Sunday, August 31, 2014

Let's Eat: Aug. 31 - Sept 6th

Weekly Menu Plan 
August 31- September 6
Breakfast
  • Zucchini bread
  • Bagel
  • Smoothie
  • Eggs
  • Toast w/peanut butter
  • Pancakes
  • Oatmeal

Lunch

Dinner
  • Lasagna
  • King's Ranch Chicken
  • Cheeseburger cups
  • Baked Chicken Nuggets (tenders)
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Left Overs x 2 (we have a number of left overs in our freezer that I want to use up).

I Did It!!

Woo-Hoo, we stayed just within our grocery budget this month (unless we go to the store between now and midnight, which I don't see happening).  We ended the month with just over $6 to spare. 

I needed to buy milk, but I decided to wait because we did not have to have milk and I was afraid that if I went to the store to buy milk, I would also pick up another item or two and go over budget.  Those are the shopping trips that seem to cause me the most trouble: I go to the store with just one or two items on my list, and I walk out with additional items that we will use, but we did not necessarily need at that time.

For the month of September, my goal is to once again stay just at or under $400.  Since my husband wants us to have a two-week supply of food on hand in case of an emergency, I plan to pick up a few more items to add to the stash, but I do not foresee any unusual purchases this month.  I still have plenty of meat left over from our July purchase.  I am hoping the beef will last at least until November. 

I am also planning to spend some time at the beginning of the week prepping for our meals later in the week.  I saw this idea on the Living Well Spending Less blog and I want to start implementing it on a regular basis.  I am hoping it will help me plan my shopping trips to be more focused on what we actually need for each meal so I can pick them up in one trip and not have to make an additional trip to the store for that week.

Now, to work on other categories of our budget . . .

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Let's Eat: August 24-30

Weekly Menu Plan 
August 24-30

Breakfast
  • Zucchini bread
  • Bagel
  • Smoothie
  • Eggs
  • Toast w/peanut butter
  • Pancakes
  • Oatmeal

Lunch
  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
  • Chicken Nuggets
  • Cheeseburger cups
  • Corn dogs
  • Mini Calzones
  • Mini meatloaf
  • Eat out x 2

Dinner
  • Italian crescent bake
  • Meatballs
  • Chicken Chili
  • King's Ranch Chicken
  • Hamburger
  • Chicken Sandwich
  • Eat out

Recent Shopping Trips

I started this weekend with about $85 left in our shopping budget, which is $20 more than I originally thought (for some reason I had it in my head that I only had $65).  After my shopping trips this weekend, we have a little over $10 left, which should be enough for milk and some produce, which is all I foresee needing to buy the remainder of this week.  I am really going to try to not spend more than what we officially have left in the budget. 

I spent $31.18 at Target on the following items:
  • Peanut Butter Crackers - 1.99
  • Welch's Fruit Snacks - 3.99 x 2
  • Baking Powder - 1.59
  • Baking Soda - 1.24
  • Frozen peas - .84 x 2
  • Frozen corn - .84 x 2 & .89 x 1
  • Frozen green beans - .89 x 2
  • Bagels - 1.36
  • Gogurt - 3.60
  • Butter - 3.49
  • Cereal - 4.24
 I spent $30.35 at Aldi:
  • Whipped topping - 2.39
  • Deli cheese - 2.19
  • Turkey breast sandwich meat - 2.29
  • Mozzarella - 1.99
  • Cheddar - 1.99
  • Coffee - 4.99
  • Crescent Rolls - 1.49
  • Deli Rolls - 1.49
  • Strawberries - 1.25 x 2
  • Angel Hair pasta - 1.49
  • Sweet corn - 1.25
  • Watermelon - 2.99
  • Baby carrots - .69
  • Diced tomatoes with chiles - .59
Finally, I spent $5.97 at Dillon's:
  • Raspberries -  .99
  • Tortilla chips - .60
  • Eggs - free!
  • Yogurt - 1.99 x 2

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

11 Days to Go

With 11 days left this month, I have just under $85 left to spend.  Looking back at our budgeting software for this year, I see that I typically go over our budget by 10 to 30 dollars each month.  So, I come pretty close each month, but for one reason or another, I end up going over. 

I think that some of my problem is that we begin to run out of items at the end of the month, so I plan to a trip to the store.  While I am there, I invariably pick up an item or two that we do not really need either because it is a store I might not shop at very often or the item is on sale. 

I would like to see this month be the month that I finally stay completely within our budget.  Except for some perishable items, we are doing pretty well grocery wise.  Now I just need to maintain my focus and just say no to the extra items we don't really need at this time.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Dillon's Trip

I received a e-coupon from Dillon's for $15 off a $70 purchase, so I figured that receiving an additional 20% my groceries was worth an extra trip to Dillon's this week.

Since we are trying to stock up on some items that can sit on the shelf for a long period of time, I made it a point to try and use this opportunity to buy some of these products.  I also wanted to take advantage of their $5 off of 5 items deals since I had some good coupons to go with the sale.

Finally, I had the opportunity to go to the store today without my kids and I won't be able to go shopping this weekend, so this was the best day to go.

My total after all my coupons was 62.73 (tax included).  By carefully entering the price of every product into my calculator app, I kept my initial grocery total close to $70.  I think I might have missed one item because I thought I was only over by about $1.

Trip Breakdown
Wheat Thins x 2 - $1.49
Cheez-Its x 2 - $1.99
Minute Rice (brown) - $2.99
Chocolate Cheerios - $1.64
Cinnamon Toast Crunch x 2 - $1.49
Honey Nut Cheerios -$1.79
Crunchy Honey Nut Cheerios - $1.49
Love Granola - $2.99 (I thought I had picked up Bear Naked Granola for which I had a $1 off coupon.  When I learned of my mistake, I did not want to have to take the time to replace the product just for $1).
V-8 Fusion x 3 - $1.69
Barilla Rotini - $1
Ragu Spaghetti Sauce x 2 - $1.29
Fritos x 2 - $1.49
Great Northern Beans x 2 - $.69
Kroger Cheddar Cheese (8oz) x 2 - $1.77
Kraft Cheddar Cheese (8oz) x 2 - $1.50
Blueberries x 2 - $1.28
Soft Scrub - $1.19
Tomato Sauce (15oz) x 3 - $.69
Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter - $1.88
Land O Lakes Butter Quarters (1lb) - $2.50
Kroger Black Beans x 2 - $.89
Kroger Diced Tomatoes w/green chiles x 2 - $.77
Williams Chicken Chili Seasoning x 2 - $1.87
Oscar Mayer Selects Turkey Hot Dog - $2.99
Smucker's Strawberry Preserves - $.99
Bananas - $1.45 (I just realized that the cashier charged me full price for the bananas when they should have been marked down)
Dillon's Whole Milk Gallon - $2.50
Dillon's 1% Milk Gallon  - $2.50
Kroger Bath Tissue - $4.99

I bought a total of 44 items, so the average was $1.42 per item (after tax and the $15 dollars off).  For me, that is a pretty successful Dillon's trip.


Monday, August 4, 2014

Summer Berries Baked Oatmeal

I wanted to try something new for breakfast this week, so I decided to make some baked oatmeal to have on hand for breakfast tomorrow. 

Since I had a few berries on hand, I decided to make Summer Berries Baked Oatmeal.  I only had blueberries, so I just used blueberries in my dish. 

I've tried a little bit of the dish this evening.  It definitely is not overly sweet.  I like the simplicity of the ingredients and I am sure my kids will enjoy eating it in the morning.

Taco Meat

We often eat tacos at our house.  Cheap and easy, some version of tacos often make it on my menu plans.  A few months ago, I tried this Oven Baked Taco recipe.  Instead of using baked tortillas, I just used store bought crunchy taco shells.  The family liked the overall effect of the recipe, but my husband really liked the meat.

Now, my husband is not a fan of refried beans, so when I first made the recipe, I reduced the amount of beans that I used; today, I use the full amount.  Since I like to make a big batch of taco meat so I can freeze some for later use, I have changed the recipe slightly.



Taco Meat

  • 3 lbs ground beef (I actually only use 39 oz of meat. I often use 13oz of meat when a recipe calls for a pound in order to help make the meat last longer)
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 8 oz water
  • 1/2 cup taco seasoning (or two packets)
  1. Brown the ground beef and drain
  2. Add refried beans, tomato sauce, water, and taco seasoning
  3. Mix together
  4. Bring to a simmer and let it cook over low heat for at least 30 minutes 

I often use one third of the recipe for our evening meal and then freeze the other two. This recipe is great because you can adjust the recipe to suit your tastes.


Looking Forward to August

So last month I did not quite stay within my budget goal of $400.  I went over by $22.46, which is not too bad but it still is not within the budget.  Looking back over the last four or five months, I typically go over by at least $10 and no more than $50. 

I did some shopping this weekend and have already spent $125.  My husband is gearing up for a big hiking trip this weekend, so it has added to our normal purchases.  We have also decided to try to build up a better stockpile of foods in case of an emergency, so I bought a few extra canned beans and fruit while I was at Aldi the other day.

I am finding it hard to think about buying canned foods to stockpile when I have been trying decrease our use of canned foods over the last few years.  I know that there is still a shelf-life on those canned goods, so at some point in time, we will need to eat them.

This weekend's grocery shopping included Target, Dillon's, and Aldi.

Here is what I bought:

Target:
  • Market Pantry Bagels and Welch's Fruit Snacks - $5.46

Dillon's:
  • Bananas - $1.75 (I know that they are cheaper at Aldi, but I don't have good luck with the bags)
  • Coffee - $4.99
  • 16 oz cheddar cheese - $3.50 (definitely cheaper than Aldi cheese)
  • Ragu spaghetti sauce x 2 - $1.29 each
  • Cheerios (big box) -$2.49
  • KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce - $1.49 (my son is allergic to an ingredient in many sauces, so we have to stick with this brand)
  • Smucker's cherry preserves - $.49 (I had an great $1 off coupon that I could use with their mega sale savings!)
  • Cheez-Its - $1.99 
  • Bacon - $3.99 
  • Eggs x 2 - $.99 each  (they had marked their eggs down to 99 cents - hurray!)
  • Capri Sun - $1.49

Aldi:
  • Sweet corn x 2 - $1.89 each
  • Romaine hearts - $1.99
  • Crescent rolls - $1.49 each
  • Flour - $1.38
  • Frozen chicken breasts - $5.99
  • Crunchy peanut butter - $2.99
  • Deli rolls - $1.49
  • Baby spinach - $2.49
  • Sugar - $1.39
  • Deli sliced cheddar cheese - $2.19
  • Deli turkey meat - $2.29
  • 8 oz mozzarella - $1.99
  • Brown sugar - $1.19
  • Tomato sauce x 8 - $.25 each
  • Refried beans x 2 -  $.79 each
  • Pork & beans x 4 - $.49 each
  • Granola cereal - $1.99
  • Mandarin oranges - $.89 each
  • Fresh peaches x 4 - $.29 each
  • Coffee creamer - $2.19
  • Unsalted peanuts - 2.39
  • Spaghetti sauce - $1.19
  • Baby carrots - $.69
  • BBQ potato chips - $1.49
  • Red grapes - $1.58
  • Unsalted butter - $2.49
  • Steamable corn x 2 - $.95 each
  • Frozen peas - $.95
  • Fresh blueberries - $.99
  • Quart bags - $1.99
 My husband also did some shopping for his trip at Wal Mart this weekend.  He spent $25 on food he can easily take and use at the camp site.

Let's Eat: August 3 - August 9

Weekly Menu
August 3 - August 9

Breakfast

Lunch
  • Left overs
  • Chicken nuggets
  • Turkey and cheese pinwheel
  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
  • Grilled Cheese
  • Cheese and crackers
  • Mini Calzones

Supper

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Let's Eat: July 27 - August 2

Weekly Menu
July 27 - August 2

Breakfast
  • French Toast
  • Bagel
  • Smoothie
  • Eggs
  • Toast w/peanut butter
  • Pancakes
  • Oatmeal

Lunch
  • Eat Out
  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
  • Quesadilla
  • Corn Dogs
  • Peanut Butter crackers
  • Grilled Cheese
  • Pizza

Dinner

Didn't Quite Make It

Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I have officially gone over our grocery budget for the month.  As of today, we have gone over by $18.80.  I don't foresee having the buy any groceries before Friday, so I am hoping this will be all the overage we have this month.

Of course, the total would be a little higher, but my mom bought my groceries at Sam's the other night.  I had discussed the Sam's trip with my husband and the possibility of going over.  We do not have a Sam's membership, so we were willing to go over since the opportunity had presented itself.

Part of our overage came from our habit of drinking Coke Zero.  We were nearly out and Target had it on sale 4 for $12.  Unfortunately, I had to by 4 packs in order to get it at that price, so it set me over.  Do we need to drink Coke Zero?  No.  On most days, we only drink a can or two each, but that does add up rather quickly. 

I'm pretty optimistic about next month since we only went over by $20 and that was with buying 40 lbs of beef at the beginning of the month.  I won't need to buy any more beef for 2 or 3 months at least, so I won't have that expense for a while. 

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Cinnamon Crescent Rolls

This morning I decided to make a little treat for breakfast.  I have seen this idea on Pinterest before, but I did not follow a specific recipe.

Cinnamon Crescent Rolls

  • 1 refrigerated tube of crescent roll dough (I used some I picked up at Aldi)
  • Spreadable butter
  • Cinnamon and Sugar mixture (I keep a shaker filled with cinnamon and sugar, so I don't have any exact ratios.  I usually just add cinnamon to the white sugar until it is mostly brown).

  1. Unroll and separate the crescent dough
  2. Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of the dough
  3. Sprinkle the butter with the cinnamon and sugar mixture until covered
  4. Roll up the crescent roll, beginning with the long end
  5. Place crescent rolls on a baking sheet
  6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. (I baked mine in a large toaster oven and they came out pretty good).
  7. Bake until golden brown
  8. Let cool
  9. Eat!


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Hanging in There

We were out of town over the weekend, which helped with the food budget this month.  Fortunately, we managed to go through all our perishable items before we left, so nothing went bad while we were gone.

Of course, that meant I needed to go to the store almost immediately after we got back.  My husband took Monday off as well, so I was able to go to the store without the little ones in tow. 

I went to both Aldi's and Dillon's and tried to only buy what we absolutely needed. 

I spent $14.04 at Dillon's. I was disappointed that I missed the $1 dozen egg sale, but I did score a deal on the 1% milk.  The store had it marked down to $1 per half gallon because it expired on the 30th.  I bought cheese for less than the price at Aldi's because of the special coupon offer that week.  Unfortunately, our Dillon's does not sell Kraft Mozzarella, so I had to buy store brand.  I had a coupon for the store brand as well, so it was still cheaper than the price at Aldi's.

On our trip, we ate little fresh produce, so I was eager to go to Aldi's to pick some up.  My kids actually were begging me for the fruit faster than I could clean it.  I spent $35.42 on this trip.

At this point, I have a little over $21 left in my grocery budget for the month.  With just one week to go, this should be doable.  I just need to remain focused and not give into any excuses to go ahead and spend a little extra.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Let's Eat: July 20-26

Weekly Menu
July 20 - July 26

Breakfast:
 Lunch:
  • Eat out
  • Cheeseburger cups
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich
  • Corn dogs
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Quesadilla
  • Grilled cheese
Dinner:
I am working to improve our breakfast and lunch variety.  Since I have two children under the age of 4, I am often hesitant to try new recipes even though I know it would be best to do so.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

A Little Bit of Baking

I love to bake.  I usually hate to buy baked goods at the store because I know that I can make the same product at home that will often cost less and taste a little better.

Yesterday, I took advantage of the cooler weather and made some banana bread.  Before bed, I mixed up the ingredients for Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake so I could bake it this morning. 

I did not get a picture of the banana bread (it is already half eaten), but here is a view of the cake.  The cake did great after sitting in the refrigerator over night.  I sent some of it to work with my husband, and I placed what we did not eat this morning in the freezer so we can have it for breakfast again another time. 


I do not typically keep buttermilk in the house, so I added a 1/2 tblsp of lemon juice to the 1/2 cup of milk instead.  The result is definitely cake-like.  I did not sprinkle the extra sugar on top, but it would add a little more sweetness to the cake.  One could also make a glaze to put on top, and it would be quite delicious.

Cooking Chicken in the Pressure Cooker

The pressure cooker is my go to method for cooking chicken, especially when I need shredded chicken for different recipes.  Growing up, I can remember my mom cooking whole chickens in her pressure cooker and using the meat for different recipes.  She did not use just chicken breasts, but this was before the big eat-chicken craze, so buying just chicken breasts (specifically boneless, skinless ones) was not a common option.




I typically use frozen boneless skinless chicken.  When I use a 3lb bag from Aldi, I can use the cooked meat for at least 4 meals.  With the current price of $5.99, it only makes the meat $1.50 per meal. 

Not only does the pressure cooker cook the meat quickly (about 25 minutes from start to finish if frozen), I also end up with about 2 cups of broth with each batch.

When I cook the meat, I often only use half the bag and add 2 cups of water.  I then add some spices and maybe some cut up mini peppers if I have any.  A person can add whatever spices she would like.  I have used a few teaspoons of Mrs. Dash when I have it, or I have added spices like garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to give the chicken and broth a little more flavor.

My pressure cooker usually takes about 10 minutes to reach full pressure, and then I let the meat cook for another 12 minutes.  My pressure cooker instructions say to let the pressure decrease on its own.  That usually takes an additional 20 minutes or so.

If I need broth on my recipe that night, I will use what is left from the cooking process.  If I don't need, I put it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer.  I currently have quite a few bags in my freezer right now.  I don't think I will ever have to buy broth from the store again.


Sunday, July 13, 2014

Let's Eat

Our Weekly Meal Plan
July 13 - July19

Breakfast
  • Toast w/ peanut butter
  • Scrambled Eggs and bagel
  • Muffin/Quick Bread and smoothie (I just bought some blueberries, so I am thinking about making blueberry breakfast cake)
  • Oatmeal Pancakes and yogurt
  • French Toast
  • Eat out x 2

Lunch
  • Hot dog
  • Quesadilla
  • Cheeseburger cups
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
  • Chicken Nuggets
  • Eat out x 2

Dinner 
  • Hamburgers, corn on the cob, baked beans
  • Chicken and rice, peas
  • King Ranch Chicken, tortillas, salsa (I usually only make half of the recipe)
  • Lasagna, corn, bread sticks
  • Sandwiches
  • Eat out x 2

Next weekend is my birthday, so we have some special events planned and I will not have to make as many meals.

Seeking to Stay on Track

I am very lucky to live three miles from an intersection that includes Aldi, Dillon's, Wal Mart Neighborhood Market, and even a Braum's, so shopping at different stores for the best deals does not require much gas and travel time. 

Typically I only shop at Dillon's or Aldi.  I have not been that impressed with the Wal Mart Neighborhood Market.  If I need to go to Wal Mart, I can go three miles north of my house and go to a full Wal Mart.  If a Target were to move in within 3 miles of my house, I would be set!

Today I decide to take the time to shop at both Aldi and Dillon's to try and get the best prices.  I did not do too bad.  I think the only items I bought at Aldi where I would have paid less at Dillon's were a couple of 8oz bars of cheeses.  I had a coupon for Kroger cheese, so I could have saved about 40 cents total.  The coupon is good for a while, so I can still use it later.


My Dillon's trip came to $23.37 and the Aldi trip came to $22.68.  I tried to keep my purchases to only items that we needed.  As I look at what I bought, I see a few items I could have done without like the sliced cheddar cheese from Aldi and the sandwich rolls.  Looking at our budgeting software (YNAB), I have a little over $75 for the rest of the month (I made some small produce purchases throughout the week -- apparently a little more than I remembered).  I will need to buckle down even more and really watch my purchases for these next two weeks.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Yogurt Prices

I mentioned in an earlier post that I do not plan to buy yogurt from Aldi's because the only non-Greek yogurt they sell contains aspartame, so while I stopped at Target the other day, I went to check out their yogurt prices and received quite a shock.

I could not believe the price of the non-Greek yogurt, even for the store brand.  Not that long ago, the store brand cost $1.99 for a quart, but earlier this week the shelf listed $2.49 as the price.  The previous $2.49 price for Dannon yogurt now reads over $3.00. 

I decided to wait and check out the price at Dillon's since I needed to stop by there to pick up milk.  Fortunately, the store brand was on sale for $1.99. 

If the price increase at Target is an indicator of prices to come, I might have to really cut back on our yogurt consumption or else try my hand at making my own.


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Let's Eat

Meal Ideas
July 6 - July 12

Breakfast
  • Smoothie and Muffin/Quick bread x 2
  • Toast w/ peanut butter
  • Bagel w/Scrambled Eggs
  • Pancakes and Yogurt x 2
  • Oatmeal

Lunch
  • Eat Out x 2
  • Macaroni and Cheese
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
  • Corn Dogs
  • Quesadilla
  • Chicken Nuggets

Dinner
  • McDonald's
  • Pizza Bake
  • Chicken Strips with mashed potatoes
  • Taco Bread 
  • BBQ chicken
  • Cheeseburger cups
  • Meatballs

Yikes

Today is July 8 and so far I have spent over half our grocery budget.  Now, this does include buying 40 lbs of hamburger at the beginning of the month, but I am still a little frustrated at how much I have spent on other items.

Where has the money gone?  Some of it went into replenishing our snack supply.  This is one area where I know I spend too much money, even if I am buying the snack items at Aldi's.  We also went to a cookout at our friends' house for the 4th, so I spent some extra money on food items to take.  Aldi's caught me unprepared on the 4th.  I planned to go to Aldi's to buy the food items, forgetting they would be closed.  I went to Dillon's instead and spent at least $5 more on the items than I would have spent at Aldi's.

To recap, there are 23 days left in July, and I have $150.00 to spend on groceries.  I keep telling myself I can stick to our budget if I plan carefully and don't give up, so I am going to try and do my best to only buy the food we really need and to be even more deliberate in using up the food in our pantry.

Monday, June 30, 2014

Final Weekend and Lesson Learned

This past week had an unexpected complication, so I did not take the time to better plan my shopping trips. 

Friday, my in-laws came to our house so I could get out for a little while.  My shopping plans did not have me very close to an Aldi's, so I decided to pick up some of the items I thought we needed at Dillon's and Target. 

Well, I spent $21.36 at Dillon's and $19.27 at Target.  In addition, my mom and I stopped at Sam's on Saturday to pick up a case of beef.  While we were there, I did not want to waste the trip, so I picked up a few more items that cost a total of $37.02.  Finally, we were out of milk, so I stopped by Dillon's again on Sunday and spent $8.53.  With all of this shopping, I went over our budget total for the month by $13.36. 

Dillon's sucked me in with their latest sales promotion.  I had some good coupons for Town House crackers (so I could get them for 50 cents), but to get the better deal, I had to buy 6 items.  I was also able to get some granola bars for 50 cents a box.  I bought 14 items at Dillon's, but most of the items we did not necessarily need right away.  I could have waited until after the first of the month.  The same was true at Target.

I do not feel as guilty about my Sam's purchases because it saved me having to make a special trip later.  (I am planning to pay my mom for the meat from the July budget). 

So, I have learned that I need to make more of an effort to stop at Aldi's in addition to being more committed to only buying what we need for the week.

Fortunately, we have enough items to make it through this next week, so I should not need to spend much at the store this first week of July. 

Now my goal will be to stay under budget for July to cover the extra for June.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Let's Eat!

What We Plan to Eat This Week
June 22 to June 28

Breakfast
  • Muffin/quick bread, yogurt
  • Toast w/peanut butter, banana
  • Bagel, scrambled eggs, fruit
  • Smoothie, cinnamon toast
  • Oatmeal, fruit
  • Muffin/quick bread, yogurt
  • Pancakes, fruit

Lunch
  • Pizza
  • Corn dogs, grapes, pretzels
  • Quesadilla, salsa
  • Chicken nuggets, fruit
  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pretzels, fruit
  • Cheese and crackers
  • Mini calzones, fruit

Supper
  • Eat out
  • Cheesy chicken casserole, peas, bread sticks
  • King's chicken, chips, salsa
  • Italian crescent bake, green beans
  • BBQ chicken, corn
  • Pizza bake, vegetable, bread sticks
  • Grilled chicken, vegetable, bread

Still on Track

Sunday I was without kids again, so I made a couple of grocery stops after church.  I went to Target, Aldi's, and Dillon's, and once again, I made it a point to buy the majority of my groceries at Aldi's. 

We really like the Honey Oat Bagels at Target, so I went ahead and picked some more up since Aldi's does not sell this flavor of bagel.  I also picked up some Smucker's Natural peanut butter, since the natural peanut butter at Aldi's still contains sugar.  All together, I spent a little over $9 at Target.

At Dillon's, I just bought milk.  Thankfully, it was on sale for $2.99 per gallon, so I just spent over $6 on milk that should last us through the week.

Finally, at Aldi's, I purchased many of my typical items.  My total was only $34.91 for 15 items, and that was with buying a bag of chicken at $5.99. 

With only 7 days left in the month, I have spent $322.88 on groceries.  I don't see any problem with staying with the $400 budget this month. 

Next month will require some planning because I am nearly out of beef.  My mom and I usually split a case from Sam's, so the meat will last me for quite a few months, but the initial outlay is a little painful.  I guess that means I should really limit my spending for the rest of this week so I can use that extra money for meat next month.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Hits and Misses

I have to say that Aldi's animal crackers are delicious.  They taste good, and they do not contain artificial flavors (someone needs to explain to me why a vanilla cookie would have artificial flavor to begin with).  I also like the cheese.

Today, we tried some of the honey graham crackers.  Unfortunately, they do not taste as good as the animal crackers.  My kids don't mind, so we will finish the box, but I don't think I will buy them again.

Weekly Menu

Weekly Menu
June 15 - June 21

Breakfast
  • Muffin
  • Yogurt
  • Bagel
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Peanut Butter toast
  • Smoothie
  • Oatmeal
  • Pancakes
  • Fruit

Lunch
  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
  • Corn dogs
  • Chicken nuggets
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Quesadilla
  • Cheese and Crackers
  • Hot dogs

Supper
  • Pizza
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Chicken Tacos
  • Chicken pockets
  • Lasagna shells
  • Chicken and Rice
  • Grilled Chicken

Most Recent Trip

My in-laws had my kids for the day last Thursday, so I used that day as an opportunity to do some shopping on my own.

I made a brief stop at Wal-Mart where I picked up some Clif Bars for my husband.  Since they do not sell these at Aldi's, I needed to pick them up somewhere else.  I paid $6.19 for the bars (including tax).

I also stopped at Aldi's and Dillon's that day.  Aldi's had strawberries for 99 cents again, so I took advantage of that price as well as a pineapple for $1.29.  I needed to pick up some flour as well; much to my delight, the price was only $1.28 for 5lbs.  I will definitely buy my flour from Aldi's in the future.  The total for Aldi's came to $22.45.

I picked up milk, yogurt, raspberries, and bananas at Dillon's (along with some Chinese food for lunch).  The total came to $16.84 for that stop.

Finally, on Saturday, I needed to stop at Target to pick up a few non-grocery items.  While I was there, I went ahead and picked up some food items I needed for the weekend.  My total at Target was $20.05.

So far in this journey, I have enjoyed not having $100 grocery bills.  To this date, I have spent a little over $204 in groceries, which is just over half our regular budget.

Now I just need to remain focused on my plan and not be tempted to buy unnecessary items at any store. 

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Weekly Menu

Weekly Menu
June 8 - June 14

Breakfast
  • Toast w/peanut butter
  • Smoothie x 2
  • Muffin x 2
  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Pancakes

Lunch
  • Corn dogs
  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
  • Chicken nuggets
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Grilled cheese
  • Mini calzones
  • Left overs

Dinner
  • Leftovers
  • Spaghetti
  • King's chicken
  • Pizza
  • Chicken Parmesan
  • Taco Bread
  • Grilled Chicken


Last Weekend

I made a couple of trips to Aldi's this last weekend, as well as one brief trip to Dillon's. 

We made plans to eat dinner at a friend's house on Friday, so I needed to go and pick up a few items for the side dish I planned to bring.  While I was there, I went ahead and picked up a few items I knew that we would soon need.  The most expensive item was a 3lb bag of frozen chicken breasts.  The price on the frozen breasts is certainly reasonable, but I prefer the 10lb bag I can buy at Sam's because the breasts are a little smaller and more consistently sized.  The price at Sam's is not that much more than Aldi's, so I will probably go back to buying the Sam's chicken after this month.

I was excited to find pork chops for $2.49/lb.  I had looked at Dillon's recently and they were over $4/lb; a package with just three pork chops cost over $7.  For just about the same unit price, I was able to buy 5 pork chops at Aldi's (and one of those chops was big enough to actually make the total 6).

I spent $36.95 on this first trip. 

The second trip came on Sunday after I had made our weekly menu plan.  There were just a few items that I needed, so the trip only cost $16.82.

Since I also wanted to buy some yogurt, I went over to Dillon's.  They had a mariachi band playing for their Mexican celebration, so I enjoyed the added pleasure of live music to my shopping experience.  While at Dillon's, I just stuck to my goal of only buying certain produce and other items that I am not able to buy at Aldi's.  Red leaf lettuce, bananas, and yogurt were the only items I placed in my cart to purchase for a total of $5.25.

I have to admit I struggled a little bit while at Dillon's with the temptation to look for food bargains. 

A third of the way through the month, my grocery total sits at $135 and change.  This would keep me at the $400 mark for the month if I stay at this pace. 

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Weekly Menu

Weekly Menu 

June 1- June 7

Breakfast
  • Smoothie
  • Cinnamon Toast
  • Peanut butter Toast
  • Oatmeal
  • Muffins
  • Pancakes
  • Scrambled Eggs

Lunch
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Quesadilla
  • Corn Dogs
  • Eat out
  • Cheese and Crakcers
  • Mini Calzones
  • Hamburgers

Dinner
  • Sandwich
  • Italian Crescent Bake
  • Chicken and Rice
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Chicken Tacos
  • Taco Bread 
  • Pizza
 While I understand the value of a weekly menu, I usually drag my feet getting it done.  This week part of my goal was to use up some food items we already have on hand both in the cupboards and in the freezer.  When I make sloppy joes, taco meat, spaghetti meat, etc, I usually make at least a double batch and freeze half so I will already have part of a meal ready to go for the future.

A Quick Stop at Dillon's

We were completely out of milk, so I made a quick stop at Dillon's today to buy some.  I prefer to buy my milk at Dillon's (or Braum's), so that is one item I am not going to buy from Aldi's.

While I was there, I went ahead and picked up some bananas (I have never had good luck with Aldi's bananas) and a bag of store brand tortilla chips.  The chips are only $1, which is a hard price to beat anywhere.

My total cost for this trip was $9.16.

My resolve to primarily shop at Aldi's did have a positive impact on this trip.  I stuck to my list and did not even stop to consider picking up any other items (even though they do have Townhouse crackers on sale).

First Trip

I completed my first official trip for the month of June on Monday.  My list was not very long since I am also trying to use up the items I already have in my pantry.  We were running low on some snacky-food items like granola bars and crackers.

As I looked at the different prices, I could see that Aldi's regular price for items is often lower than the other grocery stores, but that many of these items often go on sale for less.  Of course, one reason I think Aldi's will help me spend less is that I will not be distracted by as extra items on sale that I do not need.

I spent $54.99 for 30 items on this trip, which is a pretty good price-per-item breakdown for my usual shopping trips.  The most expensive item I purchased was a box of 32 fruit snacks for $3.99.  The least expensive items was a can of cream of chicken soup for $.79.

I went ahead and picked up some fruit while I was there because it all looked fresh.  Plus, it is hard to pass up $.99 for strawberries (and they were delicious!).

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Not Off to a Very Good Start

I needed to pick up just a few items to get us through the next few days, so I decided to stop at Aldi's to do my shopping.  I wanted to buy a quart of yogurt, but the only yogurt they sell in that size is Greek yogurt and sugar-free yogurt.  Even though I drink diet soda, I try to avoid artificial sweetener in most other products (and I am in the process of switching to drinking tea as opposed to soda).  I especially do not want artificial sweeteners in food I give my kids. 

The Greek yogurt does not have artificial sweetener in it, but it costs quite a bit more, so it looks like I will have to add yogurt to my list of items I will still pick up a Dillon's or Target.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Let's Get Started: The Road to a Better Grocery Budget

Like nearly everyone else, I struggle with sticking to a strict food budget.  Typically I spend between $400-$500 per month for a family of four: two adults and two children under the age of four.  I would like to bring that total down to about $300 per month at the most. 

Four years ago, God blessed us with our first child, and we decided that I should stay home with her.  A year-and-a-half later, God blessed us with our son. Being a stay-at-home mom does give me some freedom to look for the best deals at the grocery story, but I find that I struggle to accomplish truly lowering my spending.

I find that I do most of my grocery shopping at either Dillon's or Target.  On rare occasion I will go to Wal Mart or Aldi's.  We have the advantage of living within 3 miles of four major grocery stores, so shopping at different stores is not really an inconvenience travel wise. 

For our family, the grocery budget consists only of the food items.  We have a separate category for grooming and cleaning items.

For the month of June, I plan to do most of my grocery shopping at Aldi's.  The primary exception will be milk and some produce which I plan to still purchase at Dillon's.  I am hoping that I will not only benefit from the lower prices at Aldi's, but also from the more limited selection.  I often will buy items at Dillon's simply because it is on sale, not because we necessarily need it at that time, and this often causes me to go over my current budget.

I usually do my shopping at least once a week, so I plan to create a post for each shopping trip.  I look forward to trying this new experiment as well as looking for other ways to begin cutting back on our monthly grocery budget.