I did a really lousy job at Jewel yesterday, but I used what coupons I had to get the basics I needed for meals this week, and then some.
Dannon yogurt was on sale, plus I had coupons, so I stocked up ($.34/cup, not great by any means, but the best I could do at the time.) Typically I don't even buy the stuff (high fructose corn syrup is on our no-no list.) But sometimes I need something quick and easy to give the kids (and myself), and now the our little guy is eating mostly solids, I wanted something easy to feed him for breakfast. Hopefully I'll be making all our yogurt soon, and we'll just be having smoothies each morning. Until I can find a good price on frozen fruit, that's been put on hold.
Altogether, my grocery bill was lousy... $75. I felt like throwing up when I left; hopefully I am done shopping for awhile, except for stockup items, a few basics that I still forgot (like skewers for our shish-ka-bobs), and the items that go bad/run out easily. Next week's headliner will be pork, so I'm already trying to start meal planning for that one.
Total Grocery Budget Left: $2304.75
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Meals for Week of Jan. 4th
Here's the dinner menu for the week. I don't use days because when I do, it always seems to get screwed up somehow (sick kid, late hubby, etc.) Instead, I just plan certain meals that we will be eating over the course of 5 dinners.
Our Chicken Roaster that I made this evening will serve as the meat in these meals. Meat is used sparingly, but if I run out (or realize we can't eat the one I overcooked), I will stop by the local store and pick up a pre-cooked one for about $5.
Meal 1: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (using Rachael Ray's Chicken Noodle Hold the Soup recipe, but my husband prefers it with broth after all.) Side: loaf of homemade bread.
Meal 2: Chicken Tostadas I've successfully made tortillas in the past, but think I may need to purchase shells in order to make these. Side: Tortilla chips and guacamole (my tot refuses to eat most veggies but loves guacamole, so I like to offer it to him when I can.)
Meal 3: Cranberry Pear Chicken over Fettucini (I'm modifying a Weight Watchers recipe to include pasta to make it more filling.) Side of frozen veggies.
Meal 4: Grilled Chicken and Veggie Kabobs with Tzatziki sauce (did I spell that right?) Side of homemade pita crisps.
Meal 5: Chicken Pot Pie chicken, carrots, peas, celery, potatoes, and onions inside a tasty crust should make a nice, filling meal, with no need for a side. Dessert: Jello!
Why only 5 meals instead of 7? I do my the majority of my grocery shopping on Tuesdays, so Sunday and Monday nights are usually quick, easy dinners. Either we throw in a pizza, make ramen noodles, or have leftovers (which is very seldom.) Maybe someday I'll become better at planning ahead, but at this point in time I can only handle planning 5 dinners at a time, so that's what I do.
Our Chicken Roaster that I made this evening will serve as the meat in these meals. Meat is used sparingly, but if I run out (or realize we can't eat the one I overcooked), I will stop by the local store and pick up a pre-cooked one for about $5.
Meal 1: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (using Rachael Ray's Chicken Noodle Hold the Soup recipe, but my husband prefers it with broth after all.) Side: loaf of homemade bread.
Meal 2: Chicken Tostadas I've successfully made tortillas in the past, but think I may need to purchase shells in order to make these. Side: Tortilla chips and guacamole (my tot refuses to eat most veggies but loves guacamole, so I like to offer it to him when I can.)
Meal 3: Cranberry Pear Chicken over Fettucini (I'm modifying a Weight Watchers recipe to include pasta to make it more filling.) Side of frozen veggies.
Meal 4: Grilled Chicken and Veggie Kabobs with Tzatziki sauce (did I spell that right?) Side of homemade pita crisps.
Meal 5: Chicken Pot Pie chicken, carrots, peas, celery, potatoes, and onions inside a tasty crust should make a nice, filling meal, with no need for a side. Dessert: Jello!
Why only 5 meals instead of 7? I do my the majority of my grocery shopping on Tuesdays, so Sunday and Monday nights are usually quick, easy dinners. Either we throw in a pizza, make ramen noodles, or have leftovers (which is very seldom.) Maybe someday I'll become better at planning ahead, but at this point in time I can only handle planning 5 dinners at a time, so that's what I do.
Eating on a Budget
I've decided the goal for 2010 will be to stay under $2500 for our family food budget. This basically gives us $200/month, or $50 per week for groceries (including baby formula), plus an extra $100 to spread throughout the months. I already know the most difficult part will be not wasting money when traveling, as we often pick up fast food for the kids and ourselves when we visit family or do mini-outings. Another obstacle is convincing my husband to stay within the plan, which means no more eating out during work. Still, I think with careful planning we'll be able to accomplish our goal.
Here's an example of how quickly the money can go, though.
Starting budget: $2500
Jan. 4th: returned from vacation, ordered pizza and wings for dinner: $36.50
Jan. 5th: Walgreens for breakfast items (hadn't bought groceries yet after returning from vacation): $10.15
Jan. 5th: J is sick, needs few items (apple juice, etc.): $15 (receipt was higher, but other items were purchased)
So before even doing grocery shopping, I'm already down $61 and change.
SO... grocery shopping began tonight. I hit Target for a few misc. items that I had coupons for (no food, but I got 5 Buddies soaps for $.03 overage!) I did buy formula, though, so that is $13.60 (give or take pennies.)
Then I headed to Dominick's. The best deal I had was the Nabisco deal they have going on right now; it's buy crackers in sets of 5, receive $5 off, so the final price is $1/box (except Ritz, which are $2/box.) However, a while back I had come across a great Nabisco coupon, which was buy 4, get $3 off. My final cost ended up being $5 for 15 boxes of Triscuits, Wheat Thins, and Ritz (just one box, since the price was higher, but I know the kids'll be happy.) Can't complain at 33 cents a box! I also picked up Cheerios at a good price, milk, eggs, veggies, some produce, and a few other items. My initial receipt total was $102, and with coupons it ended up at just over $44. Not the most perfect, but for someone just getting back into the game after a year off, I was very pleased. I had to take the truck, as our garage door broke yesterday, so I didn't have room for the remainder of my shopping. Tomorrow I plan to hit Walgreen's and Jewel (for the actual items on this week's meal plan.) I made a chicken roaster today, forgot it was in the oven, and overcooked it by a good 40 minutes at least. All dinners this week are based on the chicken, so I'm hoping it isn't too dried out! Otherwise, I may be forking over a few extra dollars for a new chicken in order to get dinners accomplished!
Total Budget Available: $2379.75
Here's an example of how quickly the money can go, though.
Starting budget: $2500
Jan. 4th: returned from vacation, ordered pizza and wings for dinner: $36.50
Jan. 5th: Walgreens for breakfast items (hadn't bought groceries yet after returning from vacation): $10.15
Jan. 5th: J is sick, needs few items (apple juice, etc.): $15 (receipt was higher, but other items were purchased)
So before even doing grocery shopping, I'm already down $61 and change.
SO... grocery shopping began tonight. I hit Target for a few misc. items that I had coupons for (no food, but I got 5 Buddies soaps for $.03 overage!) I did buy formula, though, so that is $13.60 (give or take pennies.)
Then I headed to Dominick's. The best deal I had was the Nabisco deal they have going on right now; it's buy crackers in sets of 5, receive $5 off, so the final price is $1/box (except Ritz, which are $2/box.) However, a while back I had come across a great Nabisco coupon, which was buy 4, get $3 off. My final cost ended up being $5 for 15 boxes of Triscuits, Wheat Thins, and Ritz (just one box, since the price was higher, but I know the kids'll be happy.) Can't complain at 33 cents a box! I also picked up Cheerios at a good price, milk, eggs, veggies, some produce, and a few other items. My initial receipt total was $102, and with coupons it ended up at just over $44. Not the most perfect, but for someone just getting back into the game after a year off, I was very pleased. I had to take the truck, as our garage door broke yesterday, so I didn't have room for the remainder of my shopping. Tomorrow I plan to hit Walgreen's and Jewel (for the actual items on this week's meal plan.) I made a chicken roaster today, forgot it was in the oven, and overcooked it by a good 40 minutes at least. All dinners this week are based on the chicken, so I'm hoping it isn't too dried out! Otherwise, I may be forking over a few extra dollars for a new chicken in order to get dinners accomplished!
Total Budget Available: $2379.75
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