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.