Meal Plan Monday....the August 18th Edition

  

Today would have been my mother's 91st birthday.  That's her on the right side in the photo.  She and my aunt, my father's sister were born the same year and month but 9 days apart.  My aunt is still with us and celebrated her birthday 9 days ago.  I can't think of any family members who have lived as long.  My mother died at 65 so I have outlived her and my father died at 70.  My maternal grandfather's sister made it to 96 and her husband died at 101 so we've got some good genes somewhere. lol

Anyway, Happy Birthday to you mom.  I wish I could give you a hug.

Onward to the meal planning!  Here is what was planned for the last week.....

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Green Beans

2. Monday--me-Salad

3. Tuesday--

4. Wednesday--

5. Thursday--

6. Friday--

7. Saturday--

I don't plan right now.

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Green Beans

2. Monday--me-Salad

3. Tuesday--Steak, leftover Green Beans

4. Wednesday--Ginger Stir-Fry w/Chicken

5. Thursday--Leftover Chicken Parm, Caesar Salad

6. Friday--me-Salad

7. Saturday--Chinese Takeout(General Tso)

We shopped at Walmart, Shoprite, OSJL and Aldi.

What got taken out of the freezer.......

*  Frozen Chinese stir-fry

*  Chicken

*  Steak

The last week we spent a whopping $230.32 on groceries and the savings rate came in at 50.70%. Spending for the month is $309.08 and the savings rate is 45.82% for August before rebate monies are added in.

Rebates earned in August--

$93.67 on Ibotta

$22.90 on Checkout51

$0 on Aisle and Misc.

$116.57 total in $$

Total spent after rebates is $192.51

for August. I need to find someplace other than Walmart to buy groceries here.  It's crazy how much more food cost here than in LA. At least the sales tax is lower.  I miss Kroger. 8-((

4,978 Pts. on Fetch

2,901 Pts. on Swag Bucks

0 Pts. on My Points

0 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Before AND after rebates we had a very low spend month for groceries at least for us.

Leftovers going into next week...nothing.

Here is what was planned for this week.....

1. Sunday--Chicken Marsala, Yellow Zucchini 

2. Monday--me-Salad

3. Tuesday--Chicken Fajitas w/Peppers

4. Wednesday--Whole Roast Chicken, Carrots

5. Thursday--Haddock, Cabbage

6. Friday--Leftover Roast Chicken

7. Saturday--Pork Stir-fry

I don't plan right now as I am on a very restricted eating plan.  Some days I have a protein shake or bar for dinner and Hubs has whatever he wants.  I eat a good amount of sugar-free Jello and take in a lot of water to keep my stomach full midday.  Breakfast is usually strawberries and yogurt, Greek yogurt if I can find it.

I am trying to drop the last 15 lbs. to qualify for a Jiffy Knee replacement.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week.

Sluggy   

Meal Plan Monday....the Aug. 11th Edition

Look Kim!  A doughnut puzzle.........lol

Onward to the meal planning!  Here is what was planned for the last week.....

1. Sunday--Nothing was planned

2. Monday--

3. Tuesday-

5. Thursday--

6. Friday--

7. Saturday

4. Wednesday--

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Salad w/Balsamic Dressing

2. Monday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke

3. Tuesday--Fried Zucchini 

4. Wednesday--leftover Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke

5. Thursday--Don't Remember

6. Friday--leftover Fried Zucchini

7. Saturday--Salmon, Roasted Broccoli

We shopped at Walmart and Shoprite this past week so everything was bought there.

What got taken out of the freezer.......

* Salmon

* Chicken Thighs

The last week we spent $78.76 on groceries and the savings rate came in at 31.34%. Spending for the month is $78.76 and the savings rate is 31.34% for August before rebate monies are added in.

Rebates earned in August--

$53.92 on Ibotta

$11.90 on Checkout51

$0 on Aisle and Misc.

$65.82 total in $$

Total spent after rebates is $12.94

for August. I need to find someplace other than Walmart to buy groceries here. We picked up loss leaders at Shoprite but it's crazy how much more food cost here than in LA.  I miss Kroger. 8-((

1,150 Pts. on Fetch

1,600 Pts. on Swag Bucks

0 Pts. on My Points

0 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Before AND after rebates we had a very low spend month for groceries at least for us.

Leftovers going into next week...Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke.

Here is what was planned for this week.....

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Green Beans

2. Monday--me-Salad

3. Tuesday--

4. Wednesday--

5. Thursday--

6. Friday--

7. Saturday--

I don't plan right now as I am on a very restricted eating plan.  Some days I have a protein shake or bar for dinner and Hubs has whatever he wants.  I eat a good amount of sugar-free Jello and take in a lot of water to keep my stomach full midday.  Breakfast is usually strawberries and yogurt, Greek yogurt if I can find it.

I am trying to drop the last 15 lbs. to qualify for a Jiffy Knee replacement.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week.

Sluggy   

January Food Spending Week 1, Meal Plan January Week 2

*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.  

Today's kitchen......

The house design is one of those California style, open concept homes of the 1950's-the early1970's.  The cabinets are enameled metal with those funky colors, which put them squarely in the 1950's to early 1960's timewise.  I like that there is only 1 set of overhead cabinets  and 1 strip of the kitchen is open above the floor units.  The two tone pink and turquoise is a tad much for my eyes tho.lol 
And the unit on the far left looks like it's a washer or dryer?  Laundry facilities in the kitchen were oh, so modern back then and never really continued here in the States, once that era was over.

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--Leftovers-Pizzas, BBQ

MONDAY--Taco Bell

TUESDAY--Ham, Harvard Beets, Mashed Potatoes

WEDNESDAY--Leftovers

THURSDAY--Rigatoni and Meat Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread

FRIDAY--Chinese Take-Out
SATURDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Brussel Sprouts

The leftover ham and barbecue pork, along with some fresh mushrooms I didn't use after Christmas got frozen.  Everyone was tired of eating those two proteins now, so it's either freezer it for later or toss it, and we just don't toss food in this house anymore!

The food spending was high last week.

In all, I spent $109.87 last week at the grocery/drug stores.

I made 8 trips to various stores....3 to Rite-Aid, 2 to Big Lots, 2 to the local Shursave market and 1 trip to Save-a-Lot.   Reg. retail of $276.73(including the Rite-Aid items)so I saved 60.30% last week(mostly due to the Rite-Aid savings)....without R-A items it would have been 34.80% savings.
And besides Rite-Aid, I didn't use a single coupon. ;-)

1 Week in and I've spent 1/3 of my January food budget.

Going into Week 2, we have leftover penne pasta, meat sauce and some odds and ends.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--bucket of KFC *weekend special for $11*

MONDAY--Mac and Cheese, Broccoli

TUESDAY--homemade Chili, Cornbread

WEDNESDAY-- Fish, Wild Rice, Peach Salad

THURSDAY--Leftovers-fried chicken/mac and cheese/chili or ?

FRIDAY--homemade Pizza, carrot & celery sticks w/dressing
SATURDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, Onions, Ginger Carrots

I plan on using the leftover pasta to make mac and cheese(as there is a lot left), the leftover meat sauce will go into the crockpot chili(a small container of corn that's hanging out in the fridge will go into the cornbread that evening).

Other than the chicken we had Sunday night, there is no other take-out being served here this week.....crossing fingers.

Items needed for this menu.....I have everything needed to make/serve this menu. 
There is, however, a Catalina Deal on Nesquick at Weis this week which I may run, as the stockpile needs refilling.  If I run the deal 4 times I'll net 16 canisters + 4 other items and it will cost me $56.80 for all(with a $5 Cat Q leftover).  My cost will be 40% off reg. retail(not counting the leftover Cat Q).  If I can find some coupons to use, the deal will be better.  At any rate, those 16 canisters should get us through to next year.

So what is everyone else eating this week?  

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday....January 31st Edition

I'm trying to get back into writing down a Meal Plan for the week.
I run my Meal Plan here at Chez Sluggy from Sunday to Saturday....just so you know.

Here is this week's plan....

Sunday--Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Garlic Potatoes, Gravy, Summer Mix of Veggies in Pepper Sauce
Monday--Potluck Chili, Biscuits or Cornbread(can't decide which)
Tuesday--Macaroni and Cheese , Broccoli
Wednesday--Chicken Parmesan, Salad, Garlic Bread
Thursday--Leftovers-Hubs is not home for dinner
Friday--Kielbasa on Rolls with caramelized Onions, leftover Coleslaw
Saturday--Early Dinner out

Here's why I am serving some of this stuff....

Sunday-- I got a great deal on Saturday on cubed steak, $1.74lb!, so I decided to make this rib-sticker meal.  We even have a big piece leftover for some lucky family member for Leftover Friday!

 Monday--I spent an hour digging through the freezer, reorganizing and finding older things like some skillet steaks and tomatoes from the garden I froze whole and never canned.  I have a container of already cooked ground beef in the fridge to add so it's Potluck Chili time!

Tuesday--Haven't had this dish in awhile.  I've got all the ingredients, so why not?lol

Wednesday--I have some chicken cutlets to use up.  I will have to buy salad greens, but we didn't use the hamburger buns last week for garlic bread so we need to use them for this meal.

Thursday--Hopefully we'll have lots of first rate leftovers for this night.  chicken fried steak, chili, mac and cheez, and maybe some chicken parm.

Friday--I found a ring of Kielbasa in the depths of the freezer.  I have been craving this dish but won't spend $4+lb. for it and it hasn't been on sale around here.  Must remember to stock up when it goes on sale next time....  The coleslaw is leftover from Saturday.

Saturday--Eating out...probably just Hubs and I since Daughter will be off with her friends and #2 son will opt for a night home with WOW and Chicken Tenders.lol   In honor of the Chinese New Year we'll probably hit one of our fav. Asian restaurants during Happy Hour(aka discount hour).


As for what I need to buy to implement this plan?  Just some salad greens and maybe a cucumber...whatever I can find inexpensive in the produce dept. at the store this week.

Other than the perennial item on my list, milk, I don't need to buy anything else this week.
There are some Catalina Promos this week at Weis(I might do the Dog Food one)and Coupon Doublers at Price Chopper NE that might lure me out for cheap or free food items.  But other than that, immediate spending for food being eaten this week is about $8.

So what is going to be on your plate this week?

Check out Organizing Junkie's website HERE to see what other Home Cooks are whipping up this week for their families.

Sluggy

Meal Plan MONDAY.....January 24th Edition

I'm trying to get back into writing down a Meal Plan for the week.
I run my Meal Plan here at Chez Sluggy from Sunday to Saturday....just so you know.

Here is this week's plan....

Sunday--Sluggy's Beef Pie
Monday--Baked Catfish, Coleslaw, Seasoned Potatoes, Steamed Cauliflower
Tuesday--Half-Price Steaks at Logan's
Wednesday--Pasta with Meat Sauce, Salad with Walnuts/Feta/Vinaigrette Dressing
Thursday--Birthday Meal at Red Robin
Friday--Chicken Parmesan, Salad, Garlic Bread
Saturday--Leftovers

Here's why I am serving some of this stuff....

Sunday--I had a small hunk of leftover Meatloaf in the fridge that no one wanted to eat in it's present form.  I chopped it up and substituted that for the fresh Ground Beef in the Beef Pie dish.  I also had a couple of packets of Cornbread mix to use up in the stockpile.  It was Honey Cornbread so not the best choice for this dish but it was ok.

 Monday--I have half a head of cabbage and some potatoes to use up.  It will go well with the catfish I bought last week for $3.99lb.  I'll just put a bit of Mrs. Dash's Lemon Pepper on the fish and bake it.


Wednesday--We haven't had pasta in awhile here and Hubs is grumbling....he's Italian, go figure!lol  I bought a big pack of ground beef($1.88lb!)a bit ago and cooked it up into crumbles.  Half will go into the homemade meat sauce this week and the other half will go into the Pot of Chili I am planning for next Sunday.

Friday--I've got the chicken, the cheese and the Marinara sauce here.  The leftover salad greens from Wed. will serve as the base for another salad side dish tonight.  I have some whole wheat hamburger buns that are getting old so I'll use those as the base for my garlic bread.

The 2 nights eating out this week is a bit unusual for us.  The Red Robin trip is for a free birthday meal they sent me and the Logan's trip for steaks is to use some of those free gift certificates I talked about HERE.

Technically this is only a five night menu because of the eating out.
As for what I need to buy to implement this plan?  Just some salad greens and maybe a cucumber or pepper...whatever I can find inexpensive in the produce dept.*see me laugh!* at the store this week.

Other than milk, I don't need to buy anything else this week.

So what is going to be on your plate this week?

Check out Organizing Junkie's website HERE to see what other Home Cooks are whipping up this week for their families.

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday....November 22nd Edition...Gobble, Gobble

I won't be employing my BPLS system(=Browse/Plan/List/Shop)this week.
*Most weeks, I see what leftovers I need to incorporate into this week's meals, then I Browse the sale ads for the store, Plan a menu, Make a List of what you need for that menu and THEN go food Shopping.
Since I have an overflowing freezer/fridge this week, I'll be incorporating leftovers and shopping from what I have already on hand to come up with my meal plan.  The Thanksgiving foods were all purchased last week in advance of the holiday.

Here's what I will be serving our family of 4 this Week.....our household presently consists of 2 adults and 2 teens at home. (Except we will serve 6 on Thursday.)  No children under 14.

SUNDAY--Marinated Ginger Catfish, Garlic Mashed Taters, Stir Fried Mixed Veggies
MONDAY--Beef Enchiladas, Refried Beans, Guacamole and Salad
TUESDAY--BBQ Chicken Breasts, homemade Macaroni and Cheese, Veggie(to be determined)
WEDNESDAY--Homemade Boston Baked Beans, Hot Dogs, leftover Veggies from Sat.-Tues.
THURSDAY--Turkey Day
FRIDAY--NOT COOKING!  Plenty of Leftovers to graze upon
SATURDAY--Meatloaf, to be determined leftover side dishes we need to finish up from this week

How am I being frugal with this menu?

Sun.--The Catfish was bought on special, stockpiled taters, veggies on sale $1 a bag.
Mon.--I have leftover taco meat to use up so I'll add some fresh ground beef, onions and respice it all.  Plus I'll make my own Enchilada Sauce for pennies.  Beans from the stockpile, avocados were on special for $1 last week so I picked one up to make the guac.
Tues.--Chicken breast from Sat. on special, leftover alfredo sauce to use up I'll use as the base of the mac and cheese sauce along with shredded cheese in the freezer, pasta in the stockpile and frozen veg. also in the freezer.
Wed.--Bag of yellow eyed beans I got in Maine and stockpiled bacon for the BBBs, Hot Dogs in the freezer, Bread Outlet rolls to use up and leftover veggies.
Thurs.--Discount prices this last week on traditional Thanksgiving foods I bought along with stockpile foods make this as frugal as you can get for a big honking meal.lol
I'll be serving Turkey, stuffing, rolls(free after MIR), gravy(homemade), sweet potatoes, rutabaga, roasted fall root veggies, deviled eggs(used BOGO eggs coupon last week), pumpkin pie with whipped cream and key lime w/meringue pie.
Fri.--The ultimate in frugal cooking.....serving a leftover buffet. ;-)
Sat.--Meatloaf fixings in the freezer/stockpile and using up leftovers.

LAST WEEK'S FOOD SPENDING
I spent $85.29 last week on groceries.  I have $37.08 left in my $250 monthly food budget until the end of November.

The only purchase for this menu is possibly some bread for the stuffing on Thanksgiving.  I'll head over to the Bread Outlet tomorrow for that.

FOOD WASTE REPORT
Nothing went bad, nothing wasted last week. 

Check out ORGANIZING JUNKIE to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week.

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday, er.....Tuesday

I'm getting back into writing down a Meal Plan for the week.
I run my Meal Plan here at Chez Sluggy from Sunday to Saturday anyway so I am not wedded to posting it on Monday.
And seeing as I am a habitual procrastinator, usually my Meal Plan mondays turned into Meal Plan tuesdays anyway.lol
So here is this week's plan....

Sunday--Beef Stroganoff, Salad
Monday--TV Dinners or leftovers
Tuesday--Homemade Mac and Cheese, Collards
Wednesday--Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Thursday--Tacos, Corn
Friday--Fish and/or Crabcakes, Sauteed Green Beans w/Mushrooms, Potatoes of some kind
Saturday--Pasta with Meatballs, leftover Collards

Here's why I am serving some of this stuff....
Sunday--I had leftover steak to use up, so cut it up, slow cook it with onions, garlic, mushrooms, then throw in paprika, parsley, ketchup and sour cream and serve over rice.  Pretty fancy shmancy for leftovers, huh?

Tuesday--Hubs pulled up all the collard plants on Sunday, thus collards on the menu.  We haven't had a good homemade mac & cheese in awhile.  No meat needed with these 2 sides.

Wednesday--I have 1/2 of a restaurant sized can of creamed soup leftover to use up as well as some refrigerated pie crusts.  The soup will form the base of my sauce in the pot pie.  Frozen veggies and chicken so nothing to buy.

Saturday--Big pot of collards from Tuesday, so there will be leftovers to eat again.

I won't need to go to the grocery store for anything served this week.  The only thing I don't have here is tartar sauce for the crab cakes, but I'll make my own instead of buying a jar.
Planning your menu helps you eat large on little cost and eat healtheir.

So what is going to be on your plate this week?

Sluggy

My Shopping Trips and Meal Plan Monday Menu....Rambling Post

Not that this will help anyone directly,l but I just have to post about it since it's the closest to a honest-to-goodness Grocery Deal I've done in ages!  We bought other stuff but I wanted to mention this deal in case stores near you were going to run something like this one in the near future.

Our local independent chain stores--each one is independently owned, but they share an affiliation(shurfine brand markets), so they share the same weekly deals/sales--had a double dip opportunity I just found out about on Sat. morning.  The bad news was their deal was ending that evening. 8-P

This past week they were running a General Mills sale/deal.....buy 12 participating items(most of which were on sale as well and there were coupons in circulation for these items)and get an instant $5 off your bill.  Other chains may run this as a Catalina deal instead of an Instant Discount deal.  Among the included General Mills 'brands' were Green Giant, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Yoplait, etc.

Included in the participating items were the small, boxed Green Giant veggies, which were on sale for $1.25 each.  This chain is also participating in a nationwide Green Giant Catalina through Oct. 3rd--Get a $1 Cat WYB 4 boxes/Get a $2 Cat WYB 6 boxes/Get a $3 Cat WYB 8 boxes or more, making this a great Double Dip Opportunity!

I've got no pic of all the items we bought but here's a shot of some of the frozen vegs...

So I bought.....
8 Green Giant veggies @ $1.25=$10.00
2 Betty Crocker Taters @ $1.25=$2.50
2 Coco Puffs Cereal @ $2.00=$4.00
SubTotal....$16.50

Coupons Used
2 x $.60/3 IP Green Giant Qs(1st identical Q doubles to $1)=$1.60
1 x $1/2 BC Taters IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 GM Cereals IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total...$3.60

$16.50-$3.60=$12.90
Minus Instant $5 off Bill for buying 12 items $12.90-$5.00=$7.90 OOP
And I received a $3 Catalina for buying the 8 Veggies, so after figuring in that, the 'OOP' is $4.90.

I brought Hubs along and at another register he bought....

8 Green Giant veggies @ $1.25=$10.00
3 Hamburger Helper @ $1.00=$3.00
1 Cheerios Cereal @ $2.00=$2.00
SubTotal....$15.00

Coupons Used
2 x $.60/3 IP Green Giant Qs(1st identical Q doubles to $1)=$1.60
1 x $1/3 Hamburger Helper IPQ=$1.00
1 x $.55 Cheerios IPQ=$.55(didn't double)
Coupon Total...$3.15

$15.00-$3.15=$11.85
Minus Instant $5 off Bill for buying 12 items $11.85-$5.00=$6.85 OOP
And I received a $3 Catalina for buying the 8 Veggies....$6.85-$3.00=$3.85
AND as an unexpected Bonus, Hubs received a $1.50 WYB  Beef/Chicken/Tuna Catalina(for buying 3 Hamburger Helpers)....$3.85-$1.50=$2.35 'OOP'

 $7.90 + $6.85=$14.75 OOP for 24 items(16 veggies, 3 cereals, 5 boxed taters and helpers)& $7.50 in Catalinas to use next trip, since I didn't use Cat from Transaction #1 in Transaction #2, as they were done simultaneously.

 The bad thing is that I have to go to this particular Shurfine affiliated store to use them and I can't use them at the store here in Teeny Tiny Town.
But I drive the 5 miles to go to that affiliated store anyway since they DO take internet coupons!

Other items purchased were 2 gallons of milk, 9 white eggplant, 5lb potatoes, 1 lb. red peppers, 1 lb. broccoli, 1lb. peaches, 6lbs. apples, 1.39lb. bananas, bottle of dipping mustard, 2 packages of Oreos, 9 lbs. of chicken & a pie that was on clearance.
We spent $53.11 combined($14.75 of that was on the GM Cat deal).
Reg. retail of all items was $116.06
Savings of 54.25%


We also went to Weis Markets on Saturday and picked up more groceries......have I mentioned I haven't gone grocery shopping since last month?lol


4 x Perdue bags of chicken tenders(for #2 son on band nights) on sale $4.00=$16.00
3 x Weis shredded cheese on sale 3/$5=$5.00
5 x Weis cream cheese on sale $1=$5.00
1 x 3lb. Jennie-O ground turkey=$5.99
2 x 8 oz. fresh oysters on clearance $3.59=$7.18
1 x iceberg lettuce on sale=$1.50
2 x fresh pears on sale=$.83
3 x fresh limes on sale=$.60
1 x celery on sale=$1.50
3lbs. sweet italian sausage=$6.05
SubTotal....$49.65

Coupons Used
4 x $1/1 Perdue chicken ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $3/1 Instant Discount Q for Sausage=$3.00
Coupon Total....$7.00

$49.61-$7.00=$42.65
Reg. retail $80.53
Savings of 47%

Grand Total spent for all shopping....$95.76
Total value of items....$196.59
Savings of 51.30%


Ok, so I bet you are asking yourself, "self, why did Sluggy buy this particular stuff?".
Glad you asked!! ;-)

To analyze the purchases....
*The Cat deal stuff is obvious--veggies for the freezer, helper & instant potatoes for quick fix nights, 1 cereal for me and the chocolate stuff for #2 son snacks.
Other items bought at Gerrity's Shurfine....
*2 gallons of milk--we were totally out of milk
*2 packages of Oreos--tried to use the free Oreo/milk Q but they wouldn't take it so I bought Oreos anyway for #2 son snacks(they were on sale at least)
*9 white eggplant--great price for this so Eggplant Parmesan is on the menu this evening
*5lb potatoes--cheap price for this
*1 lb. red peppers--ditto, I'll slice and freeze these for use this winter
*1 lb. broccoli--for dinner this week
*1lb. peaches--great price
* 6lbs. apples--ditto
* 1.39lb. bananas--ditto...daughter is on a fresh fruit binge lately
* bottle of dipping mustard--had $1 off coupon so got it for $1.25. #2 son likes this with his chicken tenders
* 9 lbs. of chicken--great price on boneless chicken breast so I stocked up some
* a pie--Hubs wanted this and with the $2 off instant coupon stuck to it, I said ok!lol
*4 bags of Perdue chicken-#2 son is in the midst of Marching Band season so he needs easy meal protein most nights since he isn't here for dinner.  It was $2.99 a bag after coupons so I bought as many as I had coupons for.
*3 Shredded Cheese-on sale for $1.66 bag and I still needed some in the stockpile.
 *5 Cream Cheese--stock up price so I did.lol
*Ground Turkey roll--Daughter needs easy meal protein some nights as well due to her part time job schedule. I divided this roll into burger patties for her.
*Fresh Oysters--50% off on something we hardly ever buy.  At this price, we splurged and had fried oysters for dinner last night. ;-)
* Lettuce-good price, we were out.
*Pears--sale price, daughter wanted
*Limes--sale price, I wanted for my iced tea
*Celery--good price, we were out.  I'll make clam chowder this week, plus use some for raw veggie sticks for snacks.
*3lb. italian sausage--with Instant Meat Dept. Coupon this was $1 a lb....half of any sale price around here so I grabbed it.  Many uses for this item....in spaghetti sauce, in meatloaf, in various other casseroles or just grilled and eaten on a bun.

My Meal Plan Menu so far for this week....
Sunday--fried oysters, fried potatoes, fried crabcakes, sauted yellow squash
Monday--eggplant parmesan, steamed broccoli
Tuesday--leftovers
Wednesday--grilled chicken, potatoes and onions, tbd fresh veggie-all on the grill
Thursday--spaghetti & meatballs, salad
Friday--Game night so Hamburger Helper, assorted  steamed veggies
Saturday--clam chowder and sandwiches or leftovers again

I'm using some of what I bought this week but I'll have chicken, chicken tenders, potatoes, ground turkey, italian sausage, cream cheese and the shredded cheese, along with most of the GM items from the Cat deal left for next week's meals.

Have you found any good Deals lately?

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday.....June 14th TUESDAY Edition Incorporating Leftovers

**This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.**

Planning your meals ahead but using the sale ads and incorporating any leftovers from the previous week's meals is a great way to save money and avoid food waste.  These are the main ideas I keep in mind when planning our menu.  While I won't be shopping much this week I do have alot of leftovers to use up.

Last Week's Menu Postmortem...

Most of the meals were served but not on the days I had planned.  That's ok in my book!
The chicken thighs didn't happen as we had a celebratory dinner out for #1 son since he will be away from home on his actual birthday.

Here's what I will be serving our family of 3 this Week.....our household presently consists of 2 adults and 1 teen at home this week. No children under 14.

MONDAY--Turkey(leftover)*, Mashed Potatoes, homemade Gravy, Peas
TUESDAY--Beef Enchiladas(using leftover chili)*, Salad
WEDNESDAY--Pulled Pork(leftover)*, Coleslaw, Broccoli
THURSDAY--Dinner Out using Gift Certificate
FRIDAY--Something Turkey(leftover)*, Veggies to be announced later
SATURDAY--Homemade Clam Chowder(using leftover corn)*, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Brussel Sprouts
SUNDAY--Leftovers

Here are the cost breakdowns...

Turkey Dinner--Turkey* free, Mashed Potatoes* free, homemade Gravy .10, Peas .30=$.40


Enchiladas--Beef $1.69, Sauce .79, Cheese $2.00, Tortillas $1.00, Rice .60, Sour Cream .50, Salad* free, Dressing .75=$7.33  This will make a double batch and I'll freeze half for another meal.


Pork--Pulled Pork* free, Sauce .50, Rolls .50, Coleslaw $1.25, Broccoli .83=$3.08


Dinner Out--Free with Gift Certificate


Turkey Meal--Turkey* free, Veggies to be announced later=$? but since the meat is free(leftovers) the cost will be low for the other ingredients

Chowder and Sandwiches w/Veggie--Clams $2.00, Corn* free, Bacon .50, Milk $1.59, Onions .25, Celery .25, Potatoes .50/ Bread .50, Cheese $1.63, Brussel Sprouts .83=$8.05


SUNDAY--Leftovers

Adding up what has already been spent and what I need to spend for this week's menu, I can serve this menu of 6 meals to a family of 3 adults/teens for a total of $20.86(figuring $2 max for the carbs/veggies to round out the unspecified turkey meal on Friday).  This cost also gives me a second Enchilada meal for another week.

Leftover nights have no cost as they were already figured in when the meal was served the first time. If you divide the meals' cost by 6 nights, you get an average cost per night of $3.48. That's $1.16 per person per night. And this is mostly a cooking from scratch menu. The only 'processed foods' are the salad dressing and the rolls/bread.
The items marked with the asteriks are free as they are leftovers and the cost was already paid.
Looking over this menu I've got leftovers going every night of the week that I am cooking!lolol

How am I being frugal with this menu?
*The Turkey meals are using the leftover roasted turkey from last week.  Between snacking on turkey last weekend(sandwiches)and the 2 meals this week, we should polish off all the turkey.*The Beef Enchiladas...No leftover Sloppy Joes this week but I have leftover Chili I can add to the filling to spice it up.
*The Pulled Pork is leftover boneless ribs I cooked when we grilled out the Friday before last.  I made them in case we ran out of food that night with the extra mouths here to feed.  Since we didn't need them, I'll make them into bbq this week.  By using sauce I can revive them even though they are a bit dry, being this old.  No one will know the difference....lol
*I also had leftover ears of roasted corn from that cookout.  I cut the kernels off the cobs and froze it.  That corn will be a nice addition to my clam chowder.

LAST WEEK'S FOOD SPENDING

I spent $37.76 at the store last week on groceries.
I 'spent' $8.60 in food items already in my pantry/freezer for a Food Stamp Challenge weekly total of $46.36. 
My total FSC spending for June is at $140.66.
I have an allotment of $410.72 to spend in June on food due to my participation in the June Food Stamp Challenge.
I have $270.06 remaining.

The only NEEDS for this week's menu are rolls, bread, cabbage, carrots, fruit and milk. Since I can't get the baked goods at the bakery outlet(they don't take EBT) I'll have to find a sale on bread/rolls at the reg. grocery store which will make those items cost me more.  I'm hoping to keep this list under $20 in price.
I don't see much in the stores this week that I want to stock-up on so I should be able to keep the food spending low this week.

FOOD WASTE REPORT

We had a waste casualty this week.  A bowl of something brown(most likely in the meat family)got pushed to the back and forgotten.  It was more mold than meat when found so we lost a tad more than 1 cup of food last week.
Food Waste sucks.....

Check out Organizing Junkie to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week.

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday.....June 7th Edition w/Spending Breakdown

**This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.**

I know I haven't done a Meal Plan Monday in awhile but thought I'd get back into this week.

For all you June Food Stamp Challenge readers.....
One way to keep control on your food costs is to plan your meals ahead.  Figure out what to serve before you go to the store and buy food.  It can be a rigid per day menu or just a loose list of meals that will appear on your table at some point in the week...whichever works for you.

When you have a list of meals to serve it's easier to just buy what you need, because you now KNOW what you need!  How many times have you gone to the store and come home with bags of groceries, spending $100 or more and after emptying your bags find that you don't have the ingredients for what you want to cook?
It's happened to me in the past....but not since I plan ahead!
It's what I call my BPLS system.....Browse/Plan/List/Shop.
Browse the sale ads for the store, Plan a menu, Make a List of what you need for that menu and THEN go food Shopping.

Last Week's Menu Postmortem...
There was a very loose menu plan last week.  We had relatives visiting for the week and I hosted 2 large dinners.  We did NOT go out to eat while they were here(except for 1 2-person lunch)for a change, so it was cooking at home for the week.  2 nights we had 'fend for yourself' or leftover nights to use up bits and pieces I didn't incorporate into the dishes I cooked fresh.  We also did brinner....aka breakfast for dinner one evening which was a nice cost-efficient meal.

Here's what I will be serving our family of 5 this Week.....our household presently consists of 2 adults and 3 teens at home.  No children under 14.

MONDAY--Beef Stew ala Crockpot, Whack Biscuits
TUESDAY--Spaghetti with Meatless Balls, Tossed Salad
WEDNESDAY--Roast Turkey, Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Wax Beans
THURSDAY--Sloppy Joes on rolls, Tossed Salad
FRIDAY--BBQ Chicken Thighs, Green Rice Casserole
SATURDAY--Beef Enchiladas,  Mixed Greens Salad
SUNDAY--leftovers


Here are the cost breakdowns...
Beef Stew....Meat $2.32, Onion .25, Carrots .50, Potatoes $1.00, Celery .25, Green Beans .30, Stock free, Spices .10, Biscuits .50=$5.22
Spaghetti w/Meatless Balls....Pasta .50, Sauce $1.50, 'Ball' ingredients $2.10, Salad .99, Dressing $1.00=$6.09
Turkey Dinner...Turkey free, Stuffing $2.00, Sweet Potatoes $2.70, Beans  free=$4.70
Sloppy Joes....Ground Beef $2.54, Rolls .50, Sauce $1.00, Salad .99, Dressing $1.00=$6.03
BBQ Chicken Dinner...Chicken .13, Sauce .25, Rice $1.00, Spinach $1.00, Other casserole ingredients $2.00=$4.38
Enchiladas...Ground Beef .85, Tortillas $1.00, Refried Beans .50, Enchilada Sauce .79, Cheese $2.00, Onion .25, assorted Spices .30. Sour Cream .50, Salad .99, Dressing $1.00=$8.18
Leftovers.....free

Adding up what has already been spent and what I need to spend for this week's menu, I can serve this menu of 5 meals to a family of 4 adults/teens for a total of $34.60.

Leftover nights have no cost as they were already figured in when the meal was served the first time.  If you divide the meals' cost by 6 nights, you get an average cost per night of $5.77.  That's $1.15 per person per night.  And this is mostly a cooking from scratch menu.  The only 'processed foods' are the Whack biscuits & jarred Spaghetti Sauce.  To be honest, some of my ingredients are free.....the whole turkey from last fall for a "buying XX$ in groceries" promotion and the homemade vegetable stock.  Having to pay for these items would raise your costs but even with that, this is a very frugal menu.

How am I being frugal with this menu?

The Beef Stew....I am using leftover London Broil slices and a small package of purchased Stew Cubes bought on Saturday to supplement(you can check out that post for details on how I got the meat for cheap).  The stock is in the freezer, made the last time I pan roasted veggies.  I added water and pureed them for a thick vegetable stock for free.

The Beef Enchiladas...I'll take the leftover Sloppy Joe beef to put into this dish.  I've budgeted a small amount of 'fresh' ground beef to add as well in case the Sloppy Joes are popular.lol  The sauce in the Sloppy Joes means I don't need to add tomatoes to season the enchilada filling.  It will require a bit of dried mexican type spices(cumin, chili powder)only.
If the Meatless Balls are NOT popular, they can be crumbled up and added to the Enchilada filling as well to extend it.

The Turkey Dinner turkey was free.  It needs to be used while everyone is home, so it has to be this week.  There will still be leftover meat so it is a prime candidate for Saturday's Leftovers meal.  We might get a few sandwiches out of it and then a small pot of turkey chili on next week's menu as well.
The beans with this meal are also free....it's the last bag of beans from our garden last summer.

You'll notice I have us eating salad 3 times this week.  There is an excellent deal on salad this week(I can get 3 bags free!) and salad doesn't keep long so we must eat it.  Changing other add-in veggies or dressings will keep it from tasting like the same thing each time.

LAST WEEK'S FOOD SPENDING
I spent $87.91 last week on groceries(not including pet food).  I have an allotment of $410.72 to spend in June on food due to my participation in the June Food Stamp Challenge located HERE.  I have $322.81 remaining.

The only NEEDS for this week's menu are potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad greens, spinach, milk.  This should run me about $15.  I do plan on taking advantage of a few sales this week to stock-up on cheese(always needed here), canned chili(for #2 son summer lunches), frozen veggies(to get us through until the local farm stand opens) and ricotta cheese(to use next week).

FOOD WASTE REPORT
Nothing went bad, nothing wasted this week. 

Check out ORGANIZING JUNKIE to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week.

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday.....April 5th Edition w/Spending Breakdown

Last Week's Menu Postmortem...
I injured my shoulder last weekend so there was NO Meal Plan or cooking done by yours truly last week.
Hubby pitched in and cooked a few nights and we got take-out for the other nights. 

Here's what I will be serving our family of 4 this Week.....our household presently consists of 2 adults and 2 teens at home.  No children under 14.

This week we'll be using leftover Ham from Sunday's dinner to make two new meals this week. Monday's dinner is also using a leftover grain from a few weeks back to build a new meal.  Since alot of what I am serving is stockpiled, I'm adding a Cost Breakdown Section where I'll list what I paid for the ingredients that are on hand so you can see what I spend w/stockpiling & sales versus buying it weekly when it might not be on sale. If I use a leftover ingredient I won't add that cost as it was already figured into the previous meal's cost.

MONDAY--Bolognese Sauce(freezer and stockpile) over Fried Polenta(leftover from Shrimp and Grits meal), Tossed Salad Greens(need to buy) with Dressing(stockpile)
TUESDAY--Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Ham(stockpile/freezer/leftover ham), Steamed Broccoli(have)
WEDNESDAY--Haluski(have & stockpile), Spinach Salad(freezer-bacon/have eggs/need to buy spinach)*Mostly a vegetable/grain meal with some dairy/No meat meal(except for a bit of bacon)
THURSDAY-Tortellini Alfredo(stockpile), Tossed Salad(need to buy)w/Dressing(stockpile)
FRIDAY--Fish(freezer), Coleslaw(have & stockpile), Oysters(have), Rice(stockpile), Corn(stockpile)
SATURDAY---Creamy Potatoes and Ham(using leftover ham/need to buy potatoes) , Wax & Green Beans(freezer)
SUNDAY--Eat Out

I'll post the recipe for the Halushki recipes later in the week. 

Here are the cost breakdowns...
Bolognese over Fried Polenta w/Tossed Salad--Polenta is leftover(.00¢), oil for frying(.30¢), tomatoes and spices for sauce($1.20), italian sausage for sauce($1.00), ground beef for sauce($1.69), salad greens($2.00), salad dressing(.50¢)=$6.69
Mac and Cheese with Ham with Broccoli Dinner--ham is leftover(.00¢),noodles($1.00),cheese($3.00), milk($1.00),roux ingredients(.70¢), broccoli($1.49)=$7.19
Halushki w/Spinach Salad--Cabbage(.78¢), Egg Noodles(.50¢), Onions(.25¢), Butter(.40¢), Salt/Pepper(.05¢), Spinach($1.50),Bacon(.50¢), Egg(.13¢), Dressing(.50¢)=$4.61
Spinach Tortellini Alfredo Dinner--Tortellini($3.00), Alfredo Sauce jarred($1.25), Parmesan Cheese(.70¢),Salad Greens($2.00), Dressing(.50¢)=$7.45
Fish Dinner--Flounder($5.99),Hush Puppy Mix for breading(.50¢), Oil for frying(.70¢), Cabbage(.78¢), Mayo, Sugar, Celery Seed & Vinegar(.75¢), Potatoes(.99¢)=$9.71
Potato & Ham Dinner--Ham is leftover(.00¢), Potatoes(.50¢), Butter (.60¢), Cream Cheese($1), Cheese($1), Milk(.50¢), Spices(.30¢), Green Beans($1)=$5.40

Adding up what has already been spent and what I need to spend for this week's menu, I can serve this menu of 6 meals to a family of 4 adults/teens for a total of $41.05.

Leftover nights have no cost as they were already figured in when the meal was served the first time.  If you divide the meals' cost by 6 nights(Sunday is dining out & that's on the enterainment budget), you get an average cost per night of $6.84.  That's $1.71 per person per night.  And this is mostly a cooking from scratch menu.  The only 'processed foods' are the jarred Alfredo Sauce and the Salad Dressing.   Who says you can't cook healthy on the cheap?

LAST WEEK'S FOOD SPENDING
Being sick, I didn't set foot into a grocery store last week...I did go to Rite-Aid but since I had Gift Cards I spent nothing out of pocket.  I did send DH to the store at some point for a few things to tide us over and he spent $26.52 on deli meat and cheeses and some hamburger as he hadn't thawed any ground beef that day for dinner.  He also bought himself a bag of potato chips.  No coupons used, nothing bought on sale.  But in a crisis, you pay what you have to and you buy what you have to, right?  I am thankful for the stockpile during weeks like that.  Between the freezer and stockpile we had most of what DH needed to make some healthy-ish meals.


The only NEEDS for this week's menu are potatoes, milk, salad greens, cabbage and fresh spinach.  There is a special on grated cheese which we are almost out of so I'll pick some up as well.  I am going to say $20 will get us through the week and this menu.


FOOD WASTE REPORT
Nothing wasted this week...Again! 8-))

Check out ORGANIZING JUNKIE to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week.

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday.....March 15th Edition w/Spending Breakdown

Last Week's Menu Postmortem...
Everything was served as planned except the Corned Beef.  Couldn't find an inexpensive deal on Corned Beef anywhere last week.  I found one on Sunday so we are on for Corned Beef this week.

Here's what I will be serving our family of 4 this Week.....our household presently consists of 2 adults and 2 teens at home.  No children under 14.

This week we'll be using 2 leftover proteins to make two new meals. Since alot of what I am serving is stockpiled, I'm adding a Cost Breakdown Section where I'll list what I paid for the ingredients that are on hand so you can see what I spend w/stockpiling & sales versus buying it weekly when it might not be on sale. If I use a leftover ingredient I won't add that cost as it was already figured into the previous meal's cost.

MONDAY--Homemade Pizza(stockpile)
TUESDAY--Corned Beef(bought Sunday), Cabbage(need to buy), Carrots(need to buy), Potatoes(need to buy), Biscuits(fridge)
WEDNESDAY--Gourmet Chili(using leftover Pot Roast--freezer/stockpile)
THURSDAY--Creamy Potatoes and Ham(using leftover ham--freezer/root cellar) , Wax & Green Beans(freezer)
FRIDAY--Sloppy Joes(freezer/stockpile), Cole Slaw(need to buy cabbage), Buns, Corn(stockpile)
SATURDAY--Leftovers
SUNDAY--Lemon Pepper Chicken(freezer), Rice(stockpile), Zucchini(bought Sunday)


Here are the cost breakdowns...
Pizza--Flour(.10¢), Yeast(.60¢), Olive Oil(.25¢), Tomato Paste(.20¢), Herbs(.10¢), Cheese($1.00), Onion(.25¢), Pepperoni (.50¢)=$3.00
Corned Beef Dinner--Corned Beef($3), Cabbage(.87¢), Carrots(.50¢), Potatoes($1))Biscuits(.50¢)=$5.40
Chili--Pot Roast leftovers(free), Ground Beef($1.69), Green Chilles(.32¢),Spices(.80¢), Beans($1.29), Tomatoes(.99¢), Onion(.25¢), Cheese(.50¢), Sour Cream(.25¢), Biscuits(free/leftover)=$6.09
Potato & Ham Dinner--Ham leftovers(free), Potatoes($1), Butter (.60¢), Cream Cheese($1), Cheese($1), Milk(.50¢), Spices(.30¢), Green Beans($1)=$5.40
Sloppy Joes--Ground Beef($1.69), Sauce($1), Buns($1), Cabbage(.29¢), Carrot(.25¢), Mayo/Sugar/Vinegar(.60¢),Corn(.30¢)=$5.13
Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini--chicken($1.03),lemon pepper/flour(.85¢), oil(.75¢),zucchini($2.46), tomatoes(.99¢), rice($1)=$7.08


Adding up what has already been spent and what I need to spend for this week's menu, I can serve this menu of 6 meals(plus enough leftovers for a 7th meal) to a family of 4 adults/teens for a total of $32.07.

Leftover nights have no cost as they were already figured in when the meal was served the first time.  If you divide the meals' cost by 7 nights, you get an average cost per night of $4.58.  That's $1.15 per person per night.  And this is mostly a cooking from scratch menu.  The only 'processed foods' are the can of Sloppy Joe sauce and the roll of biscuits.  Who says you can't cook healthy on the cheap?

LAST WEEK'S FOOD SPENDING
$135.15 was spent on food/toiletries last week.
This is quite high for me!  But I did a lot of stockpiling necessities....ok, ok, I did buy some junk too(cereal/cookies/ice cream).lol
$98.16 at Weis(doing the Catalina Deals to stockpile items--chicken, fish, frozen veggies, pasta sauce, ketchup, bleaches, etc.), $.49 at CVS, $8.02 at WAGS, $28.14(stockpiling noodles, bacon, sour cream, ice cream, hot cocoa & rice),  and $.34 OOP at Rite-Aid on bunches of stuff.
Approx. $116 of the $135.15 spent was strictly for food.

The only NEEDS for this menu are cabbage, potatoes and carrots. Since cabbage is at a rock bottom low here this week thanks to St. Patty's Day, I'll pick up some extra cabbage this week for a Polish dish I am making for next week's menu.  I also have 2 $5 Cats for Price Chopper NE that I'll use to buy inexpensive Corned Beef this week.  The $7 Cat for Weis I might hang onto until next week as there isn't much for cheap there I want to use it on this week.
There is a good deal on shredded Sargento cheese(sale + doubled coupons)this week at the local independent grocer and we are getting mighty low.  Luckily, I still have a gift card I won in a contest that's good at this store so I shouldn't be out any cash if I get the cheese.
With the gift card and Cats for the stock-up goods I am hoping to get through the week on $10 OOP for the necessities.


FOOD WASTE REPORT
Nothing wasted this week.  All the leftovers have been eaten except last night's pot roast and Friday's ham and these are earmarked for meals this week.  There are some side dish leftovers(and a bit of chicken) from last week that the dogs will enjoy with their meals this week.

Check out ORGANIZING JUNKIE to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week.

Sluggy