Day Two 6:30 a.m. — I wake up and get ready for work. The bulk of my patients are busy during the weekdays so I try to meet them on Saturday mornings. I make a berry smoothie from my stash of frozen fruit and have a square of caffeinated chocolate my friend gave me.

10:00 a.m. — I'm hungry. I eat some cheese and crackers I brought with me.

12:30 p.m. — Lunch is leftover pizza from my mother that she gave me when I visited her last weekend and some grapes from yesterday.

1:00 p.m. — I decide to return some books to the library, and then I head to my local community center to hit the elliptical. My community center gym membership is a steal at $30 a year.

2:00 p.m. — Refreshed after my workout, I walk to my local Chinese grocery store, where they have dirt cheap sales on the weekend. I snag two papayas, four eggplants, one bag of pea shoots, and a bottle of soy chili paste. $12.82 (EBT)

3:00 - 5:30 p.m. — I volunteer at the local women's shelter so I help with dinner prep. Afterwards, I fix myself a plate of mashed potatoes, BBQ chicken, and broccoli, a nice volunteer perk. Yum.

7:30 p.m. — I head over to the Fenway area to celebrate my friends’ birthdays with dinner and clubbing. Since I already ate earlier, I opt for a pear margarita at the restaurant and cranberry vodka at the club ($22.27). I resist the urge to Uber home at the end of the night, even though public transport takes forever (approximately one hour). Can’t forget the cover charges as well; we go to two clubs, with a $5 cover each. Total: $32.27

1:00 a.m. — I arrive back home with the drunchies and finish off my Cheez-Its from yesterday.

Total amount spent: $45.09 ($12.82 from EBT)

Day Three

10:00 a.m. — I wake up feeling surprisingly productive and prep various lunches for the week and today. Since I teach cooking classes at work, a lot of these ingredients are leftovers. Win! I make some bacon carbonara, roasted sun dried tomatoes and asparagus, yu xiang eggplant, and steamed egg whites with scallions and crab.

1:00 p.m. — It’s such a gorgeous day out, so I walk with my roommate to our local grocery store. Food shopping is my version of retail therapy, so I grab some frozen fruit, some pumpkin bar mix, bananas, grapes, and garlic bread. The pumpkin mix and the garlic bread were both finds from the discount shelf — I always try to buy dry goods on sale that can be used later (beans, rice, lentils, or cake mix). $15.68 (EBT)

3:30 p.m. — I get hungry again, so I polish off my goat cheese and crackers, as well as a papaya.

8:00 p.m. — Roommate dinner! We make stir fry pea shoots, garlic bread, and strawberries with balsamic vinegar.

Total amount spent: $15.68 from EBT