Yay for me again! I didn’t have another mid-week run this week. Although the hubster did get some ice cream during the week ($4.44). We’re starting this week with $207 spent so far on groceries. Since we budget $360/month, we have $153 left for two weeks. And the last week is actually 9 days. Since the new month (May) starts on a Wednesday, I won’t do another shopping trip till that day. As usual, here is our meal plan and grocery spending.
MEAL PLAN:
My breakfast and lunch stay the same each week, so I won’t include those anymore. Click the FINANCE tab and look under Meal Plans if you’re curious what I make for breakfast and lunch.
Dinner:
Sunday – Pulled Pork Sandwiches (this is from last Monday). This made so much meat!
Monday – Taco Chili Soup in a Crockpot (we didn’t get to this last week)
Tuesday – Leftovers
Wednesday – Meatloaf with potatoes, veggie, and biscuits
Thursday – Crockpot Beans & Salad, with leftover biscuits
Friday – Dinner out or Leftovers
Saturday – Burgers and Beeritas…we’re having friends over
Sunday – Cornbread Chicken in a crockpot
GROCERIES:
This week I went to Tom Thumb, Kroger, Market Street, and Wal-Mart. I live less than 3 minutes from all these stores. It’s a perk when it comes to shopping. I had to make an extra trip back to Wal-Mart because I didn’t find the milk I needed at Kroger, plus I forgot a few things, so that was a bummer.
Food Storage Tip: These were 2 lb. packages of meat. Divide meat into 1 pound each (I simply cut it in half). Flatten out in plastic baggie for the freezer. This helps when you need to thaw it quickly. Plus, it’s in 1 lb. portions.
In total this week, we spent $95.37! That’s alright, but I’m cutting it close for next week (9 days of groceries). We have about $57 left for the month. Luckily we have a lot of ground turkey, ground beef, and chicken breasts sitting in the freezer. Feel free to share a cheap recipe with those items. I can do it, I can do it!
HOW DO I KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING AND SET OUT ON MY GROCERY RUNS?
1. Collect grocery ads and circle items on sale that I want. Also add items on the Safeway App for Tom Thumb, if any.
2. Make my meal plan for the week, check calendar to make we know what’s going on that week (i.e. soccer game nights need a lighter, easier meal; nights Ryan is gone need to be quick or crockpot meals).
3. Make grocery list on my planner. This is what I use. This helps tremendously and keeps me SUPER organized in the store.
4. Highlight items in different colors for each store, so when I shop I’m not confused with all the different items on my list. I don’t highlight Wal-Mart items. I also write the price or “deal” for that item next to it.
5. Shop Wal-Mart, then the other stores. Wal-Mart often has other store’s sale items for cheaper. I hate to find that out after I’ve already bought it. For example, I went to Tom Thumb first and on my way home, I ran into Market Street to grab the clementine’s. I went home, dropped off the groceries, ate lunch with the fam, put B down for a nap, then headed to Wal-Mart. Dropped off groceries, then headed to Kroger. I could’ve swung by there on my way home, but can’t remember why I didn’t.
I’ve been searching how to organize my LIFE on Pinterest and it motivated me to clean/organize my refrigerator. I took out everything you could and washed it. I wiped down everything inside, then put all the food back in the fridge nice and neat. It took forever, but it’s so nice now! Check it out! I wish I had a before picture.
Have a great week!
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