Ok, so I'm REALLY not getting any faster at this...my week just seems so crazy, plus it's tax season! (I help my mom do taxes, so this takes up most of my free time after the kids are in bed). But, I am proud of myself for keeping this gig up for this long. And I do feel more organized, even if it's just in the meal department. Hey, the flylady (flylady.net), says to take one day at a time, and that as long as we're doing SOMETHING we are never really behind. I like that way of thinking!! It keeps me motivated, even when I only accomplish one small task every couple of hours (or one a day!!). So, for now, I am focused on the meal thing, and reducing my grocery bill. So far so good for this month, although, I really should only spend $60-70 more dollars this week! And at least $10 of that is already going to pull-ups! So I tried to keep it pretty cheap this week.
3/20 Meatball Subs, macaroni and cheese. Meatballs are $3.99/bag at Martins plus BuyOneGetOne free! Use the extra bag of meatballs for Monday's meal. A box of macaroni and cheese is less than a dollar. If you make your own, pasta is on sale for $1.00/box at Martin's. Cost: $5.00/4-6 serv.
3/21 Pigs in a Blanket, baked beans. Not the healthiest of meals, but pretty cheap. Hatfield Hotdogs are BOGO this week at Martin's ($2.99/pack). There are tons of coupons floating around in current and old coupon flyers for pillsbury cresent rolls (although the cheap ones are usually cheaper, even without the coupon). A can of baked beans is usually around $1.50, but I have tons of beans in my cabinet (don't ask me why), so I will probably bake my own. Cost: $4.50/4-6 serv.
3/22 Spaghetti. Barilla pasta is $1.00/box again this week at Martin's. Several spaghetti sauces are on sale as well. Garlic toast (if you want to splurge) is $1.99 at Martin's, but the generic Texas Toast is usually around $1.69/box at Walmart. We have extra bread (from a BOGO promo last week) so, I'll be making my own garlic toast. Round out the meal with salad: generic brands are $1.00 or less at Aldi's and Save-a-lot or BOGO at Martin's (at $3.69/bag). You could also make garlic bread from the extra package of cresent rolls (most likely, if you use a coupon, you had to buy 2 containers of rolls). Don't forget to use your extra meatballs from Saturday's meal. Cost: varies from the cheap end $3.00/6 serv to $5.00/6 serv.
3/23 Chicken and Spinach Pierogies. Probably the most expensive meal this week, but I was thinking that you wouldn't have to use much meat (think of it more as a side). Fresh spinach (tastes best) is $0.99/bag with coupon in flyer at Martin's. Not sure of pierogi cost, but I think around $2.50/box. May need two boxes for larger families. I will probably use about two cut-up chicken breasts for this recipe. Use more or less, depending on your taste. Cost: approx. $5.50/4 serv. (this assumes you will have the other staples on hand).
3/24 Leftovers. We always have leftover spaghetti! But if not, I'm sure there will be something in the fridge or the freezer to pull out.
3/25 Beefy Bean Burritos. Refried beans are always cheap! I think the generic at Walmart is $0.50. Hamburger (if not already in your freezer), can usually be found for $1.99-$2.50/lb in bulk packs. I never buy hamburger from Walmart...it always seems to be the most expensive place for it! Didn't see any sales on salsa, but a generic brand usually comes in at under $2.00. I haven't bought it in so long, since I'm still using my homemade canned salsa. Cheddar cheese is on sale for $2.00/bag at Martins, and I think there is a Sargento coupon floating around in my coupons. But generic cheese may be cheaper, will have to look! Mission Tortillas are on sale for $2.50 at Martins, but I think that Walmart has similar prices, maybe even a few cents cheaper.
Cost: around $9.00/4-6 serv if you don't have anything on hand. (wow, didn't think these would be this expensive until I added it all up!)
3/26 Homemade Chicken Tenders. I will be just dipping cut-up chicken breasts in egg and flour/breadcrumbs and baking them. I could only find a chicken sale at Target (I think $6/bag, not sure for how many pounds). I'll be using chicken from my stocked up freezer. We will probably do potatoes or french fries for a side. Aside from sale prices, Walmart generally has the cheapest regular price on potatoes (although I haven't checked out Aldi's prices on potatoes). Martin's has french fries on sale 2/$5.00, and with a coupon from their flyer, you will get FREE Ore-Ida Steam-n-Mash Frozen Potatoes (with purchase of 2 Ore-Ida french fries). Target has small bags of Steamable Veggies on clearance for less than a dollar. Cost: $8/4-6 serv (this is if you use the entire bag of chicken from Target, but most likely you won't have to use that much!)
Total cost: approx. $37 dollars!! Yeah!! Under budget, and with leftovers to spare! Of course, I will still have to buy snacks for my kids at school, diapers/pull-ups, and a few other things (umm, ice-cream?) that somehow sneak into my cart!
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