2014 $50 Budget Menu Plan Week #26: In order to drastically reduce your grocery bill, it’s imperative that you take advantage of what you have available to you locally in your own area. Oftentimes people write to us and ask, “where do you shop?” . The answer, friends, is to. . . shop LOCALLY. For example, last year we discovered a local farmer who grows his own corn (acres upon acres) in our area just for the sheer enjoyment of it. He allows folks to pick it for only 10¢ per Ear. This week, we picked 50 ears of fresh corn, which will be processed and frozen to enjoy later in the season in future recipes.
With a little bit of effort you may be shocked to discover that you too can find amazing local deals as well. Perhaps a neighbor (or one of their friends!) has a fruit tree they no longer feel like harvesting, which was the case for us last year when we pulled several bushels of pears off a tree, essentially free food!
This week we purchased the following: Turkey Pastrami, Provolone Cheese, crescent rolls (on sale 2/$1!), cottage cheese, greek yogurt, cans of tuna, cream cheese, french bread dough, sour cream, apples, corn on the cob (50 ears!), soy sauce
From our Backyard: Fresh Eggs (Getting nearly 3 dozen per day)
From our Windowsill/ Garden: Chives, Scallions, Fresh Herbs (Cilantro, Parsley, Rosemary, dill, oregano, basil, mint), Spinach, beet greens, baby carrots, onions (grown from scraps), green peppers, Cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, Tomatoes, watermelon, Eggplant
Total spent this week on groceries $31.65, the remaining balance of our $50 budget will be rolled over til our next Meat Restocking week.
Breakfast Options for this week: (Fresh Fruit Choices, Apples, bananas, blueberries)
- Yogurt Parfaits & Honey Granola Bars
- Omelets
- Toasted English Muffinswith Mock Raspberry Jam
- Blueberries & Cream Oatmeal
- Hash Browns, Eggs, Toast
- Poached Eggs on Toast
- Blueberry ginger Smoothies
- Harvest Peach Refrigerator Oatmeal
Monday June 23rd:
- Lunch: Cucumber Sandwiches
- Dinner: Chicken Spiedie Kebabs& cucumber spears *pictured* – this is chicken marinated like the spiedies recipe, but alternated with fresh garden veggies instead of serving on rolls).
Tuesday June 24th:
- Lunch: Spinach Bread Bowls & Tomato Salad
- Dinner: Eggplant Meatballsover tomato Basil Pasta
Wednesday June 25th:
- Lunch: Cucumber Egg Salad sandwiches, Fresh tomato & cucumber slices
- Dinner: Orange Glazed Pork Chops, steamed beet greens, cucumber salad (rather than buy marmalade for this, we’re using our homemade carrot marmalade!)
Thursday June 26th:
- Lunch: Herbed Cottage Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes
- Dinner: Grilled Corn on the Cob, Key West Grilled Chicken
Friday June 27th:
- Lunch: Tuna Pasta Salad
- Dinner: Grilled Eggplant Pizzas
Saturday June 28th: Beach Day, Grilling at the Beach
- Midday: FireCracker Burgers & macaroni salad
- Snacks: Carolina Firecrackers, cucumber Spears, Cherry Tomatoes from the garden, cinnamon tortilla chips (homemade)
Sunday June 29th:
- Midday: Beanhole Beans& Hot Dogs (These are cooked in a cast iron pot that is buried in the ground over hot coals)
Various Snacks & Desserts:
- Fresh Fruit Choices Available– Apples, Peaches, Blackberries
- S’more Puffs(leftover stuff from last week)
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
Drinks Available:
* Iced Tea (Unsweetened or Sweet Tea)
* Coffee
* Hot Chocolate/Cocoa
Less Likely to be used, but still available:
* Copycat Gatorade
* CopyCat Arizona Green Tea
* Lemonade
* Iced Coffee Drinks
* Almond Milk
FYI:The peaches mention in this weeks menu are from our little tree we planted a few years ago. They aren’t huge, but they sure are sweet! The hot dogs mentioned are Red Hot Dogs, which, if you’ve been following our menu plans, you already know we got from my parents when they visited a few weeks ago. Red Hot Dogs are a “Yankee Treat”… and aren’t available in our area.
For Further reading/help we recommend the following:
- $50 Dollar Menu Frequently Asked Questions– There are certain questions that seem to pop up again and again, so rather than be redundant and repeat answers, we’ve put them all in one convenient place for you!
- 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
- It Doesn’t Add up– Learn why some items in the Menu plan aren’t listed in this weeks grocery purchase list & how it all comes together
- June Sales Trends–not sure what Should be on sale right now? Here is a list of the current Sales trends throughout the month of June so you know what savings to expect and look forward to.
- 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.
- Making Fruits & Veggies Last: 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.
- How Spending $25 Now can save you Hundreds Later – if you gain nothing else from this site, don’t overlook this tip. It has been an EXTREME money-saver for our family
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