Week 2 Meal Plan:
Sunday - out at Mom & Dad's
Monday - Beef Stroganoff
Tuesday - leftovers (Bec out)
Wednesday - London Broil with broccoli & mashed potatoes
Thursday - Grilled chicken over salad
Friday - Pork tenderloin with grilled veggies and rice
Saturday - Spaghetti
Shopping:
Publix $ 28.86
Overall, I'm still under budget, but with a mere $3 in my cushion fund :), how exactly will T-giving fit into my budget?? Still working a few angles on that challenge.
WA-HOO!! So excited to have actually met my challenge this week...$29 and holding. :) As long as I can stay away from the grocery store for the rest of this week, I'm good. My basket was surprisingly full for such a small bill. I bought a lot of fruits and veggies (Publix had some good vegetables on sale this week), eggs, sour cream, and just two of the B1G1 deals that were good items for my pantry.
One tip that I want to note for my future reference: the "stock-up" list this month included meat, bread, sandwich meat, and pasta. (The bread and pasta only made that list because they were B1G1.) Some other items would be good to include on that list, like a few back-up cans of veggies, dairy products, sauces, baking supplies. I'm going to consider a standard list, and leave out a few of the meat items that I might find later on sale.
Ideas? Opinions?
Monday, November 9
Wednesday, November 4
$30 Challenge: Week 1
Week 1 Meal Plan:
Sunday - leftovers
Monday - Pot Roast
Tuesday - out for Korean food! Yum! Dad's Bday
Wednesday - Chicken Cacciatore
Thursday - Baked Potato Soup & Salad
Friday - Italian Beef Sandwiches
Saturday - leftovers (after a long day at Kennedy Space Center)
Stock-up:
Sams Club $75
Publix $36
over-budget by $11
Shopping:
Sams $21
Publix $25
over-budget by $16
At this point, the "over-budget" amounts have eaten into my cushion fund, but I'm technically still under my monthy budget. I'll be mentioning this overall update weekly.
NOT a good start! HA! (At least you know I'll be honest.) Hoping this will even out as the month goes along... But here's to show that we're not planning on eating beans and rice every night. I love cooking yummyness.
Sunday - leftovers
Monday - Pot Roast
Tuesday - out for Korean food! Yum! Dad's Bday
Wednesday - Chicken Cacciatore
Thursday - Baked Potato Soup & Salad
Friday - Italian Beef Sandwiches
Saturday - leftovers (after a long day at Kennedy Space Center)
Stock-up:
Sams Club $75
Publix $36
over-budget by $11
Shopping:
Sams $21
Publix $25
over-budget by $16
At this point, the "over-budget" amounts have eaten into my cushion fund, but I'm technically still under my monthy budget. I'll be mentioning this overall update weekly.
NOT a good start! HA! (At least you know I'll be honest.) Hoping this will even out as the month goes along... But here's to show that we're not planning on eating beans and rice every night. I love cooking yummyness.
New Month, New Challenge
This post is an update to my earlier promise to let you know how our financial class is going. Well...we're not so crazy about it, actually. The principles are excellent, but we're finding that the underlying values of this particular program do not exactly match our own. Nevertheless, we're learning and implementing a lot.
An obvious part of the monthly budget that I have the most control over is the food budget. What's the best way to manage this money? I've been reading blogs, talking with others, and trying a few different grocery-budget-strategies. (oh, and we've added another mouth to feed this month; now i'm cooking for 3.)
If I have any readers that might, in the least, be interested :), I've decided to share this month's experiment with you! We're trying to keep the grocery bill at $250 a month (doesn't include eating out), so here's the lowdown:
Stock-up. As much as I love shopping weekly sales, I really don't think Sams Club meat prices can be beat. So, I started the month there and gave myself $100 to "stock-up." With my leftover money, I grabbed a few of the B1G1 items at Publix this week like bread and pasta.
Weekly. Here comes the challenge: now I'm allowing myself $30 a week for the remaining items I need. Eeek! This money is primarily for buying fresh fruits and veggies. Other items on the list might include what I need for a specific recipe or great sales. :) I love the unexpected sales!
Cushion. If you've done the math, that only leaves me a $30 cushion. It's nice to have a cushion, but a mere $30 won't go far. I'll need to choose wisely and be willing to pass up on a good sale if my meal plan doesn't necessitate it.
This is IMPOSSIBLE without a meal plan! Call me crazy, but I currently have our meals planned for the next 3 weeks! Yep, there's a calendar on our fridge all penciled in. I started by looking at the meat I bought and the items already in my pantry, and then started filling in the boxes.
Don't ask me why I'm doing this now, the month of Thanksgiving, the year of which I'm hosting. Won't that be a budget-breaker?! We'll see!
For any PI readers, you should know the Yoons are gearing up for the Turkey Shoot with intensity. I told Joe we have to win the turkey if we're going to stay under budget. :) (ok, so my strategy is not to practice, but to bring more people to raise our chances! ha)
I'll keep you updated!
PS: This is actually fun for me. Of all the domestic duties, cooking for my family is on the top of my list! And shopping for said cooking is also part of the delight. I could go on and on about that....
An obvious part of the monthly budget that I have the most control over is the food budget. What's the best way to manage this money? I've been reading blogs, talking with others, and trying a few different grocery-budget-strategies. (oh, and we've added another mouth to feed this month; now i'm cooking for 3.)
If I have any readers that might, in the least, be interested :), I've decided to share this month's experiment with you! We're trying to keep the grocery bill at $250 a month (doesn't include eating out), so here's the lowdown:
Stock-up. As much as I love shopping weekly sales, I really don't think Sams Club meat prices can be beat. So, I started the month there and gave myself $100 to "stock-up." With my leftover money, I grabbed a few of the B1G1 items at Publix this week like bread and pasta.
Weekly. Here comes the challenge: now I'm allowing myself $30 a week for the remaining items I need. Eeek! This money is primarily for buying fresh fruits and veggies. Other items on the list might include what I need for a specific recipe or great sales. :) I love the unexpected sales!
Cushion. If you've done the math, that only leaves me a $30 cushion. It's nice to have a cushion, but a mere $30 won't go far. I'll need to choose wisely and be willing to pass up on a good sale if my meal plan doesn't necessitate it.
This is IMPOSSIBLE without a meal plan! Call me crazy, but I currently have our meals planned for the next 3 weeks! Yep, there's a calendar on our fridge all penciled in. I started by looking at the meat I bought and the items already in my pantry, and then started filling in the boxes.
Don't ask me why I'm doing this now, the month of Thanksgiving, the year of which I'm hosting. Won't that be a budget-breaker?! We'll see!
For any PI readers, you should know the Yoons are gearing up for the Turkey Shoot with intensity. I told Joe we have to win the turkey if we're going to stay under budget. :) (ok, so my strategy is not to practice, but to bring more people to raise our chances! ha)
I'll keep you updated!
PS: This is actually fun for me. Of all the domestic duties, cooking for my family is on the top of my list! And shopping for said cooking is also part of the delight. I could go on and on about that....
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