2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #9: This week’s dirt cheap grocery budget menu plan came to $40.31 . We were a little disappointed at our shopping trip though as we noticed a few (normally inexpensive) items had increased quite a bit in price. Milk, for one, jumped nearly .50 for some odd reason. Despite the rising prices, we managed to find a few good deals . . . and have the receipt to prove it!
This weeks grocery items include: russet potatoes, bananas, fire roasted tomatoes, multi-colored bell peppers, apples, lettuce, avocados, yukon gold potatoes (they make the best potato salad!), cabbage, sweet potatoes, blackberries, mushrooms, Broccoli, 2 loaves wheat bread, red onions, tomatoes, oyster crackers, cucumbers, mayo, and a huge whole chicken. On our receipt, you might have also noticed an item called “Holiday Whoopie”- each of these is a complete Pumpkin Whoopie Pie convenience mix. They were .25 each on holiday clearance and have an expiration date of 2015! I’m sure they’ll come in handy and I couldn’t possibly have made my own from scratch for that price.
Breakfast Choices this week: If you’re new to the site, please note that this is a sampling of what’s available on the breakfast menu this week. Since our kids are teens we don’t make their breakfast for them, these are items that they can either make themselves or that have already been prepared and shoved into the freezer until needed. Particularly muffins- these I wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze and the kids take them out, toss them into the microwave for 17 seconds and the head out the door with a hot muffin and fresh cup of coffee, to go.
- Low Fat Pumpkin Banana Bread
- GF Banana Nut Muffins
- Hard Boiled Eggs (great protein burst, dirt cheap, actually free since we raise chickens)
- Honeydew Melon Chunks
- Tomato Basil Omelet
- Homemade Bagels
- French Toast
- Egg White Omelets (Egg whites, diced veggies, seasonings)
- Blackberries and Cream Oatmeal
MondayFebruary 24th, 2013:
- Lunch: Leftover Taco Joe in a tortilla Wrap or served over salad greens
- Dinner:Creole Beer Can Chicken, Cajun Sweet Potato Fries, Salad
Tuesday 25th
- Lunch: Chicken Salad Wraps
- Dinner:Italian Shred over steamed Brown Rice (using leftover chicken from the beer can chicken)
Wednesday 26th:
- Lunch: Carrot Egg Salad Wraps
- Dinner:Grilled Pork Chops, Honey Glazed Carrots, salad
Thursday 27th:
- Lunch: Leftover Italian Shred, Salad
- Dinner: Beef & Mushroom Shish Kebabs, Twice Baked Potatoes
Friday February 28th:
- Lunch: Cucumber Sandwiches
- Dinner:Italian Potato Torta, yeast rolls
Saturday March 1st::
- Lunch:Leftovers (at this point there’s liable to be anything in the fridge, leftover chicken, veggies, etc)
- Dinner:Chili Dogs, Potato Salad, broccoli slaw
Sunday 2nd:
- Lunch: Grilled Cheese & Salad
- Dinner:Baked Spaghetti & Salad, Garlic Parmesan Biscuits– this is at the insistence of my kid- so I’m opting not to eat pasta and will chow on just the salad to avoid the massive carbs!
Various Snacks:
- Fiery Deviled Eggs, Hard Boiled Eggs
- Homemade Microwave Popcorn
- Fresh Fruit– Apples, Bananas, Honeydew melon
- Copycat Nature Valley Granola Bars
- Carolina Firecrackers
- GF Chocolate & Peanut Butter Brownies
- banana Breakfast Cookies
Drinks Available:A note about our drink offerings, while we do always have coffee and tea in the house, coffee is usually with breakfast, hot tea is usually in the evening and for the most part our other drinks consist of Water. We don’t “drink milk” at all.* Iced Tea (Unsweetened & Sweet Tea)
* Coffee
* Hot Chocolate/Cocoa
* Lemonade A few things we’d like to share with you:
The honeydew melon you see in this weeks food menu is leftover from last week, despite putting it into several different recipes we only ate about half of the humongous melon. Quite frankly, I’m ready to throw the rest of the chunks into a vacuum seal bag and shove it into the freezer for additions to smoothies. I had nearly forgotten about the other half of can of pumpkin that was leftover in the fridge, but was pretty happy that I had taken the time to vacuum seal it with my foodsaver. Luckily, I was able to whip up another batch of banana pumpkin bread.
Regarding the chili dogs- you probably haven’t seen Hot Dogs in our list of groceries purchased and you might even find this Strange, but we’re from New England originally and I only like Jordans Red Hot Dogs. You can’t buy them anywhere but New England and there isn’t a hot dog out there that can match them! These beauties, also known as “snappahs” are in a natural casing and “Snap” when you bite them. Luckily, we have family in Maine that bring them when they visit (seriously!) or sometimes send them down for birthdays, etc. Yes, they are totally worth the hassle!
Now, if you’ve been making your own bagels and you’re tired of the same ol’ schmear , here are a few homemade bagel spread mixes as well.
At the beginning of each week we prepare the vegetables and fruits to make meal preparation easier during the week and to save money by preventing waste. You can read more about that here.
FYI Section:
It has been brought to our attention that a few folks who are just joining us are getting the wrong impression that we purchase EVERYTHING at once for each weeks menu plan. This is not the case at all, nor do we recommend it. We are incorporating items purchased or home canned weeks ago into the menu plan this week.
For example, back on week #39 we purchased over 40 pounds of meat- I promise you we didn’t eat that all that week! For Further reading/help we recommend the following:
- The 2012 Family Guide to Groceries under $250 a Month– a guide of how and where to cut grocery expenses to get spending under control while providing an eye-opening view of the dirty manipulation tactics retailers use to keep you spending
- $50 Weekly Menu Plan Help across the USA–Do you find yourself struggling to reduce your grocery bill each month? Check out our Menu plan help across the USA to see if your area has been featured for more 1-on-1 help, if not, feel free to add your request to have your city/state featured.
- March Sales Trends-not sure what Should be on sale right now? Here is a list of the current Sales trends for the month of March, so you know what savings to expect
- $50 Dollar Menu Frequently Asked Questions– a few of the most often asked questions regarding our $50 menu plans
- Basic Questions– Why we don’t provide a shopping list, Random ingredients that aren’t in the shopping list, are groceries cheaper , etc
- More Questions– more in depth questions regarding dietary guidelines, dealing with picky eaters, junk food and more
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