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Budget/Menu Planning Help
I lurk here occassionally, and was hoping to get some help on simple things that I can do to tweak my meal planning and my budget. I love to cook, but have better luck cooking at 6 am than at 6 pm, so I rely on the crockpot and prep work that I can do ahead of time. A big concern is adding more fruits and veggies to our diet and I've had to go dairy free. Our budget is $70 per week for three of us (DS will be two in May) and that also includes diapers/toiletries ($30-$40 per month).
This week's menu:
Monday: Homemade pizza and side salad
Tuesday: Crockpot ribs (made with onions, mushrooms and beef broth), mashed potatoes, sweet corn and green beans
Wednesday: Leftovers OR eating out
Thursday: Baked Chicken tenders and baked onion rings, fresh strawberries, roasted broccoli, side salad
Friday: Breakfast burritos- scrambled eggs, mushrooms, hashbrowns,sausage, cheese and apples
Today's Grocery Bill:
2 gallons 1% milk 6.10
3 orange juice concentrate 5.07
Panko bread crumbs 1.99 (to supplement homemade)
Deli Ham 3.28 (DH)
Eggs (18) 1.99
Fresh Mushrooms 1.99
Fresh Strawberries 4.08
Sliced Cheese 2.79 (DH)
Fresh Assorted Veggies 3.77
Caramel Rolls 3.99 (Not an ordinary purchase)
2 Wheat bread 2.78
Corn Meal 1.79
Peanut Butter 3.79 (DH)
4 Canned Green Beans 1.92
Whole Wheat Tortillas 1.79
Misc. Spices 5.25
Bananas 1.83
Apples 3.54
Yukon Potatoes 2.41
Total 60.07
One of the answers is to teach my DH how to eat like an adult. I'm working on that.
Re: Budget/Menu Planning Help
Honestly it sounds like you do really well on a tight budget. We've been trying to tweak our budgeting and meal planning though so a couple things I'm changing:
I'm not buying lunch stuff anymore. Deli meat and sliced cheese every week are way more costly than cooking extra to have leftovers for lunches. Plus I was buying yogurt, pretzels, etc. to go with sandwiches. It's healthier, cheaper, and tastes better to pack leftovers. Just requires more planning.
Double up on stuff that can be frozen..we're also a family of three so I can often make a double recipe to eat once, freeze for a second meal, and still have lunch leftovers. For example chilies, stews, stuff that can be served over rice...I freeze a portion. Then when the budget is tight one week--free dinner from the freezer! IT also helps with portion control, especially for DH since I pack away the leftovers before he can graze on them.
Less meat. Instead of a portion of ribs, or baked or grilled chicken, etc. I'm trying to bulk up on veggies, beans, and whole grains. I'm actually going vegetarian 1-2x a week, and at leat 3 other nights I make something that isn't heavy on meat, rather just uses it for flavor.
I also do almost everything I can from scratch. I cook dry beans. I cook rice. I don't buy them in cans or boxes anymore.
I'm not sure how much that helps since I"m not exactly sure what you're looking for, but I thought I'd share since I"m doing the same thing.
For the above reason, I was having trouble as well. It's also hard to assess a life from one grocery receipt.
Try swapping out 1 or 2 of your meaty crockpot meals with something containing beans or lentils - they are WAY cheaper.
From Hey To Horses
Thanks for the input. You're right, its hard. I was just hoping there was something glaring that I was missing.
I forgot to add that I don't buy meat, except for chicken breasts every few months when they are on sale. Our meat bill for the year is about $200 (on the high end).
I don't really have much to add, because $70/wk for 3 people including toiletries is impressive! I would love to get our bill around there.
The only things I can suggest based solely on the one bill is to switch to frozen green beans over canned (cheaper and healthier) and to try to buy fruits that are in season rather than strawberries, because they tend to be priced better.
Ditto to making extra dinner portions to either take for lunches or freeze. Also, do you get your ham and cheese at the deli? If not, it's usually cheaper there than it is in the packages.
If you're willing to go to more than one place for groceries, I'd see if you have an ethnic or strictly produce market nearby. Those tend to be much cheaper than standard big box stores.
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