Grocery Spending and Menu Plan
Two pictures again this week!
$12.45 at Weis...
And $44.77 at Aldi.
That adds up to $57.22, which is almost exactly what I spent last week(that was $57.95). So, I'm a little more than $20 under budget again. 🙂
Saturday
- Beef au Jus sandwiches and Tortellini Soup(frozen from previous meals)
- green salad
Sunday(we're having a friend from church over, so we're not having breakfast for dinner!)
- Swiss Mushroom Chicken
- Spinach Salad
- some kind of bread...haven't decided what yet!
- some sort of cookie for dessert...have decided that yet either.
Monday
- Roast Chicken with Stuffing
- steamed broccoli
- rolls
Tuesday
- Beef Burgundy over noodles
- Baby Carrots with horseradish
Wednesday
- Chicken and Gravy on Toast(using leftovers from Monday)
- Fruit salad
Thursday
- Grilled Jerk Chicken pieces
- Grilled vegetables(mushrooms, onions, red peppers)
- braided bread
Friday
- We'll be at my parents for an early Easter dinner. Um, I'm bringing some kind of bread.
I just admire your grocery spending! I have 2 adults and 1 dog in my home and some weeks, we are here for 3 meals a day. The college student is a dance major, so she eats a lot! (yet maintains a slim physique) I buy only produce and ingredients for basic meals...no convenience foods at all, no cleansers etc and I still spend upwards of $70 per week. I shop mainly at WalMart. We have no Aldi here. I am growing vegetables now on my patio and hope that will reduce my food spending.
I haven't gone shopping yet this week, but I have high hopes I will come in way under budget. I made a menu plan that uses up a lot of ingredients I already have in my pantry and fridge. Now we'll just have to see if I stick to it!:P
Hi Kristen~ Just wondering...do you buy things like paper towels, paper plates, napkins, trash bags...etc? I spend a lot of money on these things, and feel like it's kind of a waste of money, but I don't want to give up these conveniences. I work part-time and believe they are huge time-savers. Please tell me your feelings.
Thanks and kudos to you!
Dana
I buy only the meat, chicken, seafood or entree item we need for the main meal. All of mine or home or brown bagging for every meal. We have 7 total to feed. I do not waste a single morsel. I get the breakfast free or way reduced. Lunches I pick up only 2 lunches and I stretch with other things at home. I concentrate on the entree as stated above. Get 5 veggies and 3 fruits stretch it all. Milk , eggs and cheese. This has been working for me. I have spent two years writing one product we use each night and asking for coupons. We spend $80 for everything that is needed for 10 days. So far it works. I stretch with beans, oatmeal and all the free stuff. Hope this basic overview helps someone out there.
In additon to the above if I run out of lunches for the ones in college I will send them with a coupon from a restraunt. Example recently my daughter used her free sub at subway for her lunch. As I was out of anything to pack. I buy only enough lunch meat to make sandwiches for two days after that they start on leftovers. Then when the leftovers get used up they get creative. One thing one likes is cheese , crackers and an apple. Almost no packing invovled and they like what they have to eat. If they are home choices get easier. Tuna travels sometimes.
I have been working on a meal planning website for my wife over the past 6 months with the goal of taking a lot of the repetition out of meal planning. It basically allows you to create your own family menu of recipes, easily add them to a weekly plan and then it automatically creates a shopping list based on that plan, categorized by grocery categories. You can also share your recipes with friends, and save you weekly plans. I am adding new stuff every week, so please let us know what you think, and what we could add to make meal planning that much easier.
Dana-your question is in the queue for tomorrow's Q&A. 😀
I am so glad you are answerig Dana's question! I was wondering the same thing. It's almost another budget I need to make for paper products and cleaning items.
One option for cutting back on paper product costs (and waste) is to purchase a set of cloth napkins for your household. If each "place" at the table has a cloth napkin set for each meal, you will save tons of money on paper napkins (and help the environment too). When the napkins get dirty, just throw them in the wash with the other clothes, and hang them to dry. Etsy seller "Kitchen Quilts" makes high quality cloth napkins, but you can obviously pick them up more cheaply at your thrift store (or make your own!).