Menu plan Monday and shopping trip round up

I knew before this week even came that I was going to be over budget, WAY over budget!

I needed diapers for one thing and that's always a huge chunk of change. I so miss the cloth diapers we used for so long, why do they have to grow out of stuff? I hope potty training is quick and painless and we can be done with these vile things soon.

I also wanted to stock up (I know that's breaking my own rules) but Haggen had canned beans on sale much cheaper than my beloved Winco has them regularly, and this family eats a lot of beans. So with all that in mind I knew I was going over. I guess I Will just have to work harder the rest of the month to average my $70 a week.

So here is whats for dinner

M - Spaghetti and meat sauce w/ garlic bread
T - Taco's
W - .Turkey sloppy Joe's french fries and salad
TH - Garlic chicken pasta with vegetable medley
F - Hockey game night - Dinner out!
S - Southwest white chicken chili and tortilla chips
S - Sticky lemon chicken with rice and broccoli

Oh and some of these things were on last weeks menu but somehow we had enough leftovers that I didn't need to cook everything planned. We also had a slight change of plans and went out to eat last night

Winco

eggbeaters - 4.54 (1.00 coupon)
creamer - 3.14
OJ - 2.48
3 bags frozen vegetables - 2.54
2 can chicken broth - 1.10
cream of chicken soup - .77
tomato sauce - .28
fruit cocktail - 1.55
cake mix - .78
pancake mix - 1.88
taco shells - 1.18 (.50 coupon)
muffins - 1.78
pudding - .96
tomato - .40
chips - .98
green pepper - .68
lemon - .20
40 splenda packets - 1.20
green onion - .48
2 special dark bars - .58 (BOGO free)
eggs - 2.86
flour tortillas - 1.88
baby oil - 3.47

total $34.21



Costco

diapers - 39.99
chicken strips - 14.45
go gurt - 7.55
Clorox wipes - 9.99 (not pictured, with 2 kids they were already in use!)
graham crackers - 7.29
bananas - 1.47
salad - 3.99

total $84.73




Haggen

Apple juice - 2.98
milk - 1.49
3# apples - 1.79
20 cans beans - 10.00
tea - 2.00 (.50 coupon)

total $17.76




Grand total = $ 136.70 over budget $66.70 Thank god its the first week of the month and I can make this up!

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safety gear for every occasion

not sure what the occasion here is cause I hope he doesn't need eye gear. Or maybe I do??

Menu plan Monday and shopping trip roundup

Mission NOT accomplished! I went into today's shop hoping to spend less than $28, what was I thinking? I didn't need a whole lot but the things we did need were not the cheapest of things either. Oh well it happens, and when all is said and done I am only $36.24 over for the month. My budget each month is $280 and this month I spent $316.24 That's still probably less than half of what the average family of four spends. Remember this price includes things like diapers, paper products, personal hygiene etc. Next week starts a new month and another chance to come in under budget!

So this week we are eating for dinner

M - Chicken and cheese enchiladas
T - Freezer fun (a mix and match of frozen leftovers)
W - Crock pot potato chowder
TH - Spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread
F - Tuna noodle casserole
S - Turkey sloppy Joe's and fries
S - Turkey soup (from freezer) and Homemade rolls


The enchiladas are a pull from last weeks menu as somehow me, the planners of all planners, but it on the menu but neglected to add the one ingrediant needed to the shopping list last week. OOPS!

Winco

Apple juice - 2.98
nonfat milk - 1.53
creamer - 2.48
sour cream - 1.48
eggbeaters - 4.54
shredded cheese - 1.58
italian sausage - 2.88
cream cheese - 1.25
salad dressing - 2.86 (.50 coupon)
sphaghetti sauce - .78
chicken broth - .55
2 cream of chicken - 1.40
peas - .68
black olives - 1.52
maple syrup - 1.89
shave gel - 1.96
panish rice mix - .98
celery - 1.17
banana - 1.03
green pepper - .58
splenda - 1.20
romas - .42
muffins - 2.99

$38.23

Costco

mickey nuggets - 11.99
cheese - 5.69
salad - 3.99
milk - 4.36

$26.03

grand total = $64.26

Anyone else notice the prices of milk and dairy products going up?




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Menu plan Monday and shooping trip roundup

Prices are going up up up! At least at my beloved Winco they are. it .20 her .50 there but that all adds up to dollars on my bill that I don't want to pay for! I actually got to shop alone this week (no kids!) and I had time to do some real price comparisons, sticker shock! Just when you think that the warehouse store is the better deal, think again. Sure somethings can be to your advantage. In our case its milk, salad, peanut butter and a small handful of other things. but I am starting to find that I need to go there less and less. Thankfully my membership is free (thanks Moby) so I don't have to figure the yearly cost into that equation. So this week I kinda, no REALLY, blew the budget. I made the mistake of letting my taste buds rule the menu planning and we are having a few meals that cost me more than I would like to admit. The beauty thing that will come of it is I will have supplies for leftovers that I can freeze and use to make these pricey meals again without having to pay for it! SO in the end it may still all wash.

okay just did the math. In order to be at my $70 a week average next week, last week of the month, I can only spend $28.02! Yikes that's going to be hard, but I love a challenge......

Dinner -

M - Slow cooker lasagna salad and garlic bread
T - Leftover buffet (time to clean out the fridge!)
W - Big apple french toast casserole and bacon (yum breakfast for dinner!)
TH - homemade pizza and salad
F - Chicken and cheese enchiladas
S - slow cooker beef stroganoff
S - baked talapia, potatoes and corn


grand total this week $95.70 WOW that's painful!




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snack time with old friends

Since Eli has moved to his new school we thought it would be nice to pay one last visit to his old school so that his friends would have a chance to say goodbye. Today we joined them for some play time and a snack. Eli had a good time and it was nice to be able to say goodbye to his teachers.

Mrs. Standish and Mrs. Bruncan

TAG!

snack time

The yellow school bus!

My little Eli had a first today, He rode the bus to his preschool. He started a new preschool on Tuesday and because of the state program we are in there is also available bus pick up and drop off. He goes to school 4 days a week now so having the bus come right to the house makes my life a lot easier! Today in fact Kai was still sleeping when it was time to leave so I was able to leave him in bed while I went down the driveway to put Eli on the bus. NICE!

His new school is part of the early special education program run here in the state. Its actually part of a national program that's helps children who need a little bit of extra help to get ready for school. His new teacher is really nice and I can tell that she is going to be great with Eli just by how she dealt with him these first few days. His old teachers at the private preschool we took him to were fantastic but Eli needs a little more focus than a traditional school can provide. He is defiantly going to have to work now and be held accountable for his behavior!

It seemed so strange to be sending a 3 year old off to school on the bus. I choked up a little. no tears, but had some watery eyes. They had these neat little seats with harnesses built in to keep the little ones safe on the bus, like little jump seats on a plane! Eli was so excited to ride today and I know that this alone will more than likely keep him excited for school as we start this new adventure!

Menu plan Monday and shopping trip

Damn you toilet paper!~

We go through so much it seems and the best deal I have ever found is at Costco, but its a chunk of change all at once. It might last a while but it sure bites into the budget. I was hoping to stay around $50 this week BUT obviously that didn't happen! Oh well.

Dinner

M - Homemade clam chowder and rolls
T - Dinner at mom's
W - Harvest chicken and potato soup and salad
TH - Black beans and pork salad
F - Homemade pizzas
S - slow cooker french dips with french fries
S - Dinner out


Because I am tired and not feeling well tonight I am skipping the listing but at Winco I spent $47.33 and Costco cost me $33.28(damn toilet paper!)

grand total $80.61





see how others are doing this week at Grocery Cart Challenge

New years resolutions

Lose the extra weight!

Sleep over

Eli has a new friend, he came at Christmas and has been by his side ever since. They even sleep together. How cute!

To Infinity and Beyond!

Poor baby

It only took 3.5 years and two children but we have our first ear infection in the Chandler household. Little Kai is just not a happy camper right now. Poor baby.

Menu plan Monday and shopping trip roundup

So today I did my first shop of the year. Had a few stores to hit to get some "stock pile" stuff and freebies, I love freebies! Did well, went over budget but not badly. For new readers, and yes I know my blog is not overly entertaining, I should fill you in on my "plan".

Due to circumstances in our lives we were without a steady source of income for a year and half. After some major life changes and overhauls, selling possessions and what not, we had to buckle down and get a grip on our budget. I knew one place we could really make changes was in our grocery totals. I started doing some Internet surfing and came across a blog that challenged me. Grocery Cart Challenge changed my way of thinking when it came to shopping, eating, and saving money. Her idea was to spend no more than $60 a week to feed her family. I thought "hey I can do that" only to learn that its easier said than done. After some not so good first few weeks I started to get the hang of it and now consider myself to be a mighty fine bargain hunter. I did change the spending amount however, since we still have one in diapers I needed to account for them. So $70 a week is our budget. Its gives me wiggle room to add in the cost of the diapers if I have some weeks that come in under budget.

so now for this week.

Breakfast - cereal, banana bread, french toast and eggs.

lunch - sandwich's, chicken nuggets and fruit, mac and cheese, leftovers

Dinner

M - Three cheese chicken penne and garlic bread
T - Sticky lemon chicken with broccoli and rice
W - mushroom pork steaks green beans and salad
TH - New England clam chowder and rolls
F - Chicken and cheese enchiladas chips and salsa
S - Chicken chow mein
S - Turkey meatloaf, green beans and potatoes

*Note chicken penne bake was not made last week, since we took a night out os it carried over to this week.

Winco

2 30ct gal ziplock - 7.92 (1.00 coupon)
certo - 3.66
2 go gurt - 5.00
creamer - 2.98
beef sausage - 2.73 (.35 coupon)
2 cans pumpkin - 1.96
salsa - 1.78
italian dressing - 1.98
ketchup - .85
minced clams - .98
2 can green beans - 1.16
cream of chicken - .70
fruit cocktail - 1.92
lemon juice - .54
broccoli - .71
crackers - .98
knorr soup mix - 1.38
naruchan noodles - .74 (.50 coupon)
chow mein noodles - 1.20
green onion - .68
tomaotes - .47
onion - .42
lemon - .28
2 50oz bag frosted flakes cereal - 4.96 (2.00 coupon)
apple juice - 2.48
3 set storage containers - 4.98

Total = $49.59

Fred Meyer

10 yogurt - 3.00
2 orange juice - 4.00
2 non fat milk - 2.50

total = $9.50

Costco
salad - 3.99
2 gal milk - 3.98
bananas - 1.32
2 doz eggs - 3.29

total = $12.58

Rite Aid

2 WetOnes - free
2 tums - 4.00

total = $4.00

Grand total $75.67