What I Spent and What We Ate

WHAT I SPENT AND WHAT WE ATE

I have been looking at my overflowing freezers and very full pantry over the holiday week and

wondering why am I still going grocery shopping? I am planning on making January my

Pantry/Freezer Challenge month.

This is what I’m doing……

First I am taking an inventory of both my freezer and pantry to see exactly what I have. Then I will

be menu planning around what I have and only purchasing what we need which will focus on

perishable items such as fruit, vegetable and milk which should be about $35.00 a week. I am low

on a few key life items (AKA Coffee, cat food, cat litter, etc.), so I did keep an extra $10.00 in the

budget for rock bottom prices on these items. This makes for a total budget of $155.00.

WHAT I SPENT

January Spending

Week 1

Krogers = $38.48

Week 2

CVS= $1.90

Walgreens= $0.00

Krogers= 38.48

Meijer= 3.24

Week 3

Kroger= $13.21 (Coffee Sale)

Meijers= $6.87

CVS= $0.00

Aldi= $22.34

The numbers come in at $124.52 so far this month. We are slightly over budget, but when you can

save 50% on good coffee, you take the opportunity. ($4.52 over budget for the low spend month)

WHAT WE ATE (January 13-19, 2019)

Sunday- Taught Sunday School, Swim Practice

Since all of the activities were spaced so that we needed a quick, easy and ready when we got

home kind of meal, we went with a crockpot meal.

Crockpot Chicken

Brown Rice

Green Beans

Monday- Since my husband is not home for supper tonight, my son gets his favorite dish- Pasta!

Pasta with Broccoli

Salad

Flat Bread

Tuesday - Swim

Chicken and Rice Soup

Salad

Sandwiches

Wednesday- Working, Swim

Leftovers

Thursday- Swim

Pork Chops

Buttered Noodles

Applesauce

Green Salad

Friday- Working

Pizza

Salad

Vegetable Sticks

Saturday-

Chicken Creole

Rice

Green Beans

Salad

Bread

Comments

Menu Planning: #245

NOTE- 1- Click on the picture and get a link to a post sharing the recipe. 2- Although all prices were correct at the time of the blog postings, the current cost of preparation of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location. March USDA Thrifty Food Plan ccording to this plan our family would have a budget of $186.20 per week. Given our health concerns, we struggle to maintain this budget, but I am going to try to make this happen. Cost Saving Tip of the Week: Check your sale flyers for loss leaders. Each week grocery stores advertise specific products at a great price to get you in the store. Recently, I have noticed a very specific time frame for getting these deals. Good luck and happy hunting. Here is what we did this week to make our week easier: Refrigerator Clean Out Pre-cut all vegetables for the week Pulled older items to the front for easier consumption C...

Menu Planning: #250

NOTE- 1- Click on the picture and get a link to a post sharing the recipe. 2- Although all prices were correct at the time of the blog postings, the current cost of preparation of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location. March USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan our family would have a budget of $186.20 per week. Given our health concerns, we struggle to maintain this budget, but I am going to try to make this happen. Cost Saving Tip of the Week: When I purchase fruit for the week, it helps to calculate the cost per serving vs. the cost in general. For example, this week a whole watermelon was on sale for $3.99 each. When it is cut up, the watermelon will yield at least 20 servings which will place the cost per serving at $0.20. Here is what we did this week to make our week easier: Breakfast Options: Hard Boiled Eggs Yogurt Homemade Breakfast ba...

Menu Plan #322

NOTE- 1- Click on the picture and get a link to a post sharing the recipe. 2- Although all prices were correct at the time of the blog postings, the current cost of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location. Published September 2025: USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family has a weekly budget of $190.50. Since October has 5 weeks, our monthly budget is $952.50. We elevate our dining experiences by including fresh fruits, vegetables, and higher-quality meats. Since our family has specific dietary needs, we limit our consumption of highly processed food. Grocery Shopping Tip: Rethink lunchmeat. The deli will provide you with thin-sliced meat or presliced deli meat, but you will pay a premium per pound. ($6.49 to $15.00 per pound) However, if you buy a ½ boneless ham (unsliced or presliced), the price point will drop to between ...

The Sweet Life On A Budget

Search This Blog