2018 $50 Budget Menu Plan Week 3: Right after the holidays many stores are trying to get rid of the last of their ham and turkeys in stock. This week we hit the mother-load of deals when we found whole hams on sale for just 49¢ per pound. Granted, this isn’t something that comes along very often, so I snatched up three to fill the freezer.
Sometimes I dread sharing deals like this when we find them. We’ve shared our menu plans for years and then, without warning, abruptly stopped. The reason why is actually pretty simple. I got frustrated with the negative comments from people claiming it couldn’t be done. I know it can be done, I’ve done it for the past two decades and quite frankly, if I can do it, anyone can. I got sick and tired of defending myself and my family for sharing our tips and tricks for saving money.
The most frequently received comment, complaint or concern about our weekly menu plans sounds like this, “Well I can’t get those prices in XYZ Town where I live, so this is stupid.” Hogwash. The point of the menu plan is not to reproduce it in it’s entirely. The point of sharing them is to give you ideas and encourage you to seek out the deals that ARE available in your area.
Those are the types of comments that people make when they don’t really want to make a change in how they shop or actively find ways to save money. Those are “feel good” lies that people tell themselves so they don’t feel guilt about not actually trying harder.
Case in point, last week we shared a boneless skinless chicken breast deal, which was $1.59 a pound. A lady commented that it wasn’t possible in her town. So we googled the stores near her, turns out last week boneless skinless chicken breast was only $1.88 a pound, just 29¢ more per pound in her town than here. Here’s the kicker, the average yearly income in our area is $32K and in her area it’s $67K. That’s probably why the prices are a little higher in her area, the income is almost DOUBLE.
When you’re searching for deals, keep that in mind. You might actually want to shop in the next town over where the prices may be lower. Unfortunately, It takes effort to save money and some towns are harder than others!
If you truly can’t seem to find deals in your area and want some help, we encourage you to submit a request for menu planning assistance in your area here.
Aldi Flyer Deal
This week we purchased the following: 3-Whole Hams, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, celery, milk, grapefruit, cauliflower, carrots, oatmeal, green peppers, medjool dates, zucchini, chicken drumsticks, cream cheese, dried beans, bananas, 2 cans white tuna, portabella mushrooms
Aldi Flyer Deal
Total spent this week on groceries: $54.35
From our Backyard: Fresh Eggs
From our Windowsill/ Garden: a few fresh herbs in the windowsill– cilantro, basil, parsley and rosemary
If you’re not familiar with our weekly menu plans, you’ll notice that our menu often includes ingredients that weren’t included in the weeks grocery list, you can read the full explanation why here.
Breakfast Options for this week:
- Homemade Yogurt Parfaits made with frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, diced home-canned peaches)
- Walkaway Breakfast Burritos (Cheese, eggs, diced onions/green peppers/ sausage/ diced tomatoes, etc)
- Granola Bars
- Slow-Cooker Omelet Casserole
- Banana Fritters
- Eggs- (poached, fried, scrambled, or wrapped in tortillas burrito style with veggies)
Monday January 15th: Tonight’s menu item is from a homemade “meal kit” that we previously froze when shrimp was readily available. We make these kits using our Foodsaver vacuum sealer and simply write the directions on the sealed package with a sharpie.
- Lunch: Tuna Wrap & Leftover Macaroni Salad (from Sunday!)
- Dinner: Creole Jambalaya w/ cornbread
Tuesday January 16th:
- Lunch: Leftover Jambalaya in wraps (They’re really good cold too!!)
- Supper: Mediterranean Quesadillas, grilled veggies (zucchini/onions)
Wednesday January 17th:
- Lunch: Dilled Egg Salad wraps
- Supper: Meatball Subs (previously homemade frozen meatballs) & Salad
Thursday January 18th:
- Lunch: Cucumber Sandwiches w/ Mayo
- Supper:Grilled Peppered Venison Steak, Baked Potato
Friday January 19th: Tonight’s menu item is the result of a day of family fun, we spent a couple weekends out on the lake last Spring and Summer catching cats and froze several packages of fillets to enjoy throughout the Winter. We highly recommend this surefire catfish bait recipe.
- Lunch: Bowl of Happiness(using leftover meat)
- Supper: Catfish Nuggets, Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Salad, marinated zucchini bites
Saturday January 20th:
- Dinner:Honey Chipotle Sticky Chicken, cauliflower au gratin, Garden Salad
Sunday January 21st: While we found bell peppers for a decent price this week (3/$1), for this recipe I am using diced bell peppers from my garden this past summer. The peppers were abundant so I chopped them up, spread them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and froze them. Once frozen, I transferred the peppers to a bag to be vacuum sealed. Rather than “stuffing” peppers, we’ll turn this into a one-pot dutch oven recipe.
Various Snacks & Desserts:
- Fresh Fruit Choices Available– Grapefruit, Home Canned Peaches, bananas
- Granola Bars
- Fiery Deviled Eggs, Hard Boiled Eggs
- GF Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Drinks Available:
- Coffee
- Hot Chocolate/Cocoa
- Iced Tea (Unsweetened or Sweet Tea)
- Water, of course.
FYI: If you’re wondering why all the ingredients listed in the recipes aren’t necessarily showing in the “purchased groceries” list, please check out our Frequently Asked Questions!
I’m very happy that you started back up again I was so sad 😭 when you stopped I’m in California and we just got some aldi stores last year 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 you for all your tips and recipes
Liss, I’m so glad you’re back & not listening to nay-sayers. I’ve been using your menus since 14′ & it’s truly made me a smarter/ more flexible shopper. I feel like you’ve trained me & I can feed our family of soon-to-be-8 on $75-$120 a week now. I’ve been remiss in not thanking you & am sorry it’s late; your work on this site is appreciated!
There are always people that find fault with something. They lack the imagination to think of what products are close to your examples and are either are too lazy or just don’t think to look through your recipes or
those on other sites to use the products on sale in their area. Casseroles and soups are super frugal to make because you can diced meat so a little bit seems to be a lot so meat lovers aren’t disappointed. Thank you for all of the hard work and time you put into this site as your recipes, tips and tricks are wonderful.
Thank you all for your encouragement and kind words, I greatly appreciate them!!
I, too, am so happy to see you start back up again. I can’t always use everything on your weekly plans, but your site IS a major source of meal planning inspiration for our family.
Just ignore those negative comments. You can’t please everybody!
Over the last few years we have trolling through your site to help us tighten our food budget — thanks. Please realize the naysayers could open their minds to see how helpul you have been, but it is their decision not to… Keep smilin…
Yes please keep up the weekly shopping posts! Love them and you do an amazing job.