Today’s QotD Marathon is hosted by Young and Broke. Head on over to answer the question below.

If you had $10,000, one day, and one store to spend it in, what store would you choose?

For anyone interested in trying out the spreadsheet I use to track my Cheapass Challenge expenses, I’ve uploaded the file here:

Frugal Fitness Geek Budget Spreadsheet

Instructions:
1. All of the authorized healthy foods from the Body-For-Life food list are already pre-filled in the spreadsheet for your convenience since most recurring expenses will be grocery-related.

2. Enter quantities of each item you need for the week in the Qty column and the price of each item if you know it. (I like to check the ads of 1-3 of the local grocery stores or visit the stores to make notes on prices before I start to get this data.) You can also just put in an estimated price per unit for now.

3. Also enter any unit and notes information you might have if you like, though this is optional.

4. You can also add your own custom items if they are not already included on the sheet.

5. When you are finished marking the quantities of the items you plan to purchase, click the dropdown arrow at the top of the Qty column and select “Nonblanks” to filter out all of the items you don’t need for the week, leaving just a (hopefully) short shopping list you can print out and take with you.

6. After you finish your shopping trip, enter the actual market prices you paid on everything and let the spreadsheet total up your expenses for the week.

7. The first tab in the workbook tracks your totals for all 12 weeks and gives you a grand total for the entire challenge. You don’t need to edit this page; the formulas will automatically pull in the values from the other sheets.

Enjoy, and let me know if you run into any problems using the sheet!

You will need Microsoft Excel, Corel Quattro Pro, or any other spreadsheet application capable of opening Excel format (.XLS) files in order to use this spreadsheet. A free office suite that includes a spreadsheet app is available for download at Openoffice.org.

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YESTERDAY’S EATS

1. 1/3 c. oatmeal, 3 T. raisins, 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites
2. 1 peach, 1 scoop whey
3: 4 oz. chicken breast, 1/3 c. (dry) oatmeal, 1 c. mixed Mandrain vegetables
4. 1 plain rice cake, 1/2 T. all natural peanut butter, 1 Instone High Protein chocolate pudding
5. 4 oz. chicken breast, 4 c. Romaine lettuce, 2 T. Kraft Free Zesty Italian dressing, 4 oz. potato
6. 1 c. light soy milk, 1 scoop whey

Water: 16 cups

Supplements: multivitamin, calcium 600+D, EAS l-glutamine

Calories: 1474 calories (52.2% carb/36.9% pro/15.6% fat)

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YESTERDAY’S WORKOUT

* YF Cardio (15 min)
* LISS Walk (4 mph / 30 min)

Calories burned: 211 calories

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DEFICIT: -402 cal (Target: -632 cal/day)

BUDGET NOTES: None