Today is the first day of my Grocery Challenge to feed a family of 3 on a $50 budget! I started prepping for my shopping trip on Monday. My first task was to review the local Kroger flyer and find out what items were on sale. When I noticed that chicken was the meat on sale this week- I planned my menus around it. I then wrote down all the ingredients needed to make my meals for the week and crossed of anything that I already had in my fridge, pantry or freezer.
Once my shopping list was made, I then started on the hunt to find coupons. This week I only had my Sunday paper and my online Kroger coupons *(tip: go online and download coupons right to your King Soopers/Kroger card). I did go online and spend $4 on coupons thru thecouponclippers.com. These should arrive tomorrow and I will be able to use them next week. I got tons of coupons for only $4 and they are only for items I will use!!
Next, I went to the store with a calculator in hand. I added up the price of everything as I placed it in my basket--so I knew where I was and if I was going to be over/under budget. I was able to get EVERYTHING on my list and my grand total was only $50.12! I saved $19.24 using coupons!
My meal breakdown for the week, is:
Thursday night dinner (tonight): 4-step Chicken Marengo (courtesy of food network). This makes plenty of left overs, so this will cover my Friday night dinner as well.
Friday night dinner- Leftovers
Saturday lunch- Chicken torilla soup
Satuday dinner- Grilled BBQ Chicken Salad
Sunday lunch- Grilled cheese sandwiches and cottage cheese
Sunday dinner- Grilled Chicken K-bobs served over rice
Monday dinner- Pork medallions served with sauteed onions; garlic & basil orzo pasta; and sauteed veggies
Tuesday dinner-Mandarin chicken salad
Wednesday dinner- Pulled pork (done in the crockpot, marinating with onions/applejuice and beer) and balsamic tomatoes/cucumber salad.
For lunches during the week, it is nothing fancy. Ham sandwiches or PB & J and for me I eat crackers and laughing cow cheese.
I am happy that week 1 seems to have worked so far and I will be on the hunt for more money-saving, time-saving tips!
Until later,
Janet
Good job! YUM! I'd like some of those recipes, put them on our recipe blog! Especially the chicken tortilla soup. Cheddars has the best and it sounds really good right now. :)
ReplyDelete