This Week's Meal Plan: $41.69

This week's meal plan is the following:

[Note: I usually end up with a little left over for those emergency milk trips to the store, but this time there isn't so much wiggle room unless I up the budget]

Monday: Leftovers - Slap Yo Mama Vegetable Beef Soup

Tuesday: Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili 
[This recipe says it serves 10! Imagine how much you'll have with leftovers]

{I prefer to buy the cans with BPA-free lining, so these were on special, usually about $2.00 each}

• Kidney Beans $1.38 (on sale)
• Black Beans $1.38 (on sale)
• 1 onion (on hand)
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce $1.33 (on sale, 15oz can)
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes $1.33 (on sale, each)
• 1 packet taco seasoning ( I prefer to make my own)
• 1 TBSP cumin (I was out so had to buy more, but usually on hand $4.38 (on sale)
• 1 TBSP chili powder (on hand)
• 3-4 chicken breasts, $ 2.99lb (weekly deal at our local Fresh Market) $5.98

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$15.87 which if you do 10 servings, equals $1.57 per serving.


Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Skinny Salisbury Steak

[This will be made allergy friendly by making the boy hamburgers with the beef]

{The recipe calls for more meat than I need so I usually half the recipe as it makes 8 patties}

• 1 1/2  tsp oil (I have olive oil on hand)
• 3/4 cup onions, minced (on hand)
• 1 lbs 93% lean ground beef 
• 1 lb lbs 93% lean ground turkey 
• (I will buy 1.5lbs lean ground beef at The Fresh Market, $5.99lb, making it $8.98)
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (I prefer the Ian's brand but bought another brand of panko) $2.48
• 1 large egg (I have eggs on hand as I eat one every morning but I bought extra, $2.78
• 1 large egg white
• 2 cups beef broth $1.05
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, to taste $2.98 (sale)
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms(i don't like mushrooms)
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (on hand)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (from previous recipe)
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar (on hand)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste (on hand)
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder (amazingly on hand)
• 1/4 cup water
• chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

 _____
$18.27 for 4 servings with 1.5lbs of ground beef

$4.56 per person

Saturday: Crock Pot Chicken (recipe calls for hot sauce but I've yet to find one dealing with the boy's allergies)
 {Serves 6}

• 24 oz boneless skinless chicken breast $5.98
• 1 celery stalk (naturally you can't just buy one, $1.57
• 1/2 onion, diced (on hand and will use up my last onion)
• 1 clove garlic (on hand, I cheat with the already minced stuff)
• 16 oz fat free low sodium chicken broth (on hand, I buy it often)
• 1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank's) No sauce

_____

$7.55 for 6 at $1.25 per serving


Grand Total: $41.69 (w/o tax)

My budget is $75.00 but this week I've gone over a bit. This trip ended up being a total of $70.28 and I've yet to purchase my meat at The Fresh Market, will be about $22.00 with taxes. So I've spent $92.28 this week. Fail but at the same time stocked up on a few things that were on sale too.  Also, every day for lunch I eat a sandwich with Boar's Head deli meat. They are safe for the boy and are costly, usually $9.99lb; on low carb bread. We have fresh broccoli left over from last week, and beans I bought on sale this week at 4/$5. Look at your store's circular, plan from there.

$75.00 weekly food budget

At our local Fresh Market they have a fantastic deal on Tuesday's, antibiotic free chicken breasts for $2.99lb and ground chuck for $2.99lb so I took advantage of that this week with my challenge to spend no more than $75.00 on a weekly grocery plan plus a few necessities. That's right, $75.00. It's a fun challenge but also a necessity at this point due to the fact that we recently acquired a new dog. That makes four. This one was pretty sick. I found her with a large mammary tumor hanging from her tummy and it was an open wound. After some back and forth with the "owner," he said she'd just appeared, he verbally relinquished her to us and we had the surgery on the 26th I believe and removed a two pound tumor! It appears that the cancer hasn't spread to any other part of her at all and now we just get to fatten her up (easy enough since corgi #1 is overweight and on a diet!). Oh and I didn't mention she's a CORGI! Seriously and the best part is that she's about 8 or 9 and corgi 1 is 8. Needless to say a surgery plus an extended stay while we were on vacation has resulted in vet bills. So we're scaling way back to the tune of $75.00 weekly budget for everything with maybe a little wiggle room in there for emergencies. So like I said a fun, but necessary challenge! Oh and last night one dog started coughing and was doing so all night about every hour. So he went to the vet this morning with a suspected and now confirmed case of Kennel Cough - very contagious. He's now spending the next week(!) quarantined in our downstairs bathroom since the new corgi absolutely cannot get sick. Did I mention he's a squealer?! Oh boy.

Here's my meal plan for the week:

Wednesday (since I shopped on Tuesday this week): Slap Yo Mama It's So Good Vegetable Beef Soup  (this recipe is a staple in our household these days - you get vegetables, it's hearty and filling and the price is right! This time I used canned carrots, the small cans for I think .75c each, and I always used canned green beans but I add a second since we love green beans. I can never find strained and jarred tomatoes so I used a large can of Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes for about $2.50. Muir Glen Organic is a BPA Free can which is super duper important to me and I'm working on finding those alternatives in other canned goods and eventually canning my own. (My mother is coming up at the end of the month and is going to teach me canning!) I had a can of beef broth on hand (always try to keep chicken/beef broth), as well as the onion and the celery from a tray of vegetables we bought on our vacation that I brought home. But I'd imagine you can omit the celery if you like. I don't much care for it but in this dish I cannot taste it or the tomatoes or onions and that suits me perfectly. The boy LOVES this and devours it heartily but I do have to be careful of the diaper rash it will cause with all the tomatoes. We can eat on this for days and by days I mean 3-4 days for lunch and dinner.

So depending on how much is left or how sick of it I am is when the next meal will be planned and by doing this I should have food into the next week.

I'm going to attempt a recipe I found on Pinterest for Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos. To save on the cost I cut out the green onions and the pepper jack cheese since I already have a Mexican blend of cheese in my refrigerator. I have rice that I can add for this and that's something the boy can eat too (if you didn't know my son has food allergies) but I can also cook him a chicken breast or give him part of the chicken breast I will use for this and just decrease my consumption. Not a terrible thing. (It's helped me loose 30lbs!)

For lunches I'm doing peanut butter and jelly on a low-carb bread (or leftovers) and for breakfasts I do a serving of Simply Potatoes with an egg. I've actually eaten this breakfast since January and haven't gotten sick of it. A HUGE surprise. But it's got everything I need for a filling breakfast and the boy gets a side of potatoes as well.

Part of my budget was spent on a few personal care items at Walgreens for $35.00 so I only had $40.00 to work with and then when I buy the boy's milk (Almond Milk Plus Protein and Fiber) that's nearly $8.00 for two. Chicken and beef and eggs were on sale at Fresh Market so that took $10.00 away, leaving $30.00 and I came in under budget with $5.00 to spare and that's a safety if I need another milk for the boy. (He guzzles it!) I realize that there are no more real "planned" meals but I actually have chicken from two weeks before in my freezer so it's a back up but this week I wanted to try and eat on these two meals.

I'm already thinking of next week's plan because I have to buy some of the boy's shampoo/body wash which isn't cheap so that will need to be adjusted to my overall budget.

Any questions?

Success!

I am happy to say that I have succeeded in my budget of $80.00 - $100.00 on food that is organic and healthy! I first have to say that you must change the way you're shopping.

1.) Menu Plan for a week.  I find if I plan for more than a week I get overwhelmed and over budget very quickly. I also end up throwing out a lot of food and I just don't want to waste anything.

2.) Stop at the organic, grass-fed meats first. I was doing things all wrong. By planning my protein first I can estimate the cost per meal of what I've planned. After awhile you learn the prices and you can adjust as well.

3.) Go to the produce second. I know it's in our nature to follow the grocery store pattern, weaving in and out of isles - stay away from the isles if you can.  Here you can apply the list of the "Dirty Dozen," and "Clean Fifteen," :

                           

                       

3. Keep a tally of your numbers. I over-estimate to prevent any sticker shock at the register. I don't buy junk food. I just can't. I'll consume the entire amount in a few days if I do. I just don't keep those things in the house. On occasion I will make something sweet and carbohydrate laden but often I feel sick after eating it. I'm thinking of making Polish donuts - Paczki this week sometime because I have all the ingredients on hand. I have absolutely no self-control around sweets so I usually give them away.

Walking away from the supermarket with the satisfaction knowing I have saved money and done my job as CPO, I get such a sense of pride, in a good way. 

A New Challenge.

I'm excited to announce a new project. I will be compiling cheap meals that are all or in part organic, non-GMO, locally grown, and/or grass-fed. I've been inspired to keep our tummies full with nutritious food that are based on ethically sourced animals that are treated well and live a full life. Thankfully I have found a great Farmer's Market that supplies beef, chickens, eggs (although some are far too expensive), pork, lamb and vegetables; and doing this on a budget!

My son has special alleriges so we already purchase some things that are non-negotiable in terms of cost - he drinks Almond Milk + by So Delicious. It has replaced the whole organic milk he was previously drinking with almost the same amount of protein per cup.  He can tolerate chicken in small amounts - I know a chicken allergy seems strange but it was confirmed by our lab results, which I was certain they were making up until I read it myself. Go figure.

He has an allergy to milk (not to be confused with a lactose allergy, they are two different things), wheat, and most importantly egg whites.  I often eat eggs for breakfast and wash my hands a thousand times while doing it, after doing it and before I touch him. I'm just paranoid like that.

Since we put ourselves on basically a no-spending budget while the house is completing I've been inspired to keep this budget if not LOWER it from $100.00 a week. This does not include toiletries, cleaning products or bath products which I have established a $30.00 budget for, as needed, or for the boy's special milk which I order from Amazon or another online source for $65.00 every two weeks or so. It just depends on his frequency of drinking and we also supplement that with regular Silk Almond Milk, which does not contain carrageenan.

I've also been inspired by a friend who is on a very tight budget who is trying to change her eating habits.  I know it's going to take some hard work but as the CPO (Chief Purchasing Officer) of my family I believe it's my responsibility to spend the money my husband brings home, our money, well.  (We have pretty traditional roles but that's how we LIKE it, and yes I have my own degree and I am a licensed Aesthetician. I enjoy my role as a stay-at-home mother and housewife extremely.)

I came across a blog that was extra encouraging, Cutting Back Kitchen who has a $40.00 a week budget for her and her husband. I imagine this will slightly increase if she has children but I believe that $80.00 to $100.00 a week for us is a good beginning.  We also have to purchase diapers and that of course, can get expensive so that is something we tend to buy in bulk via Amazon for about $45.00 unless I find some coupons and there is a sale at a drugstore.

So here's to the challenge!