If you haven’t already checked it out, there’s a blog here where you can learn from hundreds of other participants. Make sure to read all the helpful comments, and you can check out this post, too, where I give you 10 tips to save on groceries. Even if you’re not participating, I encourage to to check the Grocery Challenge blog out. You might learn a thing or two that could help you cut your grocery bill even more.
As I mentioned last week, I’ve found that the best strategy for meal planning is to first take stock of what I already have on hand and then check the weekly grocery store circulars to find sale items to supplement. I always check the Grocery Gathering for links to blogs that cover the local stores where I shop to see if there are coupon matches on sale items. If there are, oftentimes I will stock up.
This week, when I looked through my freezer and pantry, I realized we had more than enough food to get us through the week. We’re planning to move to a different house about ten minutes down the road in just a few weeks, so I’m motivated to clean out the freezer a little. Plus, with a baby coming in about two months, I need to start making room to freeze some meals to eat those first few weeks after the baby is born. Other than milk, there’s very little we need to buy this week, so it should be easy to stay under budget–another bonus of eating from the stockpile!
Here’s what’s on our menu:
Breakfast
Homemade granola and yogurt
Eggs and whole wheat toast, strawberries
Cereal with milk and banana x 2
Kashi waffles, cherries x 2
Homemade pancakes
Lunch
Peanut butter and strawberry-rhubarb preserves sandwiches, blueberries or canned fruit x 2
Snacky lunch
Noodles & Company BOGO lunch with hubby on house closing day! Yay!
Lunch at a friend’s house (we’ll bring zucchini bread)
Egg salad sandwich, canned fruit
Leftovers
Snacks
Zucchini bread (freezer)
Carrot sticks
Fiber One granola bars
Homemade popsicles
Dinner
Chicken spaghetti (freezer–enough to serve 4 adults), spinach salad
Grilled chicken, cole slaw, pasta salad
Taco bar with the neighbors (we’ll bring homemade refried beans and tomatoes from the garden)
Ethiopian curry (freezer) with rice and mixed veggies
Beef stew (freezer) over mashed potatoes
Italian mini meatloafs (freezer), pasta, mixed veggies
For more menu plan ideas, visit I’m An Organizing Junkie.
