What I Spent, What We Ate | In January, I spent all the grocery dollars.
What I Spent
Ok! I did take a picture this week, so, yay me.
I spent $80.62 on the groceries you see pictured here.
Then I went to Costco because I was nearly out of frozen fruit for our morning smoothies. I also bought flank steak and Mahi Mahi, and my total there was $84.46.
aaaand it was a produce box week, so that was another $33.
That puts me at $198 for the week.
Ahahahahaha....
January has been an expensive grocery month so far!
Sooo, maybe next week, I'll try to plan a menu that works mostly around stuff I already have in the house.
January Grocery Spending
Week 1: $164.64
Week 2: $145.63
Week 3: $198
What We Ate
Monday
Mr. FG and I were both still under the weather with our colds, so I made a pot of chicken noodle soup.
I sauteed some green beans to go with that, and also heated up some cornmeal rolls which I had in the freezer.
Tuesday
I made the Thai-Style Beef Salad I told you all about yesterday.
I had some French bread in the freezer, so I thawed that and made some garlic bread to eat with our salad.
Wednesday
I made a crumb-topped Mahi-Mahi recipe from my ATK cookbook, a pan of scalloped potatoes, and some steamed broccoli.
Thursday
My chest freezer had really been getting uncomfortably full. So, I pulled out a small pan of stuffed shells, and also some frozen homemade pancakes and waffles.
Breakfast for dinner, or stuffed shells...diner's choice. 😉
Friday
We didn't have pizza last Friday night, so maybe we'll go ahead and do that tonight.
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What was on your table this week? Dish!
Sunday - Costco pizza take and bake because I needed a break.
Monday- Lasagna using all my old cheese- swiss, sharp cheddar it all went in there. I made a huge batch so I froze half for later.
Tuesday -Tacos & nachos
Wednesday -Cheese ravioli from Costco. Their 5 cheese compares to no other.
Thursday - left over potatoes, nachos again with peach salsa.
We had as sides of cauliflower (found at Kroger for .99 each- yes please) green beans, peppers, cucumbers and oranges.
While it wasn't much of a cook from scratch week I am just too tired by the time I get home from work so I am planning on 1/2 my meals from some kind of prepared something.
Not a frugal food cost week, $236 at Costco (part dog food & part some can led lights) and $40 at Kroger but lots of fruits and veggies. Kroger had hams for .87 # so I picked one up for soup.
Marianne - I had to come to terms with the same thing. Both my husband and I work out of the home at least 9 hours per day. Making from scratch just isn't practical most times. I was struggling really badly with serving some sort of prepared food at several meals - whether it was a noodle side dish or bagged mashed potatoes. I still feel mommy guilt because I am not cooking from scratch each day, but I have to remember that I cannot do it all!
I think that's so smart. Do the best you can do and then just don't worry about the rest!
The only shame would be if you didn't feed them anything at all and left everyone to fend for themselves. At least once a week we eat the same thing two nights in a row (or fashion it into leftovers.) Life is difficult and we just have to do the best we can.
I'm a single mom. I find using a crockpot helps a lot. I also have cooked chicken and hamburger bagged in portions, in my freezer. Easier to add to pasta dishes and such. I cook in batches. I also have a bread machine w a timer. Soup and sandwiches are easy. Breakfast can be simple for dinner. Like everyone else said...the important part is you're feeding them. I have a couple dishes that I'll make 2, and freeze one for later.
> Sunday – Costco pizza take and bake because I needed a break.
No shame on Take and bake pizzas. We get them from Aldi from time to time and they aren't half bad.
A pretty good week food wise here. Aaaaand, my sister and brother-in-law came up from CT with my seven week old nephew- amazing to cuddle him.
We ate roasted chicken with beets and mashed potatoes/turnips,spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread sticks, chicken pot pie, cottage pie, baked fish with rice and coleslaw, and last night was sausage, leeks, apple barley and acorn squash with fresh bread from my mom. Tonight I'll make pizza and I think I'm feeling like deep dish pepperoni and salad.
As for spending... I spent $42.50 on a CSA share and two pounds of local meat. And then $118 at the grocery store. So a pretty average week for us I guess. Like you, I aim to use some things I already have for meals this week. I won't need to get too creative I don't think because we are pretty well stocked.
We are also trying new recipes this year! Two new ones this week!
Mon - Venison chili and cornbread bake. Oh. My. Goodness. SO good. You make cornbread in a 9x13 dish. While that's baking, you make a quick stove top chili. Pour the chili on top of the cornbread, add some cheese, bake for a little while longer. It was amazing.
Tues - Bowling night. Everyone fends for themselves, but still at home 🙂
Weds - Chicken teriyaki casserole. Yummy.
Thurs - I had a hair appt, so I used my spending cash for the week to grab a bagel sandwich from Dunkin. Husband and daughter had grilled cheese and some fruit.
Fri - Family dinner with my parents, brother, and his girlfriend and good ol' Bob Evans. We have a gift card 🙂
I spent just under $150 this week at HEB, then another $35 or so at Trader Joe's. But I have been making good on my not eating lunch out pledge, so there's that. The brisket chili was the lion's share of the groceries, but it provided many leftovers.
Monday - we had some freezer chicken breast patties, leftover dutch oven potatoes from Saturday, and some kale
Tuesday - Leftover Chinese
Wednesday - Slow Cooker Brisket Chili, spoonbread, cobbler
Thursday - Party Roast Pork Sammies that I never heated up last week
Friday - tonight is Tilapia tacos with fresh pico de gallo and some canned charro beans
Saturday Hubby and I go out! Boys get leftover chili
Sunday we are having a boxed hamburger dinner with some corn
I am doing my best to stick to a menu, but I flex it if something comes up!
I averaged $144/week for the past two weeks for only two people, but that includes re-stocking on toilet paper, charcoal and lighter, and freezer bags, plus I really stocked up at the bulk bin sale at our food co-op. I have a full pantry, so that's good. My bill is always going to be a little high, though, because I buy almost 100% organic/local.
I've had a cold dragging through this week, so leftovers or easy meals were pretty prominent at our house. We had white bean soup twice.
Bacon and tomato sandwiches with cottage cheese and fresh pineapple on the side.
Bacon again, roasted beets and cabbage.
Fajitas using the last of some roast beef leftovers from the freezer.
Tonight we will have a huge crock pot of Brunswick stew, with some to put in the freezer, for more emergency meals. I put the pork fat I trimmed off the butt roast aside, and will render it this weekend in my little crock pot.
I also made bread -- I make soaked grain bread, so I milled the flour and started soaking it Wednesday night after work and let it soak about 24 hours, then put in the additions, kneaded it, let it rise, and baked it Thursday night. It's so good and so tender, even being entirely whole wheat.
I spent $100 this week and averaging $76 a week so far for the year for the 5 of us. That is pretty low and will probably go up as the year goes by as we budget $125.
Monday - Homemade version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana, No knead rolls from the freezer, and salad.
Tuesday - It was my son's birthday so he picked hamburgers w/homemade rolls and French fries with brownies for dessert.
Wednesday - Spaghetti (sauce from a jar....needed something easy)
Thursday - Tried a new recipe that was chicken thighs in a creamy sundried tomato sauce. It was REALLY delicious, restaurant quality. I made French bread and green beans to go with it.
Friday - Homemade pizza, of course. I think the kids would revolt if I ever suggested something different. They really look forward to it.
Would love a recipe for a restaurant-quality dish. Is it easy to share?
Husband's week. Chorizo with potatoes, a Greek lamb/orzo dish, lamb burgers with potatoes and carrots, and tonight will be breakfast for dinner.
That chicken noodle soup looks ~heavenly.~
This week we’re eating:
Monday: Ground beef street tacos. I served these on corn tortillas with sautéed green bell pepper and cilantro.
Tuesday: Freezer night! I had defrosted cauliflower-beer soup (a Bobby Dean recipe; it was okay but I won’t make it again) and Mr. Picky Pincher made fideo.
Wednesday: Southwest chicken club sandwiches with avocado, jack cheese, and homemade chipotle mayo. Hooooly cow were these things delicious. Seriously, this is my new favorite sandwich.
Thursday: The plan was to do Santa Fe chicken with corn and homemade beans. However! We were out of both lime and corn after *someone* ate them. So we picked up fried chicken. Womp womp.
Friday: Tonight Mr. Picky Pincher is grilling hamburgers. Aw yeah! It’s still in the 60s here so grilling happens in January in Texas. 🙂
Haven't quite got back into the groove since Christmas... but did make up a batch of vegetable soup today with some tired looking veggies. Since I stopped eating meat, meal planning has become a little more involved as I am planning complimentary meals - things I can rustle up in the main that are meat-free but then quickly adapt to a meat dish also.
As with everything the devil is in the detail - just need to sit and plan a bit more thoroughly!
We had fallen off our frugal boat last year. Not sure why, but we found ourselves eating out more and spending more on groceries (that doesn't add up), so my plan for 2017 was to get back on budget and cook all of our meals at home. We needed to tighten up the spending because our daughter is due to get braces this spring.
So, here is our menu this past week:
Sunday: Mexican Stuff Shells.... this was a new recipe (Pinterest) and we all enjoyed it.
Monday: Baked Pork Chops and Cheesy Potatoes
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Breakfast Skillet Supper (Sausage, cubed hash browns, eggs and cheese) Yum!!!
Thursday: BBQ Ribs in the Crockpot (new recipe) and Company Rice. The ribs turned out GREAT. Hubby loved them. This recipe is a keeper!
Friday: Tacos
Saturday: Grilled Ribeyes and Baked Potatoes (It's going to be in the 60's in Central Illinois, so the hubby has to grill out =) )
Sunday: Chicken and Dumplings
My husband died last week after a month-long illness, so neighbors have been bringing loads of food for my daughter & me. We feel blessed (and a little overwhelmed) by all of the generosity. We haven't cooked or grocery shopped in a long while.
So, this week we have had:
Monday: Chicken noodle soup and mac 'n' cheese and a salad
Tuesday: pasta with pesto and a salad
Wednesday: Really yummy home-made vegetarian Indian food
Thursday: Pad Thai and broccoli
I'm so sorry for the loss of your husband.
My sincere condolences on your loss.
Jessica, I am so sorry to hear that your husband died! I'm glad to know you have family and friends surrounding you with support right now.
My husband also died after a month-long illness. I am sure all of life seems overwhelming right now. Ask a friend to help you with all of the food. They can portion out the leftovers, freeze what you can't eat right away, and return all the dishes. As someone told me, "You will never get over this, but you will get through it". Take care.
Leslie, I'm so sorry for your loss.
May his memory be a blessing.
Oh my gracious, Jessica. I am so, so sorry to hear this. Much love to you and your family.
So sorry for your loss
Much love to you and your family. May you feel God's comfort at this time.
May his memory be for a blessing. I'm so very sorry for your loss.
Monday - Roasted pork, mashed potato, salad, carrots
Tuesday - Turkey breast, rice, green beans, cranberry sauce
Wednesday - Taco bar, fruit, chips and salsa
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Pepperoni pizza, salad
Happy Weekend!
My sincere sympathies on the loss of your husband Jessica
Alison R
Busy week:
Sunday: Wife had a girls' night and she made a Chicken Alfredo dish. As I don't eat that, I ate a peanut butter sandwich and later that night had something else which I can't recall.
Monday: Pizza night. We had a coupon for Pizza Hut and got a pizza. The little one had leftover chicken from the night before.
Tuesday: Leftover pizza and food from Sunday.
Wednesday: My wife went to her mother's house with my daughter and they had something there while I went to a company party and had some heavy hor d'oeuvres. I initially went to the party simply to get free food (cheapskate that I am) but people actually sat with me and I had some nice conversations. For a person with social anxiety who often feels isolated and lonely, this was a nice change.
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner. Hash browns, eggs, bacon, toast, fruit etc. It's not the healthiest dinner but it is easy and tasty.
Friday: Bible study tonight. I'm not sure what we're having but I'm not bringing this week, which is nice.
Major house remodel upheaval here, so I focused on ease of prep for this week's meals.
Mon - Pork loan with rosemary stuffing, roasted root veggies, salad (*Disclaimer: this was our pre-upheaval meal. Went EZ after Monday)
Tue: Leftovers from Monday 🙂
Wed: Homemade tamales from freezer, ranchero sauce, steamed zucchini
Thur: NY Times red lentil soup (Frugal Girl reader comment suggestion . . . thanks!), garlic toast, salad
Fri: Crockpot curry chicken (another Frugal Girl reader suggestion 🙂 ), cucumber and tomato salad w/olive oil & balsamic drizzle
On Sunday, I made a batch of bread dough from the Bread in 5 minutes cookbook to use throughout the week, as well as roasted a pan of cauliflower and broccoli for me to eat during the week. Made burgers and seasoned chicken pieces for the freezer. Also baked a pan of tofu for me.
Monday - Roasted chicken and potatoes for the hubs and boy, along with fresh-baked bread. Made a cauli/broc focaccia for me.
Tuesday - tacos for the boy, made quesadillas with leftover chicken for the hubs. Stir fry with tofu and roasted cauli/broc for me.
Wednesday - Made chicken jambalaya with leftover roasted chicken for the husband. Leftover tacos for boy. Tofu wrap for me.
Thursday - homemade pizza using the bread dough
Friday - Had to use some shrimp I had in the freezer, so I threw together a quick shrimp alfredo before I left for work this morning - hubs will eat that, burger for the child, and I took out some white bean soup from the freezer, so I'll eat that.
Monday- Salad topped with grilled chicken
Tuesday- Baked chicken breasts, baked potatoes, zucchini
Wednesday- Fajitas
Thursday- Had planned a crock pot meal, but didn't look at my menu plan until 3:00 in the afternoon, so I stole the tortilla soup from a future day on my plan. I used your recipe for it and it was delicious! Thank you! A friend came over today and we had the leftover soup and she also raved about it. I made cornbread with it (as suggested) and am on the hunt for a recipe that uses creamed corn in it. The one I tried last night was too dry and crumbly. Any ideas?
Friday- A friend offered to watch my kids, so my husband and I are using a Christmas gift card for going out to dinner! Yay!
Monday: pork tenderloin, potatoes, and cooked carrots all made in the crock pot.
Tuesday: Subway ham sandwich with provolone cheese, lettuce, spinach and olives
Wednesday: turkey burger with mustard and lettuce, baked cheddar and sour cream potato chips
Thursday: Had a gift certificate from Christmas for Panera: broccoli cheese soup and sour dough bread.
Friday: chili, corn bread, and salad
I just have to ask! What are you planning to do with so much cream?
Haha, well, I was totally out. We use it in tea, and then I also knew I had scalloped potatoes on the menu, which call for heavy cream.
Plus, I like to have it around in case I want to make whipped cream to put on waffles or pancakes (it's an noticeably less sugary alternative to syrup. And so indulgent-feeling.)
I am also trying at least one new recipe a week. This week I tried a new recipe for Navy Bean soup. I usually make the Senate Bean Soup recipe but I tried something from the food network website and then added my own tweaks and it was delicious. I also made a practice birthday cake because at my altitude cake recipes are pretty hit and miss. I made the Smitten Kitchen's yellow cake with raspberry buttercream frosting. It turned out great so this weekend I am making the actual cake to take to a party.
So, I spent just under $50 and here was this week's menu.
Saturday: I picked up McDonalds just because it sounded good.
Sunday: Pork chop, zucchini and potato with country gravy
Monday: Navy bean soup
Tuesday: Soup
Wednesday: Went out to pizza and salad for a friend's birthday
Thursday: leftover pizza
Friday: hot dogs
Hi FG,
Just re-de-lurking to say -- still love reading your blog, and seeing it quoted/referred to all over the blog-o-sphere. Still the gold standard and rightly so -- there's so much good advice and many kind words and beautiful pix and interesting commenters -- hope it gives you as much pleasure as it does your readers!
Then -- drumroll -- Aldi's came to us!! 🙂 Oh my, you were not kidding! Just finished my maiden visit and happily scored cukes for 5 cents each yes, 5 cents; 25 cent loaf of whole wheat bread; 55 cent cans of diced tomatoes and black beans (along with brown basmati rice $1.50/lb. and organic shrooms for the Frugalwoods epic lunch mix) and way marked down holiday chocolate for bribes, i mean positive reinforcements, for classroom.
Lots of other stuff too--and sure, I will still need to go elsewhere for some things but this will be the first stop before Sprouts and the regular supermarket mark down bins. Great place!
So cheers and happy new year -- hope you cold is better soon!
Oh, that is wonderful news! Woohoo! I'm always so happy to hear when readers finally get a local Aldi.
Congratulations on your new Aldi!! That is an exciting day for sure!
I am home from my jaunts around England, Paris and Geneva. So now I am happy to have good food cooked at home. I also plan to eat more in the middle of the day and as it suits our lifestyle better.
Monday (today in Australia) we have had roast lamb and vegetables. Despite the extreme heat and the air conditioner developing incontinence and not being useable we managed. My chef son had his best friend over to eat too. This Josh says I cook very good lamb and it is quite a compliment as this young man has cooked for the big guns.
For the rest of the week I plan to have rump steak and salad, a pavlova with soft fruits for Australia Day. There is a half a ham left over from Christmas so that will be happening and I also think there will be a mushroom ragu over polenta too. Left overs will be consumed in the form of lamb pie. So far I have spent about $100.