What I Spent, What We Ate | I am spending all the dollars.
What I Spent
Let's see. I went to Costco to buy toothpaste, floss, coffee, and frozen fruit ($62.51).
And at Aldi I spent 117.82. My Aldi just started carrying organic whole chickens, so I bought one for the chicken noodle soup I was planning to make. It cost $13 (!), but as organic chickens go, that's not a bad price.
Unfortunately, I can't remember what the cost per pound was. Nuts.
What else? Oh, a small trip last Friday to pick up a few supplies for our Christmas cookie decorating (plus some bananas made it into the cart. And saltines for chicken noodle soup. ($8.75)
So, I'm continuing December's trend of spending more grocery money than usual, as my total this week is $189.
December Weekly Totals
Week 1: $178
Week 2: $173
Week 3: $189
What We Ate
Monday
I needed to make something with stuff I had on hand and ground beef tacos fit the bill. I even found a ripe avocado in my house so I could make guacamole. Yay!
Tuesday
I made paninis...ham, cheese, and sauteed onions with chipotle mayo (for Joshua and me) and regular mayo (everyone else).
I also thawed some applesauce and steamed a pot of broccoli.
Wednesday
I had to be at a music rehearsal around dinnertime, so I made a pot of chicken noodle soup, since that could be easily made ahead and reheated later.
I also made a fruit salad and we had toasted sourdough bread leftover from Tuesday's paninis.
Thursday
I spent the afternoon helping a friend, but while I was gone, Lisey browned a chuck roast and put it in the oven to make Beef au Jus. Yay!
When I got home, I made a couple of loaves of French bread and then we had the makings for Beef Au Ju sandwiches.
Sweet.
Friday
It's pizza night, and I'm thinking maybe it's a deep dish night (this is the recipe I use for deep dish pizza).
Regardless of what type of pizza I choose, it's a good night to heat the oven up to 500 ° because here on the east coast we are having some Seriously Cold Weather.
(Not as cold as some more northerly parts of the world, mind you, but very cold for us!)
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It's been a fun little week for my family, I suppose. Thanks to taking some
Monday: Cleaning out the fridge
Tuesday: Pork chops and mashed potatoes.
Wednesday: Went out Christmas shopping with the family to an outlet mall (ProTip: Wednesday nights are almost dead apparently) and we used a gift card and a coupon at Friendly's.
Thursday: The leftovers from Tuesday (the chops looked bigger to our stomachs than our eyes) were turned into a fried rice stir fry. I'm amazed how much my daughter likes this but she does.
Friday: Bible study tonight so whatever they have there.
"Taking some vacation, I got to relax and have normal meals" ... no idea why my brain didn't finish that thought.
Oh man, I do bet it's cold up there! Here in Texas it's still in the 50s or so, but that's still cold for us! 🙂
We had quite a few food fails this week, so I'm not too thrilled about that. Here goes!
Monday: Spaghetti. We had a small pouch of ground beef that we needed to use up, so I cooked that up with some homemade marinara sauce. Easy, filling, and sort of healthy. Win!
Tuesday: We were supposed to have Thai chicken wraps today. I dutifully followed the recipe and... these things were disgusting. I need to stop using Thai recipes that call for peanut butter. Anyway, we picked up Chikfila and ran a few errands in that area. Womp womp.
Wednesday: I was supposed to go to dance class tonight and Mr. Picky Pincher was going to make himself a reuben. Unfortunately my phone was destroyed in a tragic water-related incident, so we had to drop that sucker off at the cell repair shop. We didn't have time in traffic to fix supper before leaving, so we picked up Mediterannean food for dinner. I got a pita and it was good, but Mr. Picky Pincher's was kind of gross, so he wasn't a fan.
Thursday: We had Mr. Picky Pincher's professional society's Christmas party tonight. It was $20/person, which was pricey for us, but we got a huge amount of good food for it, so it wasn't all that bad. To make matters even better, we won $200 worth of door prizes (a fancy cooler and Jim Beam), so that made up for our spendyness. 🙂
Friday: The plan tonight is to have grilled steak with a corn relish and scallion-cheese mashed potatoes. Yum!
I'm feeling best about eating fruit every day, either a fresh pear or some homemade applesauce. Both are gone now, so I need to go shopping. I have fruit in the freezer, but I am NOT in the mood for a cold smoothie lately.
Monday - bang bang shrimp pasta for two
Tuesday - potatoes, peppers, and onion roasted in the oven, then grated on some cheese and cracked a few whole eggs and stuck it in some more for "baked eggs"
Wednesday - hubs "cooked" a takeout pizza and, for me, veggie quesadilla 🙂
Thursday - I had some leftover pizza, and hubs got FOUR call-outs after the regular workday, so I was asleep before he was finally home for the night. (Overtime bonus of the polar vortex for those in HVAC?)
Friday - I'm thinking chili cheese fries, at least for hubs
Depending on what you have, you could have poached fruit.
True! But with a picky husband, unlikely. Hm... now I'm thinking pie.... 🙂
Monday - overnight French toast, scrambled eggs, cukes & baby carrots, apples
Tuesday - sloppy joes, spinach, fruit of choice
Wednesday - taco night, fruit smoothies
Thursday - ham (leftover from the holiday office party), cukes, strawberries
Friday - cook in the fireplace: hot dogs, clementines or berries, whatever veg I find in the fridge, s'mores
Saturday - Channukah party at friend's house. I expect latkes, the rest is a mystery
This despite my having evening engagements Tues, Wed, and Thurs so I'm pretty pleased to have stuck to the plan anyway. Nonetheless I still haven't made the slow-cooking spaghetti sauce that's I laid out to make last week.
We didn't eat anything outstanding this week. My husband has been sick so we've eaten light.
I cooked butternut squash, green peas and potatoes; he wasn't up to meat that night.
We had home made chicken tenders and a big chopped salad.
Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with dill pickles tucked in the sandwiches, one of his favorites.
We had BLT minus the L, plus cut up veggies and home made ranch dip.
Tonight I'm going to play by ear. If his appetite is back, we may go for something more substantial, since it's chilly again and I don't mind using the oven. We won't have chili, because we are having that tomorrow at a family member's birthday party.
My grocery bill for the first 15 days of the month is $212.43, but that includes non-grocery items like contact solution, soap and deodorant. I also bought some things on super sale to freeze for later, and made a farm order, so not too bad for two people. It could be better, but I'm working on it.
Your dinners always sound great!
Monday I think we had turkeywiches - like sloppy joes but with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving - plus tots (so hard to remember!)
Tuesday was Dr, Martin's Mix from Peg Bracken's cookbook, with garlic toast
Wednesday I made a potatoes and sausage combo in the skillet
Thursday was Turkey noodle soup (yes - we are loving all the turkey!)
Tonight Hubby and I are going OUT so the boys will have quesadillas
Saturday Hubby will grill if he remembers to buy stuff for that
Sunday I will throw a brisket into the crockpot as I run off to work. Hubby can make mashed potatoes, and salad.
Pretty soon I will start an evening shift at work, so I will use my crock pot most evenings. Some nights my peeps can cook or re-heat something I prepped. Should be an adjustment..,.
Monday: French Toast with butter and maple syrup.
Tuesday: Salmon, baked potato, mixed veggies
Wednesday: chicken salad sandwich, cheddar cheese cubes, spice cake
Thursday: choir party: Everyone brought appetizers: We had meatballs, dips/chips/cheese, cookies, brownies
Friday: Chicken soft shell tacos and fixings: chicken, black olives, onion, tomatoes lettuce, cheese, and salsa
I always make a couple batches of something over the weekend, usually Sunday, and we eat it all week. We don't have children, and fortunately for me I have a husband that grew up eating mostly the same thing every day so he doesn't mind me continuing what I did before we got married! This week I made sausage, wild rice and butternut squash casserole, which I had been craving, and it was delicious! I also made a big pot of chili, which was great for the, as you put it, seriously cold weather. Tonight I ate out though, it was our holiday party at work at a local restaurant.
I also seen to be spending a lot this month, but I am having my annual Christmas party on Sunday so I spent a little extra on that. Not that much, maybe $30. A worthwhile expense, in my humble opinion, to have a wonderful day with friends. I also bake treats to give as gifts to neighbors & my bosses and the custodians at work, so that is a bit extra as well.
Monday: Embarrassing. A crazed work commitment made fast food a must. It has its welcome place. And ...if I said it wasn't tasty, I would be fibbing!
Tuesday: Southwest Chicken with rice for him.... salad with broiled chicken for me. Always seeking ways to provide him with menu variety and still meet my low carb diet.
Wednesday: Chicken fingers with toasted bread--nothing fancy, the recipe from the side of the biscuit mix box .Naked Chicken fingers and broccoli for me .
Thursday: BEAUTIFUL T-Bone!... sounds like a non frugal choice... but this was a high end giant T-Bone,$5off . Delicious... and plenty of second meal leftovers.
Friday: It is 32 degrees, feels like 25degrees here. Chili and a bottle of Tabasco . 2nd Chili Friday in a row, but so perfect . Leftover naked chicken fingers made into a salad for me. (I have pretty much become an expert at balancing menu variety, reducing food waste and maintaining my health goal to exercise a low carb lifestyle .)
My lofty goal for 2017 is to begin calculating cost per meal. Any suggestions to make this process easy?
Oh man, that's too much detail for my non-detailed self! So I've got no advice for you.
Our week has been a little strange. I came home Tuesday. Wednesday night we had tacos, Thursday was roast chicken and veg, and Friday was sushi. Tonight I plan to strip the chicken and make a small batch of noodle soup.
My husband has asked that I plan three meals a week and the shopping list and he'll do the cooking (I can't cook anymore). Between that, and a friend who comes over once a month to cook a few meals, we will be in pretty good shape!
Kristen, I decided to get my husband a new heavy sweatshirt after the one his stepmother gave him (from Walmart, I think) fell apart. He loved that thing. I googled "the frugal girl sweatshirt" and ordered from American giant.
Monday – spaghetti with bacon and roasted tomatoes next line
Tuesday – rotisserie chicken, whipped sweet potatoes, green beans
Wednesday – Turned left over chicken into chicken broccoli casserole
Thursday – soup and salad
Friday – out for tacos
Haha, that's awesome! I hope he loves his sweatshirt.
And it's so wonderful that he and your friend are keeping you guys supplied with food.
I splurged on Blue Apron this week. Not frugal - but I enjoy it once in a while because it gets me to cook things I would otherwise probably never think of.
Saturday - McDonalds
Sunday - Blue Apron Potato Chowder with cheese toasts.
Monday - Blue Apron Kamut wheat, persimmon and kale dish with chicken skewers. I failed to follow the recipe exactly and then had to rinse off the chicken when I accidentally poured (instead of shook) salt on it, and it still turned out delicious.
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - Dinner at a friends house - spaghetti.
Thursday - So did not feel like cooking, but I cooked up a Ham steak with green beans (from the freezer) and cheesy potatoes (from a box). Sometimes you just gotta take the shortcut.
Friday - Tacos
I still have one Blue Apron meal left to cook - Sauteed Beef and Potato Latkes with roasted beets and carrots so that will be this weekend.
In no particular order, cause I can't recall...
- beef, turkey and bean tacos
- baked cod, left over barley quinoa pilaf, green beans
- maple Dijon pork tenderloin, cheesy dumplings (ATK semolina gnocchi) and beets
- chicken pot pie
-thin crust pizza with Caesar salad
- ham and pea soup with bread and crackers
-tonight is either leftovers or chicken BLTs
Spending this month is about average. Just shy of $400 so far and don't need much of anything in the forseeable future. This includes a purchase of olive oil and safflower oil that will last for about three months and I purchased some extra ground beef and pork from the local farm as well as six packs of European style butter that was on sale so those things will last all month. I'm aiming to stay under $650 this month so I'm track so far. We were gifted several pounds of coffee which was a lovely surprise. I'm also going to cash out my online coupon earnings from Ibotta and the like which totals around $60 that will cover the holiday party we will host before New Years.
Monday we had roast beef, mashed potatoes & corn
Tuesday was cheese ravioli with marinara sauce, salad
Wednesday was homemade macaroni & cheese
Thursday was french toast & bacon
Friday was a splurge & we had 2 different kinds of pizza
Saturday was lasagne and garlic bread
Sunday we had wedding soup & italian bread
Only got takeout Friday night, so I was pretty happy with that!