Monday, February 20, 2012

February Food Spending Week 3, Meal Plan February Week 4

*I am taking part in Precious' MONEY SAVING CHALLENGE again for 2012.  You can find her blog FRUGAL MAKES CENTS and a list of other participants and their blogs  HERE.

Check it out.  You might find some new ideas for incorporating frugality into your life there!*


I love searching around for old photos and advertisements featuring kitchens from years gone by.  These are mostly the kitchens from my youth in the 1960's or earlier. 
This week I give you the kitchen of 1945.....

 With the war over, the US saw a flood of servicemen coming home and a rise in the marriage rate and the numbers of new households being formed.  It ushered in a time of economic growth and innovations having to do with domesticity and the home.
While this kitchen in many ways is stuck in the materials and design of the 1930's(the lino patterned floor, the color scheme and the lack of coordinating cabinets, appliances-color and fabrication, etc.), there is a VERY domestic feature this one showcases--the "Baking Center".  This was a large cabinet/door-ed area that combined tool and pantry storage and work space.  You closed the door when not in use and your kitchen looked neat as a pin with nary a spatula or tea towel out of place or showing.  Your kitchen could look ready for a ladie's magazine photo shoot at any time.

I am liking this design idea enough to consider it for our next home.  What do you think about it?


Enough of that, onward to the Meals and Food Spending. 8-)

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Burger King burgers(in celebration of an excellent report card, at #2 son's request)
MONDAY--leftover Enchiladas
TUESDAY--Hubs is taking me out to local Asian restaurant, I'll make cheese steak for #2 son
WEDNESDAY--Spaghetti & Meatballs(homemade meatballs leftover in freezer), Spinach Salad
THURSDAY--leftover lasagna or tv dinners in the freezer(these are old and need to be used up)
FRIDAY--leftover spaghetti or burritos and leftover corn  *I had a PBJ sammie & strawberries.
SATURDAY--Quiche, Salad

Maybe not on the night it was suppose to happen, but we pretty much had what was planned, except the Roast Chicken and Veggies, since I couldn't find whole chicken for a good price last week.  *Sunday the local store had it for .88¢ lb. so I bought 2 yesterday morning....this trip goes under Week 4 food shopping spending.

The weekly food spending was $35.12.  1 trip to the local grocer where I mostly stocked up on OJ concentrate and then bought celery, strawberries, chicken breast, pie shells, ice cream and a cherry pie for Hubs.  Hubs picked up 2 dozen eggs at Price Chopper on sale for $1 dozen.

3 Weeks in and I've spent $155.75 of my $300 February food budget.  $144.25 left for the month plus $92.32 leftover from January that didn't get spent.

Going into February Week 4, we have an entire quiche leftover.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Toasted Chicken with Veggies, Stuffing(boxed)
MONDAY--Quiche, Tossed Salad
TUESDAY--Pork Chop with Maple Glaze, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas
WEDNESDAY--Red Robin Free Meal for #2's birthday
THURSDAY--Leftovers(quiche or chicken or pork chop or ?)
FRIDAY--Fish, Rice, Teriyaki Veggie Melange
SATURDAY--Not sure yet....maybe Chinese take-out or Breakfast for Dinner

This menu gives us 4 or 5 new meals, 1 or 2 eating out and 1 night of leftovers.

Items needed to buy for this menu are...the whole chicken which I bought Sunday.  I have all the other ingredients on hand.  I'm using up a bag of potatoes, carrots, celery, older box of stuffing, a rice mix, 2 bags of frozen veggies which are getting "long in the tooth".

We'll be buying milk as usual. The only stocking up opportunities I see so far are some jarred mandarin oranges(I can't stand the ones in metal cans), more whole chickens and flounder @ $3.99lb.

I might go hog wild and spend $60 this week...yikes!lol

So what is everyone else eating this week?  

Sluggy

5 comments:

  1. We are eating what's in the fridge and freezer, nothing too spectacular. We don't have as much sports practice this week, so we might bbq a couple nights. Other wise its mostly soup and easy stuff when everyone else gets home late. Hoping for a bbq burger and oven fries tonight...love your blog!!!!

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  2. Did you notice that FRUGAL MAKES CENTS stopped blooging?

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  3. I like that kitchen. I have a friend with a new home. Her walk-in pantry is like that. With the doors shut, it just looks like more of the built in cupboards.

    No meal plan for me this week; since Sunday and Monday have already gone off menu, I don't have much hope for staying on track the rest of the week.

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  4. I like that kitchen too! Eating out every single night this week and loving it :)

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  5. LOVE that kitchen, but I'd need a deeper pantry to hide things in... I've got a lot of crap.

    ReplyDelete

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