Wednesday Shopping & Weekly Menu Plan 11/2-11/8 2016

Hey everyone! I am ready to head out to Aldi for my weekly shop. I am really getting the hang of this new budget, but until I am a bit more comfortable our menu plans will have a lot of repeats. Once I get used to our new normal I will shake things up! I am also cleaning out a lot of pantry items. This means lots of bean-based meals for a bit longer.

Last week we had a lot of leftovers so Wednesday was Leftover Night. I also forgot that Saturday was the monthly meal at church so we didn’t make the fried rice. This means I used less food than bought! Marco still bought the chicken on Friday even though we had pizza. The chicken is from a different part of our budget so he decided to still buy 2. He removed the chicken and saved it and made broth from the carcasses and the turkey carcass we had.

This Saturday is a swim meet so that means I bought items I do not normally buy. They weren’t budget busters though, especially since I already had some items at home!

I did buy some holiday items that weren’t originally planned. These are items Aldi will sell until they are out. I want them before they are gone so I thought ahead and rearranged my budget to be a bit bigger and added them in. I added $20. It looks like I went over budget, but not really because they are items I need in the future for the Holidays and now I have them!

A few reminders:

Lunches are almost always vegetables and fruit. I buy frozen vegetables unless I can snag better deals on fresh. I cook the frozen veggies in ways that bring out the best quality and taste possible. Fruit is always decided at the store. I look at prices and then decide between fresh, canned, or frozen. When I buy canned, I buy ones in their own juices.

I plan for 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. We do not do a morning snack, but instead eat an earlier lunch. My plans are for 7 people, except lunch and snacks. Lunch is for 6 people (Mark eats at work for free) and snacks for 5 (the kids). Every Friday Mark brings home rotisserie chicken from his work. He gets a great deal and it is so much better than the stuff they sell at the store. This is NOT part of our food budget.

On Tuesdays we have homeschool co-op. We have to have lunch to-go. This has upped our Tuesday food cost a little bit.

I try to keep cheese sticks and 100% fruit bars and dried fruit in the house for those days when you are just so hungry you need a bit more food. These are not everyday foods so when I buy them they do last longer than a week.

The start of my holiday cooking supplies!

Breakfast
Suasage, Oatmeal*, & GF Pumpkin Muffins
Yogurt and Egg for me

*I buy a big canister of quick-cook oats and make “packets” of 1/4 C oats, chopped freeze dried fruit, and seasonings (cinnamon, etc). The kids use the kettle of hot water to make their own instant oatmeal for far less then pre-packaged! 

Lunch
Fruit everyday

(Thurs) Garlic Carrots
(Fri) Peas & Onions
(Sat) *SWIM MEET* Lettuce Roll-Ups
(Sun) Honey-Glazed Carrots
(Mon) Roasted Green Beans
(Tues) Rice Cakes w/ Spreads
(Wed) Peas & Onions

Snack
Baby Carrots and No Bake Cranberry Bites & Tea

Dinner
(Thurs) Either BBQ Chicken or Naked Chicken Fajitias w/Rice (I haven’t decided)
(Fri) Chicken, Mashed Potato, Prince Edward Mix
(Sat) Cabbage and Potato Bake
(Sun) Tacos
(Mon) Chili Potatoes (I am inventing a dish here y’all!)
(Tues) Beans & Quinoa
(Wed) Rice Noodles w/ Veggies

Snack
(Thurs) Jell-O
(Fri) Homemade Popsicle
(Sat) Jell-O
(Sun) Homemade Popsicle
(Mon) Jell-O
(Tues) Homemade Popsicle
(Wed) Jell-O

ALDI:

$2.49 Salami (swim meet food)
$1.29 Iceburg Lettus (swim meet food)
$1.29 Rice Cakes (co-op food)
$1.99 Plum Fruit Spread (co-op food)
$1.99 Hazelnut Spread (co-op food)
$1.49 Cream Cheese Spread (co-op food)
$2.69 Gluten Free French Fried Onions (Holiday Food)
$1.79 x 2 Ricotta Cheese Whole Milk (Holiday Food)
$2.89 x 2 Gluten Free Stuffing (Holiday Food)
$1.49 Russet Potatoes 10 lbs (sale)
$1.69 Cabbage
69¢ x 2 Yellow Onions 3 lbs each (sale)
99¢ x 2 Sweet Potatoes 3 lbs (sale)
49¢ x 7 Baby Carrots (sale)
$1.37 Bananas (44¢/lb)
$1.79 Green Peppers 3-pack
$2.99 Multi-Colored Pepers 3-pack
$2.99 Mini Sweet Peppers
89¢ x 2 Pomegranates (sale)
$2.99 Bartlett Pears 3 lbs
$2.99 Grany Smith Apples 3 lbs
$1.70 Whole Plums 1 lb 14 oz
$2.99 x 2 Organic Vanilla Yogurt 32 oz each
39¢ x 6 Yogurt Cups
$1.99 Almond Milk (for the boys)
$1.99 x 2 Hot/Italian Pork Sausage
$1.65 x 2 Potato Puffs (frozen bags)
$1.29 Long Grain Rice 3lbs
$1.69 Organic Diced Tomato 28 oz can
$3.99 Coconut Oil
$1.69 x2 Vegetable Broth
79¢ x 3 Kidney Beans (canned)
$3.79 x2 Dried Mango/Coconut
$1.59 Dried Cranberries
$2.99 Freeze Dried Apples
$1.99 x 2 Peanuts

Total: $97.70

WALMART:

$6.24 Case of Peach Cups in 100% juice (swim meet & co-op treat)
78¢ x 4 Gluten Free Brown Gravy Mix (Holiday Food)
$4.94 String Cheese
$2.22 Muenster Cheese (They didn’t have my giant block of Cabot Whote Cheddar! Oh no!)
$3.64 Coffee
Total: $20.16

Goal: $100
Paid: $117.89
Holiday Overage: $15.17
Real Overage: $2.72 (I am getting better!)

Overage this month:$33.89

Things on my list I didn’t buy: I bought everything!

I am still learning and I have work to do. I learned we need more protein snacks. Elf is hard (no nuts for her), but the rest of us need a handful of nuts (or something) once in awhile. I have some pretty amazing friends and family who have rallied and are cheering me on. Y’all are awesome and I treasure you and so wish we lived closer. Your support and belief in me is more than you know.

I did buy items I do not need this week (sweet potatoes for example), but the prices were too good to pass. My primary goal is to keep the kids on a healthy diet. My secondary goal is to satisfy needs and not feel like we are missing out while doing so. The subgoal of that is to help others cut their food budget down and give meal ideas.

Have a great week, y’all!

~Andrea

Wednesday Shopping & Weekly Menu Plan 10/27-11/2 2016

Hi all! It is Wednesday (although you will read this on Thursday) and I am getting ready to tackle my weekly Aldi trip. I am far more more optimistic this week. Last week’s list was 2 pages. This week’s is less than a page! We had a few Food Fairies ship us random things; meat, flour, canned coconut milk, taco shells….
I also have pantry items I will be using. I created this week’s menu around what we have. There are two “glitches” to our food budget this week. Today (Wednesday) Marco came home from work with Chicken Curry! This did NOT come from our food budget, but from a different part of our budget. This means tonight’s planned meal will be moved to tomorrow. I already have everything for that meal so that really helped my planning! Friday is Princess’s birthday. We will splurge and I will make pizza and cake!

Aldi had several insane deals. I bought 10 bags of baby carrots becasue they were 49¢ each! On Saturday I have 2 vegetables listed. My kids have never had acorn squash; but the sale price was 59¢. I decided now is the time to buy and try. I know that I like it, but we shall see what the rest think. We will also have peas just in case people aren’t thrilled with the new dish.

I opted to buy the coconut water for the November swim meet now instead of later. It is an Aldi Special Buy and $1 cheaper than the cheapest at any other store. We use coconut water instead of Gatorade or Powerade. Much healthier and, frankly, tastes better. Although not on the list this week, I saved us $4 in the long run.

I had 2 pantry items ont he list this week: oregano and brown sugar. I bought dates for my holiday baking (I make a paste with them). Birthday treats also made the list. These items aren’t weekly buys.

A few reminders:

Lunches are vegetables and fruit. I buy frozen vegetables unless I can snag better deals on fresh. I cook the frozen veggies in ways that bring out the best quality and taste possible. Fruit is always decided at the store. I look at prices and then decide between fresh, canned, or frozen. When I buy canned, I buy ones in their own juices.

I plan for 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. We do not do a morning snack, but instead eat an earlier lunch. My plans are for 7 people, except lunch and snacks. Lunch is for 6 people (Mark eats at work for free) and snacks for 5 (the kids). Every Friday Mark brings home rotisserie chicken from his work. He gets a great deal and it is so much better than the stuff they sell at the store. This is NOT part of our food budget.*This week he will not buy this*

On Tuesdays we have homeschool co-op. We have to have lunch to-go. This has upped our Tuesday food cost a little bit.

I try to keep cheese sticks and 100% fruit bars and dried fruit in the house for those days when you are just so hungry you need a bit more food. These are not everyday foods so when I buy them they do last longer than a week.

Aldi Special Buy. Medley Potatoes! The purples are so beautiful! 

Breakfast
Yogurt & GF Squash Muffins
Homemade Coconut Yogurt for Elf
Egg for me instead of muffin

Lunch
Fruit everyday (grapes until they are gone and then apples)

(Thurs) Oven Roasted Green Beans
(Fri) Honey-Glazed Carrots
(Sat) Roasted Acron Squash w/ Cinnamon and/or Peas & Onions w/ salt & pepper
(Sun) Garlic Butter Carrots
(Mon) Curried California Blend
(Tues) Rice Cakes w/ Spreads
(Wed) Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Snack
Grape Tomatoes, Baby Carrots, or No Bake Cranberry Bites & Tea

Dinner
(Thurs) Naked Burritos
(Fri) Pizza
(Sat) Vegetable Fried Rice
(Sun) Loaded Baked Potato Soup
(Mon) Roast Turkey, Roasted Heirloom Poatotoes, Roasted Carrots
(Tues) Chili
(Wed) Tacos

Snack
(Thurs) Jell-O
(Fri) Homemade Popsicle
(Sat) Jell-O
(Sun) Homemade Popsicle
(Mon) Jell-O
(Tues) Homemade Popsicle
(Wed) Jell-O

I had numerous things in my house already. Here is my shopping list with prices

ALDI:

$2.99 x 4 Coconut Water (swim meet food)
$1.28 Applesauce Cups 6-pack (co-op food)
$1.29 Rice Cakes (co-op food)
$2.99 Apple Cider (special buy)
99¢ x 2 Red Potatoes 5 lbs (sale)
59¢ Acorn Squash (sale)
$2.99 x 2 Medley Potatoes (special buy)
49¢ x 10 Baby Carrots (sale)
15¢ x 2 Limes (sale)
$1.16 Bananas (44¢/lb)
99¢ x 3 Grape Tomatoes (sale)
$1.98 x 3 Green Grapes 2 lbs (sale)
$1.89 Dates 8 oz (seasonal)
39¢ x 48 Yogurt Cups
$3.49 Greek Yogurt 32 oz (instead of sour cream for burritos, soup, & tacos)
$1.39 x 2 Prince Edward Medley (frozen vegetable) *price drop!*
$1.39 x 2 Fozen Green Beans *price drop!*
95¢ x 4 Frozen Sweet Peas
$5.89 Shredded Mozzerella Cheese 2 lbs (for pizza)
$2.69 Sharp Shredded Cheese (for potato soup)
$2.69 Mexican Shredded Cheese (for burritos & tacos)
$3.89 Prunes 1 lb 2 oz
$1.19 Oregano
99¢ Confecioner’s Sugar (birthday)
99¢ Brown Sugar
$2.49 x 2 Breakfast Sausage (birthday)
$1.25 Fudge Mint Cookies (for Marco)

Total: $99.36

WALMART:
$1.94 Pepperoni (for pizzas)
$1.72 Pizza Sauce (there was cheaper, but the is the only allergy friendly one)
$2.18 x 2 So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk 1 quart (the kids have been begging me for milk to drink)
$5.98 x2 Bird’s Eye California Blend 60 oz bag (this large bag is far cheaper than even Aldi!)

Total: $19.98

Goal: $100 (but I wanted to try to stick to $88.17 to cover last week’s overage)
Paid: $119.34

Overage this month:$31.17

If I had paid better attention I could have bought 6 less yogurt and 2 less peas. I didn’t have to buy Mark cookies. He rolled his eyes at me for doing this. I also now realize I could have done without one of the California Blands as I had bought lots of carrots. I could have therefore saved myself $11.47.

Things on my list I didn’t buy: I bought everything!

What have I learned? I still have work to do on meeting my weekly goal. I learned the desire to impulse buy is strong (like those cookies). The journey is hard, but community (friends and family) make it easier. I have learned to better calculate our needs. I over bought this week, but this means I will already have some items for next week!  My goal is to keep the kids on a healthy diet. I despise the fact I cannot let them eat whenever they want, but I am reminded we do have far more food than most people. I am trying to focus on the fact that maybe this will help someone cut their food budget down and/or give them meal ideas.

~Andrea

Wednesday Shopping & Weekly Menu Plan 10/20-10/26 2016

I shop on Wednesday evenings. It is my alone time while the boys are across the road at youth group. How convenient that our church is 2 minutes away from Aldi!

Because I shop on Wednesdays I meal plan Thursday-Wednesday. I know, I know. It is odd, but it works for us since Wednesday is the easiest and most convenient time for me to shop.

I am on a very, very tight budget. A bit suffocating, but I manage it. My budget just took another hit and while I am in transition I am frustrated. A dear friend told me she is very interested in my meal plans and shopping habits, especially considering our overly-tight budget. I manage to make meals happen for a food-restricted family without breaking the bank. I told her I will try really hard to post once a week about my menu and shopping from now on.

A few things you should know:
Lunches are vegetables and fruit. I buy frozen vegetables unless I can snag better deals on fresh. I cook the frozen veggies in ways that bring out the best quality and taste possible. Fruit is always decided at the store. I look at prices and then decide between fresh, canned, or frozen. When I buy canned, I buy ones in their own juices.
I plan for 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. We do not do a morning snack, but instead eat an earlier lunch. My plans are for 7 people, except lunch and snacks. Lunch is for 6 people (Mark eats at work for free) and snacks for 5 (the kids). Every Friday Mark brings home rotisserie chicken from his work. He gets a great deal and it is so much better than the stuff they sell at the store. This is NOT part of our food budget.
On Tuesdays we have homeschool co-op. We have to have lunch to-go. This has upped our Tuesday food cost a little bit.
I try to keep cheese sticks and 100% fruit bars and dried fruit in the house for those days when you are just so hungry you need a bit more food. These are not everyday foods so when I buy them they do last longer than a week.
This week’s plan is a bit off as the 3 oldest kids and I will be away at a swim meet all day on Sunday. This means extra snacks as the kids are far hungrier and need more energy on swim meet days. Sunday’s dinner is for Marco and the 2 little ones. I have yet to figure out what the swimmers and I will eat.

Breakfast
Yogurt GF Squash Muffins
Fruit for Elf instead of yogurt
Egg for me instead of muffin

Lunch
Fruit everyday

(Thurs) Oven Roasted Green Beans
(Fri) Curried California Mix
(Sat) Peas & Onions w/ salt & pepper
(Sun) GF Mac & Cheese**
Lettuce Roll-Up**
(Mon) Cheesy California Mix
(Tues) Rice Cakes w/ Spreads
(Wed) Honey-Glazed Carrots

Snack
No Bake Cranberry Bites & Tea

Dinner
(Thurs) Colcannon
(Fri) Chicken, Rice, Prince Edward Medley
(Sat) Refried Bean Burritos
(Sun) GF Pasta
(Mon) Millet Congee
(Tues) White Bean Stew
(Wed) Naked Burritos

Snack
(Thurs) Jell-O
(Fri) Homemade Popsicle
(Sat) Jell-O
(Sun) Homemade Popsicle
(Mon) Jell-O
(Tues) Homemade Popsicle
(Wed) Jell-O

I had numerous things in my house already. Here is my shopping list with prices

ALDI:

$1.99 Honey Roasted Peanuts (swim meet food)
95¢ x 2 Gummi Bears (swim meet food)
$2.99 Natural Ham Deli Meat (swim meet food)
$1.29 Iceberg Lettuce (swim meet food)
$1.99 x 2 Organic Chewy Bars (swim meet & co-op food)
$1.49 x 2 Applesauce Cups 6-pack (swim meet & co-op food)
$1.29 Rice Cakes (co-op food)
$1.49 x 4 Gala Apples 3 lbs each
$1.69 Sweet Potato 3 lbs
$1.79 Yellow Onions 3 lbs
$1.79 Green Peppers 3-pack
$2.99 Multi-Colored Peppers 3-pack
$1.21 Bananas (44¢/lb)
$1.29 Celery
99¢ Flat Leaf Spinach (bag)
99¢ Green Onions 5.5 oz bag
$2.99 Coconut Spread (Elf-safe butter)
$2.83 Whole Milk 1 gallon (for the 2 big boys for after swim, I add protein powder which is                NOT part of the food budget)
39¢ x 24 Yogurt Cups (yes, I pay for convenience, but the price is really good)
$2.99 Organic Yogurt 32 oz (for when we run out of the cups)
$2.99 Apple Wood Smoked Cheese
$1.59 x 2 Prince Edward Medley (frozen vegetable)
$1.99 Quick Oats (I am very risky & do not buy GF even though I know I should, but $ talks)
$1.89 Unsweet Applesauce (this is our egg replacer for the muffins
$1.79 x 2 Vegetable Broth (I am out of our homemade stuff)
$2.89 GF Pasta
$1.19 x 2 Gluten Free Mac & Cheese
$3.99 Coconut oil (I was out)
$1.49 Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (cheapest corn-free I have able to find)
$1.99 Pumpkin Butter (this is an Aldi Special Buy and I thought the change would be nice)
$1.99 Fruit Spread (this is the cheapest corn-free jelly I have able to find)
$1.69 Great Northern Beans (dried 32 oz)
$1.69 Popcorn Kernels (Aldi does not carry these year round so I buy them when I can)

Total: $85.03

WALMART:
2.32 x 2 Celestial Seasoning Tea (less $1/2 coupon)
$2.67 x 2 CheeseHeads Cheese Sticks 10-pack (less 2 $1/1 coupons)
$8.86 Cabot White Cheddar Cheese 2 lbs
$4.98 Log Cabin All Natural Table Syrup 22 fl oz (cheaper than pure maple syrup and only other corn-free alternative I have found
$5.98 Bird’s Eye California Blend 60 oz bag (this large bag is far cheaper than even Aldi!)

Total: $26.80

Goal: $100
Paid: $111.83

If I had cut out the “splurge” items (gummi bears, smoked cheese, and pumpkin butter) I would have saved myself $6.88. I still would have been $4.95 over my goal.

Things on my list I didn’t buy: 4 cans full fat coconut milk (to make Elf coconut yogurt), coconut milk beverage half-gallon, 1 sea salt peanuts, chicken stock (they were out), gluten-free flour, smoked paprika, gluten free tortillas, snacking peppers (they were out), 2 pomegranates, 2 mangoes, microwave popcorn (for after swim practice), sausage (Aldi has a good one with no nitrates and ingredients I can read).

So what have I learned? I have learned I still have work to do on meeting my goal and that it will be a really hard journey. My goal is to keep the kids on a healthy diet. I despise the fact I cannot let them eat whenever they want, but I am reminded we do have far more food than most people. I am trying to focus on the fact that maybe this will help someone cut their food budget down or give them meal ideas.

~Andrea

Menu Planning and Homeschool

Many who know me love hearing about my homeschool experiences and some have asked me to expound upon our newest adventure….menu planning!

One day Mark had a day off in the middle of the week so we decided to run errands. We got to the local grocery store and I said to my boys “OK, think of one days worth of food. You are going to buy that food and you have a $50 limit.” Now $50 for one day is a lot and not what we normally spend but this was a “fly by the seat of your pants” experiment and I wanted to see what the boys would do.

Mark and I opted for the good old fashion divide and conquer technique. He took a boy and girl and I took the other 3. C-Dog decided on two dinners; beef and broccoli and veggie stir-fry. He also got lots of fresh fruits and veggies for snack, quinoa, and organic brown rice. Bug decided on frozen pizza and pasta. He also picked up some fresh fruit and frozen veggies to go with each meal. Pizza and pasta are not easy in my house. Elf can’t have pizza so Bug had to buy kosher and nitrate-free hotdogs for her. He then bought a pepperoni pizza for dad and a thin crust cheese pizza for me and him. He then bought two Udi’s Gluten Free Three Cheese Pizzas for C-Dog and Princess. Between the 2 they eat one and a half Udi’s pizzas. Pasta involves 2 different kids. One kid is allergic to rice and the other to corn. The pasta has to be gluten free. If you know GF pasta you know the choices are rice or corn and neither are that cheap.

Both boys came under budget. Thank goodness! What was the lesson learned? Bug learned just how expensive his choices were. He thought he would have a lot more leftover than he did. He learned that whole foods are cheaper and feed more than pre-packaged foods. C-Dog learned it is always good to buy seasonal fruits and veggies as they will be cheapest and taste best (sour and expensive berries were bought).

Mark and I were thrilled with the outcome. Not the food but the lessons learned. They learned that budgeting is important, food is expensive, and planning is a must. We decided it would be great to make this part of our homeschool. The 3 biggest kids each plan a full week’s menu; breakfast, lunch, dinner, 2 snacks, and dessert. Princess gets to add input. At least 3 meals have to be meatless. We plan for everyone. If someone can’t have a planned meal we make sure we either change the meal or plan something for that person. Each child has to cook at least one, but preferably two, of the meals they planned. Mark and I will guide them and have the right to change their menus as needed.

The kids use my recipe books and my Pintrest boards for inspiration. We have some tried and true favorites but they also like to get creative and try new things. We use Sweet Bella Roos menu planners. I like menu planners because she currently has 3 colors so each kid gets their own color. It also has a shopping list. The kids can take their menus and see what we already have in the house and then create their shopping lists on what is still needed. At the store seeing the menu and the shopping list  helps prevent impulse buying. I have tried several planners and these ones are my favorite and they work extremely well for us.

On Friday we sit around the table with cookbooks and my laptop and we start planning. Some bickering ensues as they fight over meal ideas, but in the end it is actually quite fun. We are together, we are communicating, we are learning.

C-Dog’s menu got used first. Bug was away on a ski trip so I randomly picked between the other two menus. How did shopping go? Well, it was an utter disaster! I very foolishly brought him shopping on a Saturday, one of the busiest days! Ugh! C-Dog has Sensory Processing Disorder. I know better! My husband knows better! In fact we saw the signs of overload before we even left the house! “I want to stay home!” is not a temper tantrum with C-Dog, it is a cry for help. I gave him some Rescue Remedy pastilles in Black Currant, his favorite, and told him he would be “just fine.” Sigh. I really do know better. This was not a stellar parenting moment. I put my own agenda in front of the needs of my child. 😦 I am just keeping it real, folks!

I ended up doing the shopping while Mark carried our very overstimulated 10 year old. Yes, he carried him. It was that bad. The girls took advantage of the chaos and were quite rowdy. It was far from an ideal trip. The trip was so insane that the next day C-Dog was still very much struggling and so we opted to not go to church. Has a shopping trip ever taken you 2 days to recover from? Sigh. This is our life and I will be thankful.

OK, back to those menus…

This week C-Dog has helped make homemade jello with organic juice, Mongolian Beef and Broccoli, Orange-Cranberry Chicken, pasta, lunch, and plans to help make homemade muffins. He has met the goal of cooking at least two meals and then some! We are still on his week, but I promise you the next shopping trip will not be on a weekend!

I want to hear from you! Do you menu plan with your kids? If so share how you do it! If not do you plan to start?