Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog.
So Monday I mentioned that I was going to be menu planning and doing a post on it, and then as always life got in the way and I didn't get around to it.
If you're looking for general posts on menu planning, there are a few already on the blog, you can do a quick search, over there on the right sidebar, and it will bring them all up for you.
This menu planning was a little different than my usual, in that instead of choosing the meals first and then buying the meat/poultry at the grocery store, I bought the meat and poultry first, and then planned around what I was able to get.
With the current pandemic situation, it's been difficult at times to find what I need, and the prices have also gone up astronomically.
So, we are left with having to just shop what we can and then plan accordingly.
With our current unsure situation, as pertaining to my husband's job, I have decided to start being even more frugal in my grocery shopping, and maybe looking into doing my bulk food shop at Aldi, then adding Walmart or Commissary to just add on whatever I can't find at Aldi.
I went grocery shopping last week, and spent $144 at Aldi, then another $80 at Walmart.
Once I got home, I jotted down what I was able to get meat wise, then worked on my menu from there.
I tried to make simple meals, as well as meals that I can stretch and use leftovers for another dinner.
I'm still trying to figure my way around this, I've spent the last 22 years menu planning one way, and now I'm having to switch it up, not sure for how long, but we will see.
I guess life is full of twists and turns, and we need to adapt and just go on however we can. So this is it for the near future.
Now let me show you what my menu is, for the next two weeks.
Friday 26th - Alfredo Pasta
Saturday 27th - Feijoada c/ arroz (Portuguese Bean Stew)
Sunday 28th - Leftovers
Monday 29th - Roast chicken and potatoes
Tuesday 30th - My daughter bough us Panda Express for dinner
Wednesday 1st - Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
Thursday 2nd - Brunch, dinner was just whatever everyone wanted. Cereal, sandwiches etc.
Friday 3rd - Spaghetti, Salad
Saturday 4th - Grilled Bratwurst, Potato Salad, Fruit
Sunday 5th - Pork al Pastor, Rice, Beans
Monday 6th - Wingers Sticky Chicken Fingers, Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday 7th - Homemade Potato Gnocchi with Meat Sauce, Garlic Bread
Wednesday 8th - Bacon Carbonara
Thursday 9th - Chicken in Cream Sauce, Butter Rice
Friday 10th - *New menu kicks in*
I still have a bit of meat and poultry left in the freezer and will use those towards the next meal plan.
How do you deal with months where you need to cut down your food budget? Do you have some cheap and filling meals you go to?
If you have any advice, feel free to drop it below, I will take all the advice I can get right now.
It is definitely difficult these days, never know what I will be able to get either. I'm still planning menus ahead but have had to change things up if something is not available. When I'm on a tight budget trying to stretch things out I do some type of pasta meals a few times a week. Another idea is to use any leftovers, even if only small amounts to make quiche or soup. Adding a salad with meals helps fill everyone up so the actual dinner portions don't have to be as large too. Shopping BoGo sales and planning around those can help as well helping to stock the pantry at the same time :)
ReplyDeleteI still "TRY" to plan ahead. but availability of the simplest things has been making it difficult to stick to! You know me though I have always been frugal and a serious menu planner because of that military budget. Keeping you and yours in my prayers that everything works out for the best and soon.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra - I am not really great an menu planning, but for years, we have shopped and bought what was on special (Manager's Specials from the Deli can make dinners quick and easy) and then I plan from there. Using leftovers is a challenge for me, since some members of my family don't really like leftovers. I used to have four children at home, so cooked for six every night. Now, just my husband and I and our college student son, and I still tend to cook too much. My husband is good about eating leftovers, but not my son. I wish we had Aldis out here in Utah. I loved shopping there when we lived in Illinois some years back. Thanks for the menu planning and shopping ideas.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra, my favourite cheap meal is tuna pasta bake made from tinned tuna. I don't know what is available in USA Aldis, but I use the cheap tinned tuna from Aldi. You can mix it with any cooked meat like ham that needs using up, or with chorizo it is lovely. Use the cheap dried pasta from Aldi. Aldi cheapest Passata is for the tomato base. Use whatever cheese you can afford, I've done it with cheap cheddar in the past - but mozzarella and parmesan are nicest. Bulk up with whatever veggies you like, I often stick a tin of sweetcorn in. It's surprisingly tasty for a cheap meal.
ReplyDeleteI've also found dried red lentils to be a cheap way for meat replacement for curries or chillis, if your family don't mind the odd meat-free meals. Or you can cut down on meat by doing part beef mince part lentils in a recipe.
I've tried to cut down the amount of meat I use in my meals and bulk up with vegetables. So where I used to use 500g of beef mince I'd use 250g, etc. That saves quite a bit of money in the long run.
Anyway, I'm still praying for your situation and for lots of peace and blessings for you all.
My husband and I always buy meats when they go on sale and we stock up. We will bring them home and repackage them for three people in our house hold and vacuum seal them. Now with the pandemic, we can be limited in some stores, so to combat this by making several small trips. Eventually we still get what we need. We have a big garden which helps too. If I cant grow it, we will buy it in bulk when it goes on sale and I will can it or freeze it. We grow our own peppers so I freeze them for cooking. I cant grow onions so we buy a big bag of those and i bring home and choose up in food processor and package them individually and put in freezer. We do cheese the same way. We buy dried beans in bulk and I can those for pinto beans, baked beans and refried beans on hand. I buy potatoes when they go on sale and can them too. When I menu plan, i already have alot of stuff on hand. One way to stretch chicken breasts is buy the packs that have the huge breasts in them and cut one breast in half long ways and make two breasts out of it. You can get two meals or three meals put of one pack and maybe leftovers. I took left over spaghetti the other night and spread into a casserole dish and spread sour cream on top of that and then spread mozzarella cheese on top and baked in the oven and made spaghetti bake. I took left over hot dog buns and spread with rotel tomatoes, some cheese my husband made and some basil leaves and made bruschetta. It was delicious. To be frugal you get creative and use what you have on hand. You should check out Jordan Page from Funcheaporfree.com on YouTube. They are a family of 10 and she is so frugal and has so many videos on frugal living. She also runs a shelf cooking blog that teaches meal planning using items in your freezer, fridge, and pantries. I have learned so much. She has videos on how to shop and stock everything.
ReplyDelete