Marti Stanley’s Web Log

Here is the financial breakdown of our menu planning for October 1st through the 15th:

Breakfast: $13.10 total, 87 cents/day (for 3 people), 29 cents/meal

Lunch: $30.84 total, $2.06/day, 69 cents/meal

Dinner: $43.90 total, $2.93/day, 98 cents/meal

Snacks: $5.30 total, 35 cents/day

Grand Total: $93.14, $6.21/day, $2.07/person/day

So our grand total of $93.14 is within our budget. And I think it’s really good since we do have some pricey breakfast and lunch alternative meat items. The menu planning is working so far, we are excited dinner is already planned and excited to see the savings. Figuring out the cost insures that you make the effort to prepare meals at home. The difference is just crazy.

*I have to do a side note here since I am a beginner. Yes, $94 is good for half a months worth of food for 3 people. And even though that price includes oil, sweetener, butter, milk, eggs, etc., I know I still have a long way to go. Leah, who has four people to feed, managed to purchase all her October groceries (the whole month) for $133! Just giving credit where credit is due… And reminding myself (as well as others out there) that I am just beginning. I’ll get better with age. (That’s my goal at least!)

Have a good day everyone!

Alright. I am conforming. First Tracy had a menu by the week and now that Leah has a menu by the month and is proving to me how much money she’s saving and how stress-free it is to already have the meal selected, I have created a menu. (So this post might save you some green!) First I had to determine which method might work best for our family (planning by the week, by the month, etc.) I decided to try splitting the month in half. I have created a menu for the first half of October. If all goes as planned and we enjoy each of the meals, I will duplicate the menu for the second half of the month. We don’t mind eating the same meal twice in one month. And I will only have to menu plan once a month.

So I have created a menu for fifteen days and created my grocery shopping list. Tomorrow after story time at the library, I will purchase the needed groceries and see how our budget handles it. (I’ll update you on the cost.) So, here is the menu as it currently stands. (You will note two things. One is that breakfast and lunch items are purchased and each person gets to select what they want to eat each day. The second is that several of the meals are both easily made from scratch and come in convenient alternatives. I.e. pancakes from scratch or purchase the box mix; black eyed peas fresh, frozen, in the bag or in the can; pizza crust and sauce from scratch or box/can. I’m going with scratch on everything this month and see how it works out. I figured scratch is cheaper and better for you, but if it becomes stressful or time consuming we can easily switch.)

Here it is:

Breakfast options: oatmeal, eggs, cereal, fruit, toast, vausage (yes, we’re vegetarian, so we spell meat items funny)

Lunch sandwich options: pb&j, veggie burger, chickn sandwich, or prime burger All served with baked chips and a pickle. (Taylor likes chickn nuggets with mashed potatoes.)

Snacks: nuts, dried fruit, rice cakes, animal crackers

Dinner:

1. black-eyed peas & cornbread
2. burritos: tortillas, rice, black beans, corn and salsa
3. homemade pizza
4. rice, veggies, tofu
5. pasta stir-fry: pasta, veggies, tofu
6. green bean casserole
7. pancakes
8. red beans & rice
9. spaghetti
10. nachos: chips, salsa, re-fried beans, cheese
11. mashed potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob
12. taco soup
13. quesadillas
14. veggie Alfredo
15. grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup

That’s it. That’s our trial menu for October 1st through the 15th. I’ll keep you posted on how it works out and what we’ve found needs tweaking for us.

Happy Eating!