so fundamental after all!
Oh yes, that budget allows for treats as well!
Looks like it'll work. Is your £30-40 per week? It seems about right.
I did a food experiment back in October in which I lived off of $29 per week (starting from absolutely nothing) with additional 'challenges' - I actually blew past that and ate for three weeks on just two weeks budget.
£40 a week is comfortable - I'd struggle on less as I like my fruit too much. When Summer comes I clould live off less with allotment pickings.
<$30/ week is a stupendous effort!
Yeah, the average cost per day came out to $2.09
Great effort! Something for me to beat, but I won't be 'in the zone' until August/ September! By which time we might both be even gladder that Steemit is an incredibly minor part of our retirement portfolios.
Looks pretty good, lots of vegetables and salad is always good. Have you considered reducing the amount of sugar?
Hi - I did an experiment with that last year for a few days, felt much better - although stress at work is driving me to consume A LOT of sugar at the moment: yesterday I had:
So there's defo room for improvement!
Ya man that's a huge amount of sugar! Not particularly unusual for today's world, but that seems like a big area that you could improve on if you want to. On the other hand, you only live once :-P I did eat some chocolate chip pancakes to kick off the weekend...
I did walk/ run 25Ks yesterday at least!
i think you'll easily meet your goals! you have a clear vision and that is the first step to mobilizing and manifesting any plan. Also, that broccoli looks delicious! good luck in your scaling back and renunciation. in my 20s i practiced this too ;) lol and having my own farm/gardens is such a great way to eat the way i want in abundance as i'm growing so much of it. that's another great way to save $ obviously <3
Oh, how I agree with you about the diet and identity issue. It's not necessarily a bad thing though if people recognise it in themselves. It's the militant people of all diets that get to me.
That aside, this sounds like a good plan. We do something similar, focussing on the season and what we can get cheap with loads of nutrition in it - which can be a difficult combo.
Are you baking your own bread? It's much more filling, better for you generally and doesn't take a lot of time - not to mention, especially sourdough breads are very delicious.
I do enjoy baking my own bread - although it does take me a little time as I am sans breadmaker! Will get on it more when I'm finally released from work in a couple of months!
I've never had a breadmaker - does it turn off automatically or how does it save time? It's so exciting that the date is drawing near. I look forward to seeing what you end up doing. Have you decided on where you'll be living? I remember you did a post on different options and the costs involved.
I see you have an allotment. Where do you live? We have a massive vegie patch and it's there 'just in case' i quit teaching. Mind you, we've had a stupid hot summer and I was too busy to bother watering, yet it kills me every time I buy vegies that I could grow. Next summer we'll put in wicking beds. Looking forward to winter veg so we dont have to water so much. We used to live in England and you didn't quite get the growing season we have here in south west Victoria, Australia. I love the fact we can have greens all year around. Broccoli, beetroot etc and silverbeet (chard) do well all winter. Easily pleased??? I think a good meal and homegrown food is one of life's greatest pleasures.
Hi - In Surrey atm - but Id ideally like a house with a garden when I move shortly.
Good luck!!! Following your journey!!! Surrey is lovely.
The meal looks awesome... enjoy it...
when we have a look deep into our feelings, we learn again that the healthy food is the food me like mostly... that's what I realize more and more since I'm traveling full-time..
Sounds like a decent strategy.
Food is easily the largest part of our budget, which is why we're so focused on growing our own. :)