Grocery Spending/Menu Plan | The start of bi-weekly shopping
On Saturdays, I share my menu plan for the upcoming week along with a photo of my groceries and a tally of my spending. My goal is to spend $100/week for our food, toiletries, and cleaning products. I'm currently in the midst of trying to buy more local, sustainably-produced food while sticking to my budget. Can it be done? I don't know, but I'm going to try, and I'll share what I learn as I go along.
I shared on Facebook a week or so ago that I was really feeling the need to streamline my grocery shopping routine and that I was considering cutting back my shopping to every other week.
I figure almost everything is worth at least a try, so this week I planned out two week's worth of meals and shopped accordingly. I think I'll have send Mr. FG on a milk run sometime this next week, and I'll probably have to pick up some produce too, but for the most part I'm going to try to not shop for two weeks.
Also, this is the first week where I'm trying to keep to a $75/week grocery budget in order to make up for my local beef purchase. So, I had $150 to work with when I went shopping.
I spent $61.63 at Aldi, and $66.85 at Weis. I also saw that Chex was on sale at Superfresh (4 for $6!), so I printed a $1 coupon from Coupons.com
and stopped by to get 4 boxes for $5. It's hard to find non-sugared cereals on sale, so I considered this to be worth the extra stop. That sale just started yesterday, so if you have a Superfresh near you, you have plenty of time to take advantage of that sale.
And you know what I realized when I stopped off to get the cereal? Life is getting easier. Several years ago, an extra stop would have been too overwhelming to me, but it's really not so bad now. Everyone can walk (at a decent pace, even) and everyone can buckle and unbuckle themselves except Zoe (her carseat buckle is too hard for her to undo).
Anyways, back to groceries. In addition to the shopping mentioned above, I also bought a $6 package of nitrate-free bacon at the local organic store.
So, my total thus far is $139.48, which leaves me $11 for a milk/produce supplementation trip.
It'll be interesting to see how this works out. I'm thinking that in addition to saving me time, there are two other possible benefits to shopping less frequently. For one, I think this might help me to clean out my fridge more thoroughly, since new food will only be coming in every other week, and I also think this might save me money because it'll reduce my ability to impulse buy. I'm pretty good at sticking to my list, but I do sometimes throw things into the cart that are not on my list. Now I'll only be able to do that every other week, and that will probably be good.
On to the menu!
Saturday
- We had pizza last night because we're having a date night tonight, thanks to my sister and her husband
Sunday
- And same for Sunday night (except the pizza part). Lucky me!
Monday
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
- Chicken Noodle Soup
Tuesday
- Beef au Jus Sandwiches on French bread
- green salad
Wednesday
- Roasted Chicken with gravy
- Whole Wheat Rolls
- green beans
Thursday
- Fiesta Chicken Casserole (a new Cook's recipe that I'm trying)
- fruit salad
Friday
- Eat-in date night for us, leftovers for the kiddos
Today's 365 post: Happiness in a Pot
A lot of dates this week!
I know! lol We didn't have any this past week, so we're making up for it. =P More details later.
I'm interested to see how your experiment with 2-week shopping works. Right now, my pantry is full, my freezer & refrigerator are full as well, so I really do need to stop shopping (except for milk and produce). Maybe I'll join you unofficially, in the experiment. My problem, however is meal planning. BTW - I love seeing your shopping trip photos - I'm such a visual person; it really helps. We have 4 kids too, but 2 are teens and 2 are pre-teens so we have much bigger eaters.
I can appreciate your effort. I have gone from shopping weekly (when my three children were small and my husband was available to watch them, which gave me time out of the house alone), to shopping bi-weekly, to shopping once a month. I've found some advantages to shopping less often. Time is saved. I can purchase more quantity of "specials". Larger portions are usually cheaper, i.e., large container of oatmeal vs. small container. I find the number of items I purchase has diminished as I tend to use the same thing in several different recipes.
I shop in this manner: Look for and purchase the specials that we normally use. Then I go home and plan a menu.
My goal is to spend £100 a week and I achieve this and very little food waste through buying my groceries online. Many people are put off by the delivery charge but if you time it right you can get 'free' slots and also it saves on the amount of impulse purchases made, saving cash and inches on the waistline. Every week I plan the family's meals (which is the most efficient way of doing it without a doubt), order just those items ensuring they cover all meals and write what we are having on a chalkboard in the kitchen - just like a bistro! It has the added bonus of me not having to go into a store - which I hate with a passion! I'd rather be doing something more productive instead, like reading this blog!
Although I don't want my kids to grow up too quickly, I do look forward to the day when everyone can walk at a decent pace on their own and get in and out of the van unassisted. With the oldest being just 3, an extra stop usually isn't worth it for me! Although shopping for 2 weeks of groceries at a time isn't ideal at this point in my life either...with 2 little ones in the cart sometimes there's barely room for one weeks' worth of groceries!
I hear you there! I had 2 little ones in the cart for lots of years.
What do you do with the cranberries?
I just go shopping whenever we need food. It's just my husband and me though so it's easy with just two of us once there is more of us, I feel like we're going to actually need to schedule things more. As it is now, I end up going every 2-3 weeks.
Cranberry bread and cranberry sauce are in our future!
Can't wait to see the cranberry bread recipe!
What I'm most interested in is how you go about PLANNING for those 2 weeks and how long that takes. I used to think that I didn't like to COOK, but recently discovered that what I REALLY dread is not knowing WHAT to cook. I find the menu planning the hardest and thus I usually "perish for lack of vision" each week. I have 3 vegetarians and one die hard carnivore, one who doesn't like anything cooked (he'll just have to deal!) and often tells me on the coldest winter day that he's "not a soup kind of guy" It's hard to streamline the menu planning so that everyone's (or at least most of the family's) needs (if not wants) get met. It's a tall order. So for me, it's the planning that has snared me time and time again. Any words of wisdom here or in a future post would surely be welcome!
(By the way, I long ago dispensed with trying to hit a bull's eye with everyone, but even so, the planning can still be challenging.)
Jenny
I would check out some raw cooking recipes ...might give some ideas for the vegetarian and not cooked preferred ...I have a friend that makes it pleasing to the eye and she is lovely to talk with http://hi-rawkus.com/
If they are picky, get them involved with the planning and prep work. I give my family some imput on the menu, but unless they are ok with taking over all the planning, prep, and clean up, I get the main say in what we have. kids can help with easy things, older kids, teens and dad can actually make most of the meal once a week. By the time my brothers and I were all in High school, we each had one night where we were in charge of making the meal. Sometimes we even picked the meal. My mom helped my brothers, I usually just went on my own. My dad grilled a lot, so we all helped out.
I tend to shop once a week, but every other week is usually a half shop, more than milk and produce, but way less than usual.
You can cut back on that second shop by freezing milk, just pour out a few cups first, and blanch and freeze veggies for later in the week. THis is good, esp if veggies are on sale. Or plan things like broccoli or cauliflower for the second week, they last a long time in the crisper. Lettuce, not so much so that needs to be eaten right away.
Last week I noticed that although my fridge was really bare, my pantry, fridge freezer and stand alone freezer were packed! So right now I am just shopping for random items to make meals out of what I have on hand. This is cutting our grocery budget nicely, because we have some extra bills this month.
I like to keep a note on my phone with a list of meals that I have the stuff on hand to make, or ideas from others for upcoming meals when I lack inspiration. A few days ago I just stood in front of the freezer and pantry and brainstormed what could I make with this only purchasing minimal ingredients. I must have come up with 30 meals or more!
What do you eat on Date Nights? Is this considered part of the $150 budget or is there a separate budget for Date Night food? How do you deal with the menu planning and budgeting? I have many talents, and find that budgeting and menu planning are not really something I can do or do even remotely ok.
3 date nights within a week?! Oh, so jealous. 🙂
Have fun!!
Last week, I shopped for "two weeks". I did pretty good. I did hit multiple stores to take advantage of sales and actually only spent around $90.00. I had some things in the freezer to make it work. I did have to go out today, but I only spent $30.00. I believe this will take us to the two week mark.
I made a list of 14 simple dinners. We've enjoyed eating at a couple of Halloween parties, but at home, it's been pretty basic. For the next two weeks, I'm planning on hitting the meat market to really stock up, and plan meals around that. Question for you though? I've purchased nitrate free bacon before, and in my opinion, it tasted like a really skinny pork chop. Is it the nitrates that make it taste like "bacon"?
Good luck with the two week shopping. Please keep us posted. I really want to make it work and would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Hmm, that's odd! The nitrate-free bacon I've bought has always tasted just as good as regular bacon, and maybe a little better. I think the smoking is what makes bacon taste like bacon, so I can't imagine that the nitrate affects flavor that much.
Maybe you had a bad batch or a bad brand?
It was actually purchased from a local farmer. I was trying to do the grass-fed, local thing, but the taste is just not what were used to (or liking for that matter). I'll have to try a different source I suppose.
I used to go shopping bi-weekly but it just didn't work for us. Mostly because we have diapers and baby items on our list that we need each week...I have a feeling that once our kids are out of diapers we'll switch back to bi-weekly again. It was definitely less stressful to get it all done once every 2 weeks...but for now I think we'll stick with once a week.
You'll either love this or hate it. Can't wait to hear which it is 🙂
@Laurie
It's my understanding that many foods, especially cured meats such as bacon, hot dogs, etc. use nitrates to preserve color and maintain microbial safety. The problem with nitrites is that it can convert to nitrite, which can form nitrosamines, a powerful carcinogen and for that reason, I'd avoid them completely. Nitrite-free versions are definitely available. They may be a bit more expensive. Sadly, healthier food usually is.
I really enjoy doing one BIG shop -- at least I do if the big kids are in school that day! I find it saves me a lot of money, and it requires me to get really serious about menu planning. I can still hit specials on my weekly milk and banana runs!
I'm just curious, I see a half gallon of OJ in your photo. I always buy frozen juice concentrate. Here it is quite a bit cheaper than juice by the 1/2 gallon. Does your family prefer fresh? is the price better? what influences your purchacing it the way you do?
Linda, I don't think this has anything to do with Kristen's buying fresh, but I know I can't have frozen concentrated stuff....it's a migraine trigger. Must be the way it is processed. As a result, we rarely have OJ because fresh stuff is so much more expensive.
Oh, that's Mr. FG's OJ. lol He prefers the not-from-concentrate stuff and I figure it's not a big deal if just he drinks it.
I don't drink OJ, and the kids always drink the stuff from concentrate (I buy it at Aldi)...if they all drank the stuff in the carton, I can't imagine how much it would cost!
I'm curious as to why you're not having roast potatoes with your roast chicken; do you not like roast potatoes? It's one of our favourite meals, the potatoes probably being the best bit.
Which has made me wonder about roast dinners generally in the US, here it is traditional to have a weekly Sunday roast meal in winter particularly, with potatoes and a variety of vegetables. Roasted carrots, parsnips and squash/pumpkin are popular in our house currently, but peas and cauliflower cheese always go down well too.
Thank goodness today is Sunday!
That's because I'm kind of a loser when it comes to potatoes. But, one of my current goals is to find some good potato recipes. I'm just so much better at making bread, it's easier to go that route. Since local potatoes are fairly easy to obtain, though, I'd like to learn how to better take advantage of them.
There are many things you could do with potatoes, it really depends on what your family would like. Here are our favourites:
Jacket potatoes - a delicious and simple meal. I prick mine and stick a metal skewer through them to reduce cooking time (& cost) to about 45 mins/1 hour depending on potato size. You can tailor toppings to suit what you have. Baked beans & cheese (sour cream optional) or tuna mayo are our favourites. Serve with salad.
Roast potatoes - I peel, chop and then parboil potatoes on the hob for about 10 mins before making roast potatoes. Then stick them in the oven in olive oil, again for about an hour (you need longer for larger potatoes.) Same temperature as your meat.
Dauphinoise potatoes are also very, very yummy. They're more of a treat though as they're highly calorific.
Mashed potatoes? Perfect with sausages and very autumnal. A real English comfort food. Peeled and boiled, then mashed with butter. Some like a little cream, added cabbage, parmesan cheese etc.
Homemade chips are also delicious. I rarely make them and sometimes leave the skins on when I do, as you would for wedges. Speaking of which, wedges with bacon, cheese, sour cream and a salad is a frugal informal lunch/dinner dish that you might all enjoy.
I don't think of myself as a potato fan, but always enjoy these dishes, particularly roast potatoes. They're a real family favourite in our house.
I was watching Barefoot Contessa ...she was doing a French show ...whipped potatoes up w I think half n half and fresh Basil...need to lookup exact recipe ...was very simple ...may even find video online 🙂
Fresh OJ, or at least the kind that's not-from-concentrate, is ridiculously expensive. I grew up on the concentrate stuff, but prefer to buy the fresh kind. We just don't have it around ALL the time. I don't think OJ, or juice in general, is a that great a go-to drink anyway. I was diabetic while I was pregnant and could see my numbers skyrocket after even a small glass!
So other than my "sometimes we have it, sometimes we don't" strategy, I also encourage the kids to cut it with some water (or bubbly water for fun) I find it to thickly sweet anyway and the kids enjoy making their "spritzers"
Like fresh parmesan cheese, as opposed to the stuff in the green can, for me, some things are just worth it in the taste dept. I just cut back in how frequently I buy stuff like this.
Totally agree about OJ...everyone in our house (except for me) has just a small glass at breakfast and that's it. Mostly, we drink water....that's our go-to drink, and the price is very right. lol
I should add that I do often have a glass when we have breakfast for dinner...a meal of pancakes just seems to scream for orange juice!
I shop every two weeks. It works well for me because I buy in bulk and I have very limited shopping time. Then if there is a day I am able to sneak out to shop I can devote that time to thrifting not the grocery store.
I would love to hear more about date night. When dh and I devised our new budget we cut out all our date money. That was a major mistake and I'm going buggy without some time alone with my guy and a few treats to look forward too. I would love some input on how to fix this problem cheaply.
ArdenLynn - Hubbie & I set aside Friday nights as our "date night" every week, but usually stay home. We make a conscious effort to eat dinner together and have quality time playing cards or a game, chatting or watching a movie together. It's very cheap! Unless you do this every night already (we can't as bedtime needs to be earlier due to an early rise for work), it's still special to have this set time together, after the kids are in bed.
Other things we do to minimise costs when going out, is a babysitting swap with a couple of close friends. With zero babysitting costs, you can enjoy free activities together in mild weather (walks, picnics etc), or go to a bar for a cheapish drink that you make last a while, or maybe you could splash out occasionally going out for dessert after eating dinner at home.
Hope these ideas help. The most important thing is to have fun, quality time together.
When I was growing up we did grocery shopping every two weeks, and my dad's military paycheck had to stretch to feed a lot of mouths. I didn't discover the "luxury" of being able to shop in our neighborhood grocery store, and more than once a week or two, until I started college.
Good luck!
I hope you find the bi-weekly shopping to be easier for you and the family. I did mine yesterday for the next 2 weeks. I love it when my cabinets/fridge/freezer are full -- so many options!
I am laughing out loud! Laughing because of this post....It's been quite awhile since I've stopped by (27 posts later)...I've taken a blogging break.
So anyway...I've shared before that we are so similar in grocery spending and planning...this day is the EXACT same day I shopped for the 1st time doing a biweekly routine! I've had the EXACT same feeling lately...that I need to streamline my shopping. I had no idea you were feeling the same way! Very cool...I'm anxious to see how it works for you. I'm shopping everyother week for my menu and the off weeks I do my stops at off shoot stores where I pick up good deals.
BTW...my blog is coming. I ended up dropping my WP account. I so hope you got to keep the credit from dreamhost! I did it as a result of the Relevant conference...felt God telling me to back up. So I'm just starting on blogger. Long story...but feeling a weight lifted.