I know what you are thinking. How can I possibly feed my family for an entire week when the only groceries I purchased we a case of noodles, goldfish crackers, milk,lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, a dozen English muffins and a pineapple?
This breakfast I made the HH the other day is a great example for how I ration out our food.
- Bacon – Bought with the Christmas Costco Gift card my parents gave us.
- Eggs – I purchased 5 dozen eggs last week.
- Toast – I like to buy several loaves and freeze them until we need them. {Purchased 2/2/15}
- Yogurt – I purchased a case of 24 yogurts on 2/2/15 as well.
- Orange Juice – Bought a 6 pack of frozen concentrate back in late January.
- Blueberries on Yogurt – I froze those last summer and tucked them away in the freezer to enjoy all year long.
Maybe my family is weird in that just because I bring home a case of Cup of Noodles… they don’t get eaten in 3 days. I don’t know how else to explain it other than to say when you cook most of your meals at home using simple ingredients, it doesn’t cost all that much. Sure, it costs you time, but money? Not so much.
I think the one thing I always forget to mention, is that since we get our meat in bulk, {chicken, fish,ham, ground meat from Zaycon} making recipes in large quantities and tucking them into the freezer to use on nights when I don’t feel like cooking, helps tremendously. It not only cuts down my desire to shop, but it really makes me focus on using what we already have.
Being able to pull pre-portioned meat like hamburger, fish or chicken breasts out of the freezer and adding a simple side dish like rice or frozen veggies is so much easier than getting sucked in to the “What am I going to make tonight, I don’t have all the ingredients I need” game.
We enjoyed soft tacos with homemade refried beans twice last week. {The taco meat was already pre-cooked and ready to go}
I also made a giant pot of beef {actually venison} stew using a package of Bob’s Red Mill 13 Bean Chili that I had in the pantry. All I did was soak the beans, add the meat, spices, carrots, onion, and a little of tomato sauce and it was delicious. 
And there were plenty of leftovers to freeze as well for the HH’s work lunches and quick dinners.
We also had grilled cheese sandwiches and salad one night. Boring, but yummy.
Monkey Boy’s lunch box treat of the week was homemade oatmeal cookies. 
And last night I made a blueberry crisp using berries I froze last summer and oats I purchased in bulk last year. We also had cod fish and chicken strips last week with a side of rice and green beans {frozen} last week as well.
It may not have been the most exciting week of meals on the planet, but it worked. 😉
~Mavis
Total Spent This Week $41.32
Total Spent Year to Date $234.52
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Beth says
Your meals look good to me- I just made a fairly expensive trip to Trader Joes to get ready to eat meals for my husband and daughter as I am leaving tomorrow on a long business trip. My daughter is picky and if I didn’t do this, my husband would make several trips to the grocery store to make one dinner at a time and my daughter would be annoyed that it was such a long process every night. Hopefully this will cut down on the overall cost as well as arguing…
Linda says
Please don’t apologize for your meals not being “exciting.” I love that you are showing how to use what you have to provide nutritious and delicious meals for your family. The genius is in your planning so that you aren’t wasting money on all the extra trips to pick up specialty ingredients. I love your recipes and your blog! I’m learning a lot from you!!
Chris says
I LOVE that you are sharing the way you feed your family! It has been interesting to read and given me things to ponder (and try.) We know that your HH takes left overs to work for lunch, but I am interested in Monkey Boy’s lunches. I have twin boys the same age and they are athletes burning calories like mad. They take lunch to school everyday. I have asked what their peers are eating…it is not good. Thankfully, my boys have long since gotten over being embarrassed by still hauling insulated lunch bags to school filled with reusable containers. It’s usually a sandwich with meat & cheese, yogurt, cheese stick, fruit, nuts, milk, pretzels chips & hummus. Most of their peers bring plastic “grocery” bags filled with crappy highly processed food & soda. I am interested in how you and your readers handle school lunches for teenage boys. Thanks!
Rosemary says
Homemade is seldom boring because the fresh ingredients speak for themselves.
Linda says
when I meal plan, I shop my pantry, fridge, and freezer first. That way I make sure we use what we have first. Also learn what you eat a lot of and buying in bulk saves time. I can’t wait to move and get a second freezer again. That will cut down on the shopping trips.
Mavis says
I love that you shop from your own “store” first. It saves so much money!
Helen in Meridian says
I got 10 pkg of Foster Farms ground turkey today at Fred Meyer marked down from $5.49 to $1.29. Since they are 20 oz they are more than a pound. Sooo $12.99 in pantry extras will give me a good 2 months of taco, stuffed peppers, or spaghetti, and meatloaf. I just realized that while you worry about spending more than last year, you forget your milk, butter, sour cream, and cottage cheese was sponsored and now you have to buy it each week.
Mavis Butterfield says
That’s true Helen. I forgot about that! Thanks for the reminder. I think overall I’m doing pretty well. I just wish growing season would hurry up and get here.