It's OVAH. And my total was...

Well, let's reveal what I had for a last supper. I had two slices of toast (with jelly) and a hard-boiled egg. Toast: 6 cents each, and egg, 11 cents. Was my only real protein of the day.

Dinner on Day 7: 23 cents

Which means my grand total for the entire week was: $4.85 cents.

Only a few times during the week was I TRULY hungry, and I can honestly say I ate more veggies and fruit than I do usually.

I don't normally eat breakfast ever, so while I know Aaron doesn't think much of my 1/2 a banana and a shot of generic soda for breakfast, that's more than I'd normally eat for breakfast. And yes, there aren't a lot of calories in salads or green peppers or sauteed spinach, it does fill you up, at least for an hour or so. And then, you just wait and drink water until you can eat again.

I've learned a lot - about how wondering what your next meal will be and how cheap you can make it can become an all-consuming obsession (and how that must affect the work performance and general attitude of those who have to live like this) and how much I've taken for granted. Like affording milk to put on cold cereal. Or affording meat that isn't processed.

I'd like to try this again - with no free meals, no dumpster diving or freegan methods and following the USDA guidelines on how much protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, etc. you're supposed to get each day. How cheaply could you get and follow government guidelines?

And I'd like to see if I could eat for a week on the meals served at soup kitchens around town. And I'd like to see if I could eat for a week on what I could "earn" by asking strangers for money.
Could I eat healthy on what I'd get on food stamps?
I have lots of questions about how people for whom this isn't a weeklong sibling-rivalry motivated challenge actually live.

But first, I want to cook the chicken I couldn't afford to cook last week - that's been marinating in jerk marinade for several days. That with some rice and a can of green beans I picked up last week are going to be delish. Never thought I'd get excited over a crockpot meal, but I am.

Like Aaron- more later on where this goes next, what this means for my future eating plans, etc.

Look for a column at commercialappeal.com/wendi soon (Sunday?) on the outcome of the challenge - and most importantly, lessons learned. And what happens to the money we saved.