Menu Plan Monday - Feb 1, '10

Holy cow, it's FEBRUARY???? Well I suppose I should be thankful, after all every day is one day closer to spring :)

Last week, menu posting was a total FAIL. Too busy, too scattered, and too everything! I still managed to eat from the pantry, so we did ok but I was definitely scrambling every morning to figure out what I'd make for dinner.

I know the Pantry challenge is over, but I realized that I usually do that anyway - use what I can from the pantry and spend my money on things for the stockpile. Since I ALWAYS have frozen meats, cheese, frozen veggies, baking supplies and seasonings on hand, I rarely just shop for the recipes I'm making each week - even when I look up new recipes, I try to choose dishes that use a lot of what I have on hand. It's what works for me!

This week is no different, except that we really don't have anything unusual planned so I'm cooking just about every night. I *do* plan on cooking Once a Month Mom's February menu at the end of the month, so using pantry items will be more crucial to keep the budget from blowing up! But not only did she put up a GREAT menu, but it's their 1 year Blogoversary, complete with contests - check it out!

Here's what's on our menu this week, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menus and recipes!

monday - Stovetop Mac & Cheese with added broccoli ($4.48 for 4-6 servings)

tuesday - Leftovers (Free!)

wednesday - Chicken veggie stirfry with rice (using leftover chicken marinated in Asian Sesame dressing) ($1.60 for 4 servings)

thursday - Beef Stew, freezer rolls ($7.20 for 8-10 servings)

friday - Leftovers - Free!

saturday - Mexican Pizza Braid ($5.29 for 6-8 servings)

sunday - Dinner at the in-law's! (free)




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TOT Thursday - Creative couponing

Sometimes we just can't live without a particular brand, or a certain food item. My brother-in-law is notorious for the fact that he can only stomach one specific brand of milk! But it is still possible to reduce your food budget and get the brands you love, and not just by purchasing the Sunday paper!

Get creative about where your coupons come from!

Everyone knows the Sunday paper carries coupons - usually two to three different circulars (Mommy Snacks has posted a 2010 Coupon Insert schedule if you want a heads up on how many there will be!). But your local paper is FAR from the only place you can pick up great coupons!

*Regional Papers - Don't just pick up your local paper if you live in suburbia. Often the paper for the nearest major city (Boston in my case) will carry more, or more comprehensive, coupon inserts. I noticed a while back that the Red Plum insert for my local paper was MUCH thinner than the Boston paper. And most big city papers will do Sunday-only deliveries straight to your door!

*Internet coupon sites - The internet is FULL of great places to pick up printable manufacturers coupons! My personal favorites (less advertisements to click through) are Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, and Redplum.com. They usually update the coupons available at the beginning of every month, and offer a limited quantity of high value or unusual coupons - so visiting them early is your best bet.

*Manufacturer websites - Have a favorite brand? Go straight to the source! Most food brands offer coupons right on their site, and many (like Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Proctor & Gamble) have special websites that offer several coupons, newsletters and special deals. They are free to sign up with as well!

*Coupon clipping services - I'm just starting to explore this option, but I know many who use it regularly. The basic idea is that someone takes their time to find and clip out coupons, and charge a nominal "clipping fee" per item. You choose ONLY the coupons you will use, and purchase as many as you need. eBay has many coupon clippers, and websites like The Coupon Clippers, The Coupon Master and Coupon Clipping Crew specialize in the service. They are a great resource if you want many of the same item, but do require you to plan shopping well in advance to allow for shipping time.

*Friends, relatives, neighbors - Chances are good that in your circle of infulence, SOMEONE is throwing away coupons you need, and vice versa! Get a coupon swap going - let people know what you need and find out what they need, and trade around the horn when the circular comes out! Everyone benefits, and fewer coupons go to waste.

*Freecycle - It's a little unusual, but there are many times I've either posted or responded to a request on Freecycle for specific coupon, or unused coupon inserts. When I miss buying the paper I ALWAYS post on Freecycle, and I ususally get more than a few responses!


*Tear-pads in the store - They're in almost every aisle, those little tear-pads with coupons to entice you to try a new product. I don't advocate grabbing the whole pad - I will NEVER need 50 bottles of salad dressing - but take a few! They usually have long expiration dates, and will come in handy if the item goes on sale but there aren't other coupons available.



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Grocery trips - week 3 2010

We were a bit over budget last week (spent $66.83), but I'm still on track to hit the $200-250 mark for January - keep in mind, that includes diapers and formula! We didn't need much in the way of mealtime staples, but I did pick up some snacks and flavored creamer (my little indulgence) as well as some extras for the freezer since they were on sale :) I'm finding that doing the pantry challenge is making it REALLY easy to use the "extra" grocery money to restock...but then, that may just be how it works best for me.

I also hit up the Stop & Shop cat deal on Breakstone's cottage doubles that Wicked Cool Deals had posted about - not something I would normally buy but they've been nice to have!!

BJ's
1 case (204) size 3 Luvs diapers - $24.99 (used $5 coupon from BJ's mailer)
51 oz BJ's brand formula - $16.99 (used $3 coupon from BJ's mailer)
1 gallon whole milk - $2.48 (cheaper than Price Rite now!)
3 lb sweet potatoes - $2.29 (for baby food)

Total: $46.75

Price Rite
Price Rite microwave popcorn 6-pk - $1.49
5lb flour - $1.49
1 can Price Rite beef gravy - $0.59
1 lb jar dry roasted peanuts - $1.99
Wheat bread - $1.19
2 32oz Coffeemate Italian Sweet cream - $4.98

Total: $11.73

Stop & Shop - 4 Transactions

#1
5 Breakstone's Cottage Doubles - $5.00 ($1.25 store savings)

Total OOP: $5.00
got $5 off your next purchase (OYNP) catalina

#2
5 Breakstone's Cottage Doubles - $5.00 ($1.25 store savings)
used $5 catalina)

Total OOP: $0.00
got $5 OYNP catalina

#3
5 Breakstone's Cottage Doubles - $5.00 ($1.25 store savings)
used $5 catalina

Total OOP: $0.00
got $5 OYNP catalina

#4
1.76 lb London Broil - $3.50 ($3.52 store savings)
1.81 lb London Broil - $3.60 ($3.62 store savings)
1.58 lb broccoli crowns - $1.25 ($1.58 store savings)
used $5 catalina

Total OOP: $3.35

Total: $8.35

This week I used $23 in coupons!
This week I got $8.72 in store savings!





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Nature's Peak fruit coupon winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered my Nature's Peak frozen fruit coupon giveaway! The winners are:

Evan and Brighid
Ashley's Allowance

Congrats to the winners! I hope you enjoy trying out some of the recipes you found! Winners have been emailed, and have 72hrs to confirm.





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Grocery trips - week 2 2010

Well this was the first week I participated in the Eat From the Pantry Challenge, and boy did it show! We spent a total of $35.33 but that included a case of diapers AND veggies to make into baby food! Even with the diapers I was under budget, but I know I'll need more paper goods before the end of the month.

BJ's
1 case (150) size 5 Luvs diapers - $25.01 (used $5 coupon from BJ's Flyer)

Total: $25.01

Price Rite
1 loaf wheat bread - $1.19
3lb bag onions - $1.29
3.45 lb butternut squash - $3.07 (for baby food)
1 avocado - $0.99 (for baby food)
2 lb bag carrots - $1.09 (for baby food and cooking)
1 gal whole milk - $2.69

Total: $10.32

This week I used $5 in coupons!






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Menu Plan Monday - Jan 18, '10

I hadn't planned on it, but it looks like I'm all in for the Eat from the Pantry Challenge! Last week we did GREAT with the menu plan, and my weekly grocery trip (including bulk diapers from BJ's) was under $40 - only $10 of that was spent on actual food! I'm trolling the depths of my pantry for this week's menu to see how far I can go.

I've got a HUNGRY 5 month old on my hands to boot - so a good chunk of last week's shopping was for fresh veggies for baby food! So far he's been doing GREAT with solid foods, eats his homemade baby oatmeal twice a day plus fruits and veggies! He's built big and solid, I'm starting to wonder if he'll be too heavy for the infant carrier before his 6 month checkup...it's a good thing he's so cute...






This week, aside from baby food making, I only have 5 meals to account for - hubby's rescheduled holiday party is Sunday, and Tuesday is MY BIRTHDAY! Woot! We got some gift cards for Christmas so we're going OUT. I have most of what I need for all the recipes, so I'm anticipating another super cheap shopping week!

Here's our table, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menus, recipes, and pantry challengers!

monday - Autumn Chowder, homemade breadsticks from the freezer ($4.26 for 6 servings)

tuesday - It's my birthday! It's my birthday! Date night :)

wednesday - Chinese Beef and Broccoli over rice ($5.20 for 4-6 servings)

thursday - Black Bean Quesadillas, sliced avocado ($3.50 for 4 servings)

friday - Homemade pizza, veggies ($3.45 for 6-8 servings)

saturday - Cabbage Roll Casserole leftovers from the freezer, leftover breadsticks - FREE!

Sunday - Hubby's work holiday party! Free!




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Trucchi's 2 day sale - 1/22-1/23

For my eastern MA readers, Trucchi's is having a 2 day sale with 7 featured items! Here are my picks:

Boneless chicken thighs - $1.29/lb (I'll be stocking up on these!)
Cabot butter 1lb - $1.98
Red Seedless Grapes - $1.69/lb
Swiss Miss cocoa - $0.98
Xtra Laundry Detergent 68oz - $1.98 (stock up!)
Utz Potato Chips - 2/$1 (stock up for your Superbowl parties)

Their Bottom Round Roast is also on sale for $1.99/lb, this makes great stew meat if you can get the butcher to cut it up for you!





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