$50 Weekly Menu Plan Help: Moundsville, West Virginia

This weeks $50 weekly menu plan help is for a family of 5 who’s been trying to significantly reduce their grocery budget, but having a hard time finding places to trim the fat, particularly with a “meat and potatoes” kind of spouse who prefers heartier meals. Here’s our take on feeding a “Meat & Potatoes” family of 5 for 58% less!

Smagers writes, “I am in zip code 26041. We are a family of 5. Local stores include: Wal-Mart Super Center, Save-A-Lot, and Kroger (which I don’t usually shop at because their prices are a good bit higher than the others) I also have a Big Lots here, which is where I sometimes go for Breakfast cereal and snack food items. I tried the whole couponing thing only to find that in order to be really successful, a great deal of time needed to be put into it. Time I just don’t have. I’m still hovering around $150 a week. Let me tell you, I’ve tried doing a meatless day once a week, too, but my husband is not having it. LOL! He’s a meat and potatoes guy and there’s no way around that!“

First, we’ll spend a few minutes focusing on the deals that available at the stores this member has a tendency to frequent- then we’ll share a few resources that are available that you might not even have known about! This member spends an average of $150 per Week on groceries for her family of 5- here is a menu plan for $65- which caters to her husbands love of Meat and also reduces her weekly budget by 58% !

Save-a-Lot Dealsfrom this Weeks Flyer:

Fresh Split Chicken Breast .99#
Bone-In Butt Shoulder Pork $1.29 lb
red,green or black grapes .99lb
10lb bag potatoes $2.99
Lean Ground Beef 1.99lb
Peanut Butter $1.99
Cheese Singles $1.49
Grape Jelly $1.69
Cranberry Juice Cocktail $1.97
Plums, Peaches or Nectarines .99lb
Jumbo Cantaloupe $1.69
Lunchmeat $2.99
Bacon $2.79

Kroger Dealsfrom this Weeks Flyer:

Tyson Boneless Chicken Breasts $1.88lb
Kraft Cheese Singles $1.49
Avocados $1 each
Red Grapes .98lb
Fresh Broccoli $1
Celery $1
Seedless Cucumbers $1
3lb Bag Carrots $1
Tomatoes on the vine $1.48#
Philly Cream Cheese $1.49
Oscar Mayer Bologna $1.67

You might not have realized it, but there is an Aldi store and a Sam’s Club about 30 minutes away from you. This particular store offers so much in savings that you might find it’s well worth the trip.

Aldi Deals from this Weeks Flyer
Location: 51660 National Rd St. Clairsville, OH 43950

Avocados .69
Pkg of 3 Multicolored bell peppers $1.49
Whole Mushrooms .69
Red or green Grapes .79
Clancys Tortilla Chips $1.19
Polska Kielbasa $1.99

Aldi Everyday Low Prices:
Cereal $1.59
Cucumbers .99-1.29
Frozen Veggies .79-.99 bag
celery $1.29
cream cheese $1.09
Broccoli Crowns $1.29 (or less)
Mandarin Orange Segments .59
Potatoes 2.50 (10#)
Flour $1.59 bag
Sugar $1.59
Aldi Ground Turkey (freezer) $1.47
Apricot Jam $1.00
Eggs $0.99- $1.29
Milk $3.18
2lbs Rice .99
Bread $1.19 Loaf

Sam’s Club
Location: 50555 Valley Plaza Dr. St. Clairsville, OH 43950

Angus Beef Bottom Round Roast $3.48 lb
Ground Chuck $2.98 lb
Pork Boston Butt $1.68 lb
Whole Boneless Pork Loin $1.99 lb
Roasted Turkey Breast Sandwich Meat (Oscar Mayer) 40 oz 6.98
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast $1.77 lb (See the ebook on how to buy it cheaper)
Purdue Whole Chicken (Twin pack) .78lb

Potential Grocery List & Plan: K= Kroger A= Aldi S= Save-a-Lot W= Walmart

(K) 3lbs Carrots $1
(A) Polska Kielbasa $1.99
(W) LaChoy Sweet & Sour Sauce $1.88
(A) 1 Can Pineapple (Lg) $1.08
(K) Fresh Broccoli $1
(K) Celery $1
(A) Pkg of 3 Multicolored bell peppers $1.49
(A) Whole Mushrooms .69
(A) Red or green Grapes .79x 2= $1.58
(A) Cereal $1.59
(K) Cucumbers $1
(A) Frozen Veggies .79-.99 bag (1 bag frozen corn)
(A) Mandarin Orange Segments .59
(A) Potatoes 2.50 (10#)
(A) Flour $1.59 bag
(A) Sugar $1.59
(A) Aldi Ground Turkey (freezer) $1.47 x 3= $4.47
(A) Eggs $0.99
(A) Milk $3.18
(A) 2lbs Rice .99
(A) Artisan Lettuce 1.99
(A) Bread $1.19 Loaf x 2
(A) Hot Dog Rolls .79 (great for egg salad)
(K) Oscar Mayer Bologna $1.67
(K) Kraft Cheese Singles $1.49
(S) Fresh Split Chicken Breast .99# x 5 $4.95
(S) Bone-In Butt Shoulder Pork $1.29 lb x 10 – $12.90
(S) Plums, Peaches or Nectarines .99lb x4 lbs= $3.96
(S) Jumbo Cantaloupe $1.69
(W) Vanilla Yogurt $1.99
——————————————–
Total Spent $65.00

Menu Ideas:

Breakfast:

• Yogurt Parfaits
• Cut Cantaloupe Chunks
• French Toast
• Cereal or Cereal Bars
• Pancakes or Waffles
• Carrot Nut Muffins
• Peaches & Cream Oatmeal
• Jam Breakfast Bars

Lunches & Dinners: Since you have a 10 lb chunk of Pork- this can be cut into 2 sections- chops for grilling (cowboy chop recipe below), A roast- baked slowly in the crockpot

• Sweet & Sour Kielbasa, Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Salad
• Grilled Chicken, Rosemary Roasted Carrots, Salad (use leftover to make chicken salad for lunches)
• Shepherds Pie (Use 1 Pkg Frozen Corn, 1 Pkg Ground Turkey), Biscuits
• Pork Roast smothered in Copycat Chilis babyback Rib Sauce, salad, Baked Potatoes (shred the leftover roast for pulled pork sandwiches for lunches next day)
• Tailgate Bites (using ground turkey)
• Cowboy Pork Chops over BBQ Rice (Use Part of the Pork Butt), Steamed Broccoli
• American Chop Suey, garlic parmesan swirl biscuits (Repeat for lunch next day)
• Lunch – Egg Salad Sandwiches or Wraps (18 Different Variations) x 2 days
• Lunch- Bologna & Cheese x 2 days

Snack Ideas:

• Muffins
• Granola bars
• Potato Chips
• Fruit Salad made with the 4 pounds of peaches, plums, nectarines and 2 pounds of grapes or the fruit can be used for parfaits and snacking
• Leftover Toasted Biscuits (slather with jam or butter, etc)

We highly recommend checking out your local farmers markets to take advantage of in season produce deals. You can blanche/freeze, dry or home can a wide range of fruits & veggies for your family at minimal cost. Co-Ops are wonderful places for getting fresh produce at reasonable prices.

Other potential stores-

• Mor for Less– a scratch & dent, no frills store in 3050 Guernsey St Bellaire, OH 43906
• Ollies Bargain Outlet– Wide variety of items- the store buys closeout items and resells them Dirt cheap, often decent deals on seasonings/spices 67780 Banfield Rd, Saint Clairsville, OH 43950 website

Farmers Markets & Co-Ops in your area include:

• Happy Hen Acre– Sell eggs, birds and produce Location: 70629 Main St Barton, OH 43905

• Lone Oak Farms Offers: Certified Naturally Grown vegetables. Their eggs are all-natural, pasture-raised and their feed is certified GMO-free. website Location: 63821 Sand Hill Road Bellaire, OH 43906

• Marshall County Farmers Market– (Sorry, it’s not clear whether this resource is still available or not!) Marshall County Fairgrounds Moundsville, WV 26033

• Ohio Valley Farmers’ Market/Bellaire Offers Fresh, local produce, baked goods, pasture-raised meat, cheese and eggs, cottage foods, and many hand-crafted items website Location: 32nd Street in Bellaire Bellaire, OH 43906

• Santee Farm & Gardens – a land based educational center and hands on organic farm Location Palace Limestone Hill Road Moundsville, WV 26041 website

Other Items that May be of assistance: