Meal Plan and Shopping List for March 30th

I'm sorry that I disappeared for a month. Between being sick and having a sick little one while doing back to back theater productions, it's been a little crazy. But I'm back in the game and I have my menu planned for the next two weeks and all of our grocery shopping done for about $110 total. Here's our dinner menu (including Saturday which we already ate!):

Dinner Menu

Saturday March 30th: Hamburger Hash Brown Casserole
Sunday March 31st: Easter at Grandma's!
Monday April 1st: Nachos
Tuesday April 2nd: Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
Wednesday April 3rd: Chicken Stir Fry (here's the homemade sauce recipe I use)
Thursday April 4th: French Toast and Scrambled Eggs (here's the homemade wheat bread recipe)
Friday April 5th: Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
Saturday April 6th: Nachos with Homemade "Refried Beans" 
Sunday April 7th: Picante Black Bean Soup
Monday April 8th: Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops
Tuesday April 9th: Spinach Stuffed Shells
Wednesday April 10th: Beef and Barley Stew
Thursday April 11th: Honey Sesame Chicken
Friday April 12th: Eat out for my birthday! Also opening night for my show Wait Until Dark!

Some things we already had in our freezer/pantry are: pork chops, homemade marinara sauce, blueberries, hamburger, pinto beans, bread making ingredients, and brown rice. We also get milk, eggs, some cheese, oatmeal, cereal and a few other various things through the WIC program, which saves us about $50 a month.

Also, for breakfast, we like to eat Overnight Oats, Homemade Bagels with cream cheese, blueberry kale smoothies and I'll be trying two new crock pot recipes this week: Quinoa Banana Bread and Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal. Lunches usually consist of leftovers for me and the little one and my husband will be taking egg salad sandwiches and homemade pita bread pizzas.

Keeping all this in mind, here's the shopping list I came up with with actual prices I paid next to them. (I had to do my best to guess on the Costco items because I lost the receipt! But I've got a pretty good memory.) I used the Safeway and Fred Meyer apps I just downloaded on my phone to compare sale prices and coupons.

Safeway List:

All-purpose flour $1.99
Diced green chiles $1.19
Tomato paste $0.59
Soy sauce $4.79
Mayonnaise $2.49
Beef broth $2.99
Chicken broth Free!
Pickles $2.99
Jumbo shells $2.39
Cream cheese $1.49
2 lbs cheddar cheese $6.99
Half and half $1.89
Greek yogurt $2.99
Hash browns $1.99
Stew beef $3.99
Mangoes $2.00
Red potatoes $1.28
Yellow onion $0.62
Broccoli $0.96
Mini sweet peppers $3.99

Fred Meyer List:

Shredded mozarella $2.00
Pearl barley $0.82
Bananas $1.38
Organic apples $2.69
Avocados $2.50
2 pkgs ground sausage $6.00

Costco List:

4 lbs quinoa $8.99
3 lbs tortilla chips $3.99
Organic black beans $8.99
Chicken thighs $15.00


There we go! Hope this gives you some inspiration for your own meal planning and shopping lists!

February 1st Shopping Trip

In my previous post Rules of Menu Planning, I shared with you how I plan two weeks worth of meals and come up with a shopping list to fit my budget. Well, today was payday and I just got back from Safeway. Let's see how my previous list (with an estimated total of $78) compares to the actual receipt. The actual price will be in black with my estimated price in red beside it.

* Denotes something that was not on my original shopping list

5 lbs Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour - $3.29, 3.00
5 lbs Gold Medal Bread Flour - $3.29, 3.00
Safeway Pineapple Chunks - $1.59, 2.00
*Safeway Olives - $1.29
1 lb Safeway Pinto Beans - $1.39, 2.00
2 lbs Safeway Brown Rice - $2.79, 3.00
*2x Cascadian Farms Granola - $4.98
*Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Packet - $2.19
16 ct Mission Flour Tortillas - $5.49, 5.00
2x Barilla Whole Wheat Macaroni - $3.18, 2.00
Lucerne Large Eggs - $2.29, 3.00
Lucerne Soft Cream Cheese - $2.99, 2.00
2 lbs Lucerne Cheddar Cheese - $5.00, 5.00
2 lbs Lucerne Mozzarella Cheese - $5.00, 5.00
32 oz. Lucerne Vanilla Yogurt - $1.99, 3.00
32 oz. Lucerne Greek Yogurt - $2.99, 3.00
32 oz. Safeway Frozen Peas - $2.99, 4.00
Sabra Hummus - $2.50, 3.00
2.2 lbs Bananas - $1.52, 2.00
2 Avocados - $1.56, 1.50
Lemon - $0.89, 1.00
1.32 lbs Carrots - $0.91, 2.00
*2.61 lbs Butternut Squash - $3.89
5 lbs Russet Potatoes - $1.49, 2.00
5 lbs Red Potatoes - $2.99, 2.00
2.29 lbs Sweet Potatoes - $2.27, 3.00
Sweet Onion - $0.97, 1.00
*Bunch of Organic Spinach - $2.99

Total: $68.71

Note: I used a $6.00 WIC check for produce which I subtracted from the total. I also still have to buy coffee, baking powder, and more bananas and avocados for next week, which will add another $15 or so to my total.

You'll notice that I bought very few items that were not on my list. But since I overpriced most of the items to begin with, that gave me a little wiggle room. I still came in at about $5.00 over budget and I can live with that.

So there you have it! Two weeks worth of groceries for under $100! If I had been purchasing meat with this paycheck, I would expect my total to be right at about $100. Still, not too shabby :)

Homemade Baby Wipes

I started making homemade baby wipes for two reasons: 1) My daughter has sensitive skin and gets diaper rashes from just about every brand of wipes. 2) I wanted to save money. They are super easy to make and very effective.

 

You'll need:

- A roll of good quality paper towels (I use Bounty Select-a-Size)
- 2 cups of warm water
- 2 to 4 Tbsp of coconut oil
- 2 to 4 drops of doTERRA lavender essential oil
- 2 to 4 drops of doTERRA melaleuca essential oil

Instructions:

1. Cut the roll of paper towels in half. Don't use an expensive knife though because it will dull the blade.

2. In a lidded container, combine the water, coconut oil, and essential oils. Stir until the coconut oil is completely melted.

3. Put the paper towel roll in the container, cut side down. Press down on it to make it fit (it will squish down far enough, trust me!) and secure the lid. Turn container upside down and let sit for about 10 minutes. Open and remove the cardboard, then pull wipes out from the center. Ta da!

Rules of Menu Planning

I usually start the menu planning process about a week before we get each paycheck. I can jot down some ideas and tweak them when we find out exactly how much money we'll have to work with. February is going to be a tight month because we're still catching up on bills since our recent move. But we'll be just fine and I'm going to share with you exactly how we never go hungry, even if we have a tiny budget.

First, here are the basic guidelines I try to follow when planning my family's meals:

1. Eat as healthy as possible with as much variety and as many whole foods as we can.
2. Cook meals that use some of the same ingredients so nothing goes to waste.
3. Buy bulk and cook big batches. This is a huge money and time saver!
4. Make as many things from scratch as possible, such as bread, sauces, soups, etc. Not only is this healthier, but it's often cheaper too!
5. Keep on eye on sales and buy food where it's the cheapest, while still keeping the grocery shopping confined to a maximum of three stores.

That's about it. I know some of that sounds really complicated and at first it might be. It's taken a couple years of trial and error to get to a point where we can save money, eat healthy, and not waste. But I'm hoping that my tips and tricks will help you get to that point faster and without as many errors!

Step One: Inventory

The first thing I do is take an inventory of what's already in my pantry and refrigerator/freezer that I can work with. Thankfully my grandma dropped off some meat last week, knowing that we would be having a tough month, so we're pretty well stocked in that department. We have pork roast, pork chops, sea bass, sausage links, and ground breakfast sausage to work with. Some of those things I bought on sale this month too. I also have blueberries, pumpkin puree, diced ham, and homemade pizza sauce in the freezer. I have everything I need for baking except that I will need some more flour. I was hoping to go to Costco this month to buy the big 50 lb bags of flour, but that will have to wait until later.

Step Two: Meal Ideas

Next, I make a list of dinner ideas that sound good and use some of what we already have. I will need 14 dinners unless I know one meal will provide enough food for two nights or we have plans to eat elsewhere (like Superbowl Sunday). Here's what I came up with for the next two weeks:

Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage (2 nights)
Fish & Chips (2 nights)
Pita Pizzas
Slow Cooker Pork Roast (Leftovers)
Tuna Melts
Nachos (2 nights)
Breakfast for Dinner (French Toast, Pancakes, or Waffles)
Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Chops
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Now, before I start my shopping list, I can't forget breakfast, lunch, and snack foods. I don't plan these out for each day, but I make sure I have enough food to throw something different together every day. Here's some of the meals we like to eat:

Overnight Oats
Oatmeal
French Toast in a Cup
Scrambled Eggs with Cheese
Pita Pizzas
Smoothies
Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Pita and Hummus Melts
Bagels and Cream Cheese

Step 3: Shopping List

So now that I know what I want to eat, I have to put together my list and see if it fits in my budget. We should have about $100 for food and toiletries for the next two weeks (thank goodness I don't have to buy any meat!). We need paper towels (for homemade baby wipes) and contact solution, so that leaves me with about $75 for food. Since I know about how much each item costs at the grocery store, I just round up to the nearest dollar to give me an extra cushion. Always over-budget, never under-budget! So here's what I've come up with:

Folger's coffee - $10
Baking powder - $2
Whole wheat flour - $3
Bread flour - $3
Bag of red potatoes - $2
Bag of russet potatoes - $2
Greek Yogurt - $3
Vanilla Yogurt - $3
Frozen Peas - $4
2 Bunches bananas - $4
4 Avocados - $3
Carrots - $2
Onion - $1
Lemon - $1
2 Sweet potatoes - $3
2 Boxes macaroni- $2
Dried pinto beans - $2
Tortillas - $5
Brown rice - $3
Canned pineapple - $2
Eggs - $3
Cheddar - $5
Mozzarella - $5
Hummus - $3
Cream cheese - $2

Now, if I did my math right, this comes out to $78. Of course, I don't know that these prices are 100% right, but they're close enough that I feel confident taking this list to the store with me. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we get WIC, so that's why there's no milk or peanut butter and not very many fruits or veggies. We save about $50 a month on groceries thanks to the WIC program!

You'll notice that there is no junk food on this shopping list either. Occasionally we will splurge on ice cream or chips, but when money's tight, that's the first thing that gets crossed off the list. So we'll have to be content with homemade bagels, yogurt, carrots and hummus, and homemade cookies when we're in a munchy mood, which are all delicious anyway.

All I have left to do now is match a meal with each day of the week and we're good to go! I will be sharing my receipts and what we eat every day, so stay tuned for lists, ideas, and recipes starting Feb. 1st!

Update: To see the actual receipts for this shopping list, click here!

Coming Soon!

I like to view myself as an above-average mom in below-average circumstances. Now, I say below average not because I'm unhappy with where we are, but because my family is low-income and we have to make due with a lot less than most people in this country. It can definitely be a struggle at times, but it is also very rewarding to know that we can live happy and satisfying lives on very little. I want this blog to be an encouragement to other moms and families who are in the same boat we are, or who are just looking for some good ideas on how to cut back.

Here's a brief overview of where we are at the moment: My husband works full-time (with occasional overtime) and goes to school on-line full-time while I stay at home with our 16-month-old. I'm hoping to make a little extra money babysitting, but that's still up in the air. My husband makes around $30,000 and we rent a double wide trailer and have one vehicle. We do get a little help from WIC and family and friends, which is a huge blessing, but mostly we fend for ourselves. We like to keep our food budget for the month around $250 maximum. For the three of us, that seems to work out just fine, although I really have to plan so that we're eating as healthy as possible with that $250. So far, we've excelled enough that I feel I can start sharing some of what we do with others.

Starting in February, I will be sharing my schedule, meal plans, and budget with you all so you can see just exactly how we make the most out of our small budget. I'm still exploring and experimenting myself, so there may be weeks or months that I go a little over or find out that something isn't as awesome as I thought. But I want to share my learning process with you so maybe you can learn from my mistakes.

I hope you all stay tuned!

DIY All-Natural Fruit Fly Trap

I think that everyone should be a do-it-yourself-er. For one thing, you can save huge amounts of money for usually very little work (depending on what kind of project it is). And completing a DIY project provides a tremendous sense of satisfaction. It's a huge self-esteem boost, even if the project was a little one, like the one below.

But of course, as Americans, we prefer everything to be pre-made and pre-packaged. Open a container and voila! Instant gratification.

So, to combat this mentality that we've all grown up with, I'm going to be featuring lots of easy DIY ideas. Here's the first one: (Thanks to Passionate Homemaking for this excellent and effective idea!)

All-Natural Fruit Fly Trap

What you'll need:

- A jar
- A piece of paper
- Tape
- Apple cider vinegar
- A small chunk of fruit (I happened to use kiwi)

Place the fruit in the jar and fill with about 1/2 inch of apple cider vinegar. Roll the paper into a funnel and tape. Make sure the bottom won't be touching the vinegar. Basically what will happen is this: The flies fly down through the funnel, but they aren't smart enough to fly back up. After you get a bunch of them in your jar, you can stick it in the freezer until they die and just pull it out and reuse it. No cleaning necessary :)

This is a picture of my trap about an hour after setting it out. There are about a dozen flies trapped already and half a dozen more working their way down the funnel! Amazing!

Creative Baby Food Combinations

The key to good nutrition is learning it and putting it into practice at an early age. Eating well is a habit that must be formed, so the sooner you start, the more likely you are to follow it the rest of your life. So why not start by teaching good nutrition to our infants? It makes sense, right? I'm so glad to see so many parents are stepping up and making their own baby food. It absolutely makes sense to do so because not only is it healthier, but it's cheaper than food in a jar and it's not very hard to do.

My go-to website for baby food information is Wholesome Baby Food. They have some fantastic information! But I know a lot of parents struggle with recipe ideas. Especially the first year, you can't just throw your own dinner in a blender and serve it up. I've gathered my list from various cookbooks, some pre-made combos I've seen in stores, and just out of my own head. The following are some of my daughter's favorite fruit and veggie combos:

Apricots and Applesauce

Avocado and Banana

Mango, Banana, and Kiwi

Green Beans, Peas, and Spinach
*Add a couple of fresh mint leaves when you blend it up.

Carrots, Turnips, and Applesauce
*You may want to use more or less of a certain ingredient depending on your baby's preferences.

Sweet Potato, Parsnips, and Applesauce
*Applesauce is a great way to sweeten up any dish.

Beets, Blueberries, and Applesauce
*I added steamed spinach and kale to this combo. These are great additives to sneak into just about any dish.

 Asparagus, Leek, White Potato, and Sweet Potato
*Add some parmesan and a splash of milk to this combo to make it creamy.

Sweet Potato, Blueberries, and Apples

Acorn Squash and Apples
*Add a pat of butter and some cinnamon to this.

Cauliflower, Carrots, and Tomato
*Only use one tomato. Peel and seed and chop it up and saute it in butter until soft. Add some cheddar and basil before you blend it all together.

Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, and Apples
*If you use canned pumpkin, make sure it's 100% pure and not pie filling!

Zucchini and White Potato
*Add parmesan to this combo.

Hope this list gives you some inspiration! Now, no excuses for not making your own food! These are so easy to just steam or bake and throw into a blender! And of course, they will last you a week or more! I like to keep three or four fruit and veggie combos in the freezer at all times for a quick and easy lunch for baby.