Monthly Grocery Budget Challenge!!

[stahshee]

For those that use coupons. How many free coupons have you used at a store at once? Do they limit? I have a ton waiting for my WDW trip.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Some people have posted menus for the week so I thought I'd try to give an idea of ours as well, although I may not be able to remember everything now!

I usually have bran cereal with soymilk and some fruit on top for breakfast. One son usually has a toasted peanut butter banana sandwich (whole wheat bread) and the other likes to have fruit smoothies (made with silken tofu, orange juice and frozen fruit).

Lunch usually includes a salad (I buy the plastic box containers of salad and add other veggies and sometimes fruit), and either leftovers, or a sandwich (maybe peanut or almond butter), or a quick to make soup (spinach and sweet potato), etc. Sometimes I'll have cut-up raw veggies and use hummus to dip them in. I also like to have steamed veggies with a little salad dressing on them - broccoli and asparagus are my favourites for this.

For an afternoon snack, I might have an apple with peanut butter on it or celery with peanut butter, or just some fruit, or a handful of cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices.

Suppers this week have been:
Veggie burgers with sweet potato fries topped with salsa and a salad.
vegan Pad Thai (made partly from a package by my son)
Spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and other veggies added, served over whole wheat spaghetti. And a salad.
Wraps with seitan and veggies.

Tomorrow we are going for a picnic and I don't have a lot of "picnic" food. So I made some little cherry tarts for a treat tonight (I had frozen cherries, didn't use the fresh ones I bought), and will make peanut butter sandwiches, and pack up vegetable sticks and spiced hummus, and grapes in the morning before we go. Fortunately one of my sons is in charge of dinner tomorrow night so I don't have to worry about that.

Teresa

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Some people have posted menus for the week so I thought I'd try to give an idea of ours as well, although I may not be able to remember everything now!

I usually have bran cereal with soymilk and some fruit on top for breakfast. One son usually has a toasted peanut butter banana sandwich (whole wheat bread) and the other likes to have fruit smoothies (made with silken tofu, orange juice and frozen fruit).

Lunch usually includes a salad (I buy the plastic box containers of salad and add other veggies and sometimes fruit), and either leftovers, or a sandwich (maybe peanut or almond butter), or a quick to make soup (spinach and sweet potato), etc. Sometimes I'll have cut-up raw veggies and use hummus to dip them in. I also like to have steamed veggies with a little salad dressing on them - broccoli and asparagus are my favourites for this.

For an afternoon snack, I might have an apple with peanut butter on it or celery with peanut butter, or just some fruit, or a handful of cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices.

Suppers this week have been:
Veggie burgers with sweet potato fries topped with salsa and a salad.
vegan Pad Thai (made partly from a package by my son)
Spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and other veggies added, served over whole wheat spaghetti. And a salad.
Wraps with seitan and veggies.

Tomorrow we are going for a picnic and I don't have a lot of "picnic" food. So I made some little cherry tarts for a treat tonight (I had frozen cherries, didn't use the fresh ones I bought), and will make peanut butter sandwiches, and pack up vegetable sticks and spiced hummus, and grapes in the morning before we go. Fortunately one of my sons is in charge of dinner tomorrow night so I don't have to worry about that.

Teresa

Your menus sound so yummy to me!! Not so much to my family. I think your conviction to eating healthy is a wonderful thing. We are gradually changing in our family. Its a slow go, but we are trying. That is why I love these boards and threads. It shows we can change and stay focused on our budget. The only question I have though is regarding the soy products. My Dr. has me avoiding them because of my thyroid being removed and the soy effects the meds that I take to replace the hormone. Is there another alternative that you use?? Thanks, Diane

 

[stahshee]

I just went shopping again for cleaning stuff and PMS foods My total this month is 333.66 the most I have spent,is this week I did up date on the week post.

 

[stahshee]

468.39 is my total so far Wow I have spent a lot of money especially this week… Well I did buy some cleaning stuff for the house that will probably last me 2-3 weeks. I am going to try to make some meatless meals. I am really going to budget next week. (I hope)

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Going strong here!! BUT I have a question??

After reading some of the other threads I think I may be alone on this one...

My children have to ask me if they can have a snack and they have to ask if they can have anything to drink other than water... They will give me a blanket question, like can I have a snack, and I will say yes, and nothing is off limits, but they have to ask...

DD is almost 16 and DS will be 13 soon.... Am I the only one who does this?

And the rule in our house is eat what Mom made for dinner... Exceptions only apply if they are going somewhere with time restrictions or are sick.. I refuse to make 4 different meals and if you don't eat don't come knocking for snacking!!

Okay so I asked two questions, am I a mean Mom??

 

[stahshee]

Going strong here!! BUT I have a question??

After reading some of the other threads I think I may be alone on this one...

My children have to ask me if they can have a snack and they have to ask if they can have anything to drink other than water... They will give me a blanket question, like can I have a snack, and I will say yes, and nothing is off limits, but they have to ask...

DD is almost 16 and DS will be 13 soon.... Am I the only one who does this?

And the rule in our house is eat what Mom made for dinner... Exceptions only apply if they are going somewhere with time restrictions or are sick.. I refuse to make 4 different meals and if you don't eat don't come knocking for snacking!!

Okay so I asked two questions, am I a mean Mom??

No I am mean
My kids have to eat what is for dinner unless they REALLy hate it. I make them choose from 2 snack choices . I only buy milk no juice.

 

[aprilvaca04]

Going strong here!! BUT I have a question??

After reading some of the other threads I think I may be alone on this one...

My children have to ask me if they can have a snack and they have to ask if they can have anything to drink other than water... They will give me a blanket question, like can I have a snack, and I will say yes, and nothing is off limits, but they have to ask...

DD is almost 16 and DS will be 13 soon.... Am I the only one who does this?

And the rule in our house is eat what Mom made for dinner... Exceptions only apply if they are going somewhere with time restrictions or are sick.. I refuse to make 4 different meals and if you don't eat don't come knocking for snacking!!

Okay so I asked two questions, am I a mean Mom??

No I don't think you are mean at all. Obviously I don't want my kids to be hungry at any time but I don't think it should be a food free for all all the time. We expect the kids to eat what I prepare, if they don't like it they usually have the option to have a PB & J or a grilled cheese...something simple. I try my best to keep in mind what my family likes and dislikes and plan that way. i realize every once in a while you just don't feel like having what I planned so that's why we offer the simple alternative.

 

[ELLE-TN]

Going strong here!! BUT I have a question??

After reading some of the other threads I think I may be alone on this one...

My children have to ask me if they can have a snack and they have to ask if they can have anything to drink other than water... They will give me a blanket question, like can I have a snack, and I will say yes, and nothing is off limits, but they have to ask...

DD is almost 16 and DS will be 13 soon.... Am I the only one who does this?

And the rule in our house is eat what Mom made for dinner... Exceptions only apply if they are going somewhere with time restrictions or are sick.. I refuse to make 4 different meals and if you don't eat don't come knocking for snacking!!

Okay so I asked two questions, am I a mean Mom??

This is the rule at my house too. My kids are DS14, DD12, and DS8.
This way they don't eat too much junk.
My kids aren't allowed to drink sodas either except at church dinners or parties.

So if you are a mean momma then I am too.

 

[ELLE-TN]

We expect the kids to eat what I prepare, if they don't like it they usually have the option to have a PB & J or a grilled cheese...something simple. I try my best to keep in mind what my family likes and dislikes and plan that way. i realize every once in a while you just don't feel like having what I planned so that's why we offer the simple alternative.

That's us .... My DS14 is a very picky eater. I always try to prepare at least one thing I know he will eat. His diet consist of a lot of raw veggies & fruit. He loves multi-grain breads. He has never had a hot dog, pizza, or hamburger. He has never drank pepsi or even chewed chewing gum. I'm telling ya'll he is a PICKY eater.

 

[neatokimmo]

We went to the store tonight and got....

2 gallons of milk - 7.98
3 pounds of sausage (this stuff is so good, it's made from pork roast in the meat department) - 4.41
4.87 pd roasting chicken - $2.39 (marked down - woot!)
1 loaf of Sara Lee bread - 1.00
puffin corn - 2.79
4 pds vidalia onions - 3.49
3.06 pds bananas - 2.11
pint blueberries - 2.49
2 broccoli crown packs - 2.00
2 pds carrots - 1.89
leaf lettuce - 1.22
.95 pd peaches - 1.42
1.77 pds grapes - 2.28
with tax = 36.36

That leaves us with $10 for next week which is way low lol I plan to get another gallon of milk, fruit & veggies. I think I'll make a loaf of bread

I changed our menu too, we are doing a "rubber chicken" this week because of the mark down I got. I bake it with olive oil then take all the meat off of it and freeze some to use in a few days. I then boil the carcass and get two large portions of stock. We'll do chicken stir fry, chicken tacos, 2 batches of chicken and dumplings and 2 batches of chicken fried rice. For two people it goes a long way

 

[monsterkitty]

Going strong here!! BUT I have a question??

After reading some of the other threads I think I may be alone on this one...

My children have to ask me if they can have a snack and they have to ask if they can have anything to drink other than water... They will give me a blanket question, like can I have a snack, and I will say yes, and nothing is off limits, but they have to ask...

DD is almost 16 and DS will be 13 soon.... Am I the only one who does this?

And the rule in our house is eat what Mom made for dinner... Exceptions only apply if they are going somewhere with time restrictions or are sick.. I refuse to make 4 different meals and if you don't eat don't come knocking for snacking!!

Okay so I asked two questions, am I a mean Mom??

No you are not a mean mom.

My SIL locks up all the food so that my two nieces, 16 and 10, and my two nephews, 16 and 15, don't eat all the food. She has a small fridge in the garage with enough lunch items, fruit/veggies, and a Gatorade each while she is at work. Each kid also has a basket of snack food for each day. When the food is gone that is it until dinner.

My 16 y/o neice does not eat a lot, so she sells some of her portions to her brothers. She also eats for free at the restuarant she works at, so she actually makes money on this meal plan. If she feels she wants something else, we live about a half mile from her work, so she knows she can walk over here for something.

 

[Mickeyorbust]

Going strong here!! BUT I have a question??

After reading some of the other threads I think I may be alone on this one...

My children have to ask me if they can have a snack and they have to ask if they can have anything to drink other than water... They will give me a blanket question, like can I have a snack, and I will say yes, and nothing is off limits, but they have to ask...

DD is almost 16 and DS will be 13 soon.... Am I the only one who does this?

And the rule in our house is eat what Mom made for dinner... Exceptions only apply if they are going somewhere with time restrictions or are sick.. I refuse to make 4 different meals and if you don't eat don't come knocking for snacking!!

Okay so I asked two questions, am I a mean Mom??

Well if you're mean, I'm meaner then you. My kids have to name the snack they want. If I didn't regulate it they'd eat only sweets for snacks. I want them to eat healthy snacks like fruit, yogurt or they can make peanut butter crackers and have only one sweet a day.

I'm not a short order cook either..."Eat what I cooked or don't eat."

 

[alexedan]

To All of the Posters Who Ask their Kids to Ask Before Snacks (I almost typed smacks! hee hee) I COMMEND YOU! While to some it seems controlling it is probably THE BEST way to make sure the kids don't satisfy their appetites with non-nutritious food and drink so that by the time real planned healthy meals come around they are too full to eat as much of the good stuff. I guarantee that your kids probably try more foods and are open to more foods because you serve only one meal and do not cater to pickiness. That not only teaches a child that if they fuss enough they might get their way but discourages them from expanding their palate. I grew up in a house where mom catered---to us. I had 4 brothers and mom cooked 2-3 meals/night. I swear that woman LIVED in the kitchen. I grew up eating no cheese, no pork, no seafood, and no fried foods except french fries. The only vegetables I ate when I got married were green beans, peas, and corn. I had never met artichoke/squash/or cauliflower. After I married and my gourmet husband and in-laws expanded my palate I realized how much I had missed out on all those years. I swore I would never do that so when I had kids it was "This is what's for dinner. If you don't like it you'll eat again tommorrow morning." I have done this and it has worked wonderfully. My kids eat anything and will try anything...sushi, salmon (put BBQ sauce on it and call it bbq salmon), calamari, shrimp, crab, chinese, etc. Another thing to remember is that on average kids have to try a new food about 13 times to really like them. Case in point in my house...zucchini. 1st 2 times sauteed and kids had to have 1 piece...both hated it (one gagging audibly at table which I ignored). Next time weeks later...grilled with olive oil...better but still didn't love. Last time made with sauteed onions/ diced tomatoes/ italian seasoning/ little mozzarella on top and to quote 7 yo, "This tastes pretty good...no actually REALLY good!" I win. I've also discovered that with kids it's helpful to remember that IT'S ALL IN THE MARKETING! If it has noodles and tomato anything it's pasta. The last zucchini thing was presented as Pizza Casserole. Anyways, sorry to go on and on just hope these tips maybe help someone. I realize there are occasional RARE exceptions of kids who because of RARE underlying serious medical illness need to eat on a regular basis and this doesn't apply to them but otherwise for most kids it's true that they can miss 1-2-3 consecutive meals and be just fine. In 13 yrs of professional experience in pediatrics I've never seen a child deliberately starve himself to the point of harm because he didn't like the food. Be strong...your kids will benefit in the long run.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

In terms of avoiding soy - I drink soy milk and use it in cereal, but my oldest son doesn't like the taste so at his house they usually have almond milk (which I actually like, but it is more expensive) or rice milk. You might try one of those two.

In dinners and main dishes, we sometimes use seitan (which is protein made from wheat). At my grocery store (Zehrs) it's available in several different forms and flavours - "chicken" strips, "beef" strips, "chicken breasts" - which are easy for quick meals. You can make it from scratch, and my daughter does that sometimes, but I usually just buy some at the store.

We do also eat a lot of beans and lentils. I make chili, dips, casseroles, spreads, etc.

I don't know what you could substitute for silken tofu in smoothies. Maybe a nut butter like cashew butter that doesn't have a strong flavour? Or even almond butter? Or perhaps more banana to give it some thickness?

Hope that helps.

Teresa

 

[Teresa Pitman]

With younger kids, they usually needed to ask for snacks because they needed my help to get or prepare them, but not as they got older. I think that it's important for kids to learn to listen to their bodies and their own hunger signals.

I also try to have some flexibility around meals. If I was making something that one child didn't like, I'd try to have another option available. To me, that just seems like common courtesy. Usually meals have more than one element so they can be adapted. For example, if I'm making a beans with cornmeal biscuit casserole and salad, and my daughter is over, she doesn't like the cornmeal biscuits. So she'll just eat the beans and salad and maybe have a slice of bread or put croutons on the salad to give her some more starch.

If I think some of my kids might not like a main dish, I'll try to have a heartier appetizer - like a soup, or a salad with a lot of extra ingredients, or maybe a flatbread with a lot of toppings. Often, especially when my grandkids are over, I'll serve a selection of veggies and dip along with the meal. Then if some of them aren't crazy about (for example) stir-fried asparagus and green beans, they can happily munch away on green and red peppers and celery with a little dip. It only takes a minute to prepare the extra vegetables. I do encourage them to try a bite or two of whatever we're eating, and often they find they like them - although it sometimes takes several tries, as someone else posted.

I think that turning healthy food into a punishment (along the idea of if you don't eat it now, you'll have to eat it tomorrow - or starve) can make the child feel more negatively about those foods. I like food! I want my family to like food too and take pleasure in the meals we have.

Teresa

 

[extremesoccermom]

I'm the meanest mom and I tell my kids that all the time

When my kids were young I did control what and when they ate and they had to ask me not only so that I could see how much junk they were eating or trying to eat but because we were and are on a tight budget, they didn't know what I needed for dinner and I could suggest a better option if necessary.

The kids are now 18 and 13 they still ask to some degree especially when I get home from work since I don't have a set dinner time. Depending on what I am making and where we are going we could eat anywhere between 5:00 and 7:00.

I have 2 cabinets and one shelf in fridge now that they are older that I keep freebies on. I stock pile certain items that I keep locked. I will restock the cabinets every Sunday with Cereal, snacks and goodies that need to last the week. The kids have decided they want their own shelves so they each get their fair share. They have free reign to the salad, fruit and veggies. They can make a request for certain items and I will watch for coupons and sales.

They eat what I make for dinner or now that they are old enough they are free to make their own. Both kids have had cooking classes and have their own cookbooks that they have made of their easy to make meals that they like. Their are certain foods that I know the kids don't like so if I make those things for dinner I also plan something extra for them. (DD will not eat plain rice she can exchange WW bread and doesn't really like flavored rice but will eat some of it, DS will not eat green beans so he has the salad, carrots or celery options).

DH doesn't come home many nights until after 10:00 (when I am asleep ). All left overs are packed in containers and are reheated when he gets home or I take them for lunches. If he has a problem with what I make he can also make his own but he is to lazy for that. He would just snack for dinner if I didn't have things locked up and he is supposed to be on a strict diet for health reasons.

 

[mamo-4-wdw]

This is recipe for no bake cookies my friend at work gave me. I already had the ingredents so I consider them free.

Kristin's Cookies

2 cups sugar
4 TBSP cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 stick butter
bring to low boil
boil on med heat 5 min.
Remove from heat; add:
1/2 cup peanut butter
stir til melted; add:
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups quick oats
stir til covered then drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper
let harden 10 min.

 

[extremesoccermom]

The past week we decided to go on a family camping trip over the 4th of July. My Mom's Birthday is the 3rd and us 4 kids and families usually get together for a picnic or something. This year my parents bought a campground lot all of us have campers so I am towing mine down there and setting it up permanently. (I love camping and the camper but I hate towing it and DH usually does not come with us). Anyway since I really didn't need alot to get us through the week I concentrated on camping food and I volunteered to cook for Mom and Dad so Mom wouldn't have to mess with all that on her special weekend. I also needed to stock up on easy to prepare foods for DS18 he will not be joining us first because he doesn't want to and secondly he has to work. OK enough chit chat, through out the week on the way to or from appointments I stopped at the following:

Aldis
Burgers, Eggs, Milk, Butter, Bananas
Total 16.22

Dierbergs:
4.00 2 pkg Sargento Cheese
1.89 x4 Bacon
4.00 2 pkg Frozen Pretzels
1.00 1 Cantalope
2.99 x 2 Johnsonville Brats
1.99 Ice Cream bars
0.99 Brownie Mix
1.00 Hot Dogs
1.00 Bologna
1.00 2 small Yogurt
- Q
Total 26.26

Orlando Bros Fruit Stand
Green Beans, Avacado, Kiwi, Tomatos, Mangos Strawberries, Yellow Peppers
Total 16.22

Schnucks:
20.00 8 frozen Pizza
2.94 .99/lb chicken drumstick
3.02 .99/lb chicken thighs
5.97 1.99/lb chicken breasts
8.00 4 pkg TN pride sausage - 2.00 Q
3.00 OM lunch meat -.75 Q
1.00 Hunts Ketchup -.20 doubled to .40 Q
4.00 SoBe Life Water -2.00 BOGO Free Q
2.01 Poweraide -.75Q cashier decreased amount to .67 due to sale.
____
49.XX (10.00 came out of the entertainment budget because I wanted to go out to eat but kids wanted frozen pizza)

Shop N Save

6.00 Bagelfuls - 3.00Q
2.50 Kraft Mayo -1.00Q
0.89 Small Can Pineapple
1.00 Cake Mix
11.98 Banana Carribean Rum
9.98 Carribean Rum
2.50 Pina Colada Mix
5.99 Magazine DD talked me into and she did help me
_____
37.98
The Rum has a MIR so right now I get back $7.00 but if I buy more I can get more back so I may have to do that in the next couple of weeks.

This week we will be eating out of the freezer
Mon Sirloin Steak, Home fries, Veggie &/or Salad
Tue CP Chicken, Noodles, Veggie
Wed Left over Roast Beef and Mashed Potatos
Thur Planned over Chicken Quesadillas w/ homemade mango salsa
Fri Catfish and onion rings
Sat Brats, cabbage slaw
Sun Ribs, not sure of the sides

In the freezer for next weekend are Burgers, Bacon, Dump Chicken,and Lunch meat.

Total left until July 4 (my end of the month) = 117.11
The only things I need are a couple of cases of water
cinnamon rolls
pork steaks
wine coolers
snacks for camping
fruit
milk

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

My previous posts are on page 8.

$47.75 spent to date for the month of June

Mind you not every month is this good. But, I do try to keep my Monthly btwn. $100- 150.00 for a family of 3 with 1 dog and many drop ins every weekend.