Menu Planning: #268

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.

October USDA Low Food Plan

According to this plan, our family would have a budget of $193.70 per week. Given our health concerns, we struggle to maintain this budget, but I will try to make this happen.

Cost-Saving Tip of the Week: Know your prices and check out the discount rack each week. My grocery store has 3 discount rack areas: meat, bakery, and grocery. Due to our health concerns, our ability to take advantage of these areas makes it a little more challenging to get bargains, but sometimes I hit the jackpot.

Here is what we did this week to make our week easier:

Banana Chip Muffins
Make Lunch Soup
Pre-cut vegetables
Pre-cook rice

Breakfast Options:

Banana Chip Muffins

Yogurt

Cereal

Monday

Grilled Chicken

Salad

Tuesday

Pot Luck

Salad

Wednesday

Grilled Chicken

Rice

Brussel Sprouts

Thursday

Sausage

Pasta

Salad

Friday

Pizza

Salad

Saturday

Chicken Parmesan

Pasta

Homemade Gravy

Salad

Broccoli

Garlic Bread

Sunday

Mexican Corn Chowder

Quesadillas

Salad

M- Baked Pork Chop

T- Chili

W- Mexican

Th- Crack Chicken*

Fri- Stuffed Peppers

Sat- Left Overs

Sun- Salmon

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

The link is below if you are interested in last week’s Menu Plan.

What is your meal plan for this week?

Comments

Menu Planning #132

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. The news is very scary at this time because of all the news of meat plants shutting down, grocery stories limiting the amount of meat a family can purchase and all of the talk about a depression on the horizon. We have decided to keep our grocery budget the same, but to economize any way we can. This week we tried to pick up some shrimp that was on sale, but the store was out of shrimp and not expecting to get any more in. We were grateful to find wild caught salmon for the same price, so we picked that up instead for our Mother’s Day Dinner. What did we spend? Week 1: $96.44 Kroger: $96.44 Rebates: $3.55 IBOTTA: $1.35 Kroger Cash: $0.45 Checkout 51: $1.75 ...

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 ...

Frugal Five: #133

With inflation rising and salaries staying the same, our ability to make ends meet is becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, we must be more careful with our money. The Frugal Five is a series that celebrates the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life. This year, my focus is on Simple Abundance , so finding ways to live well while staying on budget will be challenging. Come along and enjoy my journey of elevating joy, enjoying what you have, and finding luxury in my local area. 1- Giving Back to the Community Supporting your community can take countless shapes. Some people choose to write a check, and that generosity absolutely matters. But many outreach efforts require more than funding—they need time, hands, and hearts willing to show up. I’m grateful that I’m able to participate in several programs that make a real difference for the people around me. One of the most meaningful ways I give b...

The Sweet Life On A Budget

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