Weekly Shopping Trip--Savings $100.21

I did my shopping this week on two different days due to my schedule.  Because of my previous shopping a couple of weeks ago, I didn't actually need a whole lot other than some meat to last me through until payday on the 15th.

Now that winter is here, I like keep a good stockpile so that if the weather is too bad to go out shopping I can put it off for a couple of days.

I found some awesome deals on a couple of cuts of meat! The London Broil had a regular price of $12.48 and I got the 2.50 lbs for $3.12  I also got a .88 lb of Boneless thin cut Top Round Steak for $1.60 instead of $4.57!!!  It ended up being like 80% off the original price and the main reason for markdown is that it needed to be sold that day.  Well I bought them and stuck in my freezer right away.  The London Broil will make a great beef gravy and noodle meal and the Top Round Steak will be a great item to cut for making breakfast steak for hubby.

Other than the markdown meat, here is the breakdown of the other items I purchased this week:

Save A Lot: 

• 3.69 lbs bananas $1.23 (on sale 3 lbs for $1!!)
• 4 cans cream of chicken soup $2.36
• 1 can light kidney beans 59¢
• 6 jars pizza sauce $5.94

Total OOP: $10.12

Total savings: priceless! :) 

Family Fare: 

• 1 carton Spartan Moose Track ice cream $2.00
• 2 bag Gorton's fish fillets $9.73
• 1 box Gorton's breaded shrimp poppers $3.22
• 2 bottles 64 oz Spartan Apple Juice $2.98
• 2 boxes(25 1/4 oz) Honey Nut Cheerios  $5.67
• 2lbs baby carrots $2.29
• 2.50 lbs beef london broil $3.12
• 2.77 lbs pork loin chops $5.51
• 7.31 lbs ground beef from chuck $13.09
• .88 lbs thin cut top round steak $1.60
• 4.75 lbs pork loin $9.45
• 2 gallons Hawaiian punch $4.67
• 10 lbs sugar $3.98
• 2 gallons milk $4.00
• 1 Spartan self rising crust pizza $1.88

Total OOP: $73.19

Total Savings $48.39

Total without sales & coupons: $121.58

Meijer: 

• 2 bottles kids vitamins $16.94
• 1 gallon bleach $1.79
• 2 pkgs Eckrich smoky links $5.98
• 10 boxes Kraft Mac & Cheese $4.40
• 2 bags Fritos $3.18
• 2 boxes Frosted Mini Wheats $2.26
• 2 boxes Kelloggs cereal $2.76
• 4 bags Sargento shredded cheese $7.01
• 1 bottle Miracle Whip $2.49
• 1 lb bacon $1.94
• 2 bags Tyson breaded chicken $7.98
• 2 gallons milk $4.00
• 15 cups Yoplait Yogurt $6.70
• 8 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breast $15.98

Total OOP after $2 off shopping order cpn: $81.41

Total Savings: $51.82

Total without sales & coupons: $133.23

Grand Total OOP: $164. 72

Grand Total Savings: $100.21

Grand Total without sales and coupons: $264.93

This post is linked to: 

• Super Savings Saturday at MoneySavingMom!
• Grocery Shopping Round Up at The Grocery Cart Challenge!

When Winter Comes to the Midwest!

My area of the Midwest received about 12 inches of new snow overnight!  This is our first measurable snow of the season!  It was beautiful this morning to look at but not to drive around town!  It took hubby over 45 minutes to get to work that is 15 minutes away on dry roads!

my backyard!

the trees across the street!

the view down the street into the cul-de-sac!

Crockpot Roast and Veggies

As we get into the holiday season, I love making meals that are simple and easy to prepare or fall under the "fix and forget it until dinnertime" category.

Crockpot Roast and Veggies falls under both of those categories and is enjoyed by the whole family!  The other thing about this dish is that if I fix it and end up having unexpected guests there is still plenty to serve up for dinner.

When I make this dish, I use a beef eye of round roast from Sam's Club that is usually between 4 and 5 pounds.  I get one this size because I know that it will work for two meals for my family.

I cook the whole roast along with 9 or 10 potatoes and at least 1 pound bag of carrots. I have several kids that do not like cooked carrots of any kind but will eat crunchy fresh carrot sticks so I serve those with this dish as well.

As for spices that I put on the roast, I use a packet of onion soup mix,  about 2-4 tsp. garlic powder and shake on about 1-2 TSP black pepper.  I also put 2 cans of beef broth in the pot.

I put all the ingredients in my crockpot on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Lately for this dish I have been using my small roaster at 225° for about 5 hours.

Once the roast and veggies are cooked, I drain the liquid off and use it for making up some homemade beef gravy to use with it.  I drain the liquid into another pan.  I put it on the stove and bring it to a boil.  Once the broth is boiling I add thickener (flour, cornstarch and milk mixture) to it.

When I make this meal, I try to make sure that there are leftovers, not just the roast but the veggies so that I can make a second quick meal.  If there are meat and veggies leftovers, then I make my veggie beef stew. If there is only meat leftovers, then I make my beef gravy and noodles meal.

This post is linked to:

• Food On Fridays at Ann Kroeker’s!
• Recipe Swap at The Grocery Cart Challenge!
• Friday Feasts at Mom Trends!
• Foodie Friday at Designs By Gollum!

Menu Plan Monday 11/29-12/5

Last week’s menu plans went well!  We ended up not having anyone over for Thanksgiving but that was okay as it was nice to just sit down as a family and enjoy our simple Thanksgiving meal and go around the table sharing things to be thankful.  I fixed the 12 lb turkey and was able to get not only our Thanksgiving meal out of it but also a turkey pot pie!  There was also enough meat for the kids to have some turkey sandwiches for a lunch. I love the fact that my $4.38 turkey gave my family 2 dinner meals and 2 lunch meals (the second lunch was the leftover pot pie)!

This week’s meals are simple meals and I am using what I have on hand in the pantry and freezer. I wasn’t planning on doing grocery shopping until later in the week. I might be able to make it until next week without doing any grocery shopping! However, I don’t want to run my pantry and freezer too low as I prefer to keep it stocked with the weather becoming cold and snowy.  I don’t want to end up doing grocery shopping in a snowstorm!

For this week’s lunches that are for the kids and me! Unless we are having leftovers, our lunches are served with apple slices or carrot sticks along with fruit juice or water.  Hubby usually takes a dinner leftover along with various snacks for his work lunch so I don’t take the time to plan his lunches.  

A special thanks to Laura-Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! Need help with your menus; go check the over 300 other delicious meal plans that have been linked at Laura-Organizing Junkie's site or look down in my right sidebar for my menu suggestion lists!

Sunday (11-29)

Breakfast: eggs, sausage, hash browns, and cinnamon rolls

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  Long John Silvers

Snack: snack basket

Monday (11-30)

Breakfast: cereal and poptarts

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: turkey pot pie and leftover homemade rolls

Snack: snack basket

Tuesday (12-1)

Breakfast:  waffles and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  roast, carrots and potatoes

Snack: snack basket

Wednesday (12-2)

Breakfast:  bagels and cereal

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  spaghetti and garlic toast

Snack: snack basket

Thursday (12-3)

Breakfast:  French Toast (from freezer) and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: chicken, fish, and shrimp, served with pan fries and corn

Snack: snack basket

Friday (12-4)

Breakfast:  cereal and toast

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner: burgers & hotdogs served with fries and carrots

Snack: ice cream night

Saturday (12-5)

Breakfast:  Your Choice

Lunch:

Dinner: Taco Bar

Snack: popcorn