I am horrible at sticking to anything.
Seriously.
Big surprise, I know.
Take this blog, for instance. You may have noticed that I can go weeks, or even months, without updating it. That’s not even taking into consideration the series’ that I have started, posted about once or twice, and then never posted about again. Or the blankets I started crocheting for the kids for Christmas…last year…and am nowhere near finishing.
But I am trying to fix this flaw, honest.
How am I trying to fix it, you may ask? By starting a new series, of course.
Welcome to my Menu Plan & Grocery Shopping series.
We are not well-off and are always trying to find ways to cut our grocery bill. Add to that the fact that there are some days where I might simply forget to make dinner and then end up calling it a “fend for yourself” day instead of cooking something healthy for my family, and meal planning has become a necessity. I’ve been meal planning for a bit, now, and we have definitely noticed a difference in our grocery bill and I cook much more often, but as with everything it is still a work-in-progress.
So, going forward, I will post a 2 week meal plan and the subsequent grocery shopping that goes along with it on Sunday.
Our Meal Plan from June 21st-July 4th
I tend to move meals around according to our mood and activities. Fridays are fend for yourself, Tuesdays are Pancakes, and Saturdays are for soup and sandwiches. I’m not a big breakfast eater and will normally just stick to coffee, but the kids usually eat cereal, oatmeal, waffles, or toast. Lunch is usually a fend-for-yourself situation. The kids most often choose scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, or peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Snacks are usually yogurt, granola bars, or fresh fruit & veggies.
Dinner:
- Sunday – Chicken wraps
- Monday – Spicy pork chops & rice
- Tuesday – Pancakes
- Wednesday – KITCHEN CLOSED – We’re going to a friend’s house for hubby’s birthday BBQ.
- Thursday – Meatballs & gravy w/mashed potatoes
- Friday – Fend for yourself
- Saturday – Soup & sandwiches
- Sunday – Sweet orange chicken
- Monday – Quinoa Corn Chowder
- Tuesday – Pancakes
- Wednesday – KITCHEN CLOSED – It’s Canada Day and we will be celebrating at our local park.
- Thursday – Sausages & Pasta
- Friday – Fend for yourself
- Saturday – Soup & sandwiches
Setting up a meal plan is key to saving money and decreasing our waste, but I still have to go shopping and stick to my list. Easier said than done. Especially when hubby comes along with me! We used to shop at Superstore, but it was costing us a small fortune! Our Walmart became a Super Walmart this year and we’ve started doing our shopping there and noticed a major difference. I went from spending almost $800 a month on groceries to between $400 and $500 (on a good month).
Today’s Shopping Trip (Walmart):
Our budget for each shopping trip is $200.
Pork chops – $10.00
Frozen Italian Meatballs – $9.00
Baby Kale – $3.47
Apple Slices – $5.00
Sweet Bell Peppers – $6.54
10lbs Red Potatoes – $4.47
Betty Crocker Cake Mix x 2 – $4.28
Granola Bars – $10.47
Chicken Broth x 2 – $3.74
Canned Diced Tomatoes x 2 – $2.00
Tomato Soup x 2 – $1.48
Pancake Syrup – $1.97
Pancake Mix – $2.00
Oatmeal – $3.27
Kraft Dinner x 6 – $4.02
Elbow Pasta – $1.00
Fettuccine – $1.00
Brown Rice – $6.87
Shredded Cheese – $5.47
Strawberries – $2.77
Meat, Cheese, & Crackers Snack Tray – $6.97
Cool Whip x 2 – $6.94
Canned Mandarins – $0.85
Crushed Pineapple – $1.67
Crunchy Peanut Butter – $4.97
Tomato Sauce – $1.00
Pudding Cups x 2 – $2.00
Nescafe Coffee – $4.97
Boneless Chicken Breasts – $10.00
Mild Italian Sausages – $10.00
Hickory BBQ Sauce – $1.47
Skim Milk (4 L) x 2 – $14.54
Frozen Perogies – $2.00
Frozen Waffles – $1.77
Jello Pudding Mix x 2 – $2.34
Bread x 3 – $6.88
Mushroom Gravy Pkg x 2 – $2.96
Chocolate Chips – $2.22
Eggs – $3.37
Yogurt – $5.97
Mystery item on receipt that I can’t figure out (don’t judge) – $4.97
Total: $186.68
Budget: $200.00
– Spent: $186.68
————————–
= : $ 13.32
Under budget…woohoo!
Now to stick to the meal plan…
Scrambled Brains & Coffee 