February is going swimmingly in the meal planning department. Frugal yes, but I think pretty tasty just the same. DH wanted a few different things for Super Bowl Sunday, and my daughter dropped off coffee for me, but counting both of those, I'm only at $109 for the month! Unheard of for me considering it's February 20th. Part of this was some Dollar Tree items for the house and when I was approaching Kwik Trip, there was a sign for $1.99/lb hamburger. I stopped and bought two pounds, plus frozen sloppy joes for same price, milk, and a few bananas. It's maybe worth another stop. You may have deduced, I didn't go real grocery shopping yet. With no football on, DH likely will want to get out of the house and yesterday, he implied coming along. Here's what we ended up with last week. for meals
- Sunday-Chili with hoagies
- Monday- BBQ Ranch Chicken tenders, with cheddar broccoli rice, steamed vegetables
- Tuesday-Tuna noodle hotdish with steamed carrots
- Wednesday- Spaghetti with Marinara
- Thursday- Patty Melts, shells and cheddar
- Friday-Chicken and vegetable stir fry over rice
- Saturday- Ham and Au gratin potatoes
Regardless of when I go shop, I need to get a list together. Sunday may change based on timing. My thoughts to the week ahead
- Sunday-I'm making a full brunch of eggs, sausage, mixed fruit, and pancakes, so supper will be chicken tortellini soup. Even if we decide to get out and about and eat elsewhere or pick up take out, I'll make the soup for lunches, or another night this week as a swap. I need to use up both the tortellini and some witherer spinach.
- Monday- Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes
- Tuesday- Fajitas, black beans, and corn
- Wednesday- Pizza hotdish-in the crock pot because it's Trivia night
- Thursday- Bread chicken and roasted sweet potatoes
- Friday-Veggie masala, rice, naan, Palak paneer (DD2 will be home), likely leftovers/freezer meal for DH
- Saturday- Take and Bake Pizza and salad. The kid will be seeing friends, and we have an early flight Sunday morning, so I want easy, with leftovers for DH. This will either be Aldi, or Papa Murphys.
I'm still in a rut with the meal rotation, but these above will yield leftovers that I can freeze for DH to eat while we are gone, so wasn't going for originality. No doubt he'll pick up meals and meet up with friends some nights or for a large lunch. I'll feel better knowing decent meals were left behind, along with deli meat and cheese, bread, and few of his favorite soups.
Update alert: DH wants to go grocery shopping with me! Ee Gads! He thinks we need to shop differently to plan for the impending doom of shortages and prices expliding. I'll keep you updated on how this show may unfold. Budget challenge? Throw that out the window with DH coming too. Do you think this will mean he'll take over planning and cooking? Not on my life.
Your meals all sound good Sam. Good luck with your DH going along to shop. I have a feeling this is going to blow your great low spend month!
ReplyDeleteOh, I could write a whole post on the dropped challenge, but it could have been worse. It was a "practical" drop the ball.
DeleteI have the luxury of only having to please myself with the menu. Still, I sometimes make something for the purpose of using it up even tho it may not be a favorite. When there were others in the house, there used to be a soup/sandwich night, a meat-free night & a fridge fall-out night (to use up leftovers and everyone was on their own).
ReplyDeleteI tend to make certain things certain days, just not every week. Tacos on Tuesdays, crock pot meals on Wednesday etc. I like your phrase fridge fall out!
DeleteYour meals all sound so good. We are in strange times so I can understand him wanting a full pantry. I'm the same way. You've done great and even if you blow the monthly budget you planned you'll be ahead. I look at anything I can buy today at this price is better than it will be in a few weeks the way prices are going up.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Sunday!!
Well we are stocked up, so can just shop to replace at lower prices for a while now. We avoided a lot of convenience foods though, so that was a win.
Deletewhen you plan meals as you do (clever!) you don't have to worry what to make.
ReplyDeleteI still hate the nightly process. If it was just me, I'd be a nibbler for meals, just plates of simple things.
DeleteIt’s definitely a tough balance between saving money, using up what’s on hand and stockpiling with an eye for the future. I wanted to make an easy chicken and dumpling recipe I’d seen on tiktok but apparently everyone else saw the same one and there wasn’t a canned biscuit to be found at Walmart yesterday. Not that this is at all a tragedy but I guess I’m just getting used to supply issues. We’re fortunate to not have any specific needs, like baby formula, medication, special pet food, or anything needed for a food allergy or aversion so it’s more just inconvenience for us. That being said, I have no plans yet for this week and do need a serious shop. I honestly think we’re having McDonald’s for dinner today lol. I never made the porcupine balls last week. If I can get ahold of this biscuits I’ll make that recipe, maybe a crockpot lasagna? I’ll have to check the freezer to see if I have a piece of pork. BBQ, onion rings and Cole slaw sounds good. I think I’m just winging it a lot this week. Husband and daughter have off tomorrow, I have an early doctors appointment Thursday and then a full day of work so I’m probably not on kitchen duty that day. No one will starve. JoAnn
ReplyDeleteI grabbed more Aldi crescent rolls than I'd normally buy at once. They've been out the last three months when I've shipped and I use in several recipes. They're half Pillsbury. I feel bad too for things like baby formula, other specific needs. I think I last had McDonald's other but than coffee or diet coke, two years ago bringing my daughter home from school before we knew shit was as hitting the fan for the next few years. It was convenient. No shame in a little McD. I enjoy a Big Mac.
DeleteI am with your husband wanting a full pantry. I have noticed a shortage in odd things like saltine crackers and pasta. Weird times!
ReplyDeleteI read your comment yesterday and made sure to buy both saltines and the Club crackers, and stocked up on more pasta. The damage class still manageable.
DeleteYour meals always inspire me to imitate certain things on your menu. Thank you for sharing your plans with us. I also understand your husband's concern. Grocery shopping became a dreaded chore due to the sky-rocketing prices over here.
ReplyDeleteOur pantry looks like we're a household of five again! He stocked up for sure.
DeleteI've been reading for a while now, and realize that, while we may call them different things, you and I have similar cooking habits.
ReplyDeleteMy frugality thrill last week was on Tuesday, when I made a cottage pie out of the leftover grilled steak from Sunday, and the mashed potatoes and gravy from Monday's meat loaf dinner. All I had to do was saute an onion, shallot, and carrots, and add a can of green beans, put it all in a baking dish, and top with the mashed potatoes. It was delicious, and we the leftovers of THAT on Thursday!
We are on a restaurant moratorium, and kids are on board--sort of. I *DID* go to Costco on Friday with eldest and youngest, where we bought, as a splurge, a Wagyu corned beef. I say splurge, but it was cheaper per pound than what I've seen in the local supermarket. The corned beef will go in the slow cooker with potatoes and onions in about an hour, and cook all day. Beyond that, the boys kept me on track at Costco, probably because they wanted to get out of there quickly. Since it was lunchtime, though, they asked to eat at the food court, which I agreed to. As far as meal planning, I am still trying to eat down the pantry and freezer, and *STILL* on my no spend beyond groceries. March will be here in just 8 days, and by then, this not spending will be ingrained--not that I have been much of a spendthrift, but I am really enjoying challenging myself in various ways. The one area I broke down on was socks--all my black socks which I wear daily, had holes in them. I was going to order some of a very expensive, but ethically made brand. (I haven't worn them personally, but I buy them for my kids every Christmas and they get rave reviews!) My neighbor, however, noticed the condition of my socks when she came to pick up her daughter after work on Wednesday. I had driven her daughter to and from ballet, and agreed to do so for the next few weeks due to neighbor's work schedule. In any case, Thursday neighbor asked if I would collect Little Girl from bus, as Big Brother and my youngest wanted to do something in town after school (Mid-winter break started Friday.) I agreed, and when Neighbor showed up at 5 p.m., she handed me a pack of my favorite black socks she had picked up at her workplace at the end of her shift, and refused to accept payment.
I like the giving back and forth of niceties just because! I just bought a new pair of white, and black for the trip. Don't want holes in the airports! We'll be eating potatoes- cottage pie likely will make an appearance here as well. My victory was skipping the Sam's snack bar even though it wass 11:30 and I had not eaten. The pretzel called to me, but I ignored. We left with a rotisserie chicken so now I have take care of that today.
DeleteWouldn't it be nice to transfer the responsibilities of menu planning and cooking to someone else? I don't suppose that will happen for me until I am infirm and must live in a nursing home...all assuming that I don't die before that time.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the shopping trip!
I can tell I've not been in vacation in a long time. Normally, I'd be sick if restaurant meals a few times a year,which keeps my apathy for cooking in check. Vacations have been the lake or staycation, so still meal prepping.
DeleteDanger, danger, abort mission! I think we ALL know what grocery shopping with husbands is like!
ReplyDeleteIt was carnage! Actually, he didn't do too bad with extras, and we are exploding with stick up. I'll confess this week.
DeleteImpending price hikes is why I bought a dozen cans of Hunt's Petite Diced tomatoes for $.98/can last week. I bought plenty of green beans for $0.69/can, too. Things will not be getting cheaper. You could explain to your husband about loss leaders and bogo. That is the only way I stock up usually, except for the two items I mentioned here. Really, shelves are mostly bare in certain food categories.
ReplyDeleteHe knows all about that- was in grocery sales and marketing for over a decade. He entertainment shops.
DeleteI hate going shopping with my husband as he's likely to throw all the expensive stuff in the trolley and I try to avoid things in plastic etc. I'm the absolute pits at meal planning-we just don't really do it- I throw together whatever I can find- usually loads of vegetables plus something else! Getting a bit fed up of ALWAYS being the one who cooks and has to wrack my mind to think about what to do. My husband is the better cook (but so dreadfully messy/chaotic/dirty with it) but he doesn't do much cooking nowadays, despite the fact I get home so much later, have so much extra travel and don't drive etc!
ReplyDelete