Meal Plan Monday

Here's what is on the Menu at Sluggy's house this week.

I'm trying to use up all the leftover so we have no food waste this week. The beagles will take care of the leftover sweet potatoes and a bit of roasted turkey I found in the fridge from the week before.

Monday-Chicken Parmesan(carry over from last week, as I made Fried Chicken instead), Carrots(leftover from Pot Roast last week), Corn-on-the-cob

Tuesday-Take out(The new countertops are being installed this day!)

Wednesday-Spaghetti w/Meatballs & Sausage, Spinach Salad, Garlic Bread

Thursday-Chicken & Bean Enchiladas(leftover chicken from Sunday), Spanish Rice, Green Beans

Friday-Baked Fish, Steak Fries, Asparagus, Apple Sauce

Saturday-Clam (& Fish if leftover from night before)Chowder & Grilled Cheese or Chicken Sandwiches

Sunday-Kielbasa w/Onions & Peppers, Mixed Vegetables

Desserts for the Week-Pineapple, Carrot Cake, Hickory Farms Petit Fours

Organizing Junkie is the home to Menu Plan Monday.

Go see what's on her and many other Home Cooks' Menus for the week at Organizing Junkie's website.

Sluggy

Food Budget Part II

Ok, here are my grocery spending totals for Feb. 2009. Please sit down before you read if large sums of money make you queasy.

This Monthly total includes Toiletries/HBAs/Paper Goods/Cleaning Products/Pet Food & Supplies....oh, and food too. We are a family of 5-2 parents & 3 eating machines, er....I mean teenagers(God help me).

Merchandise Value Total: $2524.90
Deduct....
Value of Coupons: $561.89
Store Sales Savings: $758.29
Rewards/Gift Cards/ECB's Used: $118.96
You get.....
Paid Out of Pocket: $1085.76

Savngs Total(Coupons/Sales/Rewards):$1439.14
Average % Saved: 56.9%

Rewards/ECB's Earned: $62.92
Rebates Sent For: $138.43
(ECB's & Gift Cards balance rolled over into next month: $20.99)

Total Cost to me (after rewards earned and rebates): $863.42

I found a Food Plan chart from the USDA that I am going to use to set a monthly food budget. The chart is located Here.
The dollar amounts of the Plans are based on food prices for Dec. 2008, which is the latest month for which the info. is available. There are 4 levels of food spending-Thrifty, Low Cost, Moderate Cost & Liberal. According to this governmental chart, my family should be spending anywhere from $784.30 a Month to eat on the cheap to $1542.40 a Month to dine on steak & caviar.....well, maybe NOT the caviar.
I am all about eating on the cheap but not so cheap that it has questionable nutritional value and/or it tastes bad. Yes, I let the kids eat their share of Pop Tarts and Kraft Mac & Cheese in the box but it's not an everyday thing and they get plenty of 'real' food most of the time. We eat well here and I'm not going to put the family on a ramen noodles and generic hot dog diet to save an extra buck or two.

But I just can't believe we spent that much on food for a month. Granted, I'd guesstimate that about $300-400 of what I spent was stocking up on things we use at incredibly LOW prices so that makes me feel a little better.

I guess I'm just shocked by the current cost of food. I read recently that food on avg. has gone up in price about 9-10% in the past year? Can that be right?!

I remember when husband & I were in college....back when dinosaurs roamed the earth as my kids say, but really it was the early 1980's/late 1970's. The two of us ate, albeit it WAS a meager menu, for $20 a week. Nowadays you can't even eat for 2 days on that! I use to wheel our little grocery handcart up the 6 short blocks to the big A&P on the main thoroughfare bordering the ghetto-esque part of the neighborhood in Baltimore. As starving students, we ate alot of Kraft Mac & Cheese with either hamburger or tuna fish mixed in, hot dogs & beans, hamburgers, pasta with sauce or for a special treat-Lasagna. You could buy a pound of mozzarella cheese for $1.99. Generic Kraft was 8 for $1., a can of tuna was 49 cents, pasta was 20 cents a box & spaghetti sauce was 89 cents a jar & a can of green beans was 29 cents. I'd love to go back to prices like that but not the quality of food it bought.

Except for the price of lobsters. I'd love to go back with my income TODAY to my 1st summer job in Maine in 1980. There was a guy selling lobsters out the back of his pick-up truck in the parking lot of the Stop & Shop. 1980 price for fresh just off the boat lobster in 1980 Maine?.....$2 lb.
To have a spare $20 and a Time Machine right about now.
I would eat myself into a lobster stupor.
Seriously.
In a heartbeat.

Back to the point.
I am going to try to stick to the "low cost" monthly food plan this year, the $1038.70 one.
That will include any stocking up I do too.
For Savings Challenge Goal Challenge purposes, I am going to put a Food Budget Limit of $250 for March however. I want to try to get through March with only buying milk, bread and fresh veggies/fruits, as I plan for us to eat down the pantry this month. I figure $150 and another $100 for any seriously low deals for stockpiling that may pop up later in the month.
Then for April, I'll go to the $1038.70 monthly budget.

So what do YOU spend for food a month at your house?
Do tell!

Sluggy

Food Budget and Low Spend on Food March

Hubby has always said I never do anything halfway. When I get 'into' something I jump in with both feet. The month of February was a blur of Couponing & Rebating for me. I am still wading through the mounds of grocery/drug store receipts but I know I waaaaay overspent stocking up on foods for the family at very good prices, in addition to my normal monthly grocery spending.

I am putting myself on a $150 grocery budget for what's left of the MONTH of March. Yes, I hit CVS AND Walgreen's on Sunday already this week, so I should have that out of my system for a few weeks now and can devote March to not spending & eating down on our stash of food.

I figure, with all the preserved, frozen, canned, boxed food I have stockpiled, we should only have to buy milk, some bread and maybe some fresh fruit & veggies sporadically to get through March. And we shouldn't need to buy any paper goods, cleaners or HBAs either this month. I am betting on $150 to cover the little we may need. Unless hubby runs through all his coffee, then all bets are off!lol

After I sit down and finish calculating the last 4 month's grocery totals in the morning, I can decide on a realistic monthly food budget for the rest of the year and post it.
Then I need to do a Menu Plan for the week, which I didn't get done on Sunday.
Sunday was one big mental block for me. Ugh

Sluggy

CVS This Week-Clearance & MIR Finds

I had yet another $10 off $50 coupon to use at CVS. They were out of Beggin' Strips dog treats, J&J First Aid Pads, 7-Up & trial sized cotton rounds or pads AND I forgot my Lindt Truffles coupon at home, but I was able to put together an ok scenario.

And the Renuzit TriScents Kit for $5.49 with 2 Extra Care Bucks that you can use the $4 Sunday paper insert coupon on, was just the Refill kit, not the Refill kit with the Unit that plugs into the wall. That one was $9.99! No point buying the refill kit if you don't have the plug in thing, right?lol
I didn't buy it as I don't use air fresheners anyway, especially ones that require you to use Electricity, as THAT is NOT frugal. I am a COMPACT list devotee & don't buy what I am philosophically at odds with so no Renuzit TriScents for me.

Anyway, here is what I hauled home.....
1 Bag of T-Bonze Dog Treats(also on sale with the Beggin' Strips)$3.50

4 Boxes South Beach Bars $2.50 ea.x 4=$10.00
5 Bags of Stacy's Bagel Chips on Clearance for $1.65 x 5=$8.25

1 Bag Stayfree Pads at $3.89
1 BodiHeat Pads at $3.99 No Peelie Q on it! 8-(
1 Extreme Energy Shots at $4.99 for the oldest son
2 Neutrogena Acne Face Soap Bars at $3.19 ea. x2=$6.38
1 Organix Shampoo on sale for $4.99
2 bags of Valentine Chocolate 75% off $.99 ea. x2=$1.98
3 Valentines grow your own lavender pots 75% off $.37x3=$1.11
2 Shower Relief Tablets on clearance for $1.00 x2=$2.00
Total=$51.08

Coupons used.... $10 off $50 CRT Q
$3.00 off IP Purina T-Bonz MQ
$2.00 off IP South Beach Bars MQ x4=$8.00
$1.50 off Stacy's Chips MQ x5=$7.50 $2.00 off Stayfree pads CRT Q
$30.50 Total Coupons

Extra Care Bucks used....
$8.00
$4.00
$7.99
$19.99 Total ECBs

Total AFTER coupons & ECBs.....
$51.08-$30.50-$19.99=$.59

$.59 put on CVS Giftcard
No out of pocket.

I received Extra Care Bucks....
$4.99 for the Energy Shots $3.99 for the Bodi Heat Pads
$10/$50 Coupon-another one!

ARGH! I have a love/hate relationship with those....it's nice to get that $10 off but it's a PITA to put together a $50 order, especially when the store is out of stuff or it's a week when there is not much I want/need.

So I have $8.98 in ECBs but I spent $19.99 in ECBs. The Neutrogena bars didn't print the $10 ECBs, darn it. That would have made the trip better but #2 son can use the bars since he's a newly minted teen and is experiencing the Joys of Acne now....lol

I also have a Mail In Rebate for the Organix Shampoo so I'll be getting $4.99 cash back too.
This is something to look for in the CVS....TRY ME FREE MIR Tags on the Organix and Vitamin brands of hair products, PLUS they are on sale this week(see my previous post on the blog about this).

It pays to just look around the store too. That's how I found the Stacy's clearance and I just happened to have my coupons for those in my purse! 15 cents per bag for bagel chips?......I'll take it! Woohoo!!

Check out how other Thrifty Divas are saving this week at the "Cents"ible Sawyer CVS SUPERSTARS Page.

Please leave me a comment if you get the chance. I appreciate all ya'll who read my Boring Blog.

Sluggy

MIR at CVS on Hair Products

If you frequent CVS drug stores, be sure and check out the MAIL IN REBATES available currently for ORGANIX & VITAMIN Hair Products there. Most all varieties of these brands qualify for a MIR when you mail in the cash register receipt w/the product circled and the TRY ME FREE Hangtag. (Make sure you get one with a Hangtag, I took mine off of the Organix bottle before I shot the photo.)

And if you hurry in before this week's sale is over at CVS, you can get these brands on sale for $4.99. I know, I know.....you say, "I'm already getting them free no matter reg. or sale price when I do the MIR." I say, "Better to be out of pocket initially $4.99 rather than $6.99, until the rebate comes in!

Sluggy