June ends in just a few days, so I’m officially halfway through my grocery budget for the year. Totals and averages all tallied up below!
What I Spent
I got a $25 Hungry Harvest box and then spent $7.48 at Harris Teeter and $107.78 at Aldi.
So, I ended up at $140 this week, which is a lot better than my last few weeks!
June Spending
Week 1: $235
Week 2: $164
Week 3: $210
Week 4: $140
2018 Monthly Averages
(goal is $150/week)
January: $544
February: $588
March: $641
April: $728
May: $535
June: $749
Yearly average so far:
$3785/26 weeks = $145/week
So, despite high spending in April and June, I’m still right on target for the year. SWEET.
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG and I went out for dinner, using a gift card someone had given us. Woohoo for a cheap date night!
Sunday
I pressed the easy button and baked frozen pizza. I hope you’re very impressed.
Monday
I grilled chipotle chicken kebabs, made cornmeal muffins, and cut up some fruits and veggies.
Tuesday
Sonia wanted to cook dinner, so she and I made sausage and orzo, using kale and broccoli as the veggies.
This used up my jar of chicken broth from this week’s freezer challenge basket, so I was very pleased about that.
Also, just FYI, I’ve added two cups of thinly sliced kale to this recipe several times, and it works out great. I just stir it in a few minutes before adding the Parmesan at the end and that’s enough to soften it a bit.
Wednesday
I used up my bag of Aussie Chicken sauce from the freezer by making a recipe of Aussie Chicken.
VERY CREATIVE.
I also used a bag of red potatoes from Hungry Harvest to make potato cubes.
(Here’s the secret to making really good potato cubes)
And I cut up some raw fruits and veggies to eat on the side.
Thursday
We had a night of randomness, using up the butternut squash soup, the last package of quinoa, and the tortillas, which are all things from my freezer basket.
(Checkmarks on the stuff I used, arrows pointing to stuff I used Thursday night)
Friday
I’m planning to make Asian chicken lettuce wraps. However, I’m going to have to modify them a bit for Sonia because hoisin sauce has sesame in it, and we discovered Sonia is allergic to sesame.
Oof.
I made my own Hoisin once, but the recipe called for peanut butter, which Sonia is also allergic to.
Asian food is hard when you have a kid who is allergic to nuts and to sesame! Luckily she’s not allergic to soy or we’d really be in trouble.
(I don’t have this recipe posted, apparently, but here’s another lettuce wrap recipe if you’re feeling a hankering.)
What did you eat for dinner this week?
And how’s your grocery budget doing at this halfway point in the year?
WilliamB
Monday 2nd of July 2018
This week I finished the deep freezer clean-out, defrost, and scrub. (Full disclosure - the roommate did the scrub, which is fine since it was his apple cider that made the scrub necessry.) I had plenty of foods left. Some are long-term (5 lbs of smoked bacon skin for beans, 3 pints of apple cider caramel sauce), some fit into the fridge freezer (dumplings), using them up remains a priority.
I kept spending on dog food, beverages, and produce but didn't track how much I spent on it.
Next project is to clear out the pantry foods that have accumulated and I don't use much any more. Those tasty-looking sauces seem to breed when I'm not looking.
Deidre
Monday 2nd of July 2018
Congrats on keeping to your budget - one of my friends keeps a frozen pizza on hand to use when he and his family have nothing left to eat - he says when they get to the frozen pizza they know they need to do a big food shop the next day :) I am still eating ready made freezer meals regularly but found a brand that actually resembles real food amazingly enough, my sis shouted Indian the other night which was aweasome - tandoori mushrooms and capsicum, fish curry, cauliflower curry, lemon rice, roti and stuffed paratha bread, so good.
Ann Sharfstein
Sunday 1st of July 2018
Kikkoman Plum Sauce has a taste similar to hoisin sauce and no sesame. The ingredients are Sugar, Water, Plum Puree, Vinegar, Ginger, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Fermented Wheat Protein, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum.
I use it in place of hoisin when cooking for my nephew who is allergic to sesame, peanuts and other. I think it's a little sweeter but a close flavor. I find it in the grocery store but it is on amazon too.
Kristen
Sunday 1st of July 2018
Good to know! Thanks for sharing.
Jeanne
Saturday 30th of June 2018
I am curious- did you eat the butternut squash soup hot or cold? Cold doesn’t sound good, but I’d like to hear your impression.
Kristen
Saturday 30th of June 2018
Well, I heated it up, but then decided it was a little too hot to eat REALLY hot soup. So I let it cool down.
I'd say I ate it lukewarm. It wasn't my favorite thing ever, but hey, I am all in on this freezer challenge. ;)
lisa
Saturday 30th of June 2018
Our family has many allergies and the food ones are...deadly. No nuts, nut oils, etc. Pesto is out of the question. Capers are a tree nut and we learned that the hard way...…. Our meals can be bland at times but that's ok.
Anywho, we ate: breaded pork chops (no oil), sloppy joes,gilled kielbasa, chicken parm (no oil used), cornbread, banana muffins, Subway....That's all I can remember....
Ruth- Congrats! Wishing you a speedy delivery!
Kristen
Saturday 30th of June 2018
I'm really lucky that none of ours are of the deadly sort, at least not at this point. Sonia's peanut allergy seems to be worsening, though. Oy. Her allergist said they'll probably have peanut allergy shots out by the time she's in college, so right about the time she finishes her other allergy shots, perhaps a peanut set will be available!