Menu Plan Monday 11/8-11/14

Last week’s menu plans were a “fly by night” job.  Or better known as “Oh no! Its 4pm in the afternoon, what am I fixing for dinner!” Between not having a plan and sickness in the house, I am amazed that we did not eat out once during the week! We had homemade chicken club sandwiches, creamy chicken over rice, skillet chicken with mac & cheese, cube steaks and crashed potatoes.

This week’s meals are family favorite simple meals.  There is still sickness in the house so I am going the route of using my crockpot or easy meals so that I do not have to spend lots of time in the kitchen. I really would like to get some baking done this week but that will be determined on how much of my energy level increases over the next couple of days.

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.

This week’s shopping trip was a payday week shopping because I didn’t do any shopping last week!!  It was refreshing to take a break from shopping and just work at using what was in the pantry and freezer.

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 (11-8)

Breakfast: eggs, sausage, hash browns, and chocolate donuts

Lunch: pizza

Dinner: McDonald’s (after church)

Snack: snack basket

Monday (11-9)

Breakfast: cereal and toast

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: roasted chicken served with mashed potatoes & gravy, corn and biscuits

Snack: snack basket

Tuesday (11-10)

Breakfast:  waffles and sausage

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner:  roast, carrots and potatoes served with homemade bread

Snack: snack basket

Wednesday (11-11)

Breakfast:  bagels and cereal

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner:  Bacon burgers, fries and fresh veggie tray

Snack: snack basket

Thursday (11-12)

Breakfast:  Pancakes and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  lemon pepper chicken served with rice and peas

Snack: snack basket

Friday (11-13)

Breakfast:  cereal and toast

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner:  pizza subs

Snack: ice cream night

Saturday (11-14)

Breakfast:  Your Choice

Lunch: chicken nuggets and tater tots

Dinner:  cube steak served with mashed potatoes, corn and rolls

Snack: popcorn

Weekly Shopping Trip---Savings $165.22 plus!

After taking last week off of shopping the deals and before the "sickness" hit me, I did some grocery shopping to restock my shelves of meat and other essentials to make meals for my family.  This week's deals were not too great in the stores but I was able to snag some good deals at the local bakery outlets and a quick trip to Save A Lot.  The deals at Save A Lot are going to be good for next week too so I might head back over there next Friday(payday) to snag more soup since there was a limit on the number of cans I could get in one trip.

And just in case you are wondering, the following purchases were made in two days.  I split up my shopping due to the time I had available. All total it only took me 2 hours without kids in tow to get everything below!

Here is the breakdown of my purchases this week:

Butternut Bread Thrift Store: (I am putting the regular price of each item if you were to get in the grocery store not on sale!)

• 1 box(4pks) choc. chip muffins $1.00 (reg. $3.99)
• 2 boxes assorted donuts $2.09 (reg. $3.99 each)
• 4 boxes chocolate donettes $4.00 (reg $3.19 each)
• 1 box HoHo cakes $1.00 (reg. $3.99)
• 9 pkgs. individual snack cakes $3.00 (reg. $1.25 each)

Total OOP: $11.09

Total Savings: $28.88

Total with outlet prices: $39.97

Aunt Millie's Bread Outlet: (I am putting the regular price of each item if you were to get in the grocery store not on sale!)

• 6 loaves sandwich bread $5.34 (reg. $3.19 each)
• 6-8ct pks hamburg buns $4.14 (reg $3.19 each)
• 2 pks brown 'n serve rolls $1.29 (reg. $1.99 each)
• 2 pks deli style hoagie buns $1.98 (reg. $2.99 each)
• 2 loaves Texas Toast bread $2.98 (reg. $2.99 each)
• 2 pks plain bagels $1.58 (reg. $3.59 each)

Total OOP: $17.31

Total Savings: $44.09

Total without outlet prices: $61.40

**I love the fact that I have these bread outlet stores within my 5 mile radius of my home.  This makes these trips to the outlets so cost effective in that I am not going out of my way to shop there hence spending more in gas than I would be saving by shopping at these places. 

Now for the grocery stores shopped at this week:

Save A Lot:

• 12 cans cream of chicken soup $6.00
• 1 box onion soup mix 69¢

Total OOP: $6.69

Total savings: priceless

Duthler's:(small local corner grocery store chain)

• 12 lbs potatoes $3.16
• 2.67 lbs beef cube steak $7.98
• 3.38 lbs beef rump roast $7.40

Total OOP: $18.54

Total Savings: $8.66

Total without sales: $27.20

Meijer: 

• 2 lbs stick margarine $1.18
• 2 boxes choc. fudge poptarts $2.60
• 4 dozen eggs $3.92
• 3.93 lbs ground beef from round $7.83
• 1 bottle Juice Juice Immunity 52¢
• 5lbs whole wheat flour $3.29
• 1 box graham cracker sandwiches $2.64
• 11.12 lbs split chicken breasts $11.01
• 3.86 lbs bananas $1.51
• 4 cans Grands Biscuits $3.36
• 2 bottles Old Orchard Juice $3.38
• 2- 6pks applesauce $3.78
• 1 bag Doritos $1.99
• 4 boxes various Post cereals $6.96
• 1 box Honey Nut Cheerios $1.74
• 2 boxes Quaker instant oatmeal $2.98
• 2 boxes Red Baron pizzas $2.98
• 1 gallon apple cider $2.99
• 1 box sausage patties $1.50
• 2 Speed Stick deodorants $4.24(with tax)
• 3 gallons milk $6.00
• 5lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts $9.98
• 5 boxes brown 'n serve sausage links $5.00
• 1 bag Nature Valley Nut clusters $2.14

Total OOP: $93.52

Total Savings: $41.00

Total without coupons & sales: $134.52

Family Fare: 

• 7.43 lbs ground beef from chuck $13.30
• 2.32 lbs beef cube steak $6.48 (manager's markdown)
• .72 lbs beef bottom round steaks $2.76 (manager's markdown)
• 3.05 lbs chicken drumsticks $3.02
• 12 containers Yoplait yogurt $5.10
• 1 box Quaker Simple Harvest granola bars $1.50
• 1 box Choc. Little Bites Mini Wheats $1.67
• 1 box Cinnabon bars $1.50
• 2 boxes cream cheese $1.76
• 3 boxes Pillsbury pie crust $4.81
• 2 graham cracker crusts $2.00
• 2 boxes Pillsbury brownie mix $2.00
• 1 box Velveeta cheese $4.49
• 4 bottles Old Orchard Juice $4.88
• 1 bottle Styling gel $2.39

Total OOP after $5.10 bottle refund: $52.70

Total Savings with bottle refund: $42.59

Total without sales, coupons, & bottle refund: $95.29

Grand Total OOP: $199.85

Grand Total Savings: $165.22

Grand Total without sales, coupons, outlets, and bottle refunds: $365.07


This post is linked to:

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

Sickness Rampage!

I am still alive!!!

However, I have been dealing with sickness! Monday and Tuesday I was feeling run down and had a funny sore throat like what I normally get from my fall allergies! But Tuesday night, I came down with a fever of 101°. Along with the fever came body aches, actually all my joints in my body felt huge and achy! Thankfully that only lasted about 8 hours!

NOW I am fever free and have been for about 36 hours, but I still have this major stuffy nose and a cough that I hope is keeping the "crud" from entering my lungs! It hurts to cough!

So I have been caring for myself over the last few days rather than worrying about posting anything here. I hope you understand!

Hopefully my kids do not catch this "bug"!

I will be back soon!

Looking at the Grocery Budget in Questions

As I was doing some blog reading over the weekend, I came across the following questions at BerryMorins Bits and Tips. She posted the following questions in hopes of figuring out ways to lower her weekly grocery budget.  I have talked about living on a grocery budget before but these questions struck a cord with me in being a little more specific so I thought why not take the time to answer them for my readers. 

Do you shop every week?
Yes,  I shop every week as you can see from my weekly shopping savings posts. However, I do have a twist to my shopping methods in that I do a relatively big shopping trip on payday weeks(which is the weeks of the 15th and last day of the month) and then the other weeks I just get the essentials and only the deals that I can't live without.  I try on those other weeks shopping trips to keep my overall weekly total to under $100.  

Are you only going to one store to accomplish this?
NO, I accomplish my shopping by going to more than one store. However, I do not go to the drugstores (CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid) for any of my shopping.  I live in a suburb of a big city so I have access to several different grocery stores within a 5 mile radius of my house.  I have Aldi's and Save A Lot stores as my "corner grocery store" and then Meijer and another local grocery store are close as well. If I forget something in between my shopping trips, I will head to my corner grocery store. There is a local grocery store on another corner but sometimes their prices on things are a bit more so I go there more getting my WIC, sale deals and meats(esp. checking for manager's markdowns!).  

How do you decide which store you'll shop a per week?
I decide which stores to shop at based on the amount of deals that they are running for the week. IF I look at their sale ad and find that there is just a couple of items that are deals well those are a couple of deals that I am going to just live without this time that they are on sale.  The savings of those couple of deals is not worth the same as my time, gas and money just to get those few things. NOW if there is a store that has half dozen or more deals then that is the store that I am going to do the bulk of my shopping at for the week and then I will shop at Aldi's or Save A Lot to pick up the slack of what I might need for the week.  

Those of you with special diets ~ how do you stay within your tight budgets?
We do not have special diets as in someone being allergic to something but I do have a hubby who has high cholesterol and triglycerides so I am working at changing some of things I buy on a regular basis.  I have found that buying in bulk and buying more whole foods has helped us to stay within our budget. I am working at not buying so much processed foods and mixes, however, I still have the weakness for frozen pizzas, and breaded chicken nuggets to have on hand for quick meals.  

Do you always use coupons? If you do, do you purchase the Sunday newspaper, print from online websites, coupon swap?
Yes, I use coupons.  I get a Sunday newspaper every week and I print from online websites. That is extent of my coupons. I only clip the coupons that I know that I will use.  I have a expandable envelope that has dividers in it that is small enough to keep in my purse. I separate the coupons in different categories and have those that are going to expire first at the front of each category.  

Do you purchase paid memberships with Sam's Club, BJ's, etc? If so, how does this work into your budget?
Yes, I have a Sam's Club membership that I have had for over 10 years. I have found that the items that I purchase on regular basis from Sam's are items that I have to get brand specific or are cheaper at Sam's than in the stores.  I only go to Sam's once a month and many of the things I purchase last me more than just a month.  My advice about the warehouse clubs, take the time to make up a price book of items that you purchase on a regular basis from the grocery stores before you go into a warehouse club so you can make sure that you are getting the best deal buying the items in bulk.

What's a bargain price on ground beef and boneless chicken breasts?
Bargain prices on meats are going to be somewhat based on where you live. Bargain prices for ground beef will depend on how much fat you want in the ground beef. I usually buy ground chuck or ground round.  When I buy either of these the best bargain price that I look for is $1.99/lb or lower!  I find that during the summer months when there is a lot of grilling going on that ground beef will be lower than the $1.99/lb price. When it is around $1.69/lb(or lower), I will stock up my freezer with at least 20 lbs!  I take the time to divide the meat up into meal size portions for my family before I put the meat in my freezer. 


As for boneless chicken breasts, I normally will get these at Sam's Club for $1.97/lb or lower.  The fresh boneless chicken breasts at Sam's are big enough that I can butterfly cut them so it appears that I have two whole chicken breasts just a bit thinner and I am able to stretch the 6-7 breasts that are in one package into two meals for my family of seven.  If I run out of boneless chicken breasts from Sam's then I watch the grocery stores for a sale on the bags of individually frozen boneless chicken breasts and can get them for the same price of $1.97/lb or lower as the fresh chicken from Sam's.   I also am not afraid to watch the sales for bone in chicken breasts when they are 99¢/lb and getting a few packages to have on hand to cook for some of my dinner meals. 

Is it a challenge to include fresh fruit and vegetables in a tight budget?
Fresh fruits and veggies can be a challenge to purchase on a tight budget, however, I have found buying the fruits and veggies when they are "in season"  makes all the difference.  Like right now, apples, winter squash(butternut, acorn, etc), pears, carrots, tomatoes and potatoes are in season right now so these are more likely to be on hand at my house over strawberries which are in season during the summer months.  The in season fruits and veggies will cost less than those that are out of season. For those fruits and veggies that are out of season getting them when they are in season and freezing them helps to save on the budget as well. Right now, I have several containers of blueberries in my freezer to enjoy during the winter months.  I also have several bags of shredded zucchini to use as well during the winter months.  Also if you have space doing a garden or even teaming up with a neighbor and doing a garden will help with getting fruits and veggies in a tight budget. 


Overall, something that I have found to work for my family within our tight budget is using the buying ahead principle. Wondering exactly what is the buying ahead principle? Crystal, aka MoneySavingMom, does a great job in explaining this principle.  I have space in my house for a nice size pantry and I also have a stand alone deep freezer to use for being able to buy ahead and for my bulk purchases. 


Instead of worrying about trying to get to only $20 or $30 or $40 per week for groceries, I look at the big picture of my grocery spending. I keep track of my grocery spending on Quicken(program on my computer) and at the end of each month I take the time to work with the numbers.  I also take the time to see how much I have spent so far for the year in groceries. Here is the numbers for food only from when I did this at the end of September, beginning of October. After 41 weeks of the year, I spent $5102.34 for food only!  That averages out to $124.45 per week!  At the time I did these figures there had been 280 days, which means if I divide $5102.34 into 280 it equals $18.22!!!  So for $18.22 per day I feed my family of seven 3 meals and 2 snacks!  If I keep to under $20 per day throughout the year, I feel like I have accomplished my goal to feed my family frugally.  I have taken the time to compare my totals with what the USDA Food Plan Charts and find that I am way under the budget for food costs for my size of family. 


Keeping in mind that we are working to do what is best for our families, I would love to hear from you!!

1. How are you doing on keeping your grocery budget?  
2. Do you find that you have had to change it over the year due to price increases?
3. How would you answer the above questions? 
4. Other than eating only beans & rice, what ways have you found to work for you on small grocery budget?

This post is linked to:

• Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family!

Menu Plan Monday 10/25-10/31

I think I have gotten back my gumption/desire/need to plan so I can stretch what I have until payday! However, one wants to look at it I have planned a menu for this week.  It is very important that I have some kind of plan in place for the end of the week as I am attending my church’s annual Women’s Retreat so my hubby will be holding the fort for 20 hours while I am away. 

This week’s meals are a few family favorites.  It is those favorite meals that I try to keep in the pantry or freezer for the purpose of using to help stretch meals until payday, which is Friday!

This week’s shopping trip was just picking up milk and few deals.  I really didn’t need many groceries this week as I had done pretty well figuring things out the week before.

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 (10-25)

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

Lunch: mini pizzas and pizza rolls

Dinner: McDonalds (after church)

Snack: snack basket

Monday (10-26)

Breakfast: cereal and toast

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: spaghetti (kids), chicken parmesan (parents) served with garlic toast and salad

Snack: snack basket

Tuesday (10-27)

Breakfast:  waffles and sausage

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner:  roast, carrots, and potatoes served with homemade bread

Snack: snack basket

Wednesday (10-28)

Breakfast:  bagels and cereal

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  oven fried chicken, served with French fries, and green peas

Snack: snack basket

Thursday (10-29)

Breakfast:  Pancakes and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  roasted chicken served with mashed potatoes, corn and dinner rolls

Snack: snack basket

Friday (10-30)

Breakfast:  cereal and toast

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner:  bacon burgers, French fries and carrots

Snack: ice cream night

Saturday (10-31)

Breakfast:  Your Choice

Lunch: chicken nuggets and tater tots

Dinner:  pork chops, mac & cheese, and green beans

Snack: popcorn