My food spending seems different this month. I have been ignoring most of the "deals" at the grocery stores. I can't recall the last time I bought a boxed, processed item....well, except for those frozen pizzas that kids want.lol
I have just been buying ingredients as needed these weeks along with produce, meat and dairy buys I find. Throw in a trip to the bread outlet and I've spent $88.18 of food in Week #3 of August.
I spent $4.78 on 6 bread items at the outlet that would have run me $22.74 at the grocery store.
$4 at the Dollar store in snacks for daughter to take to college later this week.
$20.10 at the local market for hot dog rolls, OJ, lettuce and frozen pizzas(at the kid's requests)and 4lbs. of ground beef for lunch burgers.
My big expenditure last week was at a new restaurant/party supply warehouse on Saturday. Daughter requested I cook ribs in the smoker for her before she leaves for school, so I got ribs, as well as 5 more pounds of ground beef, a big bag of onions, 2 lbs. of bananas, a 40 count bag of pot stickers and a pork butt.
Cost?....$59.31.
I made 42 meatballs with half of the ground beef and browned/crumbled the other half for tacos/beef pie/sloppy joes. I now have 5 meals + leftovers worth of meats ready to go from that ground beef. I smoked the ribs on Sunday, along with making baked beans and cornbread from scratch, and we have enough left for another full meal. The pork butt will be made into a Pork Ragu this week at #1 son's request when he gets home in a couple of days. This pork/pasta meal will supply another full meal in leftovers. The pot stickers are a quick lunch item for this week.
Next month I'm hoping to see some chicken and/or fish deals since we have been light on chicken and fish the last month.
I made the leftover steak from a week ago Thursday into Beef Stroganoff on Saturday night. We have almost another full meal of this for leftovers.
So here is what I am starting this week with in leftovers or precooked foods.....
1-Beef Stroganoff w/Rice
2-Taco meat
3-Meatballs
4-Beef Pie meat
5-Sloppy Joe meat
6-Ribs(from last night)
7-Squash Casserole
8-Green Beans
9-Baked Beans
10-Cornbread
11-Pickles, always!lol
Plus I have the Pork Butt.
Here is my Meal Plan.....
Sunday--Ribs, Baked Beans, Cornbread, Pickles done
Monday--Sloppy Joes, leftover veggies(squash/g beans)
Tuesday--Leftover Ribs meal and/or Stroganoff
Wednesday--Pork Ragu, Salad Greens
Thursday--Dinner out before kids leave for school
Friday--Assorted Leftovers
Saturday--Spaghetti Meatballs or ?, Zucchini
I have frozen veggies to add in where needed, so the only items I need to buy for this menu are more salad greens and zucchini.
Imagine that?...I need to BUY zucchini!lol
Along with milk, some more fruit for snacking(I'm thinking watermelon and peaches)and we are done with shopping for the week and hopefully the month.
$20-$25 should do me.
I've spent $262.33 up until now in August on food.
If I add in my $14.19 so far in rebates and my Toluna check for $20 into my food budget, that gives me $284.19 in the kitty. If I can spend $21.86 or less for the rest of August, I'll still be on budget.
I am feeling the frugal burnout lately. Inflation has made it harder to find deals and stay on budget.
I am just tired of working so hard on this.
We will be down to feeding 3 people again after the oldest 2 leave for college, so I am hoping I can still keep my $250 food budget for awhile longer. Or am I being unrealistic in this economy to spend so little on food?
What do you think?
Sluggy
I have just been buying ingredients as needed these weeks along with produce, meat and dairy buys I find. Throw in a trip to the bread outlet and I've spent $88.18 of food in Week #3 of August.
I spent $4.78 on 6 bread items at the outlet that would have run me $22.74 at the grocery store.
$4 at the Dollar store in snacks for daughter to take to college later this week.
$20.10 at the local market for hot dog rolls, OJ, lettuce and frozen pizzas(at the kid's requests)and 4lbs. of ground beef for lunch burgers.
My big expenditure last week was at a new restaurant/party supply warehouse on Saturday. Daughter requested I cook ribs in the smoker for her before she leaves for school, so I got ribs, as well as 5 more pounds of ground beef, a big bag of onions, 2 lbs. of bananas, a 40 count bag of pot stickers and a pork butt.
Cost?....$59.31.
I made 42 meatballs with half of the ground beef and browned/crumbled the other half for tacos/beef pie/sloppy joes. I now have 5 meals + leftovers worth of meats ready to go from that ground beef. I smoked the ribs on Sunday, along with making baked beans and cornbread from scratch, and we have enough left for another full meal. The pork butt will be made into a Pork Ragu this week at #1 son's request when he gets home in a couple of days. This pork/pasta meal will supply another full meal in leftovers. The pot stickers are a quick lunch item for this week.
Next month I'm hoping to see some chicken and/or fish deals since we have been light on chicken and fish the last month.
I made the leftover steak from a week ago Thursday into Beef Stroganoff on Saturday night. We have almost another full meal of this for leftovers.
So here is what I am starting this week with in leftovers or precooked foods.....
1-Beef Stroganoff w/Rice
2-Taco meat
3-Meatballs
4-Beef Pie meat
5-Sloppy Joe meat
6-Ribs(from last night)
7-Squash Casserole
8-Green Beans
9-Baked Beans
10-Cornbread
11-Pickles, always!lol
Plus I have the Pork Butt.
Here is my Meal Plan.....
Sunday--Ribs, Baked Beans, Cornbread, Pickles done
Monday--Sloppy Joes, leftover veggies(squash/g beans)
Tuesday--Leftover Ribs meal and/or Stroganoff
Wednesday--Pork Ragu, Salad Greens
Thursday--Dinner out before kids leave for school
Friday--Assorted Leftovers
Saturday--Spaghetti Meatballs or ?, Zucchini
I have frozen veggies to add in where needed, so the only items I need to buy for this menu are more salad greens and zucchini.
Imagine that?...I need to BUY zucchini!lol
Along with milk, some more fruit for snacking(I'm thinking watermelon and peaches)and we are done with shopping for the week and hopefully the month.
$20-$25 should do me.
I've spent $262.33 up until now in August on food.
If I add in my $14.19 so far in rebates and my Toluna check for $20 into my food budget, that gives me $284.19 in the kitty. If I can spend $21.86 or less for the rest of August, I'll still be on budget.
I am feeling the frugal burnout lately. Inflation has made it harder to find deals and stay on budget.
I am just tired of working so hard on this.
We will be down to feeding 3 people again after the oldest 2 leave for college, so I am hoping I can still keep my $250 food budget for awhile longer. Or am I being unrealistic in this economy to spend so little on food?
What do you think?
Sluggy
"I am feeling the frugal burnout lately. Inflation has made it harder to find deals and stay on budget."-Amen sister! I have been having a really hard time for a while. I think that it hits different areas at different times. I've been having to "rob" different kitties just to stay in the black. Some weeks are more in gas and others in food. I think that it will get better though cuz Anna is gone.
ReplyDeleteSonyaAnn--The $ you save on gas for Anna to run around on you will spend now in DJ eating you out of house and home.
ReplyDeleteWe can't win....lol
Well, you've seen my numbers. Obviously, I think it can be done. Granted Kat is not a teenage boy, but Shane still eats like one, so I think we're even (at least when you are 3-person household instead of 5).
ReplyDeleteI remember a couple of years ago when everyone was complaining about food prices increasing and I just wasn't seeing it. Now I am starting to see it. Like Sonya says, different areas at different times.
I do think, though, that prices on ingredients tend to stay closer to the same while processed food prices are on the rise. I think it's nearly always cheaper to cook from scratch.
That said, I dearly miss the days of $1.50/lb generic butter and 10/lb bag of potatoes for less than $4.
AnnieJ--$1.50 butter? Not unless I bought a cow, milked her and churned my own!lol
ReplyDeleteI'd be thrilled for $2 butter....
Not only am I seeing price increases, but I really don't see the deals I used to. The store circulars seem to be pushing way more "everyday low price" items (meaning the item's not actually on sale at all), and the coupons are for 40-cents of 3 of something, which even doubled is ridiculous. Lately, I've been doing better with overage at Walmart, which is definitely nice, but I never know when I'll luck into a coupon that gives me that (or a cashier that goes along with it - LOL!). And I'm with you on the whole butter thing. Yikes!
ReplyDelete