In my constant quest to cut down our grocery bill, I have come up with an adequate budget for my weekly shopping bill. I have been teased by my husband and kids because I shop at two stores, sometimes three.
The last few months I calculated I could shop for 6-7 meals, lunches for 4 kids, breakfast for one week and after school snacks for about $175. I thought I could do better and I have been doing it for a little less when I am organized and have a menu.
Well, I have narrowed it down to about $150. I can probably do it for a little less, but I will not sacrifice fresh and healthy ingredients or my constant desire for new ethnic dishes. Have you noticed that eating healthy is more expensive than mac n cheese? I hate mac n cheese by the way.
Here is the menu for this next week. I do my shopping on Wednesdays because that is when the ads begin.
The following is actually my menu beginning Tuesday.
Tue- Tuscan Soup (So yummy) Made with sausage, kale, cannellini beans, and potatoes.
Wed- Spaghetti and Meatballs, steamed chayote, cauliflower, and carrots, and roasted red pepper and corn soup
Thur- Breakfast Night Mock Souffle(lots of veggies), hash browns, and juice
Fri- Puchero (Argentinian meal, sorta like chicken and vegetable soup)
Sat- Leftovers
Sun- Baked Tilapia with brown rice and green salad
Mon-Homemade chili and corn bread
Tue- Baked chicken Nuggetts and Baked French Fries, and green salad
Wed-Chicken Tacos, Brown Rice and Refried Beans
I am pretty sure I bought more food than I needed for one week.
I am also really trying to cut down on fridge waste. I feel so bad when food spoils and I have to toss it.
*We are pretty flexible about the menu, sometimes I switch the dinners around to other days, so I just post the dinners, but I don't assign them a day of the week.
Hope that inspires you to be more frugal and more organized. It is one of my New Year's resolutions.
We will also be cutting back on cold cereal. It is so expensive! We all love eggs and oatmeal, so we will be having it more often. Cream of Wheat is also a great one. Plus, it's way healthier than any cold cereal.
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Good for you, planning the meals ahead of time. I find my grocery bill goes down when I know what the menu is going to be rather than randomly going to the store and stocking up on "necessities" and then still needed specific items for recipes. I am like you, I will have 6/7 menus planned but am flexible on the night to use which one. You're awesome!
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