$30 Weekly Grocery List and Menu Ideas

**Mom23boys** · 12-24-2003, 01:08 PM

$30 Weekly Grocery List and Menu Ideas

by Sharon Gordon

Here's an idea for your week. I tried to pick things that most 10 and 2 year olds will like. This is a fall menu. Target prices are included for you.

I assumed that you have a few flavorings and condiments in the pantry:
Baking powder, Baking soda, Mayonnaise, Spices/herbs/salt, Vanilla flavoring

Shopping List
5 lbs all purpose flour .89
5 lbs sugar 1.89
2 cartons eggs 1.78
l lb cheddar cheese 3.00
2 gallons milk 3.98
2 lbs regular margarine 1.68
2 lbs hamburger 1.98
1 lb lunch meat 1.29
3 28oz cans tomato sauce 2.67 (may want some Italian ones)
10 lbs potatoes 1.79
5 lbs carrots 1.29
5 lbs apples, medium size 3.00
1 cabbage .60
2 lbs dry navy beans .60
2 lbs elbow macaroni 1.00
1 lb spaghetti .50
1 yeast 3 pack 1.29
----
Total 29.23

Note: For anyone not on quite as stringent a budget, or who can get better deals, or who has a garden; Add some more vegetables, especially green ones. I'd add fruit or juice to the other breakfasts without the apples. I'd probably also buy popcorn for snacks.

The food above could produce the menu below. If you make sourdough breads, this saves a lot of money on the yeast. Great recipes are at the soar site. You don't need to let the starter ferment for a long time to get it going, just to develop the flavor. You can use it at after one day and it will work. Just let sourdough rise longer than your usual bread recipes.

Breakfast
Pancakes with sautéed apples 3 times
Cheese biscuits 2 times
Muffins (plain, apple or spice) 3 times

Lunch
I am assuming that you will take packed lunches and that you will eat at home on weekdays.

Lunch meat sandwiches, Carrot sticks, Sugar cookies 2 times
Lunch meat sandwiches, Apple, Sugar cookies 3 times
Baked potato with cheese, Apple, Sugar cookies 3 times
Scrambled egg/cheese sandwich, carrot sticks, potato salad, sugar cookies 2 times

Weekend Lunches
Cheese Quiche, carrots (raw or cooked), Vanilla pudding

Shepherd's pie(1/4 lb Browned hamburger, cooked potatoes and carrots, white sauce made with Homemade Cream Soup Mix, a little cheese)

Supper
Mac and Cheese, Cooked apples, Cabbage Slaw
Spaghetti, garlic bread, Vanilla cake

Tomato Soup, Cheese toasts, Carrot cake plain or with vanilla frosting

Hamburger bean soup (Beans, 1/2 can tomato sauce, 1/4 lb hamburger, diced carrots, herbs/spices/salt), biscuits, Vanilla cake

Hamburger Macaroni Casserole (hamburger, elbows, white sauce, salt, spices), Carrot/cabbage slaw, Apple pie

Cheeseburger Pizzas(2) (1/2 can tomato sauce, browned hamburger, sprinkling of cheddar--add toppings last 5 minutes)

Chili Potatoes-Baked potatoes topped with homemade chili and grated cheddar, Carrot cake.

Other things which could be made with these ingredients:

Breakfast
French toast
Scones
Bagels
Herb biscuits
Waffles

Main Dishes
Bean hamburger cheese nachos
Bean tacos
Beef noodle soup
Cabbage Rolls
Cheese Pizza
Cheese potato soup
Cheese spread
Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese
Deviled eggs
Egg drop soup
Hamburger cabbage casserole
Hamburger Calzones
Macaroni Lasagna
Marinated Italian Bean Salad
Meat turnover pies
Meatball sandwiches
Meatloaf
Minestrone Soup
Omelets
Pizza potatoes
Potato cheese fritter
Potato, cabbage, bean soup
Spicy beans in flour tortilla

Vegetable Dishes
Apple slaw
Asian Cabbage Salad
Cheesy fries
Egg rolls
Fried or Stir fried cabbage
Hash browns
Marinated carrots
Mashed potatoes, plain or flavored
Oven fries
Perogies
Potato cakes
Potato skins
Salsa potatoes

**AmyBoz** · 12-24-2003, 01:20 PM

Michelle, Thank you for this! I'm really trying to do better with our grocery bills and with the meals that we eat!

**Heather** · 12-24-2003, 01:20 PM

Wow, thanks so much Michelle!!

**Dixie** · 12-24-2003, 01:23 PM

That is a great list! I could never be so creative, thanks!

**guest2** · 12-24-2003, 01:25 PM

Great article! Thanks for posting it!!!

**Daphne** · 12-25-2003, 07:10 AM

Thank you so much! This is awesome....I'm printing it out!

**Michelle** · 12-25-2003, 08:19 AM

I'm going to try this and see how close I come to the $30 mark

**Guest1** · 12-25-2003, 09:44 AM

Gonna try it!!

Thanks!!

**i.m.cheap** · 12-25-2003, 06:20 PM

Great list! I would add an onion and a bunch of bananas, and a jar of peanut butter. Of course it would be more like $33.

Deb

**sunshine** · 12-25-2003, 10:26 PM

Another group I belong to does this periodically. We take loss leaders, staples and so forth and make menus costing less than $1/meal for 4 people. They have to be nutionally balanced as well. It's difficult but not impossible.

**KKCondrey** · 12-25-2003, 10:33 PM

Thanks for posting this!!!

Even though we are both hardly ever home at the same time I get sick of eating out all the time.

When we lived in the mountains and both worked day's I use to cook more, I hate cooking for but i wouldn't mind cooking stuff to keep in the freezer. I plan on starting a few things this weekend.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 12-25-2003, 11:53 PM

Where did you find this? Maybe we can get more ideas from the site!

**Katybird** · 02-05-2004, 10:22 AM

Thanks for the great list. I am going to try this. I have printed it out and will be posting it on my refrigerator to inspire me.

**sunshine** · 02-05-2004, 10:34 AM

Here's at least one site that has the information included on it:

http://www.frugalhomemaker.com/30perweek.htm

I know I've seen it posted on other sites as well-- I just can't find them right now. I used to be on an e-mail list with Sharon Gordon (actually the list that generated this post) and she is a really terrific lady.