Trying Something New

Up until now we have gone grocery shopping twice a month around the 5th and 20th of the month, depending on what day of the week Justin gets paid and also what his work schedule is. We average about $250 a trip, and usually run out of some things in between, like milk and bread. It never seems to be enough, and because we shop for such a long period of time we end up throwing out a lot of produce, which I hate. I think it's time to try something different. I want to try creating a meal plan and shopping weekly. I'm wondering if we'll spend less in the long run and also if we will waste less overall. This is week 1. We will be shopping twice this week, however. Once to pick up a few things that we need to get us through until payday and then again on payday for the following week. I will post my menu plan and grocery list here each week, and then I will post how much we spend on our grocery trips as well as how closely we stick to our menu plan. Here is the short term grocery list and menu plan to get us through until Friday morning.

Budget: $70.00


Menu Plan

Monday

Breakfast (kids) Toast w/butter and strawberry jam (Mom) 1 boiled egg, 2 pieces of toast w/butter and strawberry jam, 1 piece of fruit
Lunch White cheddar Kraft Dinner
Snack Apple
Dinner Sliders w/spring greens and pomegranate

Tuesday

Breakfast Pancakes
Lunch Sandwiches
Snack Granola Bar
Dinner Creamy mushroom pasta w/beef

Wednesday

Breakfast (kids) Oatmeal (Mom) 1 boiled egg, 2 pieces of toast w/butter and strawberry jam, 1 piece of fruit
Lunch Kraft Dinner
Snack Peanut butter and jam crescents
Dinner Bruschetta chicken w/rice and veggies

Thursday

Breakfast Monster Eyes
Lunch Mr. Noodles
Snack Orange
Dinner Pork tenderloin w/potatoes and veggies

Friday

Breakfast Pancakes

Grocery List

4L milk
1 dozen eggs
1 carton (12 boxes) Kraft Dinner
1 flat Mr. Noodles
1 bag apples
1 bag oranges
2 loaves whole wheat bread
1 jar peanut butter
2 boxes granola bars
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
10 white button mushrooms
2 bags frozen veggies
1 box sliders
1 bag slider buns

So there you have it. My first fully planned grocery list and menu plan.You may notice that it doesn't seem overly healthy, and that is something I am hoping to change in the coming weeks. My problem this trip, though, is that we only have so much money and we have to make it go as far as we possibly can. Justin asked me what I'm hoping to gain out of this new approach and I guess I can answer that with two things. 1. I am hoping to waste less food and to add some healthy variety to our eating habits. 2. I am hoping that by planning things out we will be able to save a little bit of money and maybe always have just a little bit in the bank.

And...we're off to go shopping. I'll come back later and let you know how it turns out!