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Farm Kitchen:  Grocery Challenge  |
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 27 2007 : 11:58:52 PM
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I know we are all trying to find ways to manage our food bill better and with the predictions about the economy I think we are all even more eager to find ways to cut costs so, I just wanted to share my new food shopping adventure.
For several weeks I've been getting a flyer in the mail for a new market in the next town over, but have not had an occasion to check it out. The flyer advertised some of the lowest prices on produce I've seen around here. And that's where most of my grocery money goes. So, last weekend my sis and I finally went. Boy were we pleasantly surprised. The store is simple - no fancy displays or coffee kiosks, just bins of beautiful "inexpensive" produce.
1 lb bags of carrots 4 bags for $1.00 (my area store 89 per bag)
onions 25 cents per pound (normally 99 per lb)
bananas 33 cents per pound (99 per lb)
apples 69 per pound (usually between $1.79 & 1.99 per lb even in season)
tomatoes, normally $2-3 a lb were 79 cents
and on and on.
Bulk rice and beans were 29 & 39 per lb
I bought 1/2 gal Alta Dena milk for $2.50 (the store near me is $4.95)
After walking through the store to see what else they had I realized that the main ethnic groups represented were Mexican, Indian and Asian foods. Some food even came from the Middle East and Europe. Kinda cool! Not too many name brands, but who cares when the kidney beans are 3 for a $1.00 and the juice is $1.89. The meat counter was very well maintained and equally as inexpensive. But, my freezer is full with lamb, chicken and pork, so no need to buy more.
I remembered my mom talking about shopping in stores on "the other side of town" when we were little and lived in Mich and Ohio because the prices were so much better and the packaging was bigger.
Anyway I have a new treasure and I don't care who else shops there too. In the future I will try to stop and stock up when I'm that direction.
My suggestion - check your area for non-traditional stores that carry the items you buy regularly and save save save.
BTW - I bought dairy, juice, canned goods, spices, fruit & veggies and spent less than $15.00. This would easily be more than $25 at my normal store.
Happy shopping & saving |
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MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 03:42:32 AM
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Wow Jennifer that is awesome! I wish we had a fresh produce store like that around here. I guess I just always assumed that fresh produce would be cheaper in California just because alot comes from there. The cheapest I can get a 1 pound bag of carrots here is 89cents.
Blessings....
Sarah
www.mustangsuzie.blogspot.com
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 04:32:45 AM
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It really is amazing how much groceries cost and how much you can save by keeping an eye out, isn't it?
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora!
http://home.test-afl.tulix.com/aleeandnora/ |
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 07:29:30 AM
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I know what you mean Sarah. CA grows more than 250 different veggie/fruit crops; our county has lots of Ag, but even our farm stands and farmers markets are just as expensive as the chain stores.
When we had the grocery store workers strike a few years ago everything went through the roof and it hasn't come down. That's when fruit especially ran up to $2 & $3 a lb and hasn't come down. I think store mgt figured if we paid those prices during the strike would pay them after. And, like sheep to slaughter we have followed suit with no fuss.
Makes me even more determined to get back on track with my garden, which kinda fell apart earlier this year when I changed jobs and started working more hours.
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 07:34:31 AM
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Hi,
I just found this thread, too, and how timely! I was just telling my teenagers this morning how much we are spending on food every week, and wondering how I'm ever going to be able to save up for the new washing machine I'll soon need!
There are 5 of us here, youngest is 15, so basically they're all eating like adults (teenage boys = 2 adults each ) and I am spending near $200 a week. Sometimes I feel like I'm just going out to work to buy groceries! We live in a small town, one grocery store (Foodland), which I like to support as much as possible, especially since my son works there! However, their prices are fairly high (try $7 for 6 slices of decent lunch meat, or $7.99 for ice cream that's not Haagen Daz!), milk is $5.29 for 4 litres (about a gallon), and good bread is $2.49 a loaf. I started making my own yogurt two years ago, and do find I'm saving a lot with that, though. It's easy for me to spend $25 in the dairy aisle alone, and we are beef farmers, so I don't have to buy beef. I do work two evenings a week, and find I'm buying frozen things for those nights, so they can just barbeque without too much fuss. I know I'll have to go back to preparing most things from scratch, like I did when I was a SAHM, but it's tough with this course I'm taking for work, too. It takes up a lot of my free time when I could be preparing things ahead and freezing them.
There is a better selection of grocery stores without the frills in Orillia, but that's a 30 minute drive, so I usually only get there on my Saturday off (which will be tomorrow, by the way!), so I'll shop one of those stores tomorrow, and try to hit the farmer's market, too. I just read "The 100-mile diet" and it is a real eye-opener about local eating.
Well, I'm going to try to buckle down on this grocery bill, and I think I'll start writing it down every week on the fridge so the family can see just how much it's costing! Don't want to make them feel guilty, though, just need to open their eyes.
Lori |
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BlueApple
True Blue Farmgirl
430 Posts
Julia
Oregon
USA
430 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 2:04:29 PM
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I am reading a book on living on less right now and am on the "grocery" chapter. It talks about the two methods of grocery shopping - Needs Shopping and Reserve Shopping. The best, of course, is Reserve Shopping where you are only buying items when a good deal comes along to restock your surplus. Needs shopping - you may be buying it on sale but there might have been a better sale a few weeks ago that you missed. And again, so important to have a price book so that you know what a regular price is, a sale price and a really good sale price. I haven't done a price book in years but plan to get mine going again this weekend.
Julia
BlueApple Farm
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/BlueAppleFarm/ |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 2:44:25 PM
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What is the name of the book, Julia?
Lori |
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BlueApple
True Blue Farmgirl
430 Posts
Julia
Oregon
USA
430 Posts |
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CountryBorn
True Blue Farmgirl
1545 Posts
Mary Jane
New York
USA
1545 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 3:09:36 PM
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How on earth does anyone only spend $45. or $60 on food a week? I wish I had the magic formula ! Is this strictly food? Or is it everything you need for the house and pets etc. included in that?
We have 2 dogs and I feed the birds. I'm not talking extravagant here. Just 20# of birdseed a month and 5# sunflower. We have the 2 of us and a couple times a week our 2 grandkids.We are retired and have a $500. a month budget for food and all household needs.
We have meat and meatless and soup and sandwich night. I would really be interested in how you girls do this.
MJ
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. Freya Stark |
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CountryBorn
True Blue Farmgirl
1545 Posts
Mary Jane
New York
USA
1545 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 3:21:08 PM
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I forgot a question! Do you buy at stores like Aldi's alot? Or the chains that are supposed to be cheaper? If so do you really check out the labels and content of what you are buying. Like those large prefrozen packages of chicken ? I did and stopped buying after I did. Does anyone else have qualms about the unknown brands and worry aobut whether they are as healthy ? I guess with all the tainted food and products form China and other countries I get nervous, anyone else?
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. Freya Stark |
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MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 3:27:36 PM
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You can do it Mary Jane, just pick one area at a time to work on. I buy mostly just food items. I am going to set my budget for October at $180 for 5 of us. Four of those being children but 3 being boys who eat like adults. I use Dr Bronners peppermint castille and vinegar for cleaning, love the Dr Bronners for bathing too, and I use baking soda. I make my own laundry powder, which the ingredients in that can be used to clean with as well. Other than food I buy toilet paper and sometimes papertowels when I can get a bulk package on sale. I bought a package of towels to use instead of paper towels and I have plenty of old tee shirts I can tear up to clean up things with. Having a price book is very essential, I need to make a new one and stick to it. I do shop at Aldi's for the majority of things, but as you said where ever you shop you must always read the labels to find out what is in things. I put things back all the time and say ewww. Aldi's is cheap but sometimes not the cheapest when other stores are having a sale or just on some everyday things. Like the cheapest place I can find to buy white vinegar is walmart for 1.89 a gallon right now. But I do try to only go to walmart every so often and stock up on things like TP and vinegar. For one it is out of the way to go there, for another it keeps me from being tempted to buy more. For me also, making a list and sticking to it helps so much.
Blessings....
Sarah
www.mustangsuzie.blogspot.com
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Edited by - MustangSuzie on Sep 28 2007 3:32:25 PM |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 4:09:06 PM
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Hi Mary Jane!
For two adults who like to eat and a baby who is just starting to eat solids our budget is $150 a month which breaks down to $37.50 a month. We shop at Winco which is a west coast chain of grocery stores that does bulk and regular foods and is the cheapest around. I but a lot of produce- Bananas, Apples, carrots, celary, onions, garlic, peppers, cabbage etc. I also buy ground hamburger in huge rolls (I would rather buy a cow from a butcher but I don't have the storage space right now) I buy cuts of meat that are on sale and I buy things like eggs and milk there as well.
That budget also includes things like Dog Food, deoderant, shampoo and conditioner, things to make cleaning products (I don't use store bought things like Windex or laundry detergent...I make my own)
I don't buy very much that is pre-packaged. I do buy from the bulk section- blueberry muffin mix and pizza dough mix. But that is just the mix and you have to scoop it into plastic produce bags so you can buy as much or as little as you want.
About twice a year we go to Costco to buy things like hand dishwashing liquid, garbage bags, toilet paper and a few other things. Usually that bill runs around $300 but we don't go to Winco that month either.
It can be done- you just have to find a store that has good prices and watch the sales. Coupon clipping really can help- especially if the coupon allows multiples.
Also I am willing to shatter the budget if there is something that is just a crazy-good sale that I can stock up on.
The best thing for my budget is having a plan of meals for the month and a budget in mind. I walk around the house before going shopping and check to see if I am low on anything.
The thing that I have realized is the most destructive to my budget is forgetting something critical. Because once I get back in the store I get pulled in and start buying more and more and more.
Sometimes our cupboards look kind of bare- but it is good to use up the food on hand rather than having stuff sit in the cupboards for years. I have been known to plan meals on trying to use up cans of things and what I can make from scratch.
I always make sure to have yeast, flour, sugar, and salt on hand. With those basics I can make breads and muffins and such to be filling and to fill gaps in meals.
www.hillbillyhousewife.com has some great tips. I highly recommend reading through her site.
Also having nutritious but cheap foods in the house like potatoes and carrots can also help extend a food budget.
One last thought- I use less meat that one would think is necessary. Growing up we would use only 2lbs of hamburger for a huge pot of spaghetti sauce for 6 people and we often made enough to have left over spaghetti the next night as well. Carrots cooked with the meat and put in the sauce absorb the meat taste and can be a wonderful meat extender.
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora!
http://home.test-afl.tulix.com/aleeandnora/ |
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 5:14:09 PM
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I have to ditto Sarah's suggestion on using towels instead of buying papertowels and old T's for rags. We also use cloth napkins instead of paper and any bathroom towels that need to go end up in the barn or garage and then the rag box. It's amazing how many papertowels my friends go through and they can't believe I haven't purchased any for more than 5 years. I use the old dish towels for cleaning rags as well.
One thing I did after my divorce (when I was really freaked out about money) was to keep track of how much non-food items we used. It turned out to be rather interesting. Granted there is just DD and myself, but I found out we use 3 large boxes of laundry detergent per year; 1 gal of hand soap and dish soap, 1 Costco pkg of kleenex and bar soap will last more than a year. Now that I know, I can really watch sales and coupons. I try not to run out of these items because they seem the most expensive to purchase spur of the moment.
Our local Target had a 4 for $4 sale a while back and we were able to stock up on toiletries and some non-food items.
Keep the suggestions coming. I think we are learning so much from each other. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 6:20:20 PM
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Yes! Making your own cleaning supplies really helps!
For example- making your own laundry detergent can cost as little as $.004 a load! And because we do cloth diapering we would often use a whole 120 load box of Arm and Hammer laundry detergent in a month. If we got it on sale it was around $8 but more often it was around $15. So that right there saves a ton of money.
I love to wipe down surfaces so if I have windex in the house I go through it pretty fast. So at about $3 a bottle for about a week or two worth of product? Why? When vinegar and water work even better and costs so much less. A gallon of vinegar costs barely over a dollar here and you only need to about about 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar.
The most expensive part of making my own cleaners is buying essential oils if I want to make them smell ultra pretty :D
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora!
http://home.test-afl.tulix.com/aleeandnora/ |
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MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 6:28:14 PM
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Oh Alee, I have an awesome recipe for pizza dough using yeast. You just mix it up in the food processor, let it set for 15 min. to rise and you're ready to go. I'll have to find it and post it. It's super easy.
I use a salt cube for deodorant. You can get them at health stores and I've seen them at like Walgreens. It should last at least a year and it works just fine for me. My mom had breast cancer so I don't like putting aluminum based deodorant under my arms right there when it can soak thru the skin to the lymph glands.
I have allergies and have been using hankies instead of endless boxes of tissues. I about came unglued the other day when my son saw me using a hanky and said "eww, my teacher said using hankies is a nasty thing". We had to have a lil discussion about reusable products right then and there. I was tempted to go give the teacher a lesson as well.
My school charges 1.50 for a lunch, and times 3 kids that adds up quickly. I qualify for reduced lunches but just my own personal thing I don't want anything from the government. This year they have been taking their lunches everyday. Somedays it is sandwiches, some days left over spaghetti, mac and cheese, home made salsa, chips, homemade cupcakes/cookies, fruit, pbj, etc. all in reusuable containers that I pick up mostly at yard sales. I will even go so far to wash and reuse sandwich bags that my mom packs their lunch in sometimes. I haven't heard many complaints so far other than one of the thermoses they take the lid sticks when I put something hot in it. lol They had the whole cafeteria trying to open it one day and no one could. lol
Another thing that really helps me more than anything is planning ahead, having at least an idea of what i will be fixing if not a menu. I don't buy boxed cereal unless it is less than 1.50 a box. Our breakfasts usually consist of oatmeal, some other hot cereal (corn meal mush is a big hit with maple syrup), pancakes, egg tacos, eggs and toast etc. I made up two big crock pots of soup on Wednesday that were finally used up today when I had to take my own lunch somewhere.
I could ramble on forever, sorry. lol I will check back later.
Blessings....
Sarah
www.mustangsuzie.blogspot.com
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MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 7:26:38 PM
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A good cookbook is More With Less by Doris Jantzen Longacre, I believe she was a mennonite. She gives recipesand talks abouthow to cook using less.
Blessings....
Sarah
www.mustangsuzie.blogspot.com
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 8:12:32 PM
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Oh, yes that is a good cookbook Sarah. I am not much of a cook, so I have to keep it simple.
I go over the ads, our largest store here is Cub, but I have found their prices to be a joke for the most part.
I usually end up at Trader Joes, SuperTarget or our Coop.
I spend about 70 dollars per week on groceries. This usually includes most household items as well. I spend more in the summer because we go to the cabin, or ren fest and I usually bring enough food/drink to share.
I don't make my own laundry soap, but will probably try it once I use up my Next to Godliness soap. I eat a lot of fresh produce, and my son thinks we keep a cow in the back yard.
(He has laid off a bit when he saw for himself how much a gallon of hormone free skim milk is and I can't drink a lot anymore either-too many carbs AND I told him I would buy three gallons per week for us, anything after that he buys, funny how that works when it's THEIR money.)
So I would guess to feed the dog, myself, and two kids, we are at about 280-300 dollars per month, give or take 50 bucks.
The news just reported that food will go up around 4.5% by the end of the year.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2007 : 8:38:11 PM
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Ugh. I hate how food prices are getting worse and worse. But I guess that just means that I break more ground for my massive garden that I am planning and that I try and get as much as I can from the world around me. I am already excited for berry season next year. I gave away all my blackberries this year except a few pies worth so I am kicking myself a little bit about that!
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora!
http://home.test-afl.tulix.com/aleeandnora/ |
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MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Sep 29 2007 : 05:17:16 AM
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Alee that was nice of you to share. You will enjoy them so much more next year. I am already looking forward to next springs garden as well. I planted 3 big rows of peas, a row of spinach,2 rows of beets and some carrots this fall and nothing did very well. i guess it was too dry. There is always next year!!
Blessings....
Sarah
www.mustangsuzie.blogspot.com
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 10:55:54 AM
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Lots of good ideas here--I thought I was the only one washing out Ziploc bags! I wash them until they tear. Also, milk in Canada is sold in bags, which are amazingly strong. After the milk is gone, I cut the top open, wash it out, and reuse it, with a twist tie. I switched to cloth napkins this summer, and only use about 1 roll of paper towel a month. Old tea towels are great to keep around.
Two of my kids take their lunches to school, so instead of buying drinks, I buy frozen juice concentrate and make juice by the jug, then fill small bottles from home. I spent Saturday night baking, to have some treats ahead for the week, and put some in the freezer, too.
Today, I'm cooking a big pot of baked beans. Can you believe I've never made them before, EVER, in almost 20 years of marriage? I think it's because when I had them as a child they were awful canned ones, so I thought that's what they always tasted like! Beans are very low cost, just take a bit of planning ahead.
I'm going to see if my library can get that Mary Hunt book for me.
Lori |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 1:52:24 PM
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Oh, I can smell those beans cooking right now!
Don't forget about filling soups like lentil or split pea, very high in protein, can be a meatless meal with a slice of bread. Very tasty, and if you're not a vegetarian, use chicken stock to prepare it for extra flavor. Or a ham bone, an onion, celery and carrots, cook for a while, whir in the blender, and serve. Hmmm, it must be getting close to dinnertime, I'm getting hungry!
I buy flour and sugar in 50 or 25 pound bags. Also chocolate chips in the restaurant size. My daughter works at Gordon Foods, they have excellent deals on large quantity stuff, plus we take advantage of a family discount. A big restaurant sized bag of chopped lettuce for only $2 or $3, usually. I usually don't buy produce in large quantities because I have trouble using it up before it spoils, but that much lettuce really beats those small bags in the regular grocery store, which can cost almost that much for enough for one meal! Of course whenever I can I eat lettuce out of the garden instead of buying any at all.
I find I spend the most on impulse purchases. What, potato chips on sale, 2 bags for $5.00? I'll get some even though we don't need them, just because it's a good price. You can really eat up your budget that way. That is why I try to stay out of the grocery store as much as possible. I can't tell you how many times I have gone in for milk, bread and eggs and spent $50. So I try not to do that anymore. I get the eggs from the farmer's market and the milk from the convenience store and make my own bread a lot of the time.
I have to second the person who said not to forget to make stock from the chicken (or turkey) carcass after the meat is all gone. Just add a couple of quarts of water, an onion, and put it on simmer on the back of the stove. Let it cook for a few hours, then strain through a colander (and pick out any big pieces of meat, you'd be surprised how much you find.) Refrigerate in quart jars if you can use it within 3-5 days, or freeze in quart freezer containers.
Turkey is usually such a bargain around the holidays, I usually buy an extra or two if I have room in the freezer. One turkey can feed the two of us for a couple of weeks, of course I freeze some so I can spread it out so as not to have turkey every night.
Make your own biscuit mix or brownie mix or cookie mix or cake mix, if you are concerned about convenience. Packaged mixes are very expensive for what usually consists of flour, baking powder, and sugar, with some artificial ingredients thrown in. If you are making your own you can control the additives, too. There are good recipes available on the internet or in a lot of the Farm Journal cookbooks.
Although personally, I don't think it takes that much longer to bake from scratch.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 2:15:19 PM
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I was reading last night that if you put just a little bit of vinegar in with the turkey carcass it helps to bring out calcium from the bones. You can also throw in your onion, carrot, celery etc peelings in with the carcass to add more flavor.
I also wash are reuse ziploc bags till they are no longer good. I like to save the bags that brown sugar/powdered sugar come in too, they are good heavy weight, just close with some kind of tie...or with me, my favorite thing to close up bags with is a clothes pin.
Impulse buys get me too, that is why i try to always take a list. When I do, I get what's on it and get out of the store. Have you noticed how the carts in stores keep getting bigger? If I only need just a couple of things I will grab a basket to carry instead, that keeps me from putting in too much. I think it is funny how I have to trick myself sometimes. lol But it works. Just this morning, when I left work I was tired and thought of stopping and grabbing a big cup of coffee from a fast food place. Then while I was sitting in the drive thru I talked myself out of it and left my money in my pocket. I can get free coffee at work!! Little things like that can eat away your money quickly. I find that when I am tired is when I am most likely to break all of my spending rules.
Speaking of coffee, I should make just a little to wake up and get back to work. I reuse coffee ground from the previous day one time, then you only need to use half as much the second day. It works and tastes the same to me. Can do the same with tea leaves.
I noticed in the store (Aldi's) yesterday that the price of powdered milk is now up to $12.99. Just a few months ago it was only $9.99. I will have to find some room in my freezer and stock up for winter. I can hardly wait until I can move to a small farm. We are defintely going to have a cow or some goats to milk. It will be good work for the boys as well.
Blessings....
Sarah
www.mustangsuzie.blogspot.com
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Feb 29 2008 : 8:07:49 PM
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reviving this topic!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
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joyfulmama
True Blue Farmgirl
1175 Posts
Debra
Silver Springs
NV
USA
1175 Posts |
Posted - Feb 29 2008 : 8:17:00 PM
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I made up a menu tonight. I am doing a theme for each night of the week then will rotate 4 menus within that theme for the month. For instance: Tuesday is Mexican food night.. so week 1 is enchiladas and salad, week 2 is burrittos with a salad, week 3 is tostadas and a salad, week 4 is tacos and a salad. Breakfasts are always green smoothies and fruit, lunch will be leftovers and raw fruits and veggies. We have a breakfast for dinner night, italian (making homemade pizza once a month), soup/chili or stew night, classic (meat and potatoes), free day (sunday) and saturday is food network night- we will choose recipes from our favorite chefs- Paula Dean, Rachel Ray, Emeril etc...
Over all I think this will save us money- as I was buying things in bulk with no idea of what I was going to do with it. Why buy 5 #10 cans of refried beans if you only need 2 according to the menu? Will make sure to always have a couple of loaves of homemade bread on hand for lunches.
My hubby is giving up his office this weekend- things are that tight. We can use that money for groceries.
Blessings, Debra
Psalms 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want."
http://myvintagehome.blogspot.com
http://woolieacres.net |
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Farm Kitchen: Grocery Challenge |
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Grocery Challenge
