Our family: 2 adults who work full time. My goal is to make 6-8 dinners that would serve about 6 people each. We are huge fans of leftovers so I never worry about cutting down a recipe. The only traditional lunch items I buy are granola bars and snack cakes. Other than that, I try to make every meal from scratch.
I shop every other week, and my budget is $65. I have recently started menu planning, and I mean real menu planning. Prior to a month or two ago, I would just buy the staples that I could make multiple dishes from. I was still staying within my budget, but I now realize I was not optimizing it. I try to make recipes that will use ingredients I already have on hand with only purchasing a few new ingredients each time I go. I only buy meat when it is on sale, so I try to make 2-3 meatless meals each week to make the meat stretch farther. I have several vegetarian/vegan friends so I am never at a loss for meatless dishes.
I shop at two stores mainly: Aldi and Meijer. So here's my haul for the next two weeks:
Highlights from Aldi:Eggs - $.85 per dozen
Milk - $1.49 per gallon
Highlights from Meijer:
Bananas - $.28 per pound
Dishwasher gel packs (not pictured) - $.50 each
Saved in coupons: $7
Total spent: $58.46
Menu:
Breakfasts:
Bagels & Cottage Cheese
English muffins - either with cottage cheese, plain, or egg sandwich
Pancakes
Eggs and Toast
French Toast
Lunches:
Leftovers from dinners
Dinners:
White chicken chili
Baked Chicken with rice
Lentils and Pasta with Italian bread (new recipe from Rachel Ray!)
Portabella burgers (also a new recipe from Rachel Ray) and homemade fries
Homemade pizza
Pork chops with mushroom sauce
Spinach Lasagna Roll ups
So you see I do not use coupons a ton. In fact I wonder if I'm even saving after buying the paper! That will be the next item I'll figure out.
4 comments:
I'm mad - I just wrote a long comment and it isn't showing up. So, I will not leave another one. Computers, who needs them.
Wow. Two posts in such a short span I couldn't even comment on the first before the next was up! First of all...I think George looks adorable, haha! Gotta love bathtime pictures. I'm mostly mad when it's bathtime, though; Titus gets a bath when he pees in the house and lays in it. Gross, huh?
As for the frugal shopping business; am I the only one that can't seem to buy tons of food for pennies??? We have a $300 budget per month for food, and always go over! In our defense, we don't have an Aldi. There has to be a better way than what we're doing, but I don't feel like I have the time to research and get all the deals I hear of other people (namely you and Lacey) getting. But really, $65 every two weeks? I don't see how that's possible. You never go over? And what about when you run out of those ingredients you usually have on hand? You don't go over THEN? There must be some magical thing I'm just not getting. You and Lacey are impressive. Maybe someday I'll be there too.
Love you, talk to you soon.
Erin,
I do go over my budget some weeks, usually if we are entertaining. The meal planning has helped a ton in this department though. The last few times I have entertained (small groups though), I have been able to do it within the $65 with some careful planning.
Ok...I'm nowhere near where you're at right now, but T and I planned ALL our meals and shopped (big trips, anyway) just TWICE for groceries...and right now we're way under budget for this month and SHOULD have enough to feed us for the rest of the month! It feels so good! But silly me forgot to buy the spinach for the spinach lasagna roll-ups. Dur. Could you still send me that recipe? I have one that I used to get the ingredients, but I'd like to use the one you have. Thanks!
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