Starting the year off right!

DH and I spent a few hours today grocery shopping and meal planning for the next month. 3 stores and we're totally stocked up.  Well, except for milk, which I've been drinking a lot of lately, and bags of salad (For those items, a quick trip to 99 Cents only and $2-3/week is all we need!)

First we hit up 99 cents only.  $36.00 for 6 bags of groceries, which included the following items.  I've included the retail value at Ralph's for comparison.  99 Cents Only doesn't accept coupons, but if you are a savvy shopper and keep a price book, you can shop at stores like 99 Cents Only and save.

2 lbs organic celery ($4.99 at Ralphs)

4 Supreme pizza Lean Cuisines (2/$5 at Ralphs- current sale)

3 boxes of Pillsbury Pie Crust ($3.00/box at Ralph's)

3 cans of Rotel Tomatoes ($1.69/can at Ralph's)-  There is a coupon right now out for buy 2, get 1 free.  At Ralph's.. that makes each can $1.12/each after the coupon, so 99 Cents Only was still cheaper!

2 bags of Dole Salad ( an outstanding $4.29/bag at Ralphs!!)

We also bought some baking mixes, bread, spices and other noms.  If I would have bought the same stuff at Ralph's, it would have cost... $125.00!

 

Next we hit up Target (for something else), but they had Chicken Breasts for a pretty good price, so I bought a bag.  They also had cheap olive oil (score!) and cheap spray release.

 

Finally, Ralph's! With only a few items to pick up, DH and I hit the aisles.  I had a few coupons that expired today, so we made the most of hte trip and picked up some free stuff.  Food Should Taste Good chips, free juice, and some darned cheap sour cream.  I also picked up discounted ground beef, steak and pot roast.

 

We've got enough food for the next 3-4 weeks. Our menu will consist of stuff like:

 

Bangers and mash with steamed veggies ($6.00 meal)

Chili and cornbread muffins ($5.00 meal plus leftovers for 2-3 additional meals)

Steak, baked Potatoes, steamed veggies and salad (this meal will cost us less than $10.00 and will include wine and dessert! Who needs Outback!!)

Chili Mac and steamed veggies (Gotta use up those leftovers!) ($3.00 meal)

Pot Roast, baked potatoes, steamed veggies ($8.00 meal)

Chicken Terrazinni, steamed veggies ($6.00 meal)

Taco Salad (includes seasoned ground beef, beans, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes on a bed of greens sprinkled with crushed tortilla chips) ($7.00 meal)

Veggie Enchiladas ( usually I'll add veggies to the enchiladas too) with refried beans ($4.00 meal)

Meatloaf, baked potatoes, steamed veggies ($5.00 meal)

Quiche with salad ($5.00 meal)

Salad with grilled chicken breasts and cheddar garlic biscuits ($5.00 meal)

Spaghetti with home made marinara and meatballs ($5.00 meal)

sausage gravy, biscuits, scrambled eggs and fruit ($4.00 meal)

cereal and fruit ($2.00 meal)

coffee cake and fruit ($2.00 meal)

Fritatta ($4.00 meal)

Sticky buns and fruit ($4.00 meal)

All of the prices include a beverage (coffee, milk, water, juice) and for lunch and dinner also include some kind of dessert.  Most of the time I'll make cookies or we'll have ice cream treats.  I try to have much home made food as possible, I dislike relying on frozen entrees for our dinners.  I do take Lean Cuisines to work along with water, a few pieces of fruit and a piece of cheese.  They are quick and easy on those mornings when leftovers just don't appeal and I'm packing our lunches.

90% of the meals that we'll cook with yield 2-3 extra servings, which I package up individually and we each take them for lunch some day that week.  That helps us save more money by keeping us out of local food courts and fast food joints.

 

Tomorrow, I'll update the pantry and freezer inventories and I'll probably spend part of the day cooking up a few meals to freeze for those days when a casserole is in order.  By thinking ahead and putting together a few quick meals that can just be popped into the oven, we save about $100 a month by avoiding the drive thru line or the pizza delivery man.