Grocery Accountability Thread, 8/31

[Pretty in Pink]

For those from the other thread that wanted to have one, and anyone wishing to join, it's the grocery accountability thread! Feel free to post your weekly menu, budget, whether you went over or stayed under, useful tips and trick that helped you save this week, etc. I'll go first.

 

This week I planned breakfast, lunch, and supper for seven days, so 21 meals in all. Here's the menu:

 

 

 

Breakfast:

 

(2) apple/cinnamon oatmeal prepped w/ milk

(2) cheese grits

(1) dry cereal w/ milk

 

Lunch:

 

Beef pot pie, fruit

Tuna w/ crackers, carrot sticks, blue cheese dip

Pizza, cucumber & tom salad

Chicken salad sandwiches, fruit

Beans & rice, mixed veg

Eggs on toast, cheese, fruit

Leftover lunch day!

 

Supper:

 

Beef stew, herbed mashed potatoes

Breaded tilapia, wilted spinach, jacket potatoes w/ toppings

Potato hash, poached eggs, cole slaw

Burritos, mexicorn

Lemon-poppyseed pancakes, mixed berries, sliced almonds

Spaghetti w/ meat sauce, garlic toast

Agnolotti stuffed w/ ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, & bacon, green salad w/ vinaigrette

 

 

 

Okay, so this week I made a few changes to my shopping routine. First, I shopped my pantry and fridge and made note of what I had on hand. I still had some fresh produce from last week that's needing to be used up, so I scheduled that into my first few meals, which is something I don't normally think to do.

 

Next, instead of the usual organic eggs and ground beef that I buy, I bought conventional. The eggs came in a paper carton and are from nearby, so that's something I suppose. I bought 2 lbs of ground beef and 2 lbs of chuck roast for beef stew.

 

I did still buy organic milk because I much prefer the taste of my usual brand.

 

I bought formula, a few toiletries, a few cleaning supplies, as per usual.

 

I bought frozen corn instead of fresh at half the cost.

 

I bought bananas and berries but no other fruit, as we still had plenty in the fridge from last week. I won't buy more until what we have is gone. Usually I just grab a bunch of fruit every week and cram it in the fridge and this results in more waste than I'd prefer.

 

My bill was $151.00.

 

That's about half what I normally spend.

 

I can't imagine I'll save quite that much every single week, but that was a significant savings over my normal bill!

[mamaraby]

That sounds like a huge success!!

 

I rewrote my meal plan after I started writing my grocery list and realized that there were quite a few items on the list for only a few meals. I also shopped the pantry and took a couple of things off my list as a result. I planned 24 meals for 9 days plus a snack for 8 days in order to get us through to my next grocery shopping day. I also enlisted my dh in planning lunches that he'll actually eat so I can put more money in savings towards replacing our roof/gutters/soffits. Sticking to the meal plan/budget is important.

 

I spent $35 at the farmer's market on veg plus some grade b maple syrup that will last us awhile, $89 at the grocery store, and $45 at Target for a few food items plus some toilet bowl cleaner/dog food/hand soap/laundry detergent. I ended up under budget at $169 which is $20 under what I spent last week and $60-ish under what I had been spending before. I still need to pick up some corn on the cob for Monday's dinner provided that I can find the guy we usually buy from. If not, I'll sub a side dish leftover from last night or frozen peas from the freezer.

 

I think I overbought on bagels and could have probably saved another $1-2 if I had bought the bulgur I needed from the bulk section at the co-op. I had forgotten to count up the oatmeal packets for the kids, though, so I could have saved a bit there by not getting any more. I'm still hemming and hawing a bit about the Oat Revolution instant oatmeal, but my kids get such a kick out of being able to make their own oatmeal, so I'm putting the value on independence.

[Pretty in Pink]

That sounds like a huge success!!

 

<snip>

 

I'm still hemming and hawing a bit about the Oat Revolution instant oatmeal, but my kids get such a kick out of being able to make their own oatmeal, so I'm putting the value on independence.

 

We all really like the Oat Revolution oatmeal and at 5/$1 it's hard to say no, so I don't. I bought it for this week like usual.

[Carrie12345]

Breakfast

(3) oatmeal or hot cereal and yogurt

(2) waffles (made in advance and toasted) and fruit

(1) egg wraps and fruit

(1) the junk cereal dh snuck in and yogurt

 

Lunch

grilled cheese

pb&j

tuna macaroni salad

soup

leftovers

All with fruit or veg, serve yourself (well, the girls make extra of whatever they make for the little boys.)

 

Dinner

Spinach lasagna, sausage, salad (homemade lasagna noodles, already had the cheeses)

crock pot bbq chicken legs, potatoes, broccoli

swedish meatballs over noodles, green beans from the garden

hamburgers, hot dogs, mac and cheese, salad

crock pot chicken breast to be defined later, rice, salad

breakfast for dinner (waffles or pancakes, sausage, fruit)

leftovers

 

I bought extra london broil and ground beef on sale, the chicken was already in my freezer.

Also got TP, paper towels (we don't use much, but are low) dish soap, and Boost to supplement ds6.

 

$149.26 It would have been higher if they weren't out of strawberries (yes, strawberries! all out!) and dh's yogurt.

[Susan in TX]

Here are my totals for the week:

 

Aldi 101.30

Target 24.58

Costco 62.15

 

Total 188.03 not too bad. That's food for a week for 8:  2 adults, 3 teenagers, 2 kids, 1 toddler. This also included diapers, wipes, shampoo and toothpaste.

 

Menu for the week:

 

Breakfast

oatmeal

pancakes

cereal (I didn't buy cereal this week but we still have some)

eggs

yogurt w/berries and/or granola

 

Lunch

PB & J

homemade burritos

 

Dinner

Spagetti

Macaroni and cheese (the boxed kind)

Zucchini Ziti

Tuna Hotdish with Peas

Tater Tot Casserole

Corn Dogs

Chicken burgers

 

 

Susan in TX

[mamaraby]

We all really like the Oat Revolution oatmeal and at 5/$1 it's hard to say no, so I don't. I bought it for this week like usual.

I usually buy the family packs so they are a bit more expensive, but still not terribly so. This morning, though, we had apple pie oatmeal which stretches 1/3 of a cup of oats per person into so much more than that. I have leftovers from our 4 servings and could have easily fed the 5 of us. It also stuck around until 1pm when dh got home for lunch. I'm definitely putting that in our breakfast rotation.

 

That plus getting dh to stick to the lunch meal plan means this week so far is a huge success! :0

[cjzimmer1]

I usually buy the family packs so they are a bit more expensive, but still not terribly so. This morning, though, we had apple pie oatmeal which stretches 1/3 of a cup of oats per person into so much more than that. I have leftovers from our 4 servings and could have easily fed the 5 of us. It also stuck around until 1pm when dh got home for lunch. I'm definitely putting that in our breakfast rotation.

 

That plus getting dh to stick to the lunch meal plan means this week so far is a huge success! :0

 

I almost never buy flavored oatmeal but I saw the oatmeal revolution and it was on sale so I thought I'd try it.  My teenager ate 4 packet for breakfast and an hour later was hungry.  Then I remembered why I don't buy flavored oatmeal - even as a 2 year old he could eat 2-3 packages at a sitting.  Back to the 50 pound rolled oats for us.

[Whereneverever]

I just finished unpacking groceries. My meal plan is gf so that impacts prices and foods. My dh and I are currently low carbing it again, as well.

 

 

Tuesday

Eggs and bacon

Tuna patties and salad

Taco salad

 

Wednesday

Eggs and bacon

Cheeseburger quiche

Alice springs chicken, green beans, and salad

 

Thursday

Early Rise breakfast

Antipasto salad

Cheesy chicken broccoli casserole

 

Friday

Breakfast casserole

Philly cheesesteak melt

Bulkogi, fried rice, salad

 

Saturday

Ham and cheese quiche

Chicken salad, broccoli crunch salad

White Castle hamburger pie, salad

 

Sunday

Breakfast quiche

Dottie's burger scramble florentine

Smothered chicken II and salad

 

 

I bought 2 gallons of whole milk, 15 lbs of various cheeses, and a 10 lb bag of frozen chicken breasts.

I also bought a large bag of apples, baby carrots, celery, bananas, dried blueberries, and cheese sticks for the kids and it all came to $188.

[Prairie~Phlox]

I never buy packet oatmeal, it's so expensive compared to plain oats and seasoning them yourself. I dry apples that I got free from the neighbor and diced them up. I buy a huge bag of oats from Azure Standard.

[mamaraby]

I never buy packet oatmeal, it's so expensive compared to plain oats and seasoning them yourself. I dry apples that I got free from the neighbor and diced them up. I buy a huge bag of oats from Azure Standard.

Oh, I agree, but I homeschool, have three kids, and take care of most everything else around the house because my hsband works 60+ hours a week. We all have our trade-offs. In this case, I choose a little convenience for me, a lot of independence for my kids who just eat one packet, and a handful of meals where I don't have to be involved.

 

If that works for you, fantastic, but I'll gladly spend a few more dollars on groceries for my own mental and emotional health. It's what keeps me able to homeschool which is what's most important for me. Trying to do it all is what led to my massive burnout and putting my kids in ps last year.

[Pretty in Pink]

Oh, I agree, but I homeschool, have three kids, and take care of most everything else around the house because my hsband works 60+ hours a week. We all have our trade-offs. In this case, I choose a little convenience for me, a lot of independence for my kids who just eat one packet, and a handful of meals where I don't have to be involved.

 

If that works for you, fantastic, but I'll gladly spend a few more dollars on groceries for my own mental and emotional health. It's what keeps me able to homeschool which is what's most important for me. Trying to do it all is what led to my massive burnout and putting my kids in ps last year.

 

Gotta do whatcha gotta do, right? I totally get it. It *is* more expensive, but it's still a relatively minor cost for us and a huge convenience once or twice per week. My kids love being able to prep their own hot breakfast and I love that it's mostly no-mess. It's a special treat for us.

 

I would like to try my hand at making up my own oatmeal mix that they kids can scoop from a jar though. I just need a good recipe!

 

Whereneverever (<---- did I get that right? LOL!), I am totally impressed with your spending and your meal plan. That is awesome!!

 

[Whereneverever]

Gotta do whatcha gotta do, right? I totally get it. It *is* more expensive, but it's still a relatively minor cost for us and a huge convenience once or twice per week. My kids love being able to prep their own hot breakfast and I love that it's mostly no-mess. It's a special treat for us.

 

I would like to try my hand at making up my own oatmeal mix that they kids can scoop from a jar though. I just need a good recipe!

 

Whereneverever (<---- did I get that right? LOL!), I am totally impressed with your spending and your meal plan. That is awesome!!

 

Thanks!

 

I pre prep oatmeal once a week for my kids- I have small reusable containers that I fill with oats from bulk, dried blueberries, spices, ect. They dump one in a bowl, add water, and microwave it. I can make them bigger or smaller for appetites and it keeps it cheap and still pretty hands off for me.

[Carrie12345]

I would like to try my hand at making up my own oatmeal mix that they kids can scoop from a jar though. I just need a good recipe!

My kids made one up a while back. I'll see if they can find the slip of paper they scribbled it on, lol. They did Creamy Strawberry and Brown Sugar Cinnamon, but I hate drying strawberries and they got lazy, so now they just scoop as they go, lol.

[Luckymama]

I am trying to adjust to cooking for only three, since both older kids are back at college.

 

So far this week I have spent $33 at the (organic) farmers' market on Sunday.

 

Breakfasts are chosen from

--leftover hm carrot cake sans frosting (dh's bday was Sunday)

--yogurt already in the fridge

--cereal already purchased (Frosted Mini Wheats---don't judge!)

--fruit (this week cantaloupe, watermelon, black grapes, apples from the orchard and/or frozen berries from Costco)

--and Sunday's bday bfast was bacon, scrapple, scrambled eggs, and an apple coffee cake!

 

Lunches are always leftovers, tuna or egg salad, quesadillas (hm tortillas), with whatever veggies and fruit appeal. Dh works from home half-time.

 

Planned dinners for this week:

Sunday---kefta, hummus, and pitas (all homemade) with various veg

Monday---grilled London broil and chicken breast, potato salad, green salad, watermelon, grapes, hm salsa fresca, tortilla chips (We had a good chunk of the inlaws over for dinner.)

Tuesday---grilled Italian sausage patties (marked down on Saturday), hm buns, sliced tomatoes, sautéed squash with onion

Wednesday---frittata made with eggs from bil's chickens, fresh broccoli, Parmesan, and a bit of ham, salad

Thursday---grilled chicken breast, roasted white sweet potatoes, either steamed zucchini or beans

Friday---BBQ meatballs (adapted from Pioneer Woman----from my freezer), wholewheat noodles, whatever veg we didn't have the night before

Saturday---hm jambalaya using the fresh andouille sausage I grabbed on markdown Saturday, whatever veggies we have left from the farmers' market trip

 

I will need to do some shopping later this week. I hit a bunch of really good sales last week on the various meats and chicken, plus I keep a well-stocked pantry. For some reason the grocery ads weren't delivered in the mail last Thursday. I hate viewing the ads online! I expect that the coming ads may not be delivered in a timely fashion---Monday holidays seem to mess with the delivery.

[Prairie~Phlox]

Sorry, didn't mean to step on toes, I thought everyone was trying to reduce their bills because food prices are going up, just stating how I keep mine low. I homeschool three kids too and also take care of everything. I try and keep costs down because I have to and it all comes out the other end the same anyway.

[Pretty in Pink]

Sorry, didn't mean to step on toes, I thought everyone was trying to reduce their bills because food prices are going up, just stating how I keep mine low. I homeschool three kids too and also take care of everything. I try and keep costs down because I have to and it all comes out the other end the same anyway.

 

No apologies necessary! It's great to see how everyone is saving money as well as where we tend to spend more for the sake of convenience.

 

If you gals could share your oatmeal recipes and the ratio of liquid to oats that would be fabulous! Don't forget to mention what type of oats you are using -- quick or rolled.

 

[readinmom]

Trying to figure out how to slash our budget for groceries big time this month.  I wish my family would not be so picky about meals.  They won't touch beans, most vegetables (unless I sneak them in), oatmeal, etc. 

 

I want to keep it at $300 for the month.  Wish me luck!

[Mom in High Heels]

This is an interesting thread.  To be honest, I forgot how expensive groceries are in the US!  I'm having sticker shock.  At Aldi or Rewe in Germany, a 3 pack of red bell peppers was .79-.99 Euro cents (about $1-1.30ish), but at every store I've been to since we've been back in the US, they are around $1.50 EACH.  Seriously???  We love red bell peppers and would go through 3-5 a week.  I put them in practically everything, and I slice them up for snacking.  Holy cow.  I also bought all our poultry at Aldi, because it was so much less expensive than buying it at the commissary (and there were no hormones!), but I don't have that option now.  500g of chicken breast was around 2.50 Euro ($3.30ish), but the same amount in the US is around $6.  Yikes.  I'm going to have to do some serious rethinking and planning.  We're not terribly picky (okay, I am, but I cook, so I cook what I'll eat), but I like to have good foods in the house (whole grain breads, organic produce, etc), and none of us can handle lactose, so I have to buy lactose free milk, which is pricey.  Darn this need to eat 3 times a day!

 

Since we have only 1 pot and 1 pan right now (our household goods are still on a ship somewhere in the Atlantic), I'm limited to what I can cook, but I have to get back to planning out my week ahead of time and buying what I need.  James Bond is my biggest problem when it comes to groceries.  I try not to buy a lot of snacky-junky food (though Han Solo would die without Ritz crackers and rice cakes), but if I do, JB thinks it must all be eaten right away, and then there's none left for later, so we're just out.  I know it comes from growing up in a large family where they ate treats right away because if they didn't someone else would take it (he has a strange family, let me tell you), but we've been married for 18 years and have 2 kids, and he still has this mentality.  I bought some Target brand chocolate sandwich cookies the other day (they taste just like Oreos!), as a treat.  Indy and I each had 3 from the pack.  When I went into the pantry 2 days later to get some, they were all gone!  I asked JB about it and he simply said "I ate them," and didn't see a problem with it.   It boggles his mind that we don't eat stuff right away.  I can keep a bag of candy forever and grab a piece one or twice a week, and he thinks I'm strange.  Huh?

[Laura Corin]

Spam reported.

 

L

[----]

.

[Laura Corin]

I've been rather spendy this week - a few treats.  I didn't do one big shop, so I don't have good data, but this is what we have eaten:

 

Monday: breakfast: smoothie of banana and frozen berries with semi-skimmed milk and whole grain toast for boys; coffee for me; coffee and toast for husband

Lunch: boys at school; nothing for me; leftover roast turkey in sandwich for husband

Supper: grilled sardines, tagliatelle, mustard sauce, broccoli, fruit

 

Tuesday: breakfast: boys left over beef with tomato and mayonnaise in wraps with OJ and banana; me coffee, pineapple, orange and apple; husband ?

Lunch: boys at school, husband and me home made veg soup (he dropped some leftover pasta into his)

Supper: Hobbes had a cheese and tomato sandwich before Karate; we three had sausages, new potatoes, beans, then we all had strawberries and cream for dessert

 

Wednesday: breakfast leftover beans and potato fried up and cooked with eggs for the boys and me, with pineapple and OJ.  Husband and I had coffee - I don't know what he ate.

Lunch: boys at school; home made veg soup for me.  Husband away on business trip.

Supper: Quorn with jar of Thai red curry sauce served with rice and green beans.  

 

Wednesday night went shopping - spent £45 at Aldi (USD 70) and £5 (USD 7.50) at Morrisons

 

Thursday: breakfast smoothies again for boys with banana and frozen berries, whole grain toast, OJ.  I had a cup of tea.

Lunch: Husband on business trip, me home made mushroom soup, boys at school

Supper: Home made cumin turkey burgers grilled with leftover rice fried with veg, and stir-fried cabbage

 

Snacks: mandarin oranges, some bought biscuits (cookies), a few nuts, whole grain toast, cereal

 

L

 

[Laura Corin]

This is an interesting thread.  To be honest, I forgot how expensive groceries are in the US!  I'm having sticker shock.  At Aldi or Rewe in Germany, a 3 pack of red bell peppers was .79-.99 Euro cents (about $1-1.30ish), but at every store I've been to since we've been back in the US, they are around $1.50 EACH.  Seriously???  We love red bell peppers and would go through 3-5 a week.  I put them in practically everything, and I slice them up for snacking.  

 

Can you get frozen bell peppers?  Obviously they won't work for snacking, but I use them for cooking.  I can get a pound of frozen peppers for about £1 (USD1.50) and it represents a lot of veg for the money.

 

L

[Jerico]

I spent $85 last week and my goal is $85 for my shopping trip tomorrow too. I've finally reigned in my grocery spending and I'm excited to stay in my budget every week this month!

[MommaOfalotta]

I am so excited for this! I will post this weekend after I have meal planned/grocery shopped. I have to plan for 2 weeks at a time, and usually spend 120-150 at the store. I just started meal planning about 2 months ago and although its so much extra work, we are getting so many more meals for LESS than we spent before.

 

 

[Prairie~Phlox]

I menu plan, but this week has been crazy, dh smoked a brisket on Monday, so we have been eating on it.  We are gifted a 1/4 of beef from my parents for Christmas, so my grocery budget does not include beef.  We processed chickens with friends in late July and have 10 chickens left in our freezer.  I stock up when things are on sale, have a garden and can, freezer, dry and preserve whatever I can.  This is what I have canned since June, some frozen stuff is on the list as well.

6/5/13- strawberry jam-11 pints, 1 -1/2 pint, 4 -1 1/2 pints

 

7/6/13 

2 quarts, 1 pint Dill Pickles b1- used Mrs. Wages recipe, added pickle crisp

4 pints Zany Zucchini Pickles, Ball Complete, added banana peppers. 

 

7/9/13

5 quarts Dill pickles, b2 used Mrs. Wages recipe. Added pickle crisp. 

 

7/10/13

12 1/2 pints Yellow Summer Squash Relish TOH magazine 2013

7/11/13 picked 36 pounds of blueberries

7/11/13

10 pints Vanilla Blueberry Pie Filling BHG 45

 

7/12/13

4 quarts Dill pickle slices SB Canning Website-very salty?

 

7/12/13

9 pints Vanilla Blueberry Sauce-reduced clear gel by half. BHG 45

 

7/13/13

3 bags green beans

 

7/15/13

3 quarts Dill Pickles, Mrs. Wages recipe 

Froze about 3 gallons of green beans

 

7/19/13

7 pints Bread & Butter pickles bbb45 ** not 100% sure on processing. 

 

7/20/13

4 heads cabbage~10lbs total turned into sauerkraut. 

 

7/21/13

Butchered 48 chickens with Gary & Beth, 12 for us. 

 

7/22/13

9 pints dill relish. Accidentally used distilled vinegar. Recipe BCB 

Froze more green beans.  

 

8/5

7 quarts applesauce

9 trays fruit leather

 

8/7 hot peppers 2 pints, 3 1/2 pints

 

8/16

18 pints of Medium Chipotle Salsa & 4 pints & 5 odd sized jars of habanero hot chipotle salsa! 

 

8/26 12 quarts tomato sauce, 3 quart bags yellow cling peaches, freezer, 4 ½ quart bags white flesh peaches, freezer

 

8/27: 20 pints Tomato Soup

8 quarts diced tomatoes

8/31: 6 jelly jars pepper jelly, added 10 jalepenos, four had seeds

17 pints SB Canning condensed tomato soup, double batch. 

 

9/2 22 pints m salsa, 3 pints extra hot salsa

19 pints tomato soup

 

9/3 12 jelly jars hot pepper jelly

 

Today I went to Aldi and bought 4 gallons of milk, 4 boxes instant vanilla pudding (mainly for recipes) large container of yogurt, I am out of homemade yogurt and needed some to start it.  Spent $13.35

 

On Sunday at Sam's, I spent

$4.96 brown sugar

25# sugar $9.84, this should last a few months, I try and use it sparingly.

gallon of milk $2.24

tortilla chips 6 lb box, this should last a while too, $7.92

bake beans $5.98 #10 can

10 lbs onions, $5.98

Beef hotdogs $4.98

Unsalted butter 4 lbs. $7.98

 

Total was $49.61

 

Evening meals for the week:

Sunday-homemade chicken taquitos

Monday-smoked beef brisket

Tuesday-leftover brisket

Wednesday-church

Thursday-teriyaki pork & quinoa

Friday-beef taco bake-using some stale chips

Saturday-pork tenderloin (from a sale a while ago and in the freezer)

Sunday-homemade chicken nuggets

 

Dh & kids usually eat eggs for breakfast, I eat oatmeal.  I need to get more eggs this week, they are on sale at Walgreens for .99, I do not run all over for groceries, but usally stop if I am already out, we have dental cleanings tomorrow, so I will stop then. 

Snacks are usually homemade things, muffins, popcorn, granola, granola bars, fresh fruit, right now we have apples that were from a neighbors tree and peaches that I bought on Saturday. 

lunch is pb&j, leftovers, soups in the winter.