Menu and Grocery Spending-A happy report this time.
First, here's the produce. I didn't need a lot this week, as we have some left from last week. Every so often, I purposely buy a little less produce than usual so that we will be forced to eat what's already in the fridge.
And here's the rest of my food.
After my less-than-stellar over budget shopping last week, it occured to me that I wasn't quite as over as I thought. I'd neglected to remember that $2.35 of my Aldi total was for a bag of Skittles that Lisey was buying with her own money (I paid for them with the idea that she would pay me when we got home). So, I'm $16.03 over budget for the month, not $18.38.
So, how did I do this week? I spent $47.31 at Aldi and $17.79 at Weis. That is only $65.10, which is $14.90 under budget. Woohoo!
This means that I'm only $1.13 over budget for the month, and I can totally live with that, even if I don't make it up next week. Whew.
For breakfast this week, we'll be eating granola, yogurt, and whole wheat toast, with a bit of cereal thrown in.
Lunches will be yogurt smoothies, bread, fruit, raw veggies, and leftovers as necessary.
Here's what we're eating at dinnertime:
Saturday
- Chicken and Cilantro Panini (made with my very special panini press)
- Spinach Salad
Sunday
- Instead of breakfast for dinner, we're having a snacky meal...fruit, veggies, cheese, dip, and probably some jello, which will thrill my children greatly, as jello is something of a rarity around here! :p
Monday
- Tortellini Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken(I had this on the menu last week, but it got bumped. )
- English Muffin bread
Tuesday
- Grilled Hamburgers
- Homemade buns
- Grapes
- raw carrots and cucumbers
Wednesday
- Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas
- Applesauce
Thursday
- Asian Tilapia
- Potato Cubes
- Green Salad
Friday
- Thin Crust Pizza
- Green Salad
Um, is that a turtle in a t-shirt? Love it, it made me smile!
I love the Where's Waldo Find the Stuffed Animals in your grocery pictures. I always look for them!
I thought your grocery budget was $80-$100? I don't know how you can stay within that...Especially since you like to cook! I budget $125 for my family of 5 and I always stay within it, but it can be a struggle. We really like a wide variety in our meals, though, so I keep a lot of food in the house so I have a variety of options. My husband works out all of the time as well, so he has a voracious appetite! I have to keep a lot of stuff made for him.
Julia, yes it is! lol Joshua and my husband have a long-standing disagreement about which way the turtle should wear his shirt. Joshua says the design should be on his back, and my husband says no, that the front of the shirt should be on his stomach.
Jinger, I'm glad they entertain you.
Liz, I was doing $80-$100, but right now we're working really hard on our emergency fund, and so I've been trying to cut back a bit. I plan to do a post on this in the coming week, but I don't think that everyone needs to spend what I do. Some people live in more expensive places, some people have children who eat more than mine, some people has husbands who eat more than mine do, and so on. I think $125 is a reasonable amount, especially if your children are older than mine. 🙂
Kristen, I am totally drooling over your floors! They are gorgeous.
Kristen!
Thanks for the encouragement and stopping by! I've tagged your blog on my list because it looks like I can learn from you how to grocery shop!! 🙂 Great job!
Mrs. Money, I love them too! When we bought the house, there was carpet in the dining room and a funky diamond patterned jade and black linoleum in the kitchen. Happily, we were able to rip up the flooring and replace it right before we moved in.
I adore wood floors so much, and I would totally have them instead of carpet all over my house if I could afford it.
Sharon, thanks for the add, and thanks for visiting me! 🙂
@Kristen
My son (8 this month) has a horse from Build-a-Bear workshop who wears a Seattle Mariners t-shirt...but no pants. It looks kinda funny to me and we laugh about how he'd get arrested if he left the house (the horse, not my son, tee-hee).
Kristen,
It's strange, because I make almost everything from scratch, so you'd think I wouldn't spend that much. I think you're right...We just eat a lot more than you guys do!:P
Okay, I was sure someone else would see it too, unless I'm just seeing things (beyond the animals). Are those hot dog buns there?!! That's like the cobbler's children wearing the neighbours shoes isn't it?! And they don't fit and aren't as cute as what the cobbler makes.
Leigh, yes, those are purchased buns. lol We used them with some bratwurst for an easy meal. Sometimes, I just don't feel like baking. Shocking, I know. lol
Have you ever tried to make your own "mixes". I notice you have some onion soup/dip mix. You can make it for cheaper than even Aldi's sells it (and it's good b/c you can control the sodium too). There are some really good recipes for it on recipezaar.