Category Archives: Groceries

Monday Menu Plan

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One of our biggest expenses is and has always been Groceries. I am forever trying to figure out ways to either save money and or stay in budget with this expense. In March I was so far over budget that I was even hesitate to post my monthly update. So in April I am already stressing and trying to come up with ways to make up the difference. After some discussion with Matt, we have decided to eliminate Costco shopping for the month and try to eat what we have with minimal trips to Aldi as needed. On Saturday, we did end up eating out twice but used profits from the yard sale to do so. Sunday was back on track with a creative yet traditional “Easter Dinner”. Matt grilled a can of ham on the grill with pineapple, I added a box of scalloped potatoes, made deviled eggs from our Easter eggs, add coleslaw and cucumber relish to complete. We also used some money from the yard sale to refill our gas cylinder for grill. As the weather gets warmer you notice a lot more use of this.  A huge part of not shopping this month will be menu planning so here is the start.

Breakfast-French toast (leftovers) , Cereal, toast, eggs and Pumpkin Baked oatmeal.

Lunch-The girls are out of school this week until Thursday so they will be eating at home and I will pack both their lunches on Thursday. I did go ahead and make a salad for myself and probably will eat some leftovers one day this week.

Dinner– Since we have at least 2 nights at home this week, Matt will be cooking a little bit more then previous weeks but we do plan to eat from our pantry and freezer.

Monday- Pork chops with mac and cheese and glazed carrots.
Tuesday- Beef Enchiladas
Wednesday-Breakfast casserole
Thursday-  Baked potatoes
Friday- Grilled Chicken
Saturday- Shrimp cocktail or coconut shrimp. Dinner- pizza ( need to use up the store bought crust we purchased.

Fun CVS Trip

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I was kinda disappointed this past Sunday when I finished my CVS shopping. I ended up not splitting my transactions up the best way and spent $20 out of pocket and ended up with $12 in ECB. My saving total was right at 60% not bad but not great. However the week is saved!!! After work, I discovered a high value Tide coupon ($3 off). I decided to head to CVS just to use the two I printed. I spent $2.15 on the following..

FullSizeRenderI did receive a nice surprise tonight of 2 $5 ECB printing from the Red Machine because of my beauty club purchases.

Total spent for the week $22.31, total value 118.46, total saved 96.15 or 81%!!! And I still have 6 ECB to save till next week.

Random Thursday Thoughts

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  • We are traveling again today. First headed to Matthews for eye appointments for all the kids. Next to IKEA to enjoy some window shopping. Finally back to Winston-Salem to pick out new glasses for the girls. I am estimating that we will be travelling over 150 miles and eating out at least 2 meals.
  • I am continue to list items on several Facebook groups in order to sell them. So far all the transactions have worked out very smoothly. I only have one more item that I am planning to list. The real yard sale is scheduled for the first weekend in April. I am planning to post this both online and in our local paper. I have already made $300 and my goal for all the yard sale is now $500. This is a lofty goal but I am hoping that it works out. If not then I will have a huge donation for the year to go to Goodwill and I have managed to really clean out!
  • After travelling tomorrow, our lives should slow down to a more normal hetic pace. It is a full month until we will be travelling again for cheerleading. That trip is so much fun and I am already looking forward to it. Myrtle Beach is always my favorite spot to visit.
  • Currently our budgets are right on schedule. We had to make a small repair to the white van again this past week but if all goes as well we will stay under our $400 gas budget for the month. The lower price of gas is certainly a nice thing and has helped our budget tremendously so far this year. The grocery budget is also doing well for the month with $170 left in it. I am really trying to clean out the freezers as much as possible with plans to start filling them again in May with freshly frozen fruits and vegetables.
  • My goals for the weekend include: yard work and trying to make homemade granola.

Enough randomness for today!

 

5 Things Friday!3/13/2015

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1. I decide to post to an online yard sale yesterday, these are all items that I was gathering to sale anyway so I figured I would just get a head start.  If everyone arrives and picks up the items they have claimed I will have made $250! This is going to help with our Disney trip!  We had decided that the first $100 would be used for a stroller, so that takes a chuck but I am super excited to see extra money coming in!

2.Matt is working tonight, tomorrow night and Tuesday night… three nights a month is nothing to complain about but main it just seems like a lot at this moment. It probably has to do with the fact that I worked late and am tired but I was so glad  to put the kids to bed.

3. Our new to us white van continues to need small repairs. Yesterday, we took it to the radiator shop and they were able to fix a small leak that was causing the van to smoke especially when sitting in traffic. I don’t like sitting in the school line with smoke coming out from under the hood!  We are hoping to be able to pay for this repair out of our gas fund for the month. It will leave us stretching a tank for a little over a week but it would also mean that our Emergency Fund is able to stay in tact

4. After a huge trip to Costco last week we have $200 left in our grocery fund. I am hoping to spend half this amount for the month but if some excellent sales come along I may just stay under budget and be happy.

5.We are travelling again on Sunday. This will be the second Sunday in a row that we have missed church. Other than during our annual beach trip each year, I can not tell you the last time that we have missed two Sundays in a row!

5 Things Friday

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1. The kids actually went to school everyday this week! And we had an activity every night this week as well. The really exciting news is that we managed to accomplish this with no eating out dinner!

2. We are headed out of town tomorrow for a cheerleading competition on Sunday. Typically we would not get a hotel room for an event that is only 2 hours away; however given the time change this weekend in addition to needing to arrive dressed and ready by 7:30am, we decide a nice room and pool to play in on Saturday night would make the weekend much more enjoyable for all of us!

3. With exactly 6 days into the month, we have already spent over half of our grocery budget with a huge trip to Costco yesterday. My goal/plan is to keep the rest of the month on the low side with only trips to Aldi for fresh veggie and produce.

4. Some unexpected income this month has allowed me to get our Emergency Fund up to date, purchase some wants for both myself and Matt in addition to paying an extra pay to our debit this month as well.

5. We are planning on planting broccoli tomorrow to start our square foot garden. Matt has also agreed to build a composting box this spring to help support our efforts!

Sunday Catch Up 3/01/2015

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This weekend has flown by and as I was talking to Matt this afternoon it really is one of the least busy weekend that I see in the next several months. I thought I would take a bit of time this evening and catch you up on the happenings around here.

CVS shopping– I am continuing to make my weekly trips to CVS and the kids are really really enjoying the special one on one time that each is getting. Last week, was an ok week that turned out great. We ended up purchasing a credit card reader for Matt’s business  which boosted our saving. This week was AWESOME!  I made a trip and spent 15 saving $66 or 81%. But I am more excited because Amanda came over and with a little bit of help she made a trip by herself and was able to save around the same amount. I am also very happy because this week alone, we have used $18 worth of coupons from the Sunday papers. This covers the entire month subscription.

Menu Planning– Last week was a bit of a challenge as the kids only went to school 1 day, we also ended up cancelling our scheduled eye appointments due to the weather. Our initial plan included eating out a total of 4 times but instead we ended up eating out once.  Matt and the kids did enjoy pizza from Pizza hut but they used reading reward that Kendall and Lily had earned so the total cost was $0. Here is the plan for next week

Breakfast-I made a batch of French toast on Saturday which will be eaten as leftovers, I am also going to make an overnight egg back and baked oatmeal this week for some warm easy breakfast.

Lunch-Lunches for the girls and I have already been packed. I made a huge salad that I will be eating from most of the week in addition to a couple of days of leftovers.

Dinner– We do have a busy week and plan on going out of town next weekend so we want to eat at home as much as possible.

Sunday- Lunch- Baked Potatoes  Dinner- Leftover soups from the week.
Monday- Shrimp Scampi- Frozen meal I purchased with week with coupons.
Tuesday- Taco Rice Burritos or Taco Rice Salad
Wednesday-Roast
Thursday-  Leftovers or pizza or what ever I decide
Friday- Pork Chops, mac and cheese and apple sauce.

Planning Ahead-  One of the ways I want to increase our funds for our planned Disney trip is by having a yard sale. I have decided to attempt to hold this on April 4th, the Saturday before Easter. This weekend, we have been sorting through everyone clothes especially Spring and Summer clothes. I have discovery that unless someone grows significantly, we actually have enough clothes without the need to purchase any items. Shoes may be a different story but I am excited to save money any way we can.

 

 

Menu Planning 2/21/2015

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Since the kids have been out of school for the entire week, a couple of thing have been pushed forward and this coming week looks extremely busy. The weather is suppose to cooperate with rain on Sunday and then nothing else falling from the sky for a week. You will notice that this plan includes eating out for several meals.  Life happens and you adjust.

Breakfast-We currently have lots of left overs for the week so I am going eat from the fridge or keep it simple. Pancake waffles, muffins and baked oatmeal are all available otherwise toast, cereal or pop tarts.

Lunch-The girls have 2 days packed from last week and on Thursday we will be eating at Ikea. I also have a large container of salad already prepared that I will be taking for lunch as well.

Dinner–  I can honestly say this week is packed. I did start to prepare ahead and cooked twice on Saturday.

Saturday- Mexican night including chips, dip, salsa, Mexican rice and chicken enchiladas. (Actually made a double batch and frozen one for another meal)
Sunday- Lunch out and dinner will be leftovers from the fridge.
Monday- Stuffed Green Peppers.
Tuesday- Pizza Hut, using book-it coupons and Subway to finish us off.
Wednesday-Matt has training for his new job so the kids will eat with friends and I will grab left overs.
Thursday-  Eating out- The girls have eye appointments and will have to purchase new glasses.
Friday- Chicken Fried Rice and eggrolls

Menu Planning

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The best part about menu planning is that most of the time it is easy to make changes. We actually did our official menu planning on Saturday, however today (Monday) after the changes brought about because of weather and the prediction of winter weather for most of the week, we decided to head to Costco and stock up which changed the plan for both tonight and tomorrow.

Breakfast– Toast, pancake (left overs), waffles(left overs), bacon and eggs for Tuesday. cereal or poptarts and baked oatmeal at least one day.

Lunch-Since the girls will most likely only go to school one or two days this week, we needed a plan. Today(Monday) Matt picked up the girls and headed to Sonic for $1 hot dogs, Tuesday is chicken nuggets, Wednesday will be pizza(either homemade or using Book it coupons, Thursday- leftovers or sandwiches and Friday will be sushi roll ups.

Dinner–  We are scheduled for 4 out of 5 night this week but due to weather this may change.
Monday- Hamburger Helper was planned. Switched to soups (tomato and oyster stew) instead. I had already cooked the hamburger so I made  chill to use tomorrow night and froze the rest.
Tuesday- Baked Potatoes- The original plan was for Pineapple Chicken but this was simply left in the freezer.
Wednesday-Salisbury Steak, rice and green beans.
Thursday-  Alice Spring Chicken-copycat recipe from Outback along with copy cat cheddar biscuits.
Friday- Pork Chops, corn, applesauce.
Saturday- ?? not sure yet but it would appear that leftovers are going to be filling up the fridge again
Sunday- We will be eating out for lunch because of a Birthday party so that will be a treat.

I like knowing ahead of time what I will be cooking but also because of the way I shop and plan, if we change mid stream that it is not a huge deal because we always use the food we have!

5 Things Friday 2/13/2015

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1. I was able to place $50 in our Emergency Fund today!  First time this year! It is at least a start.

2. Matt has started a job that will have him out of the house at least 3 nights/weekend days a month. This is a huge change for us but I know it will definitely help cover our cost. We have been talking for several months now that we have an income problem and this is a way to help solve that problem.

3.Our budgets this month are actually looking really good at this point. We have $165 in gas and $415 in our grocery budget left. We have already purchased a part for the white van that will hopefully be the last for several months but the low gas prices are definitely helping out.

4. I am planning on spending the next couple days inside. The temperatures are the coldest of the year and we have no where to go tomorrow (Saturday) so I hope to finish up some things for church but otherwise enjoy a nice day inside.

5. We booked our trip to Disney World this week!  I am so so excited. We are counting down the days till November.

Monday Ramblings

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  • I have had a terrible cold since last Friday, today I am only taking 3 dose of medicine instead of 6 so that means I should be well by next months some time.
  • Because of feeling so blah and crummy, I have not walked since last Thursday. I was doing so good, plan to get back on track tonight. It may be with a Kleenex attached to my lip but it is at least something.
  • Last Thursday, I had the privilege of accompanying my friend Andrea to a college biology class, I came out with two observations. First, it is still just wrong that the professor is younger than I am. And second- since when is it not disrespectful to ask the professor for an update set of notes?  At least half the kids in the class had electronic devices with his notes on them.
  • February is an extremely busy month for us.  I counted and we have exactly 3 nights this month in which we are all home.
  • Because of the busy schedule, I am in charge of picking Kendall up from cheerleading on both Monday and Thursday nights. This way she can at least get in bed before 9 pm on those nights.
  • I did not share a menu plan for this week because we have 2 nights of leftovers and one night of hot pockets on the schedule. But at least we have a plan.
  • Lily and Kendall participated in their first cheerleading competition on Saturday. I am proud of both of them. Lily is working hard on her back handspring and Kendall is working on a forward roll and cartwheel.
  • Gas prices in our area jumped up 10 cent over night and have increased 14 cent in the last week. We at least were able to get all our vehicles and gas cans filled at the below $2.00 price. This makes for us a lower month in gas, so far to fill everything it cost $110.  I am hoping that even with the rising cost we will be able to keep to less than $400 for the month with one small repair needed on the white van.
  • In the area of groceries, we are trying to continue to eat out of the fridge, however I am finding several good stock up deals this month in addition to planning to purchase/pay for an order of ground beef from Zaycon foods. I will be happy just to stay within our $600 budget for the month.
  • After receiving our Verizon cell phone bill, we have actually been able to reduce out bill by over $75 a month by switching plans. We are hopeful to keep this rate for at least the year.