I just want to feel better and not sneeze or cough.  I started a second round of being sick on Thursday night. I came home from work on Friday and did not leave until this morning.   We did manage to stay on plan for the most part. I sent Matt to the store on Friday night to strictly pick up fruit. He spent $23.34. We are still under $200 for the month at $194 so I am counting this as a win!

Breakfast- Saturday- Bacon and biscuits.
Sunday- Find your own. I had grits Monday and Tuesday- Sausage Maple syrup muffins (We made a batch on Sunday) Wednesday, Thursday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs. Depending on my energy level, I may add a baked Oatmeal in the mix.
Lunch- Saturday- Left-overs Sunday-East Coast Wings Monday, Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday. Thursday and Friday   – left-overs and grab and go is the plan. We still have 2 completely full shelves of leftovers so we have no problem finding something to eat. The kids also make mac and cheese at least once a weel.

Dinner- Saturday-Matt picked up from Mocksville Family Restaurant., Sunday-Leftovers, I made myself an omelet. . -Monday- Beef tips and gravy, green beans and choice of mashed potatoes or rice. Tuesday-Walking Tacos in a bowl.  Wednesday- .Spaghetti and meatballs Thursday Chicken biscuit and French fries – Friday- Country style steak and gravy with broccoli and choice of mashed potatoes or rice.

I did not even go out to the freezers this week but I will be headed down to bring up more food soon.  I have started to move some food around. Just a couple cans at a time. Seriously thing this challenge could last till June at this rate.   I have concerned actually making this last to June by only restocking what is out of stock. This way I know we will rotate food. I will have to buy some items but I think that in the long run this is a good strategy for the first six months of the year.  I do see a Costco trip in February and I know my subscribe and save is going to double so I may shoot for a $500 budget for the most part.

The last week has been very busy. I am finally starting to feel much better and get some of my energy back but unfortunately Matt has become ill. We enjoyed a slower than usual weekend. I did use up the butternut squash I grew last summer. It made am OK soup not something anyone wants repeated.  I did stop at the grocery store to stock up on 2 Liters of Diet Coke. My grocery budget sits at $171.40. Which is over my $150 for two months!   I would consider just throwing in the towel but even if I can keep the total less than $300 for 2 months that is a third of what I typically spend in one month. I am starting to see the end of somethings. In fact, I need to clean the shelves in the laundry room, get them reorganized and make a list of what we have. I do know that in March I will be purchasing both flour and rice from Costco. This works out to be a yearly purchase so not a bad thing. This week theme is simple.

Breakfast- Saturday- Breakfast bowls with bacon and sausage. We did use a container out of the freezer of gravy.
Sunday-Biscuit King   Monday- Sausage Maple syrup muffins (these are a huge hit and most likely a repeat).  Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs. Depending on my energy level, I may add a baked Oatmeal in the mix.
Lunch- Saturday- Left-overs  Sunday- Gregg’s , Monday, Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday. Thursday and Friday   – left-overs and grab and go is the plan. We still have 2 completely full shelves of left-overs so we have no problem finding something to eat. The kids also make mac and cheese at least once a weel.

Dinner- Saturday- Roasted Butternut Squash soup, Sunday- Lasagna soup. Everyone liked this recipe but we will use regular pasta next time to speed up the process. -Monday- Teriyaki Chicken in crock pot, rice, pineapple and egg rolls.  Tuesday-Brats and French Fries, Cucumbers slices as well. Wednesday- Left-overs from fridge. Thursday- Eating out due to swim meet. Friday-Last 2 boxes of hamburger Helper!  This is an accomplishment for sure!

I am committed to be transparent about grocery spending hoping that will keep me moving in the right direction. Instead of giving up!

We have now officially completed 15 days of the longest month of the year!  I am actually starting to be able to move food around. I do need to empty one of the freezers if not two prior to the summer.  My goal again this summer will be to stock the freezers with easy to grab, easy to prepare meals. It has certainly helped this year.  This month I have spent $130.69 on groceries including out subscribe and save. This is a very low amount !  And my goal is to continue. I did order some Listerine and we have picked up sour cream not once but twice!   But let’s celebrate the good things.

Breakfast- Saturday- Sausage links and German baby pancakes!
Sunday-Homemade Bagels and Waffles.  Monday- Carrot soufflé Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, bagels and eggs.
Lunch- Saturday- Meatballs and Lil Smokies in the crockpot   Sunday- Sushi buffet, Monday- The kids and I tried out Freddie’s   Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday. Thursday and Friday   – left-overs and grab and go is the plan.

Dinner- Saturday- Sour Dough Waffles or left-overs from lunch, Sunday- Taco soup-Monday- Meatloaf, squash casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes and meatloaf.  Tuesday-Baked Ziti from freezer Wednesday- Philly Cheese Steak Casserole (from freezer)  Thursday- Chicken Teriyaki Friday-Panda Panda (local Chinese) on the way to swim meet.

Now to just stick to the plan!

I had to make an additional trip to the grocery store this weekend as we were out of both sour cream and cocoa powder.  My total was $15.98 which brings my regular spending to $26 and including Amazon $98.   This is still well within my budget.   I am going to focus on using items in the pantry for this first month. In fact, I have made a list of at least 10 meals that I will be planning to use in January.   We do have two swim meets which means at least one of these we are going to be eating out.

Breakfast- Saturday- Quiche and cinnamon rolls
Sunday- Matt’s breakfast casserole.  Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday   and Friday- find it oatmeal,
omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, bagels and eggs.
Lunch- Saturday-My Dad’s chicken stew using a whole chicken from the freezer.   Sunday- Mexican food from a new restaurant, Monday-
leftovers Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday. Thursday and Friday   – left-overs and grab and go is the plan.

Dinner- Saturday-More chicken stew Sunday- Sausage and Potato soup-Monday-Baked potatoes- using the rest of our potatoes before they went bad!   Tuesday-Taco pasta from freezer Wednesday- Everyone is grabbing food on the way to the swim meet.  Thursday-Southern ground beef casserole from the freezer.  Friday- Chicken sandwich and French fries on the way to the swim meet.