Yummy Cake Adventure... fail

Week 6 of the grocery budget adventure and things are still on track. I am reading a book called "Influencer, the power to change anything"

First off, it is a great book! (adventure!) Second, it talks about how when people think about changing habits two questions arise: "Is it worth it?" and "Can I do it?"

YES! Yes, you can make a budget and stick to it! Yes, it is worth it! It is worth it to know where the food you eat is coming from. It is worth it to save money. It is worth it to feel like you have food to feed your family even when money is tight.

I cannot wait to keep reading and find out more this book has to offer.

Back to the groceries---

This week I planned for the following meals:

• Steak w/ potatoes and green beans
• Tilapia and rice
• hamburgers with homemade ketchup
• tuscan garlic chicken with salad and garlic bread
• homemade pizza with mushrooms and salami
• Rotisserie chicken

For dessert- Yummy Cake!

The story behind yummy cake: A colleague and friend made some yummy cake for the teachers my first year on the job. It is heaven! 

So I went to Aldi's and I found so many of the normally expensive ingredients. I believe it costs around $15 to make last time (Tom Thumb) and this time it was only $6. No problems so far with Aldi's, so I went for it. I bought the devil's food cake mix (which worked great for my rolo cookies!), evaporate milk, butter, and chocolate chips. The only thing I had to buy somewhere else was the caramels. 

Here is how it turned out :

Uhh.... Those do not look like my normal yummy cake heavenly treats. ugh!

I tasted it and sure, it is okay, but not amazing. So there you have it- from now on, I am skipping Aldi's for the sweet tooth desires. 

Week 4 of the Grocery Budget Adventure

Week 4! I did it! I made it four weeks on a grocery budget and oh my have I been impressed.

Let's begin with this week.

Dinner menu:

• Tacos, mexican corn, refried beans
• breakfast for dinner (sausage, eggs, biscuits, pancakes)
• steak, edamame, scalloped potatoes
• pot roast, salad, dinner rolls
• shrimp, rice, salad
• leftover stew

Grocery bill today- $55! This big ticket item this week was the pot roast at a whopping $13. However, we plan on having company over for dinner so it feeds four and probably some left overs for lunch later in the week. 

The total amount I spent for the four weeks, including meat, is $295. That is $25 under budget! I am very proud of this considering I was spending between $400 and $500 for one month of groceries in August. This meal planning for the month has truly helped. 

For one, I know in advance what I am cooking, so I can buy things in bulk for cheaper (onions, potatoes, etc) knowing that it will not go to waste and getting a better price for it.

Second, menu planning for the month took time, but a whole lot less time than it does to plan for the week. Knowing what is on the menu helps because I already have it planned. Sure, I look through circulars to plan side items or maybe change something up if I see a truly good deal, but for the most part I stick to my plan. This helps avoid the stress of menu planning and finding recipes and deciding what to eat and the worst... buyers remorse. I know what I am eating and have already made the decision- no need to regret it later.

Third, sticking to the budget helps me feel good about myself. I see myself practicing self control, and it  makes me feel good. 

Fourth, I do not feel bad about leftovers anymore. In fact, sometimes I over cook so I can freeze half and save it for later. Anyone who cooks for two (or one) knows how many recipes are great, but made for families of four or more. Planning for the month gave me a set time to eat those meals again, an extra portion for lunch one day, and the knowledge that the food would not go to waste. 

Finally, I feel good knowing my family is getting home cooked meals where I know for the most part where the food is coming from. I feel good knowing that we are eating good food, we are not spending a ton of money on food, and we are happy with what we have. 

Celebrations!!!

My husband and I had guests over for dinner twice this month.

I stayed on a budget, practiced self control, and ate good food.

My kitchen got used, my husband's belly was full.

I have an extra $25 to spend on myself this month.

Grocery shopping has taken WAY less time.

I have not had to fill my car up with gas as often.

Menu planning has taken less time away from my family.

Week 3 of the grocery budget adventure

So here we are in week three, and my grocery total for the week was... $50!!!

I feel good about that number, and even more so when I know that two of my six meals are enough for a second meal for later.

Here's the menu this week:
- Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, salad
- Spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, salad
- chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese
- hamburgers, fresh fruit, french fries
- chicken bruschetta, broccoli, and...
- shrimp oreganato, rice

Desserts this week- fudge brownies and shortbread cookies

On the positive side of things, I feel good being able to feed my family on a budget. We are eating really good food :), and I am not left hungry. Many meals are enough for two rounds, so I know my grocery budget will go even better next month. Also, and maybe most importantly for me, I am able to save money. I know that this will leave extra money for other things (maybe even some "wants" rather than "needs") and I just feel better knowing I am not throwing my money away every month on food.

So here are some things that are frustrating me:
#1- I keep forgetting items on the grocery list! I make this list, and most of the time it is 100% correct. Every once in awhile though, I forget an ingredient. Luckily the store run is easy as I know the one item I need, but it does waste gas and time when I do this. Other times, like today, I knew I needed a roma tomato, but waited until Aldis. Guess who did not carry roma tomatoes this week? Aldis. I had to run into Target for one item (scary!) and it ended up costing me $0.32.

#2- I am still learning what Aldis has and their prices, so sometimes I end up spending more by buying an item somewhere else because I think it may be cheaper there or I go there first and want to buy it in case Aldis does not have it. I think this will get better with time, but for now it kind of stinks. Today, for example, I saw Ritz crackers were on sale for $2.50 at Wal-mart, so I bought them. I go to Aldis, and there they are for $1.79. I know it doesn't seem like much, but when you are budgeting every penny counts- that is the point of budgeting! There are a few other items this has happened to me with- Gala Apples, bread, cheese... but I am hoping this will only be the case for a little longer until I get the hang of things.

#3- The prices of food going up effects Aldis too :(... Today, the milk was $2.19. The past two weeks, I have gotten milk for $1.99 at Aldis. I hope it is only temporary, but something tells me it is not.

Well, that is all for this week- next week will be first full month (four weeks) of menu planning.

Week 2 of the grocery budget adventure!

Week 2 of my monthly menu planning/ budget adventure and we are right on track!

The menu this week:

• Stew 
• Pasta
• Chili
• Chicken
• Enchiladas
• Homemade Pizza

Apparently, the husband saw my list and was a little concerned. He said, "I need more to my meal than just a main dish. I need sides." As a woman, and a woman watching her diet, this turned my stomach. However, I quickly realized that I am his wife and he is a man who does need more calories than me. 

New menu

• Stew (meat, potatoes, carrots) with homemade bread and salad
• Cheddar Penne Pasta with Sausage and a side of fruit salad
• Chili, cornbread, rice
• Chicken cutlets, zucchini, broccoli with cheese, and bread
• Enchiladas, refried beans, rice, and mexican corn
• homemade pizza with pepperoni

Even after adding in the extras, my grocery bill was very reasonable at $55. I did spend a few more dollars than necessary by buying things at the regular grocery store instead of Aldi's. Live and learn.

Also, I know that the money was less because I already bought the meat. 

Still, I am right on track with my goal of $320 for four weeks. My freezer is getting lots of extras like soups, extra chicken pot pie, and other various leftovers. I am pretty interested to see what it will look like after week 4 and how the frozen dinners will help out in Month 2. 

Will keep you posted on the success rate of this adventure :) 

Butcher Adventure

In my quest for a lower grocery bill, I came across an idea. If I buy meat for the entire month from a butcher, maybe it will help cut costs.

Here is my thinking:

#1, If I buy for an entire month, I can split things as I please and always have the meat portion of our meal on hand. If my husband says, "I am not in the mood for blah blah blah," I can pull something else out without wasting a trip to the store or the meat I had planned for.

#2 When you buy from a butcher, it comes in freezer paper. According to the website, the meat stays freezer burn free for up to 8 months! 8 months! I think we will eat all of our meat in 8 months. No wasting meat!

#3 Along with the "no wasting meat" theory, I tend to only need a portion of what I buy. I try to buy directly from the meat section so I can portion control what I buy, but many times it is easier to just buy the meat in the 1 lb package it already comes in. This happens a lot with chicken. I buy a package of chicken because it is cheaper than picking out my own, yet throw half of it away because there are only 2 of us and I don't need the rest of the package. ( I have tried freezing this meat but I am terrible at it and even with freezer wrap and freezer bags it ends up with freezer burn by the end of the month )

So, I grab my monthly menu and get my meat listed.

I bought--->

• 7 chicken breasts
• 2, 12 oz steaks (to be split so one steak per meal)
• 2.5 lbs of stew meat
• 4 sausage links
• 6 lbs ground beef

That is around 17 pounds of meat, to be used in 19 meals throughout the month, for $66.02

Check out my freezer :)

My bill for the week on groceries was $71.05, not including the meat. I am making shrimp alfredo, chicken pot pie (makes 2, so one will go in the freezer), steak, baked potato soup, sandwich night, and pizza. 

With shopping done, I am now going to get to work on my lesson plans as school starts tomorrow :)

Grocery Shopping Rules

As a follow up to my last post, I have the "grocery shopping rules" to follow. Most are things you may already know about, but a quick reminder never hurts.

Here's what it says with a brief explanation:

1. Meal Plan around circulars and schedule 

   - Check the weekly grocery ads for the best deals. Compare sale items across grocery stores and pick one or two stores that work best for you to shop from for the week. Also, think about your schedule- if you have a busy night, you may need a crock pot meal or something quick. 

2. Eat seasonally 

   - fruits and vegetables are cheaper and taste better when they are in season. Know your seasons! Here is a link to an eat seasonally chart I found on pinterest. http://www.accomacinn.com/restaurant/2011/12/whats-in-season-now/

3. Shop pantry, fridge, and freezer before store

   - Look at what you have and try to get creative. Lots of leftover vegetables? Make a soup or vegetable stir fry. Canned green beans and corn? Add some meat and make it a meal.

4. Set a monthly budget instead of a weekly budget.

   - This one was the most important one to me. Kimberlee does the number of Sundays (her shopping day) in the month X her weekly budget to get a monthly total. This is good because even though you may only spend $40 one week, the next week may be $95. If you set a monthly budget, it will even out and you won't over spend by doing something with your "savings" before you actually finish the month. Reasons your budget goes over: the staples are out- eggs, flour, sugar, etc, it is time to purchase a seasoning such as cumin or cayenne pepper, you have more expensive meat in your meals.

5. Not every meat needs a meal.

   - This is easy for me, tough for my husband. I love cheese ravioli, cheese pizza, vegetable soup, peanut butter and jelly, etc. My husband says "where's the meat?" 

6. Be willing to shop at two places.

   - Luckily, where I am from there are about 7 grocery stores within a 7 mile radius from my house. Seriously. Albertson's (two), Kroger, Wal-Mart, Aldi's, Sprout's, and one more Kroger being built. It is easy to swing by two stores and quicker than one if you follow rule number 7.

7. Buy what is on the grocery list.

   - This means if you want cookies, put it on the list. Don't show up to the store and buy cookies, ice cream, and donuts because you didn't know which sweet you wanted for the week. If you have a husband or kids, leave them behind or make sure they know the rule. Also, no toilet paper and office supply runs at the grocery store!

8. Designate certain nights within the month for a cheap and easy meal

   - examples: Homemade pizza night, breakfast for dinner, leftovers, baked potato day, soup night, sandwiches...

9. Cook large batches and freeze meals.

   - As a family of two, this is great for us. It means my husband is not having "leftovers" and we don't throw food away. It is very easy to split large meals before putting them in the oven or serving. It also means you have one less meal to cook / pay for on another night in your current or next month.

10. Consider investing in a seal-a-meal

   - Well if you read my previous note you know how well that worked out for me... My new plan is to go to a butcher. I found 4 in my area, three of which are corn - fed and one is grass - fed. Unfortunately, grass - fed is currently out of my price range, but I am hoping to switch once I can. Anyways, the butcher packages your meat however you want (ex. 1 lb of ground beef x 6 bags or 6 oz sirloins x 2) and the meat is good for up to 8 months!

11. Buy in Bulk IF it is something you can freeze, it is non perishable, or it is something you will use.

   - You will use toilet paper. It does not go bad. You can buy toilet paper in bulk. A 1 gallon container of mayonnaise? Not so much

12. Consider making from scratch instead of buying processed

   - You can MAKE a lot of things CHEAPER than if you BUY them... When you make your own you also control what goes in your food :) Examples: Bread, pizza dough, granola bars, cookies

Well, that is all for the tips. Thanks again Kimberlee for sharing :) 

Craig's List Adventure

With my new "save the money on groceries" phase slowly coming together, I did some research and thought about purchasing a seal-a-meal or food saver. When you have these, you can seal meat from the grocery store in your freezer without it getting freezer burn. Also, if you buy from a butcher who already puts their meat in freezer paper, you could use the seal a meal when splitting up packages for later use.

It seems easy enough to use...

So I went searching. Unfortunately, they are a little pricey to "just try it." The seal-a-meal is considerably cheaper than a food saver, $49.99 compared to $183.00. When you invest in the seal-a-meal or food saver, you also need the bags or rolls of wrap to go with it.

I thought to myself, hey- I bet someone would be selling it on craigslist or ebay, so I went searching. What do you know, I found an ad on Craig's List for a BRAND NEW seal-a-meal in package for $25 OBO. I offered $10 and next day pick up, and everything seemed to be falling in place.

Fast forward to 5:00 yesterday. I sat in the Target parking lot in a town about 30 minutes away from my house (but a middle spot for meeting the other person) for 15 minutes and did not see them. They had my number and I knew I was in the right place, so I figured they were running late and went into the store to do some browsing. About 30 minutes later, with still no call, I knew something was up. My husband was with me so we went to dinner (AHHH! Not in the budget or plans, but what can you do at 6:00 when you are hungry and 30 minutes from home?) We finished at 7:00 and still no phone call.

 Craigslist FAIL.

So I ended up not getting my brand new seal-a-meal for $10.00. I e-mailed the person and let them know I was no longer interested in wasting my time and will continue the search elsewhere.

On the bright side, I did not get stabbed, robbed, or scammed :)