Happy New Year! As we start out this new year we’d like to take a moment to mention a few changes that you can expect to see on our family’s site this year…
due to the ever shrinking product sizes and the seemingly never endless rise in prices, our grocery budget has increased to $75 per week.
Since both my spouse and I work full time and have kids with crazy schedules we have neither the time nor the inclination to start couponing full time again to battle the rising prices. We do use the occasional free product coupon acquired from the freebies forums, but it’s not our main savings plan. Besides, we normally do the majority of our produce shopping at Aldi and they don’t accept coupons.
2015 $75 Budget Menu Plan Week 1: If you’ve followed our Menu plans in the past you know we don’t purchase meat and fresh produce at the same time (normally). Instead we allot about half of our monthly grocery budget to purchasing meat when it’s on sale and divide the remainder of our budget to purchase fresh fruits and veggies that are in season, as well as stock up on pantry staples.
This week we purchased the following:
3 lbs Gala Apples $1.77
3 lbs Bananas (.44 x 3) $1.32
1 pkg Fresh Raspberries $1.49
Fresh Blueberries $1.49
5lbs Grapefruit $1.99
Whole Pineapple $1.19
2lbs Fresh Pears $1.78
Blackberries .99
3 Green Pepper .99
3 cucumbers (@.29 each) .87
Grape Tomatoes .99
6 lbs Lean Ground Turkey $11.98
10 lbs Chicken Breasts $17.90
1 Pork Tenderloin $4.47
Lettuce $1.99
Celery 1.29
Cantaloupe $1.89
Pomegranate .89
Monterey Jack Pepper Cheese $1.89
Block Cheddar Cheese 1.89
Spanish Green Olives $1.89
Cream Cheese (2 pkgs) $1.69×2
Carrots 2lbs .99
Cauliflower 1.69
Mango .89
Yogurt 2.89
Total spent this week on groceries: $70.79
From our Backyard: Fresh Eggs (down to about 12-15 a day)
From our Windowsill/ Garden: a few fresh herbs, cilantro, basil and rosemary – they’re starting to look a bit tattered so we’ll be planting more shortly!
Breakfast Options for this week: Fruit Salad- (Cantaloupe, Berries, Pomegranate and mango)
- Muffins
- Broiled Grapefruit
- Carrot Pineapple Smoothies
- Fruit Salad
- Blueberry Maple Oatmeal
- Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits
- Eggs-poached, over-easy, hard boiled, scrambled with leftover sauteed veggies & a sprinkle of cheese, etc
Lunch Options for this week:Lunch is over-rated and we often skip it. We eat dinner early and snack mid-afternoon on the following:
- Leftovers, if desired
- Egg saladsandwiches or wraps
- Chicken Salad Cucumber Wraps
- Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
- PB&J wraps
- Deviled Eggs
- Shredded Pork Wraps
Monday January 5th :
- Dinner: (No Mac) Cauliflower & Cheese,(this evening is just my spouse and I, both kids are working & they eat at work).
TuesdayJanuary 6th:
- Dinner: Cajun Roast Pork Tenderloin, Carrots, Potatoes & Onions
WednesdayJanuary 7th:
- Dinner: Chipotle Chicken Tacos
ThursdayJanuary 8th:
- Dinner: Burger Gravy & mashed potatoes, salad (using turkey burger, real potatoes)
Friday January 9th:
- Dinner: Chicken Vegetable Stew w/ Homemade Cornbread
SaturdayJanuary 10th:
- Dinner: Grilled Turkey Burgers, salad
SundayJanuary 11th:
- Dinner: Roasted Lemon Chicken breastsover Homemade Egg Noodles, Salad
Various Snacks & Desserts:
- Fresh Fruit Choices Available– Apples, Home Canned Peaches, Bananas, Pears, Grapefruit, Fruit Salad, Fresh Pineapple, etc
- Yogurt Parfaits
- Cinnamon & Cardamom Broiled Pears
- Cinnamon Apple Cheese Ballw/ fresh fruit
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:You may have noticed that this weeks menu contains LOTS of cayenne, chipotle and cajun seasonings… this is because it’s flu season. The kids have their friends coming and going constantly and we frequently use cayenne pepper to boost our immunity and avoid the nasties that tend to hit homes this time of year. Obviously if you have younger children who may be more sensitive to spicy foods you may want to use less spicy alternatives. There are over 200 seasoning mixeson our sister site, Budget101.com if you need some ideas!
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
- Basic Questions– Why we don’t provide a shopping list, Random ingredients that aren’t in the shopping list, are groceries cheaper , etc
- January Sales Trends- not sure what Should be on sale right now? Here is a list of the current Sales trends throughout the month of September 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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