$40/week Grocery Challenge Re-visit...

Another busy weekend, another Sunday that I just didn't feel like going grocery shopping!  Ever just get in a slump and don't feel like doing your wifely duties?!  Well thats how I am feeling these days.  I just don't feel like grocery shopping, doing laundry, or making dinner.  So I thought why not give myself a break from at least two of those things and switch the challenge up a bit. Instead of trying to spend only $40 at the grocery store I am going to spend that money on eating out this week.  I know that sounds impossible but I am determined to make it work. Heres the plan:

• We are only going to eat out 4 of the 7 nights (I will plan a night for leftovers and cook the two remaining nights).
• I am going to utilize the "kids eat free" tab right here on Momsie.  I am going to pick a restaurant each night that offers free kids meals.  Thats 2 people in the family that will eat without disturbing the $40 budget.
• We are going to eat at non-tipping type restaurants meaning I will be choosing the places that are a step up from fast-food but that do not require a waiter/tipping (ex: McCalister's)
• One night is pizza night and we always have leftovers so that will cover 2 nights.  We have been doing the $10 any pizza deal at Pizza Hut.  Check it out bc it is a really good deal!
• One night I will be making this simple potato soup (I always have the ingredients on hand and it is a quick fix).
• On the other night that I am cooking we will be having what my mom used to call, "The Sunday Night Special."  It consists of grilled cheese and vanilla milkshakes.

So that is my plan to not have to grocery shop (other than maybe some milk or bread) for this week!  I will also be scoping out Lauren's recipe coming on Tuesday because it is sure to be simple and yummy.  Happy Monday!

$40/week Grocery Challenge Re-visit...

Okay, so yesterday was grocery shopping day (actually it was more like extreme home makeover day but you can read more about that, here)!  I am proud to say I stuck to the budget of $40!  Well, $41.46 but close enough.  If you are still skeptical if you can do this keep in mind that when I went yesterday I:

A.)  Had my 4-year-old with me

B.)  Did not use any coupons

I think what is really helping me stay within budget are a couple of things, but most importantly I am trying to re-think that amount of food we actually need.  I am not starving my family or forbidding them from having more than one glass of milk a day, I am just trying out smaller quantities and seeing if it will last for a week.  I did this when I originally challenged myself to a $40/week budget and learned some interesting things about my family; we eat/drink way less than I actually buy.  For example, I always buy a gallon of milk.  My sons drink lactose-free so they have their own stash but my husband and I are big cereal eaters and I use milk a lot for cooking so I assumed we definitely needed the full gallon.  One week I bought the 1/2 gallon instead fully assuming I would have to go back to the store mid-week but lo-and-behold we didn't even finish it by the next shopping trip.  I never buy a full gallon anymore and we never run out.

I also have started using half the meat I used to.  When I made spaghetti in the past I would always use the entire package of ground beef but now I split the meat in half and use cut up veggies to "beef up" the sauce (ha ha pun intended).  I can use the other half of the package to make burgers or stuffed peppers or enchiladas (I just again add more veggies to the recipe).  

The other key thing to my budget success is how I purchase my chicken.  You have heard me rave about  Thompson Poultry's delivery service and I just have to say again that this awesome company is saving me time and money.  I buy a 10lb. bag of boneless chicken breasts from them once a month, maybe longer and I get TONS of meals out of it.  Between using less and buying in bulk I spend a fraction of the money I used to on chicken.  If you are interested in buying from them click, here (Note: this link was written before they changed their name so Prestige Farms is Thompson Poultry for our purposes.)  I am going to be looking into buying other meats in bulk in the near future so I will keep you posted.

I know that all of these tricks may not work with your family if it is larger or you all have different eating habits but just try buying a little less and see how far you can stretch it.  You will be surprised!  If you have any tips on how to save money at the grocery store let me know!

Mission: Feed my family for $40/week (week 5)

Alright so this is going to be my last post about feeding your family for $40/week.  I will check in from time-to-time if I come across any good deals or tips but otherwise I am sure you all are sick of hearing about my fridge and its contents.  I hope that you all were able to jump on the bandwagon and start cutting down your grocery bill.  I am going to start next week with a new challenge that will hopefully keep our grocery shopping budget-friendly: meals that use 7 ingredients or less.  I will use the next few Mondays to bring you easy, new recipes that will not require a lot of shopping or money.  I welcome any suggestions!


Week 4 was rough around here.  I have always tried to be honest on this blog and today I will continue that by telling you exactly what happened this past week.  I failed the mission.    My original shopping trip went well but then I made the mistake of going back for a second trip.  We needed some toiletries but as soon as I entered the store my $40 mission was in serious danger.  Let me back-up though and tell you why.  One week out of every month I eat like a horse.  No food, salty or sweet is safe from me and fast food restaurants better hide.  Any females know what I'm talking about?!  Without giving TMI I will just say that last week was not a good week for me to be roaming around a store full of food.  Suddenly everything looked really good and health and budget were two words far from my mind.  Needless to say I went over budget and basically have eaten us out of house and home this week.  But it felt goooood people.


So week 5 I needed to get back on track and I succeeded.  I spent 39.32 and here is what I bought:


green pepper
red pepper
bananas
cantaloupe
wheat rolls
poptarts (I really am trying to wean my kids off of these, I swear)
*Annie's Chocolate chip bunny cookies
tortilla chips
turkey
milk
Go-go squeezes
cheese sticks
OJ
milk
ginger ale


*Annie's organic foods are so cheap at Wal-Mart!!


Here is what we are having for dinner this week (several nights last week we ended up not eating dinner at home so there are some carry-overs from last week):


LOTS of chicken this week!


chicken stir fry wraps (last week)
chicken burgers
pasta e fagioli  my recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp. tobasco and 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
peas, zucchini, and risotto with grilled chicken (last week)
salad with grilled chicken
slow cooker chicken tortilla soup (last week)


NOTE: The risotto with grilled chicken was a big hit in our house.  We had it last night and both kids gobbled it up!  This does not happen often so I will definitely put that one on rotation!

Mission: Feed my family for $40/week (week 4)

I told my husband this weekend that it makes me really happy to see our fridge and pantry almost bare every Sunday.  It lets me know that we are eating what I am buying and that confirms to me that we are wasting less and spending less!  This week is super double coupons at Harris Teeter (thru the 3rd) so if you are a coupon clipper you should be able to make out with some great deals!  


Another option to help you get on the $40 budget is online shopping with Harris Teeter.  I signed up for it when I had a newborn so I didn't have to take the kids in the store but now I am finding it helpful for staying within my budget.  HT offers e-VIC specials that you can only get if you shop online and it tallies your total as you go so you will be able to stay within $40 with no problem.  Its a lot less hassle to put something back from your online grocery cart than your real-life one.  I used the online shopping just to see my total as I shopped, kind of a test run, and then went and shopped in the actual store.  There was no calculating as I went and I was in and out in 20 minutes.  I spent $41.24 this week.  I know I could have saved probably that extra $1.24 (or more) by going to Wal-Mart but I saved that dollar in gas by shopping closer to home!


Here is what I bought this week:
Nature Valley granola bars
taco dinner kit
ground beef
crunchy peanut butter (HT brand)
green chilis (HT brand)
vitamin water (free with coupon)
discounted produce (I haven't seen this before but basically it is produce that doesn't have much of a shelf life left that they bag and mark down.  I got 3 oranges and 1 grapefruit for $1)
bananas
limes
zucchini
boston lettuce
red bell pepper
tomatoes
english muffins (buy one get one free)
OJ
milk (1/2 gallon HT brand)
lactose free milk
string cheese
shredded cheddar
yogurt (coupon)


And here is what we will be having for dinner:
Tacos (good ole fashion El Paso)
Peas, zucchini, orzo pasta (substituted risotto for orzo bc thats what I had)
*Slow cooker Chicken tortilla soup (the recipe I have doesn't call for enchilada sauce)
3 tomato spaghetti  (I am going to add grilled chicken)
Chicken stir fry wraps


*An example of how I saved a little money with this recipe is that instead of using a packet of taco seasoning, like it called for, I am using spices I have on hand.  I just googled "taco seasoning" and it brought up a recipe.  I have all of the spices already and you probably do too because they are basic spices.   It only saves me .70 cents but hey...money is money!


I know this post is getting long but one more thing.  I have had several people ask me what I do for breakfast and lunch so I wanted to give you some examples of typical meals here:


Breakfast:

• whole grain Cheerios with sliced bananas
• english muffin with crunchy peanut butter and sliced banana
• granola bar
• yogurt
• cheese toast
• fruit
• oatmeal
• Poptarts when I am lazy or rushed

Lunch:
My kids are not big meat eaters so lunches for them are an array of things.  I also try to have them eat what we eat for dinner but if not this list applies to that too.

• crackers and cheese
• peanut butter on crackers
• granola bars
• cheese quesadillas
• grilled cheese
• PB&J
• graham crackers, yogurt or applecause
• turkey roll-ups
• bagel sandwiches
• turkey hotdogs