I have started the $70/week Grocery Challenge! I made a trip to Sams last week for a few things (milk, eggs) and spent $17 and today I went to Walmart and spent $55 so......I spent a grand total of $72. Now we'll have to see if we can survive on what I've bought! After contemplating why/how to do this, I wanted to jot down a few things.
First of all, there was a time that I probably didn't even have $70/week to feed my small family and we always made it work. Those who know me, know that I can be frugal when necessary. That being said, I spend WAY MORE than $70/week on groceries these days. So even though I've done this before, it's gonna be a challenge for sure! Secondly, we have no shortage of food around here. I try to keep the pantry stocked and although I don't have a year supply I've got what we use and I've got a lot of it. So some of the things on the grocery list I didn't buy (flour, butter, shredded cheese, mac&cheese --we eat ww pasta with butter and cheese, yeast, sugar). I didn't plan (or buy) for any snacks because we've got plenty already.
Then I started thinking about why I wanted to do this and basically it's just to prove that I can. :) I'm hoping that this will help me know what I can cheaply add to my food storage. I tried to follow the menu as closely as possible with a few modifications.
This is our weekly menu:
MONDAY
B: granola, oatmeal, or toast
L: PBH sandwich or PB Ritz crackers, carrot sticks, pudding, milk
D: meat loaf, mashed pot, green beans
TUESDAY
B: granola, oatmeal, or toast
L: PBH sandwich, carrot sticks, applesauce, milk
D: Boston Baked Beans, mac-n-cheese, salad, plain muffins
WEDNESDAY
B: french toast
L: Beanie Wienies, bread, yogurt, milk
D: Salmon patties, rice, salad, biscuits, canned pineapple
THURSDAY
B: Rice pancakes
L: Egg salad sandwiches, carrot sticks, applesauce, milk
D: Cowboy beans & rice, steamed carrots, tender cornmeal muffins
FRIDAY
B: Hot rice cereal
L: Grilled cheese sandwiches, carrot sticks, canned peaches, milk
D: Simple taco meat w/ homemade tortillas, cheese, lettuce
SATURDAY
B: granola, oatmeal, or toast
L: bacon & egg sandwiches, canned peaches, carrot sticks, milk
D: Hamburger pinwheels, mac-n-cheese, broccoli
SUNDAY
Brunch: pancakes, bacon, eggs
D: Red beans & rice, cornbread
I am going to try sticking to the plan for breakfasts and dinners but lunches are kind of crazy. K & K eat lunch at school 2 days a week (they get to pick which ones) and Trev takes a lunch MWF so we will just have to see how it works. Some days I have to pack 3 lunches; some days just 1. I know this is going to be way too much food because Kelly will be gone most of the week. But I wanted to try to stick to the plan as much as possible. (And maybe I'll get a few days off this weekend when we eat up the leftovers.)
I made 3 loaves of bread this morning, made a yummy dinner, and my beans are soaking for dinner tomorrow night. This has been fun so far and I can't wait to try out all these new recipes!
Monday, April 21, 2008
$70/week Grocery Challenge -- Week 1
at 8:34 PM
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11 comments:
Sounds fun- I took a look over the plan and just don't think I can do the given menus. Although, I will try to cut our grocery budget with our meals. Thanks for the inspiration.
I have been doing this for about a month. It was amazing to me how much I cut out just making my own snacks and more homemade stuff. It is fun to see what you miss and how much you save. Good luck.
You're amazing, can we come eat at your house?
Hey Jen- I am always inspired to do more when I read your blog! I actually decided last week to try and do the $70 budget as well. I ended up spending $100 last week, but I bought way more than we will use this week, plus I bought extra ingredients to make bread and granola. (I've never made bread - Any tips?) I am always looking for ways to save money... especially when we have to budget so much more for gas these days! I also think it will be great to get my kids off of the sugary cereal and snacks that they've become so accustomed to! Anyway, good luck with your challenge...hopefully I can get my bill down to $70 this week!
Way to go!!
I love the idea. I have cut way back on our spending (since we have no income). I have noticed that I make all the cookies, cakes, and bread from scratch and I make us eat left overs more often. The kids do not mind and Scott handles it. I am amazed at how much money I was wasting before on groceries and food that we did not eat. We have had no fruit snacks or store bought granola since January and my children do not even care. You do inspire me to be better.
What is a hamburger pinwheel?
Dana~ A hamburger pinwheel is buscuit dough rolled out (as if you were making cinnamon rolls), filled with a cooked meat mixture, rolled up and cut (like cinnamon rolls), then baked. We served ours with some of Shawn's canned tomatoe preserves. They are great!
I love that you are doing this, Jen! I found that eating leftovers just means you can extend your budget even more. It is a wonderful thing! That is why I spent only $54 one week.
Good luck!
Way to go! That's pretty impressive. I remember having to live off of $120 a month for groceries with our first kid. I don't even know how we did it. Of course now we are a bit more than triple that a month!
This is impressive...I have been buying groceries at $100 a week for about 5 or 6 years now, and have had to cut back to $70 or less several times over the years. But the idea of cutting it back further now gives me a headache thinking about it. You go girl!
You are amazing. I am going to give it a try. You'll have to keep us updated on how it is going.
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