Freezer & Pantry - The Under $20 Menu
This week felt spendy. I didn't find any great sales on fresh potatoes (I thought there might be some for St. Patrick's Day), so I went ahead and bought some because we were out of them. I don't think the price was too bad - 2.47 for 10 lb. I bought rather a lot of cabbage too, at .19 a pound for organic. We will have some for slaw and other more immediate uses, but most of it will be shredded and salted for kraut. I've always wanted to try making it, and I just can't beat that price, so it seems that now is the time.
I also bought a case of 12 cans of Mexican style beans that were on markdown for .25 a can, some celery, grapes, ketchup, sour cream, tortilla chips, potato chips for Husband's lunches, a great big onion and 4 canisters of frozen juice. Husband stopped at the bread outlet for two loaves of bread so I can take one to church on Sunday - the other one is for making croutons. At the Asian market we picked up won bok and bean sprouts.
We used $4.40 in coupons and paid about $25.00 for everything. A fair amount of what we bought this week will last into the next week too. I'm pretty sure we won't be eating a 12-flat of beans in one week, nor will we drink that much juice...plus, the kraut is definitely not all for right now.
We also used the gift card at Sam's to get some items - pretzels, big cans of tomatoes, a canister of hot cocoa mix and some nacho cheese. Other than a bag of pretzels, I doubt any of the rest of it will even get opened this week. The gift card was free, so there was no cash expenditure for those items. We also had a voucher for a free take/bake pizza that we redeemed.
We have $32 for the rest of the month. We also have a $25 store credit on our loyalty card at King Sooper - we got that free for transferring a prescription. That should be plenty. Truth, our cup runneth over.
We also have lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, apples and oranges from last week, so it should be fairly simple to put meals together.
So...what shall we eat this week? Here is the plan:
Breakfasts - Some Will Repeat
cereal, milk, fruit
pb toast, fresh fruit
pancakes w/applesauce, milk
eggs, toast, orange wedges
Lunches
leftovers from supper, when available
big garden salad w/greens, carrots, croutons, nuts/seeds, diced fruit, dressing
pbj on wheat, carrot sticks, applesauce
Snacks
oven-roasted nuts
orange wedges
ants on a log
popcorn
Suppers (we didn't get to some of these last week, so I scooted them to this week)
shoyu turkey, rice, kimchee, bean sprout salad, orange wedges
sliced smoked sausage, spiral pasta, tomato sauce, garden salad, green beans
baked chicken w/herbs, baked potatoes, sweet corn, orange wedges
chicken noodle soup w/carrots and celery, salad, pan rolls, grapes
shrimp tacos w/slaw, fruit salad
ham fried rice with vegetables (carrots, celery, cabbage, onion, bean sprouts, water chestnuts), orange wedges
nachos w/lots of toppings, orange wedges
What's on the menu at your place?
I also bought a case of 12 cans of Mexican style beans that were on markdown for .25 a can, some celery, grapes, ketchup, sour cream, tortilla chips, potato chips for Husband's lunches, a great big onion and 4 canisters of frozen juice. Husband stopped at the bread outlet for two loaves of bread so I can take one to church on Sunday - the other one is for making croutons. At the Asian market we picked up won bok and bean sprouts.
We used $4.40 in coupons and paid about $25.00 for everything. A fair amount of what we bought this week will last into the next week too. I'm pretty sure we won't be eating a 12-flat of beans in one week, nor will we drink that much juice...plus, the kraut is definitely not all for right now.
We also used the gift card at Sam's to get some items - pretzels, big cans of tomatoes, a canister of hot cocoa mix and some nacho cheese. Other than a bag of pretzels, I doubt any of the rest of it will even get opened this week. The gift card was free, so there was no cash expenditure for those items. We also had a voucher for a free take/bake pizza that we redeemed.
We have $32 for the rest of the month. We also have a $25 store credit on our loyalty card at King Sooper - we got that free for transferring a prescription. That should be plenty. Truth, our cup runneth over.
We also have lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, apples and oranges from last week, so it should be fairly simple to put meals together.
So...what shall we eat this week? Here is the plan:
Breakfasts - Some Will Repeat
cereal, milk, fruit
pb toast, fresh fruit
pancakes w/applesauce, milk
eggs, toast, orange wedges
Lunches
leftovers from supper, when available
big garden salad w/greens, carrots, croutons, nuts/seeds, diced fruit, dressing
pbj on wheat, carrot sticks, applesauce
Snacks
oven-roasted nuts
orange wedges
ants on a log
popcorn
Suppers (we didn't get to some of these last week, so I scooted them to this week)
shoyu turkey, rice, kimchee, bean sprout salad, orange wedges
sliced smoked sausage, spiral pasta, tomato sauce, garden salad, green beans
baked chicken w/herbs, baked potatoes, sweet corn, orange wedges
chicken noodle soup w/carrots and celery, salad, pan rolls, grapes
shrimp tacos w/slaw, fruit salad
ham fried rice with vegetables (carrots, celery, cabbage, onion, bean sprouts, water chestnuts), orange wedges
nachos w/lots of toppings, orange wedges
What's on the menu at your place?
Comments
As you know, I am single and live alone. I find that I nibble instead of making a meal. This morning I had 2 bananas. For dinner last night I had yogurt with Grape Nuts cereal in it.
It is rare that I would actually cook a meal for myself. When I am craving something hot, I usually just make a fried egg sandwhich. Is that bad of me?
As you can tell, I barely spend money on food or else it ends up in the freezer.
When I lived alone (during college) it was a lot simpler because I didn't have to accomodate anyone else's tastes, favorites, etc. I did make meals...sometimes...but often, I did something similar to what you're describing. I would make a batch of salad that was enough for 2-3 days and make sure to have a salad every day, and if I bought oranges or apples or whatever, I needed to be aware so they got eaten while they were fresh. I did sometimes make a pot of soup or chili and then freeze portions - that way I could pull one out each week for a while for a meal.
You should do what works for you. If you are making wholesome choices and not going overboard with processed stuff or expensive takeout (which makes me feel icky because of all the salt and stuff anyway), then don't fix what isn't broken! :)
Even now, with a menu, I consider it a guideline. Things happen, and plans get changed. Sometimes, we just aren't 'feeling it' for the meals we have planned, so we do something a little different, or maybe we have a plethora of leftovers, so we have a 'nibble night'. Overall, planning meals makes my life easier, but if it makes more work for you, then I wouldn't bother!
I spent about 35.oo on groceries this week.
Also, I was nomintated for the Liebster award and in turn nominated you!
http://www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com/2013/03/whats-leibster.html
have a nice day!
have a nice day.