I started by taking stock of what I already had on hand; lots of ham from Easter that I froze, 5 one pound packs of hamburger that I bought in bulk on a super-sale and froze individually, and some drumsticks that I bought in the clearance meat section and, again, I split those up and stored them in the freezer.
So I knew I wouldn’t need meat this week.
Then I set to the task of planning 7 dinners with what we had…
Baked Potato Bar (oven baked potatoes with serve yourself toppings like chili, sour cream, cheese, bacon, salsa,)
Soup and Rolls (I usually make the soup with broth or boullion cubes as a base, throw in leftover veggies, meat, pasta or rice and spices)
Spaghetti and Steamed Broccoli (already had the meat and the pasta, had two cans of diced tomatoes that I’ll puree because the kids don’t like chunks, and then toss in a tsp of sugar, some fresh garlic and some spices)
Tater Tot Casserole (had a leftover bag of tater tots and some meat in the freezer so just had to buy some cheese and cheese soup. This would be considered junk food night at our house. And the kids love it!)
Oven Fried Drumsticks With Green Salad and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday – Dinner at a Family Birthday Party
Leftover Night
Here’s the grocery breakdown
3 loaves of bread, 89 cents each - $2.67
25 lb bag of flour - $11.08
2 quarts of soymilk - $2.16
Brown sugar - $1.38
Bananas @ 45 cents a pound - $1.26
2 cans of green beans - $.96
Margarine - .$.58
4 lightbulbs - $1.00
Soy Sauce - $1.67
2 cans of turkey chili - $1.70
Strawberry Jam - $1.98
Ranch Dressing - $1.46
Fresh mushrooms - $1.78
2 cups shredded cheese - $1.51
Lemon juice - $1.58
2 cans chedder cheese soup – $3.10
Apples @ 98 cents a pound - $3.19
Roma Tomatoes - $1.70
10 lbs Potatoes - $2.48
Leaf Lettuce - $1.28
Case of Top Ramen - $2.68
Total - $47.20
You don’t know how tempted I was to use the extra few bucks leftover from the $50 budget for a Chai Latte from Starbucks!
See, I’m learning self control as well as budgeting. All kinds of good stuff.
3 comments:
Wow - I would be happy to spend $100 - I don't even know HOW to get started -
Do you have any sample menus for weeks that don't have special events, etc. Cause I am having some real trouble keeping it to $100. It is possible isn't it? I am spending closer to $200 a week. OUCH!
I read the other day that grocery costs have increased 40% in the last year.
Great job. I would've rewarded myself with the coffee. I'm impressed.
I'm new to your site, so maybe you've covered this before, but what do you serve for breakfast and lunch? And is that included in the $50?
Post a Comment