Grocery Spending/Menu Plan | I have pictures (four actually)
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'm making up for those weeks when I'm too lazy to take a grocery picture!
Here's my produce (notice my produce bags?? I stopped at Dollar Tree and spent $2 for them.) Thanks for all the advice!
Plus, I have the local apples that I exchanged for my icky peaches. And I also bought some tomatoes when I got the apples.
These are my non-perishable groceries.
And my refrigerated/frozen stuff.
I did actually use a few coupons, (one for OJ and two for deodorant), but as I look through these pictures, I'm noticing that even if I did have the desire to get back into lots of couponing, there's really not a whole lot here that you could buy with coupons.
I spent $54.35 at Weis and $107.32 at Aldi. So, I'm at $161.32. Oh, and I also spent $2 on the tomatoes at the orchard. That makes my total $163.32. Hopefully I can get by with just a produce/milk run next week so that I can be on budget.
Breakfasts this week will be granola, yogurt, fruit, cereal, and scrambled eggs.
Lunches will be comprised of sandwiches made with whole wheat bread, homemade yogurt, yogurt smoothies, cottage cheese, fruit, raw veggies, nuts, cheese, and leftovers as necessary. Of course, we don't eat all of that every single day...it's just a list of the things we choose from for lunch each day. And Mr. FG eats leftovers for lunch pretty much every day.
Here's our dinner plan:
Saturday
- Mandarin Chicken Wraps
- I'm not sure what we're having with these...I need to rummage through my fridge and figure out what produce needs to be used first.
Sunday
- Buttermilk Waffles
- fried eggs
- OJ
Monday
- Pizza Bagels
- green salad
Tuesday
- Creole Shrimp Stew
- Whole Wheat Rolls
- broccoli
Wednesday
- Lemon Pepper Salmon
- glazed carrots
Thursday
- Fettuccine with Chicken and Tomatoes
- Fruity Green Salad
Friday
- Takeout Date Night with Mr. FG
By the way, I was recently featured in a podcast series that interviews homeschool graduates. I'm much better at writing than I am at speaking, and I can't STAND to listen to myself talk, so I personally haven't listened to the podcast. Hee. So, I'm just going to apologize for any lack of coherency in my talking, and I will totally understand if you prefer to stick with reading me instead of listening to me. 😉
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Today's 365 post: Sienna
Joshua's 365 post: Froggies
Love your site! Keep up the good work!
Stefanie
-North Carolina
Hi Kristen,
Those bags are great. Will have to check them out! Just sent an email to you.
Patti
Podcast is great...you sound like you! Very Nice 🙂
Back again,
The interview was very nice. I have never met anyone who was homeschooled. A very good friend homeschools her kids and they love it.
Patti
I'm with you on the couponing....there just seems to be less and less value. Most of the time the coupons are for processed food and more often than not you have to buy 2 or 3 of an item...crazy. I also seem to be buying more and more at Aldi and less and less at the ...."full service" grocery store.
I am with you on the couponing. Everyone that I know that does it seems to buy things that I wouldn't really want in my house anyway. I'll use them for cleaning products and such when I have them, but they don't seem to have coupons for any whole foods.
I enjoyed the interview. Hearing your voice gives a fuller demention to what I read on your blog.
Wow! I enjoyed your podcast. You do have a bit of an unusual phrasing and tone to your voice, but it's charming and it's what makes your voice unique. I especially noticed how kind you were to your interviewer. Unless he is very new to this whole process, he still has a lot of room to grow as an interviewer.
You know, Driscoll's has a coupon online! And if you use Recyclebank, you can get coupons for about $5 off a purchase of $40 or more at certain stores along with other coupons. I found out about it when I did an extreme couponing challenge. Good luck!
YAY, now we have matching produce bags!
Katy
I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one that can never find coupons for the things I buy. I don't buy prepackaged foods and prefer to make things from scratch. Though I probably still spend less than people that do buy those things and use coupons. And Walmart started giving you coupon price without bringing a coupon in so saves me time anyway. 🙂
I'm not an extreme couponer by any means, but every few months, I do a big shop at Target and use Target coupons, matched up with manufactures coupons. I save big $$, and its everything I use. Advil, bandaids, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste. Mostly toilitries and some cleaning products, pet treats, laundry, etc. Its worth it to me. The last trip, I got free asprin, free vitamins, free candles too.
I did a sort of " Where's Waldo" on your photos to see if there are any coupon-able items. I have seen coupons for:
Barilla pasta
Tropicana orange juice
Dricoll berries
Lender's bagels.
That being said, I don't know if it's worth it for a homeschooling mom of four who also teaches, takes photos, etc. To spend the amount of time it would take to look for coupons. I happen to enjoy it, but I have two children, a part time job and a health condition that forces me to rest more than you do - perfect time for couponing!
Also:
pasta sauce
salad dressing
cheese
all toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper goods
But same comment as Kathy's about you being the one to decide if couponing is right for you.
I've been following your blog for a couple of months and I just wanted to say THANK YOU!! Posts like these are really useful and a daily reminder that I need to sort it all out and get organised!
Kristen,
I enjoyed your interview. You were really sweet and honest.
The guy interviewing you, Christopher Hutton, was rather dry as an interviewer. I don't know if he hate's homeschooling or something but he gives a odd vibe. Maybe it is because he is just really young and it could have been totally unintentional. From perusing his website, he appears to be a nice young man and has interest and wants to have a profession in broadcasting.
I think I have expectations of interviewers listening and asking questions related to what you are saying,like a conversation, maybe in addition to reading a script and going down a checklist. I realize the time limit on radio and television so that may have been a factor.
Your interview was great, very encouraging, I love people who encourage others to think and not just mindlessly live. Being deliberate saves money and blesses others.
Thank you so much for sharing your life with us!
Blessings,
Angie Warren
I have to agree with Angie. I think you did a fine job, Kristen -- and with very little feedback from your interviewer.
Great job on the interview!
I really only buy produce and meat at the grocery stores (LOVE Trader Joes!)...coupons are usually for the processed stuff that I never buy! Anyway, I'm glad I found your blog...lots of good stuff 🙂
What do you use your frozen cherries for, smoothies only? I got a big bag from Costco and am looking for ideas other than smoothies!
That's my plan for now! I don't know if I've ever actually bought them before, but they were on sale, and so I thought I'd buy a few bags.
It's so neat to hear your voice! You did a great job. 🙂
I really enjoyed the interview -- you sounded great -- cheerful, modest, and funny -- a pleasure to listen to. As always, you make a very compelling case for homeschooling that helps those of us with preconceptions about it think again and respect the varieties of education that are possible in this wide, amazing country with so many options and opinions.
Ooh, and thanks for the veggie bag idea!
To the people saying the interviewer gave little feedback and was a bit dry - as someone who records interviews every now and then, he probably switched off recording the audio feed from his microphone when Kristen was talking, so that the focus was on her. So I'm sure he was laughing and chatting with her, but we only hear her responses. It's hard to get the balance of that right, and I don't think he's quite there yet, but I doubt the actual interview was as dry as we all believe.
A couple of times when I listen back to a recorded interview I realise the response I got to a question was a bit off topic so I re-record a different question to match the answer. That means I have to totally remove my audio track from that section, which would create that dry feel we've got here. I'm sure he was lovely during the actual recording. 🙂
Kristen, your happy tone and voice really matches your blog! Thanks for sharing.
I listened to the podcast, and you did a great job! I understand completely about not liking to hear your voice on recordings. However you were very cheerful, and also very kind and patient with your interviewer. I think I'm going to have my daughters listen to it, because they've suddenly become very curious about adults, who were homeschooled. They found out a singer they like was homeschooled, the other day, and were amazed. Lol! I'm assuming they think this is some new, crazy concept their mother has come up with!
Great job with the interview. I enjoyed listening!
Can you tell me where the mesh bags are located at the Dollar Tree? Are they in with automotive items or in a different aisle? Thanks so much!
Great job on the podcast! I don't know anyone who was homeschooled, but I love reading about it on your blog and enjoyed hearing the interview. I made your whole wheat rolls for a potluck today and they were a hit! Thanks for your lovely blog and recipes.
My food plan for the week: use up the fridge-full of leftovers!
I had dinner with my parents, who inevitably order at least 1.5 entrees per person. I hosted brunch for 20 and I always overestimate how much people eat = tasty cold cut sandwiches for the week, and more chips than I can shake a stick at. Before I realized I was having dinner with my parents I defrosted my last happy chicken[1], a happy ham steak, and 4 lbs pork belly. I can put the ham steak back in the freezer, but refreezing does nasty things to chicken's texture, and the pork belly is to become bacon for a friend's housewarming.
So I expect to eat
- lots of sandwiches for lunch
- roast chicken for 2 dinners
- yogurt dip for 1 dinner
- leftovers for 2 dinners
One night I must make bread, because store-bought would diminish the tastiness of cold cuts.
[1] For Cook's Illustrated's most recent recipes for weeknight roast chix
Kristen,
I think you did a fabulous job on the interview! I loved hearing your voice, and wish you would do things like that more often!
Thanks again for these dinnerplans- sounds healthy and btw. salmon is our favourite- easy to make, delicious, healthy. But often a weekend food. Our 'dinners' are rather flexible mondays to fridays. Cold foods, apple pie, lots of soups, salads etc. Everything goes if there is plenty of fresh bread. 🙂
(That someone else was baking, of course..) And how about favourite apple pie recipes?
Kristen,
Just a suggestion. I'm an author and promote my books. I got so tired of standing up before people, talking to them about my books. Instead, I bought
a cam-corder and made videos that pertained to the book I was promoting.
My "audience" seemed more connected and definitely enjoyed the video much more than my talking to them. My husband was an electronic engineer and helped me to narrate on the film. My voice is still there but seems easier to take with a picture with it. I need to do a video on my last book, "Lee's Passion," http://www.publishamerica.net/product25623.html
My books are on Amazon.com and are filled with the frugal living of early day
Oklahoma pioneers, my family. The first is How to keep up with the Joneses.
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS395&q=how+to+keep+up+with+the+joneses+donna+jones+flood&oq=How+to+keep+up+with+the+Joneses&aq=2v&aqi=g1g-v2&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=169063l179109l0l184750l35l25l1l5l5l0l703l2469l2-1.3.1.0.1l6l0
On Alastair McIntyre's Electric Scotland I share many frugal related stories. They are written as entertainment (rough draft) but the theme is the same,
"frugality."
Donna Jones Flood
Oklahoma
Donna, Is this advice for Kristin or a plug (or multiple plugs) for your books? Frankly, if I carve time out of my schedule to hear an author speak live and in person, I expect it to be live. If I want to watch a video, I can go to youtube at my convenience. Perhaps if you're really "so tired of standing up before people" you might want to reconsider your whole marketing approach.