Menu Planning- #163

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: $1.50

Week 2-$84.37

Kroger: $84.37

Rebates: $7.44

IBOTTA: $7.44

Kroger Cash: $2.19

Week 3:

Week 4-

Week 5-

Total: $193.34

Rebate Total: $17.09

Final Total: $176.25

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: Ground Beef is on sale for under $2.00 a pound. WOW! My boys love Ground Beef based dinners. I picked up 6 pounds and am working on how to stretch the beef over the next month or two. Cowboy Soup, baked pasta with ground beef or sausage, tacos, and enchiladas are great meals that will stretch your meat out.

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:

https://sweetlifeonabudget.blogspot.com/2018/11/making-yogurt-101.html

Yogurt

Cereal

Eggs

Monday

Spanish Chicken

Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Vegetables

Tuesday

Tacos

Lentil Taco Salad

Chips w/ Salsa

Wednesday

Kielbasa

Onion and Peppers

Salad

Thursday

Mississippi Roast

Buttered Noodles

Salad

Friday

Pizza

Baked Mushrooms

Salad

Saturday

Salmon

Roasted Potatoes

Broccoli

Sunday

Lasagna

Salad

Bread Sticks

This week’s rough plan:

M- Lo Mein

T- Enchiladas

W- Butter Chicken

Th- Leftovers

Fri- Stromboli

Sat- Greek Chicken

Sun- Cheddar Broccoli Soup

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

What is your family having this week for dinner?

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...

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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: ...

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