Sunday, January 12, 2020

Use It Up Menu Planning


   

I set my annual grocery and household budget at $5,000 for the ear, with a $400 average, and a cushion for the holiday season. I'll give myself some little goal challenges as well to try and  tuck aside a bit more cash in some months. January is not going to be one of them, but I still am aiming for under $400. With the dog issues, getting DH to eat better, and DD2 home for a week of the month, it's not a month to challenge myself. February will be though as with a wedding and shower gifts to buy, and spending money on bridal showers, I need to save. We are already at $291 for the month with three weeks to go. A lot of this extra costs were restocking DD2 and additional dog food, the expensive stuff, for the dog. I also bought some desk items which in the long run, save me either being cranky if I skip eating, or spending too much over at Target on a quick meal. To stretch that $109 and make sure I am still cooking  healthy, I'm basing this weeks meals on a use it up theme. 

  • Apples-This will be the go to fruit for DH and me for our lunches. Both of us bought them, not realizing the other had. 
  • Frozen Cod fillet's-I still am not much of a fish eater unless it is the fish fry/fish and chip variety, but my foray into cooking thawed, bare fillet's was well received by DD2 and DH. I think there are four good size portions. I'll be fine with Peanut Butter toast! This will make two nice meals for DH.
  • There's still a few beef burgers in the freezer. While he is supposed to eat less red meat, he has cut all fast food or bar and grill burgers from his diet, so eating up these should be fine. 
  • Odd bag of spinach and some cottage cheese will be used up for a crockpot pasta. I have a zucchini that might be past its use, but I'll throw in what is salvageable. 
  • I have at least four pounds of potato's that should be eaten this week. I'll make mashed, wedges, and bake any remainder to but eaten as such, or sliced and fried with eggs (which I have a dozen). I have three large sweet potato's too-for wedges and roasted. 
  • Assorted other pasta dishes such as tuna hotdish, or goulash-using the  frozen portion Sloppy Joes in the freezer. Along with these, I'll steam carrots or I have a few bags of  frozen mixed vegetables. DH has really liked steamed carrots lately as a side dish. 
  • Healthy Nachos, tostados, or enchiladas. I still have a pretty good stack of corn tortillas, plus assorted beans, rotel tomatoes, and taco meat. 
     This is at least six meal options, plus most will yield leftovers for my lunch. For DH, I've been buying no sodium chicken, roasting it, and he has either taken as a wrap, or separate for a salad with greens or noodles. The last of this weeks went in his lunch today. I have a short grocery list for the week. We have plenty of breakfast foods, and items I can use for lunch in addition to the leftovers. 

Boneless chicken
Wraps or spinach tortillas (which were 7% less sodium than plain tortillas)
Bananas
Clementine's
Cheddar cheese
Juice
Milk

     This likley will come in under $25, leaving a substantial $42 a week for the rest of Janaury for fresh and supplemental items. I like buying for this month at least, just what we need. If there is a great loss leader, I'll stock up, but am not planning on any more big shops the rest of the month and will meal plan with my use it up principle and my rather full cupboard and freezer. 


20 comments:

  1. This is such great planning on your part using up what you have on hand and making it stretch. I like your goal of $5,000 for the year. I would like to keep track of what we spend, but I tend to lose steam halfway thru, but still would like to try it this year.

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    1. Last year I believe I was close, but not quite at $5,000, but we had another person in the house. This includes household and personal hygiene items, but generally not things like make-up or medicine/vitamins which I put in clothing/beauty and medical. I try to track by month, but admittedly, lose some shops, which is why I think I was over last year.

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  2. Sounds like a great plan. I also suggest potato soup for the potatoes- it's one of my favorite meals. I usually add diced celery, onions and sometimes corn and it's low cal if you don't add a bunch of cheese. I did well this year and didn't go overboard buying cheese for the holidays. I have been going through cookbooks and am making at least one new recipe every week. So far I've made cast iron pizza, Thai chicken soup and a turkey breast in the crock pot (have always roasted them before). I pop popcorn for a snack in a little coconut oil and occasionally will pop some dark chocolate in my mouth at night LOL. My lunches are leftovers and breakfast I usually skip except for coffee with a splash of half and half. I am going to see how much I spend this month- I track often and save my receipts but never add them up!

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    1. I love potato sound-usually with cheese. I need to find a tasty low sodium way-tasty not bland being key. I have a few bags left of microwave popcorn but I think I'll buy real kernels as it tastes better and is better for you. I can bring for work munching as well.

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  3. I am happy your husband is getting what he needs and it is not a burden for either of you. Some chicken is so salty because of injections or something. When I saw the label and the notice of the additional things in the chicken, I was horrified.

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    1. I am good label reader now! The worst for sodium is the 3-5# bags of frozen chicken. While super convenient, the sodium is ridiculous.

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  4. Restocking DD1? Did you mean DD2?

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    1. Yes! The woes for two daughters. Actually DD1 restocks me when she has her Trader Joe stops.I'll correct.

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  5. Uuummm potatoes. My first thought was Spanish omelette/tortilla, but have you tried tartiflette? Manna from heaven!

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    1. DD1 used to make the Spanish Tortilla, introduced when she spent a couple months in Spain working on her dissertation/final grad school film project. That is a really good idea-she no longer eats eggs, but she probably could show me how. What's a tartelette? I will look that up.

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  6. I am annoyed with myself, as I let a pound of ground beef go bad in the refrigerator--its intended meal kept getting sidelined by DH. Tonight is slow cooker pork and sauerkraut. I will be putting it on in just a moment. Beyond that, I have no ideas, but let me tell you that DH has really cramped our meal planning these last few days! Grrrr!

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    1. Grrrr is right! I hat food waste in small amounts, but an entire food/meal item would be frustrating.

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  7. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/15238/delicious-baked-chicken/
    I have made this with boneless chicken breasts and low sodium Worcestershire sauce (found it on the clearance aisle and couldn't say no)--I just added more garlic powder to add more taste. My family generally enjoys it. If you have thick breasts, make sure you pound them out thin, or butterfly them.

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    1. MMM-looks like a winner. Thanks you for linking. I'll also slice a thick breast into more of a cutlet as well.

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  8. I would highly recommend having a separate line in your budget for pets - all pet related goes there including food as really that is not a grocery purchase - and it will let you be better able to see what you are really spending on groceries versus pooch :) I too am trying to meal plan around what is in the cupboards.

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    1. I get that, but since I include all household items with my goal, I figure he is part of the household. It also let's me see if I need to do a challenge month if all things to operate the household are included. I keep make-up and medicine/vitamin separate though, because either optional, or a necessity which I amy not be able to control what I buy.

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  9. Looks like a great plan! I'm meal planning & batch cooking today - carnitas, tacos, pico de gallo & guacamole are getting made!

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    1. I'm getting into a kitchen rhythm. Now, to eat only the calories my body, and I will truly be in better shape.

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  10. I am doing the same thing this month with eating what is already here. So far I have spent 220.00 on groceries but that will get us 90% through the month. I inventoried the freezers, made a list of dinner ideas, changed from buying frozen breakfasts to making egg casserole weekly, pot of soup/chili lasts me a week of lunches and DH always takes 2 sandwiches (in a tortilla, no bread).

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  11. I am exactly the same with fish , Love it from the fish and chip shop as a rare treat or if i cook it in beer batter , I too am in use it up mode through january we had some food gifts for christmas that have helped stretch the food even more xx

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