July 29, 2009

trying something new

So last week the hubby and i decided we are so over eating out.We seriously used to eat it out 4 of 7 nights...thats ridiculous, costly and bad for our health. We got to the point where it would take us 15 minutes to figure out what sounded good for dinner. We were just eating the same thing over and over. So for the past few days i've been looking through the cookbooks- jotting down recipes, making grocery lists etc.I figured out that I have 15 meals to rotate and today i went to sams and kroger and got all the ingredients for said meals.It was a little higher bill for us, but when u compare all that I got its really not that bad!! Also this beats going to the store every few days for a few things and coming out with 30 dollars worth of junk...
so the menu planning goes...do u all do that? if yes what are some of your fav meals?


spent 99 at sams-
spent 106 at kroger-

total: $205- this includes roast, beef tips, 6 pounds of chicken, 4 pounds of chicken nuggets, pork chops, ground beef..and all the ingredients for my 15 meals that i plan to rotate...kroger was having a great sale on meat!..also includes fabric softner and laundry detergent...etc...
i still have a huge stockpile on shampoo, razors, toothpaste, etc from my cvs walgreens awesome deals.....

um im totally ashamed of this next number but it needs to be said
from 7-15---7-29 we spent $349 on food..wow..that is unbelievable...OMG for a family of 4 that is not ok! This is a few of those run to the store for milk, come back with a 30 reciept...
u know a trip to mcdonalds can run us 15.00, a trip to arbys 12...it really adds up quickly!!
I hope this will be a challenge to us all to be wise stewards!
I am going to work my hardest to make that total on food to go way down!

6 comments:

Michaela said...

Is that $205 for fifteen meals worth of groceries plus household items?? That's incredible!! Or is it just for the "meat" of the meals? Do tell!

Nikki said...

WOW, girl, I'm right there with you. We eat out that often as well and I really need to get a handle on it!!!!!!! Maybe once we get all moved I'll try this 15 meal dealy :)

andrea said...

thanks for the comments girls!:)
michaela i will go back and edit the post..but 205 was the total for everything for the meals...all the ingredients and household items are included in that 205 dollars

Michaela said...

Good job! Now I need to know what those meals are.

The Barkers said...

Wow! I commend you for changing. It will be tough at first but you will be amazed at the money you save. We don't even eat out once a week necessarily. I cook every day. Just to give you an idea....we have an $85 budget a month for eating out. Our grocery budget is $400 for the month and usually I come out less. I LIVE for those eat out nights or just order pizza in nights. Its such a nice break.
A couple years ago Joe and I decided to live debt free after listening to Dave Ramsey and reading The Total Money Makeover. Eating out had to be cut out to achieve our goals.
If you like to cook/bake then have fun exploring your cookbooks and websites. I subscribe to Kraftfoods.com newslette. I get recipes sent weekly. I also get their magazine in the mail. I surf Foodnetwork.com all the time fo recipes. I also watch the food network at least 3o min a day to get new recipes and ideas.
You will be shocked at the money you save by eating in! Just think of what you can do with that money you are saving!!:)
Oh, and yes I do menu plan. I have a list every time I go to the store. I deviate at times for BOGO sales especially if I have coupons to match up. Sticking to your list is a must to save that money!

Unknown said...

I was right there with you on how much you spent before on food. We are a family of 6 and I just thought hey this is what things cost.
We budgeted almost as much as we pay for our house for the food for our family. I am kick myself now when I think of all the money that I wasted before I found out about comp ads/coupons/making meals from sales flyers!
I am thinking of starting a meal plan so that I can stock pile and save a ton of money. I found your blog through Nickels and Dimes Mr. Linky