Blowing my grocery budget.....

[fakereadhed]

I have weekly menus with complete grocery lists and recipes on my blog. Here's a link to a list of them. I publish a new one each Monday. They are easy to use, because you just print and shop.

Bookmarked it! Thanks!!!

 

[Mommy2ArmyBrat]

Tiffany K! Love the Blog!

 

[Mermaid02]

I have weekly menus with complete grocery lists and recipes on my blog. Here's a link to a list of them. I publish a new one each Monday. They are easy to use, because you just print and shop. I give lots of crockpot and easy meals.

As far as what to keep on hand, if I have frozen boneless chicken breasts, hamburger, chicken broth, pasta, various cheeses, diced tomatoes, frozen broccoli, carrots and onions I can usually pull something together. I like to keep cans of beans too - black beans, kidney beans, chili beans - those are always handy for quick recipes.

I love your site! I put it on my favorites!

 

[Applemomma]

Thank you for all your responses!!! I'm going through and taking notes...I'm trying to make my budget, saving money, my new hobby so I have more for Disney.

Thanks so much!

 

[kellia]

How said that the counselor was shocked!!! We do most nights, tho tougher w/ activities...
I am a teacher, and I remember talking about nutrition last year. I shared a pretty typical meal of ours from the night before that covered the food groups...Marinated chicken breasts, canned green beans, canned fruit, muffins from a mix and milk. I thought it was a bit heavy on convenience items, but a number of my students thought it sounded like a feast...found out they typically were responsible for their own meals, and not because parents work evenings...sad.

LOL, my dd says that we are weird because we eat a home cooked meal all at the table every night! I couldn't believe that those families they show on tv all eating fast food in front of the tv were that common. Sad!

Back to the original question- crock pots are great! Especially in winter because we love soups and chili, etc.

I also package meat in individual servings and put in freezer and take out a couple days in advance. Thow that on the grill or in the oven with some frozen or fresh veggies in the microwave and rice/noodles/potatoes on the stove and dinner is done in 20 minutes. For those days I forget, I also cook up ground beef with onions and put in baggies so we can pull it out to put in freezer so it can be taken out and quickly thawed and put in spaghetti, tacos, sloppy joes, etc. I also do the same thing with chicken, put a bunch of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot with about a cup of water and cook on low about 6-8 hours. Then, just shred it up and put in baggies and freeze. Take it out and it's ready for tacos, enchilladas (yeah, we like Mexican food!), chicken soup, bbq chicken sandwiches, pasta dishes or chicken helper. You can also do quick dinners like tuna melts and tomato soup, scrambled eggs, bagged salad with extra grilled from the night before, etc. It doesn't have to be a gourmet meal every day!

I tried doing the month of freezer meals but it was too much work! I now do it on a smaller scale. If I make something, I'll make 1 or 2 extra and throw in the freezer. Lasagna, chili or other soups that just need to be thrown in the crockpot, etc.

If you have the above items on hand, it end up being quicker than running for fast food! Not to mention healthier.

 

[goofy4mykids]

Crockpot Crockpot LOVE IT!!! always have on hand lots of cream soups, crram of mushroom, credar, chic, cel, etc.... frozen veggies in freezer along with meats... just a few examp froz chic w cream chic n veggies when you get home put cressent rolls on top it will be like a pot pie... soooo yummy

froz chic with cheddr soup cook shredd chic add a can of rotel , have the sides for soft chic tacos,

aslong as you have meat and cream soups you can make alot in the crockpot

 

[Ka' eo]

I have weekly menus with complete grocery lists and recipes on my blog. Here's a link to a list of them. I publish a new one each Monday. They are easy to use, because you just print and shop. I give lots of crockpot and easy meals.

As far as what to keep on hand, if I have frozen boneless chicken breasts, hamburger, chicken broth, pasta, various cheeses, diced tomatoes, frozen broccoli, carrots and onions I can usually pull something together. I like to keep cans of beans too - black beans, kidney beans, chili beans - those are always handy for quick recipes.

This is great! Bookmarked here too! I am a terrible cook and food organizer. This I can follow!

 

[AntePrincess]

This sounds like a fun thought exercise!

First, figure out what starches your family eats whether it's rice, pasta, bread, potatoes or something I'm missing. In most households, that's a major part of the diet, so that right there helps with making your list up. Once you know what it is, it's a no-brainer to check your supplies on the way out the door. Pasta is a great one for the busiest nights, and it goes on sale every few weeks, always different brands, so you can stock up on cheap pasta whenever it's cheap. It also keeps.

Second, do like they used to and cook one HUGE roast every Sunday. Use the carcass for soup during the week, use the meat in sandwiches, stir fries, chef's salads and so on. Freeze a bunch, so if you had a pork roast this week, there's roast beef or chicken in the freezer to vary things up during the week. I determine the week's roast by whichever is on good sale. (It doesn't have to be roast, of course. When ground meat was on terrific sale, I made ten pounds of loose sausage and froze a bunch. Terrific meat pies later on for a winter treat.)

Third, learn to work your flavor bases, often called holy trinities. Our go to flavor base is mirepoix, or onions, carrots, and celery. I get them in large packs when on sale and freeze bags of them pre sliced or chopped, ready for a sofritto or soup. Flavor bases are the cheats of the kitchen, and when you work with one a great deal it becomes part of your signature and it certainly saves time and guess work. The same goes extra for herbs and spices. I use sage, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, parsley, and basil almost every day, and marjoram and savoury about once a week for the roast. Ok, I also use dill in summer and fennel whenever I make sausage, but I'm a bit of an herb nut, I have a membership in Seed Savers Flower & Herb Exchange to prove it, but the point is to know what you really use all the time and don't collect a ton of stuff that you don't use just because there's a space for it on the spice rack. This seems to go triple for baking herbs. Most people just use cinnamon and nutmeg, but the collections I've seen are huge. (Try mace, it's terrific!) For more on flavor bases: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_trinity_(cuisine) .

Fourth, learn some basic French cooking techniques. Seriously, check out Julia Childs from the library. I must make a roux four times a week, it's the quickest, simplest sauce for nearly anything and infinitely variable. Mac and cheese night? Roux plus grated cheese. Moussaka? Plain roux with a pinch of nutmeg. Need a quick gravy? Browned butter and toasted flour roux plus pan drippings. Chowder? Thicken pork broth with a roux. Sick of roux? Ok, try another kitchen staple: make a pesto or persillade, especially good on greasy lamb.

By varying the techniques up rather than the ingredients, we always seem to use up what we get and we've gotten quick at the kitchen by using time saving tricks like prepping the veggies ahead of time. Every week my grocery list is the same:

Gallon of milk, two dozen eggs, pound of bacon, top off whatever herbs or spices are running out, pound of butter, top off the onions, celery, and carrots, pound of tea, pound of sugar in the raw, ten pounds flour (we make our bread and pasta from scratch), five pounds apples, bunch of bananas, roast of the week, seasonal fruit, 8 oz cheddar, 8 oz fresh mozzarella (weekly pizza night), can of crushed tomatoes, pint of cream, top off baking chocolate if running low, mushrooms, fresh green beans, top off coffee, and nuts.

Most of those are "top off if running low." If someone needs quicker food, I'd substitute bread, pasta, and prepared desserts (or more fruit and cheese) for the flour, sugar, chocolate, and cream.

 

[mamo-4-wdw]

We love our crockpots too! I have 3 different sizes.

I am learning some heart healthy ways of cooking too. I was surprised at how fast fish cooks,on broil in less than 10 minutes. I also use the glad steam bags for the microwave, most veggies cook in 6 minutes or less.
We have been microwaving potatoes and putting cooked broccoli, shredded cheese,sour cream and butter. That only takes 6-8 minutes for 4 large potatoes.
I also put leftovers on a microwaveable plate and wrap in plastic wrap. If some one is hungry and i'm straped for time, it only takes 2-3 minutes to heat up in the microwave.
Thanks for the roux ideas, they sound so good.
I love tiff's website.

 

[TiffanyK]

Bookmarked it! Thanks!!!

Tiffany K! Love the Blog!

I love your site! I put it on my favorites!

This is great! Bookmarked here too! I am a terrible cook and food organizer. This I can follow!

Thanks! I'm glad you all like it.

AntePrincess - that was a really complete answer with lots of good ideas!

 

[tlh0726]

What seems to help me out the most is having the main ingredient already pre cooked and then all I need to do is make a fresh veg/side dish and grab some fruit.

I have a stockpile in my freezer of meal size containers of premade turkey, beef, ham, lasagna, assortment of soups, and I also will freeze any portion size leftovers that I can and we do a potluck night.

For example, last week I picked up 2 good size beef roasts that were marked down for quick sale. I made both in the oven, we had roast beef, stuffing, vegetables, etc for dinner and then I portioned out the rest, covered it with the broth and popped the containers into the freezer. I now have 4 more meals with minimal cooking involved.

 

[Mermaid02]

Thanks! I'm glad you all like it.

AntePrincess - that was a really complete answer with lots of good ideas!

I'm going to do my shopping this morning and put your meal plan into play tomorrow. My son is allergic to shellfish- so I'm substituting chicken and using olive oil instead of butter in the scampi recipe.

 

[Ka' eo]

I waste food. I am disorganized. I try to plan for the week and buy carefully. Then I don't cook the meat fast enough and it spoils. I forget about the veggies in the veggie bin, and they rot. The kids won't eat as much fruit as they should and I find a blob of gelatinous moosh in the fruit compartment. The only thing I do right is make banana bread with all the bananas they don't eat that turn brown on our counter. Funny how they eat all the junk in the snack drawer.

I have tried a number of times to get organized and do better. Sometimes at the end of the workday I am so tired, we all have cereal. I just don't know how to do a better job. I am really hoping Tiff's menus/shopping lists help us. I hate waste. I know we could spend less on our grocery bills if I was more disciplined.

 

[TiffanyK]

I'm going to do my shopping this morning and put your meal plan into play tomorrow. My son is allergic to shellfish- so I'm substituting chicken and using olive oil instead of butter in the scampi recipe.

I've thought about trying the scampi with chicken. I bet that will be good. Let me know!

I waste food. I am disorganized. I try to plan for the week and buy carefully. Then I don't cook the meat fast enough and it spoils. I forget about the veggies in the veggie bin, and they rot. The kids won't eat as much fruit as they should and I find a blob of gelatinous moosh in the fruit compartment. The only thing I do right is make banana bread with all the bananas they don't eat that turn brown on our counter. Funny how they eat all the junk in the snack drawer.

I have tried a number of times to get organized and do better. Sometimes at the end of the workday I am so tired, we all have cereal. I just don't know how to do a better job. I am really hoping Tiff's menus/shopping lists help us. I hate waste. I know we could spend less on our grocery bills if I was more disciplined.

This is why I like to use those frozen boneless chicken breasts so much. They don't go bad if I need to change the plan and don't get to them as fast as I thought. I keep frozen veggies for the same reason.

I do use some fresh meats and veggies, but I find I waste less when I use frozen. We do good with eating fruits, so that isn't as much of a problem.

 

[Applemomma]

I waste food. I am disorganized. I try to plan for the week and buy carefully. Then I don't cook the meat fast enough and it spoils. I forget about the veggies in the veggie bin, and they rot. The kids won't eat as much fruit as they should and I find a blob of gelatinous moosh in the fruit compartment. The only thing I do right is make banana bread with all the bananas they don't eat that turn brown on our counter. Funny how they eat all the junk in the snack drawer.

We have the same fridge! And the same family! Are you sure we aren't twins?

Okay folks, I'm decluttering my cupboards, cleaning my fridge and then writing out my list, trying to put all these plans in to action.....I'll do my best to make you all proud!

 

[disneymarie]

Sorry if this has been done before but I find I'm blowing my grocery budget by being illprepared....

TIA!

I found since I have purchased the Angel Food Ministry box last month I always have something to put on; there is a link to receipes for the month too at Hillbillyhousewife.com

or google Angel Food Ministries Recipe Ideas

It is not income based, if you go to the site at Anglefood ministry the menu for the month is up. I think Monday is the deadline for next Saturday pick up.

I keep bags of salad, and saute the frozen chicken strips I got last month. make wraps, the beef into stew in the slow cooker, there are chiken patties, last month was frozen macaroni and beef, this month it is lasagna, I had potatos, frozen corn and carrots that were so colorful and tasty.
It was nice to avoid the store making impulse purchases and lots of options.
This time of year too, use your slow cooker. Everything that is on hand can go in.
When I made the last chile I added macaroni. another time I put in left over rice.
I have the bags of Corn bread mix and an iron skillet which is another family fav.

They can never say we eat the same old things anymore.

 

[java]

Break out your store flyer for the week and plan your meals.
If you know what is on sale- you can plan inexpensive meals around that. Have a few 5 minute fall backs. I always have bacon in the fridge and tomatoes in the pantry. So I can make a quick tomato bacon sauce for pasta for dinner.

I have ptias in the freezer- they don't take up much space and if you slice them open- spread with butter and garlic and stick them under the broiler- you get a good easy "garlic bread" option.

Always having an "emergency go to" meal or two helps big time. I do keep trader joe's orange chicken and fried rice and dumplings always in the freezer so on the real lazy nights I can just turn on a couple frying pans and in 5 minutes I have dinner.

 

[java]

I have weekly menus with complete grocery lists and recipes on my blog. Here's a link to a list of them. I publish a new one each Monday. They are easy to use, because you just print and shop. I give lots of crockpot and easy meals.

As far as what to keep on hand, if I have frozen boneless chicken breasts, hamburger, chicken broth, pasta, various cheeses, diced tomatoes, frozen broccoli, carrots and onions I can usually pull something together. I like to keep cans of beans too - black beans, kidney beans, chili beans - those are always handy for quick recipes.

I don't post to your blog often but I have so enjoyed using some of your ideas! Time savers and $$ savers. I think it's a great simple cooks kind of blog full of ideas!Thank you for doing it and I can't believe it's 6 months in!

 

[estherhead]

Everything everyone said is so true, but I wanted to add my two cents.

First, it's impossible without a plan. But you don't need an amazing plan, or a perfect plan. I think that is the problem so often, we think we need to be perfect and that stops us from doing anything. So I make a plan that is very easy going. I have 2-3 go to meals that I know well and are easy but require 15 min of work (tacos), 2-3 meals that require no work (frozen french fries & hot dogs), and 2-3 crockpot meals. And then I have 1-2 meals that require me to actually cook (lasagna.) Then I just follow my mood.

The way I figure is this: Is frozen pizza as cheap and healthy as home made pizza? No. But is it cheaper & healthier than Pizza Hut? Yes. I'm not trying to be perfect, I'm trying to find the middle ground.

Second, generally speaking you know in the morning how you're going to feel that night. If you wake up already needing a nap, it's probably a good night for frozen pizza. And for crockpot meals I've started making it after dinner the night before & putting everything in the crockpot and then putting the crockpot in the fridge. I bought a small crockpot or just this purpose. Then I only have to plug it in in the morning.

The reality is, if you have no plan for dinner by 4:00 p.m. the likely hood is you're having KFC. If that is sucking your checking account dry you are just gonna have to learn to plan early in the month, early in the week, early in the day.

As for the rotting fruit, I could have written that a year ago. But I've learned the last year to be realistic. Now I buy small amounts of fresh fruits that I know my family loves (like berries & pineapple) and everything else is canned or frozen. Contrary to common thought, fresh veggies are not better for you than frozen. And rotten veggies are worthless. So when you open my fridge you won't find a lot fresh veggies or fruit. But my freezer is chock full of them. I've thrown away MUCH less food this way. Really only in the summer do we eat lots of fresh veggies. Because we grill a lot & clearly you can taste the difference in grilled veggies! But in the winter I mostly only buy fresh: cilantro, lettuce, mushrooms, potatoes, and onions. Spinach, brussel sprouts, green beans, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. are all are frozen. I made this change without discussing it & my family has never commented on it so clearly the taste change wasn't dramatic.

Tell us how it goes this week! Banish perfectionism!

 

[KKB]

I waste food. I am disorganized. I try to plan for the week and buy carefully. Then I don't cook the meat fast enough and it spoils. I forget about the veggies in the veggie bin, and they rot. The kids won't eat as much fruit as they should and I find a blob of gelatinous moosh in the fruit compartment. The only thing I do right is make banana bread with all the bananas they don't eat that turn brown on our counter. Funny how they eat all the junk in the snack drawer.

I have tried a number of times to get organized and do better. Sometimes at the end of the workday I am so tired, we all have cereal. I just don't know how to do a better job. I am really hoping Tiff's menus/shopping lists help us. I hate waste. I know we could spend less on our grocery bills if I was more disciplined.

VERY important...I don't live & die by it, but if I just scope out what to eat each night (and realize how busy we are each night to determine what we have), then I know what to take out...etc. Tiffany's blog is great for quick meals...I have a go-to list of QUICK meals. If it takes more than 30 min. it ain't happenin during the week.

Put fruit in a big bowl on the counter. Most fruit does better NOT refrigerated, plus if it is on the counter I find the kids grab it for snacks. DON'T buy fruits/veggies that your family won't eat out of guilt. Only buy what they will eat. Don't buy fresh veggies if they are going to rot--have canned & frozen on hand (frozen is often more nutritious as well)