Skip to main content

Menu Planning #162

 

Our meals need to be nutritious, clean, flexible, quick and cost effective. Between our work schedules and after school activities, we need to carefully plan our meals so that we do not end up ordering out.  


Instead of guessing regarding our food budget, I looked up the Official USDA Food Plans as of December 2020 which was enlightening.    Since, we have 3 members in our household and use the thrifty plan, the food only weekly budget would be $123.40.  However the monthly SNAP benefits average $125 per person or about $260.00 per household.   


Goal: $500.00 

What did we spend? 


Week 1- $108.97

Kroger: $87.83

Meijer: $21.14

Rebates- $9.65

IBOTTA: $7.55

IBOTTA: $1.10

Kroger Cash: $1.00


Week 2-


Week 3:


Week 4-

Week 5- 


Total: $108.97

Rebate Total: $9.65

Final Total: $99.32


NOTE: Rebate total DOESN’T include Kroger Cash or Refunds because they will come off of the Kroger Bill automatically the following week.   In addition, I don’t count CVS as part of the grocery bill because I normally use gift cards and ECB to get my items for free, so in the end the money is usually to my benefit.   


Grocery Shopping Tips:   If you have the money to be a little flexible with your budget then do so when you find a great deal.    For example, I was only planning on buying 1 pound of ground turkey this week, but if I picked up 3 pounds the price to a rock bottom price in my area.   Given I was planning on picking up ground turkey and sausage next week to make meatballs, I just did it this week.    As a bonus, I got the sausage for a marked down price too.      

     

Let’s take a look at what we ate this week. 

NOTE- If you want to see the recipes, just click on the picture to see the link. 



Breakfast Options: 


Cranberry Breakfast Cake

Quiche

Eggs


Monday

Jambalaya

Green Beans

Salad


Tuesday

Tacos

Salad

Chips w/ Salsa

 

Wednesday

Pasta

Salad


Thursday(New Year’s Eve)

Chicken Wings

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Chips

Vegetable Platter w/ Dip


Friday (New Year’s Day)

Grilled Boneless Pork Chops

Roasted Potatoes

Broccoli 

Salad


Saturday

Chicken Parmesan 

Pasta

Salad

Garlic Bread

Black Rice with Mango and Coconut Cream Sauce


Sunday

Leftovers 



This week’s rough plan: 


M- Spanish Chicken

T-  Tacos and *Taco Salad

W- Mississippi Roast

Th- Leftovers

Fri- Pizza

Sat- Wedding Soup

Sun- Pasta Bake


* Indicate that the recipe is a new one for our family.    


What is your family having this week for dinner?


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Menu Plan #307

  Menu Plan #307 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 location.      February 2025  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family would have a budget of $189.30 per week. Since March has 4 weeks, our monthly budget is $757.20.   We elevate our dining experiences by including fresh fruits, vegetables, and higher-quality meats.  Since we have health concerns and are active individuals, we limit our processed food choices.    Grocery Shopping Tip:     Utilize your grocery store’s loyalty program. This month, my 2 primary grocery stores have provided me with store coupons for bread, Silk milk, jelly candy, frozen vegetables, and Bali coconut water.  Here is what we did this week to make our week easier: ...
Post a Comment
Read more