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Let the games begin!

246K views 2K replies 95 participants last post by  Livin Large 
#1 ·
Okay, so dh had a terrible check as in "let's freak Mama out" terrible check. So I figured out how to pay the bills this month and lost $200 off my $600 grocery budget so now I had $400 to feed 4. We get $250 EACH a month in allowances and dh eats lunch off that so not only is my grocery budget hit but we lost allowances so I have to feed more for less.

Joy? Not so much.....

So yesterday I went to Super One, Walmart, Dollar Tree, Sams, and Kroger. In the rain!

I cashed in the change jar. $37. I figured I go for broke.

I really do NOT want to mess with the money in savings. No ones head is on fire although my ears may be smoking a little LOL!

I am going to do some freezer meals. I have meals planned into next month. I have planned premade breakfasts and lunches. I will be trying to add to my make ahead mixes.

So I'm going to journal this month. I can see how I do, what works, what stinks and what needs to improve.

If anyone else wants to jump in here and do it along with me I would love the company as well as IDEAS!

Caryn
 
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#2 ·
Love your take hold charge ahead attitude Caryn!......you have set your course for success!

How often does your DH get paid? As soon as I think of some ideas to share, I will. Until then, consider me on the sidelines cheering you on!
 
#4 ·
Thanks y'all. He gets 4 checks a month. 2 are commission based(this one) and considered the "big money".

After all the years I have the budget down pat as to what gets paid when and being as much as 600 to 800 short is hard.

This is the slow time in the auto industry and I plan for that but with the economy I would do well to see this as the new normal and adjust accordingly.

Needless to say the second commission check will be affected also.

Savings will only get you so far and if you are taking from it and not adding that is a recipe for disaster.

So anyhoo.....my sister called me for lunch and I said no.

So step one- THE MENU

I plan to do some prep work, some cook once make 2 meal freezer meals, and to cook enough Sunday- Thursday for dh to brown bag it or sandwich it. I plan to also make some frozen breakfasts for dd before school. My other d is grown and here also so she will just eat what I eat at breakfast and lunch.

Some history. I am a stockpiler and a mix maker although I had gotten away from it for a while and was just restarting when this happened(thank The good God above) so I have some mixes, stocked foods and my mindset was in place. Isn't this why we stock and mix and behave in a frugal manner?

Sloppy joes
salisbury steak
tex mex chicken crockpot
baked potato and salad
meat loaf
chicken and cheese pininis
Bean enchilada casserole
hamburger and fries
beans rice and cornbread
lasagna
grilled chicken sandwiches
taco
bbq chicken sandwiches
chicken and dressing
roast
brisket bbq sandwiches
salmon patties
rosemary chicken
sausage and chicken gumbo
taco salad
bean burrito

Muffins
egg cheese and turkey ham biscuits
waffles
pancakes
smoothies
fruit
cereal
oatmeal
Sundays are full breakfast days
bread machine dough cinnamon rolls

I have

2 dry gallons of brownie mix
3 gallon bags of oatmeal cookies

plenty of baking supplies for snacks

I have

taco seasoning mix and plenty of assorted spices

I will need more bread, milk(but have powder and canned milk for baking and cooking)and ground pepper.
 
#5 ·
If anyone can do this - I have full faith that it is you. Thru the years when I have read your posts, it's obvious that you have more ingenuity in your pinky finger, than some folks do in their entire bodies. Look at you already, doing the research, drawing up a battle plan and assembling the troops. You can make this work - You WILL make this work!
You go to battle girl! I can't wait to see how you conquer and prosper .....
 
#6 ·
Frist,after the bank, I went to Super One foods without me dd who was home getting dressed. I had to make the deposit and was driving by 2 or the stores so why waste gas?

Another thing was I had my $400 in CASH. It's hard to spend what you don't have so I always grocery with cash.

I spent $63.01

box of lays chips for dhs lunchon big sale 6.97(in my bedroom closet away from snack happy dds!)
3 10 pound bags of potatoes 3.98 each-- a mistake, even on sale I found them at a better price
16 packages of beef balogna at .99 each quick sale. If I had my full budget I would have gone to town!
2 butterball turkey sausages 1.88
1 jennie o turkey ham 5.44
4 5 pound bags of leg quarters 4.47 another blooper, walmart had 10 lbs for 7.48 everyday price grrr.

I got #7.70 in free foods by only getting sale and clearance but messed up on the potatoes and leg quarters.
 
#9 ·
I understand about walmart being a money sucker. I was a mama with a mission so I went straight into the meat section lol!

I got...

Birdfood for the parakeets lol!

Half and half for my coffee. I must have it! They have it in the half gallon 3.98
3 rolls or 3 pounds ground turkey 2.58 each
3 rolls or 3 pounds italian ground turkey 1.50 each
3 rolls or 3 pounds taco ground turkey 1.50
2 10 lbs or 20 pounds ground beef 23.98 each

total 74.48

I messed up not getting my leg quarters and potatoes at walmart. I know the regular ground turkey is more per pound than the ground beef but the beef is 30% fat and I use it pound per pound in recipes to bulk it up as turkey is almost fat free.

About the beef if any should decide to go this route. I have a glass bowl I place my metal colander in and I place it in the sink and drain the heck out of it. I get about an inch of fat--I kid you not-- so drain it! Gross!


Also, I separate the beef into 10 2lb hunks. We are meat eaters. My dh is 6'6 and weighs 250 pounds. He EATS. Plus I am trying for double meals and left overs.

Note to remember--10lb bags leg quarters at walmart 7.48!
 
#10 ·
So I just left the kitchen.

I browned 2lbs ground beef and 2lbs turkey in large skillet and drained. Added 2 cans sloppy joes and I had half a can of diced tomatoes in the fridge so I threw them into the food processor with a few squirts of ketchup and added that to the pan.

It makes 8 liquid cups or 2 meals. One for tonight and one into a ziploc bag into the freezer for later in the month.

Cost per meal with buns 6.98. About averaging 1.78 a person.
I'll make home made fries--which are not added into the total.
 
#11 ·
While I'm thinking about it, If you don't have a home binder then make one.

You can plan your menus, make your shopping list, put in your price book for your stores,and any other tip or help you need right at your finger tips.

Mine also has some OAMC recipes in it to run along with my menus and my shopping lists.

Also, off the subject but I'm looking into making my own sloppy joe sauce. I got #10 cans of tomato sauce at Sams for dirt cheap!
 
#12 ·
wow Cricket! great job! I love the go get em attitude! sorry though that this had to happen. It's tough to have to take a hit like that.
But what a lesson to be learned here. Thank you for sharing. !

Cheers!
 
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#13 ·
I made 12 muffins from 2 pouches of Martha White that were about to expire. Bagged, tagged and in the deep freezer for dds breakfast.

I have a recipe for a make ahead bulk mix that I will be making soon so I don't have to use prepackaged crud.

What is all that stuff anyway???

Stopped off at wally mart on my way home from getting dhs meds and picked up cranberries, pepper, and a bag of flour. I only had 2 bags of flour...can't run out of flour!

DD made home made orange cranberry and also lemon blueberry cakes with her vitamix. That kid loves a kitchen gadget as much as her mama does. I personally don't have a vitamix.

Tomorrow I'll list my other 3 shopping lists and totals as well as my yeahs and oops of those visits.

I'll post about my OAMC plans and what I actually get done. I have to deal with the fresh meat before it goes bad!
 
#16 ·
I stopped buying sloppy joe mix years ago and mine is soooooo much better than anything I could buy. I literally just squirt in ketchup and bbq sauce with a little worcheshire sauce until it tastes good to me. Sometimes I even throw in some brown sugar if I need to sweeten it up a bit. It sounds like your doing a great job!
 
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#18 ·
I just got done googling montreal steak season clone and sloppy joe sauce. Since I have 4 #10 size cans of tomato sauce I thought while I had them open for various meals I would make sauce for sloppy joes and freeze.

Now I am off to make salisbury steaks. A new recipe so I'll have to let you know.
 
#19 ·
I was busy in the kitchen all day yesterday and then couldn't get into the Village so much to tell.

I made 2 Salisbury steak meals. One for the freezer and one went into the crock pot.

I used the Montreal Steak seasoning I made myself yesterday and it was wonderful!

Everyone in the house liked the Salisbury Steak and said it was a keeper. I did cut down on the amount of onion in the Salisbury Steak recipe I froze as we are NOT huge onion eaters here and dd has an aversion to them if she SEES them lol. So I ground them up in the food processor!

I froze the leftover onion.

I made 13 and 3/4 cups of enchilada cause and froze it in 2 cups batches each. DD liquefied 6 bell peppers for me and we added some to our enchilada sauce and froze 4 cups.

Then we unwrapped and dd processed a full quart jar of garlic. It did save us about a dollar but we wonder if it was worth it to save a buck lol!

I boiled, skinned and de-boned 15 pounds of chicken and divided it into four bags for freezing each labeled for the meal they go to. I did not go ahead and make the meals themselves as my deep freezer space is getting smaller by the minute. I need to get in there and try to rearrange it better.

I made a HUGE mess in the kitchen lol!
 
#22 ·
Salisbury Steak Recipe from Meal Planning, Quick Menus, Cooking – 5 Dinners in 1 Hour


4-6 formed hamburger patties
1 T steak seasoning (Montreal)
1 ½ C. frozen chopped onion
1/4 C. whole wheat flour or 1 T cornstarch for gluten free
1 ½ C. beef broth
Pepper to taste




Assembly-

Sprinkle hamburger patties with steak seasoning.
Store in large container with lid. Use wax paper between layers.
Add last 4 ingredients to medium container with lid.

Cook-

Spray slow cooker with non stick spray. Add meat patties.
Shake broth mixture well and pour over meat patties. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
 
#27 ·
Okay, today I cooked the last 5 pounds of chicken. I still need to process it though.

I made the raw loaves of 2 meatloaves. Debated on cooking them and decided to leave them raw since I was afraid the reheating process might make them dry. I am such a newbie.

I made 2 bags red sauce for the meatloaves. I always make my own sauce and don't want to change that.

I made meat and meat sauce for 2 lasagnas.

I used a #10 size( I think) can of tomato sauce for all the lasagnas and meat loaves. I think it was about 12 cups for all of it. I did write down my cup sizes as well as the recipes with the spices/ meat etc so it will help me next month without the guess work.

I made hamburger patties for the grill.

I think thats it except I ended up with 2 lbs extra ground beef so I just froze it for pizza or whatever.
 
#30 ·
Kroger was my last stop but I'm saving Sam's for last as it is longer.

So at Kroger

5 bags store brand chips 1.67 to 2.08 each
spring mix 3.99
4 store brand taco shells 4.00
avocados $4.00 (super one was best price grrr)
Greek yogurt 3.69
2 store brand beef broth .69 each
4 hamburger buns 4.00
lactose free butter for dd 3.19
3 bottles store brand bbq sauce 1.19 each
3 cans store brand mackerel 1.99 each
store brand popcorn for the air popper 1.89 best price anywhere I've found
1 store brand no bake lasagna noodles 1.69 going to try. I always buy skinner no bake.
store brand saltines 1.00
salt .77
store brand sunflower seeds 1.99
beef neck bones 4.91 for my bratty ratty terrier grand puppies!

Spent $55.45 saved 7.24. Mostly used change jar sach in money and finished up my shopping list.
 
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