Our family is living more frugal these days and we’re starting off with a monthly grocery budget and sticking to it.
A Monthly Grocery Budget
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to do a little bit of grocery shopping. I ended up going to three different stores to get the best deals I was looking for and now looking at my freezer, fridge and pantry, I believe we’re set for the rest of the month. This month, I’m experimenting with our grocery budget. I’m putting myself to the challenge to see how well I can feed my family on a frugal budget. My monthly grocery budget…$400. My spending total so far:$$221.28. That leaves $178.72.
After putting groceries away, I was motivated to get a head start on some of the meals I had planned for the freezer. My last stop yesterday was to BelAir and I was able to use my rewards coupon to purchase items in the meat department. I picked up 3 whole chickens, 10 pounds of hamburger meat and 2 top sirloin roasts. All of these items were on sale. Even better!
So far, with 5 pounds of hamburger, I was able to make for the freezer:
- 3 Tater Tot Casseroles
- 2 Green Chili Taco Bakes
I’ll finish the rest of my meal prepping for the week and the freezer today.
Meal Plan
I meal plan at the beginning of each week. For me, it’s Sunday mornings when the house is quite and everyone’s still sleeping. I try and manage a decent frugal grocery budget and not go to the grocery store on a weekly basis unless we need dairy products like milk. Weekly meal planning saves our family money, reduces food waste, and keeps us from the urge to say, “Let’s eat out!”
Here’s our plan for the week.
My weekly meal plan and shopping list is completed and posted on our fridge:
Breakfast options:
(served with fruit)
French toast casserole
Pancakes
Waffles
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Cereal
Scrambled, Fried, or Hard-Boiled Eggs
Breakfast Burritos
Quiche
English Muffins
Homemade Bread
Biscuits
Muffins
Breakfast Cookies
Breakfast Potatoes
Mini Apple Pies or Turnovers
Lunch options:
Sandwiches or Wraps (Tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, turkey salad, leftover meats, grilled cheese, blt, pb&j)
Quesadillas
Smoothies
Leftovers from dinner
Salad
Baked Potato
Homemade Pizza Pockets
Suppers Your Family Will Love
Need ideas for your weekly meal plan? It’s time for another weekly menu. I enjoy menu planning because of the simplicity it provides for my life. It enables me to decrease my grocery shopping excursions to twice a month and it allows me to have more free time to focus on my family and home. For ideas in the weekly meal plan, we’ll be focusing on a variety of family meals. You’ll find the recipes on the weekly meal plan also available on my Recipe Index page with a grocery list included.
Dinner (recipes will post throughout the week, given time to cook and photograph 
)
Note: an asterisk* means it’s from the freezer
Sunday: Sunday Supper~ Crock Pot Roast with vegetables, bread
Monday: Enchiladas and Mexican Rice
Tuesday: Beef Fried Rice (using leftovers from Sunday night’s dinner)
Wednesday: Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce and Garlic Bread
Thursday: Chili Dogs with toppings Happy Valentine’s Day!~Sirloin Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Friday: Family Favorites Night, Cupcake Pizzas, Garden Salad
Saturday: Tater Tot Casserole, Garden Salad
For more great family recipes, be sure to visit my new recipe box page.
What’s cooking at your house this week? How does your family live frugal?
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