2012 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #31– The arrival of August brings with it incredible heat & a lack of desire to spend time in the kitchen! The main focus of this weeks menu plan is to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible and also to restock the freezer.
The drought that has taken hold of the midwest here in the United States will shortly be felt throughout the country. Corn and grains are taking a beating which will cause prices of beef, pork and poultry to shoot up. While consumers most likely will not feel this pinch until early next year, it’s a good idea to plan ahead for the rising prices that you can soon expect!
As such, with chicken prices available at only $1.58 per pound (Boneless, skinless, chicken breast- purchased by the case), it’s worth buying a case and splitting it (& the expense!) with another family. As we mentioned last week, this week is a meat restocking week and the total budget available was $121.- we budget for $50 per week for the grocery budget- our last meat restocking week was Week #22. Since then here are the remaining amounts after our weekly shopping trip:
Week $31 $50
Week #30 $40 left
Week #29 $0 left
Week $28 $4. left
Week #27 $4 left
Week #26 $0 left
Week #25 $8 left
Week #24 $8 left
Week #23 $7 left
We purchased the following, 40#’s of Boneless, Skinless chicken breast ($63.20) 10#’s Pork Butt ($15.80) 10 lbs Cheese $22.50 = Total $101.50 With the remaining $20 we picked up the following:
Grapes .99 lbs (x2) – $1.98
Nectarines .99
Cantaloupe .99 (x2) $1.98
Blueberries $1.49
Carrots .69
Honey Nut Cheerios $1.59 (sale item)
cream Cheese $1.49
celery $1.29
cucumbers .29 each (3)
Tomatoes (free-garden)
Green Peppers $1.49 (3)
Mushrooms .79
lettuce $1.99 (2 heads)
Milk $3.18
—————————-
$19.82
Monday 30th:
* Breakfast: Eggs over easy on toast
* Lunch: Cantaloupe & Nectarine Fruit Salad
* Dinner: Italian Chicken Saute, Garlic Toast
Tuesday 31st:
* Breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios Cereal
* Lunch: Toasted Open Faced Tomato/Cheese sandwich
* Dinner: Cajun Roast Pork, Baked Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
Wednesday 1st:
* Breakfast: Scrambled eggs w/ onions/tomatoes
* Lunch: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms & Salad
* Dinner: Pulled Pork Sandwiches on Homemade Sub Rolls (using leftover roast)
Thursday 2nd:
* Breakfast: Blueberry Waffles
* Lunch: Fifty Cent Soup
* Dinner: Grilled Steak, Southwestern Cheddar Steak Fries, Garden Salad
Friday 3rd:
* Breakfast: Bagels
* Lunch: Sliced Fresh Tomatoes from the Garden, Cucumber Sandwiches
* Dinner: Dinner with Friends, Bringing dessert & Jalapeno Pepper Jelly/ Cream Cheese Appetizer
Saturday 4th:
* Breakfast: Cereal or French Toast or eggs
* Lunch: (Leftover) BBQ Chicken Wraps w/ lettuce and tomato
* Dinner: Lemon Pepper Grilled Bass, Italian Marinated Grilled Potatoes, Salad
Sunday 5th:
* Breakfast: Eggs Over Easy on Toast
* Midday Meal: BBQ Chicken, Macaroni Salad
Various Snacks:
* Fresh Fruit- Cantaloupe, Grapes, Nectarines
* Carrot Sticks
* Microwave Popcorn (homemade)
* Homemade Granola Bars
* Frozen Banana Bites
Drinks Included:
* Iced Tea (Sweet Tea)
* Coffee
* Lemonade
* Copycat Gatorade
* CopyCat Arizona Green Tea
FYI:The crab mentioned in this weeks menu is from our own crabbing trip several weeks ago. We cooked, cleaned and packaged several pounds of fresh crabmeat & had a blast catching them too! The stuffed mushroom recipe calls for swiss cheese, but rather than overspending on our grocery budget, we’re opting to change the seasonings slightly and use mozzarella (which we have an abundance of) instead.
For additional help check out some tips on how to save up to 43% on cheese. Also, if you’re wondering what effect the drought will have on you and your own grocery bill, learn more about that here.
Your most Frequently Asked Questions about our weekly Menu Plans are available here.
For those that are just joining our weekly menus, we do raise our own chickens (for fresh eggs) and get about a dozen per day- So if you’re noticing a large number of eggs in our menu, that’s why!
If you haven’t read our eBook yet, “The 2012 Family Guide to groceries under $250” check it out 🙂
If you are struggling to reduce your own grocery bill and would like additional assistance, check out our $50 Menu plan help across the USA. As an added advantage, if we choose your request for assistance & provide a spotlight menu for your zipcode, we’ll also provide you with a free copy of our eBook to help get you started
Where do you buy your meats? Do you look for deals at other stores?
Debbie
Sam’s Club, Piggly Wiggly, Food Lion, Aldi, (anyplace but walmart! I NEVER Buy Beef/pork there EVER!)- we watch the prices/ deals/ sales cycles/ flyers, etc. We sometimes buy beef direct from local farms if it can be purchased at a reasonable price.