May Food Spending Week 2, Meal Plan Week 3

 Yes, the above picture is me in regards to my meal plan for the week.

All the kids are now home, plus #1 son's girlfriend.

I have no idea how or what to plan since they all seem to be moving in different directions at all times of the day and night.  I never know who will be here for which meal and I sure don't want to way over buy/make for meals and have tons of leftovers in the fridge when 2 of them leave later this week, leaving me only 1 person who actually likes leftovers still home.   sigh

 

 

And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

 

SUNDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, Roasted Corn

MONDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Grilled Asparagus

TUESDAY--Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches

WEDNESDAY--Not sure, scrounge what is here Night?

THURSDAY--Chinese take-out
FRIDAY--Roast Chicken, Carrots, Potatoes
SATURDAY--Beef Stroganoff, Corn on the Cob

 

 5 nights of new meals and 1 nights of leftovers and take-out for 1 night.

The weekly food spending was $53.86 this past week.  #2 Son requested a meal that required me to purchase meat and sour cream at full price.  I also bought potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, lettuce, corn on the cob, 6 cartons of orange juice, strawberries, eggs, ice cream and milk and all but the milk and ice cream were on sale.

I never did get to the restaurant supply store for the chicken breast deal or the 5lb. block of cheese this past week.

Value of food bought was at $90.22 so my savings rate was 40.30% for the week.   Total spending for the month to this point is $147.65.  Plenty of cash left in the budget for the rest of May.

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In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with a big pile of Beef Stroganoff and 2 ears of corn.  We also have some leftover meats from Sunday's cook-out.

 

This week, it's crazy around here.  4 16-21 year old persons with 4 different schedules.  Then there is Hubs and I.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Beef and/or Elk burgers and/or dogs, potato salad, baked beans, pumpkin pie

MONDAY--Leftover Stroganoff or something else they can scrounge

TUESDAY--Chicken Enchiladas

WEDNESDAY--Out to Eat

THURSDAY--Sloppy Joes, Brussel Sprouts
FRIDAY--Freezer Surprise *I clean out the back of the freezer and cook something.lol
SATURDAY--Leftovers

This menu gives us 4 new meals and 2 nights of leftovers and 1 night Eating Out.

This week we have a varied number of diners depending on the night.
 
As for items I need to buy for this week......ground beef, rolls.

We'll be buying milk as usual, along with some fruit bars and ice cream.

Weis has some Instant and regular type Catalina deals this week(Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark).  I may or may not do them.  I am just feeling blah lately in regard to grocery shopping and deals.

Ok, I'm feeling blah about everything lately.  I just don't want to do anything....


So what is everyone else eating this week?

Sluggy

Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaway Week #4......Last WEEK, Enter NOW!

Time for another......

Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY!

Here's how it works.....

I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

Here is what went into the Box today.....

1.  a roll of Marcal Toilet Paper
2.  a stick of Sure Deodorant
3.  2 bars of Olay Soap
4.  a tube of AquaFresh Toothpaste
5.  a Reach Toothbrush

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways HERE.

Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until I close this post to entries.
**The Box is now Full so this is the last week to enter!**

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.
Leave your name/email addy and a COMMENT on this post.  

This week I want to hear about gardening.....if you plan on having a garden this year and what you plan on growing.  And even if you want to have a garden but can't, what you would grow in yours if you could.
What are your favorite vegetables to eat?  Do you have a favorite recipe using vegetables as the "star of the dish"?  Or any other thing you want to talk about having to do with gardening, veggies and/or cooking.

You can come directly to this blog post or find it through the link on the right side bar to leave 1 comment per day.  The current Giveaway Post will be linked right at the top of the side bar.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get EXTRA entries....

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with the URL of your blog so I can go check it out. If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra entry comment.
2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog or on a Message Board.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with a link to your blog post or the message on the board.

This is the LAST POST for this GIVEAWAY so get your entries in this week!  Entries will be accepted until Sunday night, May 20th, 2012 at 11:59pm.
That's just over a week to get in on this nice box of assorted toiletries and other stuff!!


Any questions?  Just email me.

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

A Trip to The Apple Store

Well I woke up at 1 am last night(this morning?) and couldn't get back to sleep so I worked on some genealogy until 7 am until I got tired again.
I headed back to bed for a short nap, as I had a doctor's appointment at 10:30 this morning.
I got sleepy around 10 am but I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed and went to the doctor's.

And when I got there, the door was locked and nobody was there.
CRAP!
They pull this on me sometimes and it pisses the hell out of me!....especially when I could have stayed in bed and slept if they had called and said they had to reschedule it.
Double CRAP CRAP!!

So went next door to the grocery store and picked up some produce and came home.

I am calling today a loss and I'm heading to bed now for a nap.  Hopefully I'll be able to fall back asleep.

In lieu of a post(since what I've written so far can't possibly be called one), here is something to brighten your day.

The young people.......they have this thing they do, where they go to the Apple Store and film themselves dancing and post it on You Tube.
Myself?  I've never even been IN an Apple Store.

I find it great fun to watch though and wish this could be something I could have done when I was young.
Yes, I would have totally done this back in my day!lol

Go check them out sometime.
Trevor is a favorite around here.
This video was pretty good too....

Sluggy

May Food Spending Week 1, Meal Plan Week 2

 

 

Onward to the meal plans!

And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--Stuffed Shells

MONDAY--Chicken Fajitas

TUESDAY--Leftover Eggplant/Fajitas

WEDNESDAY--Pizza
THURSDAY--Taco Bell, Salad
FRIDAY--Fish, Rice, Veg.(Son can have leftover Shells)
SATURDAY--Leftovers or Burritos

 

3 nights of new meals and 2 nights of leftovers and take-out for #2 Son the nights Hubs was out of town.

I'm happy we stuck with the plan.

The weekly food spending was $93.79 this past week.  A bit high than what I like to be at but there was a good deal of stocking up on things.

Value of food bought was at $168.25 so my savings rate was 44.26% for the week.

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In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with no leftovers.

This week, it gets crazy around here as the kids return home from school.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, Roasted Corn

MONDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Grilled Asparagus

TUESDAY--Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches

WEDNESDAY--Not sure, scrounge what is here Night

THURSDAY--Chinese take-out
FRIDAY--Roast Chicken, Carrots, Potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce
SATURDAY--Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice

This menu gives us 5 new meals and 1 night of leftovers and 1 night of Take-Out.

This week we have a varied number of diners depending on the night.
 
As for items I need to buy for this week.....lettuce, carrots, potatoes, onions.

We'll be buying milk as usual, along with some fruit and ice cream.
The restaurant supply store has some deals I want to get this week, like 40lb. of chicken breast for $1.45 lb($58 total) and 5lb. of cheese for $7.99.   If I can get my freezer straightened out before the week is over, I'll get the chicken.  My freezer is pretty empty(after I get that whole chicken out of there on Wed.)but it needs tidying up before I put that much chicken back in there!lol  I might attempt a defrosting this week.

If I get the chicken I'll spend upwards of $100 this week, if not, then $40.

So what is everyone else eating this week?

Sluggy

$70.59 Later.....

I just went hog wild at Weis Markets on Saturday!
They were celebrating their 150th year in business and had some deals I wanted to pick up.
I also wanted to stock up on a few things that were on sale this past week.
In addition, I got talked into buying junk food that was part of the Pepsico Spend $25, Get $5 OYNO Catalina.

Things that were part of the One Day Anniversary Sale.....
Meat Hot Dogs--$1  I bought 3 packs.
Asparagus--$1 lb.  I bought 1.03 lbs.
Tomatoes on the Vine--$1 lb.  I bought 1.02 lbs.
Potato Chips--$1  I bought 2 bags.
Cold Cereal--$1  I bought 2 boxes.
Pork Ribs--$1 lb.  I bought 7.26 lbs.

I bought up to the limit on all but the hot dogs.
This portion came to $16.31.

The Pepsico stuff I bought....
2 20-packs of soda @ $6 each
2 bags of Sun Chips @ $3 each
2 bags of Tostitos Chips @ $3.50 each

$25, used $4 in ManuQs, paid $21 for this portion and got a $5 OYNO CatQ.

My stock-ups were....
8 cans of green chiles at $1.25 each
4 boxes of taco shells at $1.25 each
2 cans of organic tomato paste .39¢ each after $1/2 StoreQ from Weis Healthy Bites magazine
1 bottle Weis Olive Oil for $2.99 after sale and $1 StoreQ from Weis Healthy Bites magazine
This portion came to $18.77.

Other things I bought that were on sale and I had Qs for....
2 DiGiorno Pizzas on sale $4.99(Must buy 2), used $1.50/2 IPQ making them $4.24 each.
2 2-ltr Polar Seltzer on sale .99¢, used $1/2 WinetagQ making them .49¢ each.
4 1-ltr Polar Mixers on sale .80¢, used $1/4 WinetagQ making them .55¢ each.
This portion came to $12.21.

Things I needed that were on sale.....
1 12-pack hot dog rolls for $1.50.

Add in .80¢ for tax and I'm OOP $70.59.
I got a $5 Catalina Q and I also got a $2.50 WYSpend $40 CatQ.  Both expire on 19 May.  I'll try to use them both if I can come up with a planned $40 order.

Here's why I bought what I bought.....
*  #1 son requested I make some barbecued meats when he comes home soon so the ribs are destined for dinner in the next 2 weeks.
*  The tomatoes are for a quick easy dinner of BLTs sometime this coming week. I've got the bacon and bread, just need some lettuce.
*  The frozen pizzas are for a quick easy dinner(just add salad)when all the kids are home in the next 2 weeks.
*  The asparagus are part of dinner for Monday.
*  I'll be needing the soda mixers when I start drinking again while the kids are home.lol
*  The hog dog rolls are needed for Sunday's dinner.
*  The hot dogs are for when #2 Son's friends descend and swarm in the kitchen this summer looking for food.(long range planning)
*  The cold cereal and all the junk food/soda are for the kids who are all coming home.(anticipating kitchen raiding at night)  This should last as long as they all will be home....crossing fingers since 1 of the bags of chips has already been hit hard. lol
*  All the stock-up items are things I stockpile.....tomato paste, olive oil, taco shells, green chiles.(long range planning) #2 Son, if he had HIS WAY, would eat tacos 3 x a week for dinner.  I can never have enough taco shells.lol

Even adding in my trip to the independent market earlier in the week, I spent only $93.79 for the week for food.  And that included quite a bit of stocking up so I'm happy with it.
I don't know.....psychologically if I can keep my food spending for our family size under $100 in any given week,  I feel like we are doing well to keep costs down.

How about you?....Is there an amount you like to stay under for food expenses per week, even if you know you have more than that to spend?

Sluggy