Whether by the week, pay period, or month, meal planning can be one great frugal tool in your money-saving toolbox! I did pretty well in 2017, but neglected to plan 52/52 weeks so there's room for improvement. What is your goal for this year? My goal is to plan dinners (not a new recipe or dish...

1 – Lentil and Walnut Loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy 2 – Beef & Broccoli over rice 3 – Pork Carnitas (in the crockpot) sweet potatoes and green beans 4 – Red Lentil Ragout 5 – Baked Chicken with basil and lime, corn and peas 6 – Tostado Stacks 7 – Tuna Pasta, cauliflower 8 – Eggplant Bites...

Is everyone still alive out there after all these weeks of deprivation? You have done so great! Guess what? Your favorite Great Uncle Joe has been feeling sorry for you and the family, struggling with the budget and the menu and all. Yesterday when you were visiting him at the nursing home...

My pantry is stocked ok..my budget is 500 for us this includes me, hubs, grandma, BIL, and Pooh who will not eat dog food. breakfast will be breakfast sammies going to make my own sausage biscuits and egg mcmuffins wish me luck. 12 boxes of cereal we eat a lot of cereal lunch will be...

To all that are playing the $10 game ~ fantastic job! Let's kick things up a notch. Help out others who are running out of ideas. Put on those thinking caps- and let's go. The challenge: recipes that require only 2-3 ingredients, TOPS! (That is not 2-3 main ingredients and then spices...

Yea for all of you that took the challenge and came up with some great ideas to make a bad situation liveable. Imagine that you and your family have been on this challenge for the past 6 weeks. And you really see no end in sight. You are looking at living like this for many more months to...

Sunday: baked chicken breast, spinach salad, fruited jello Monday: swiss steak, ranch potato cubes, cucumber/onion salad Tuesday: parmesan tilapia, squash fluff, bean salad Wednesday: lentil soup, sweet potato biscuits, blackberry hand pies Thursday: stuffed zucchini, chocolate mug cake Friday...

Nuisance 26 got us started on this challenge in 2011 so I thought I'd kick it off in 2012! Post your weekly or monthly menus here. Planning ahead can alleviate dinnertime stress and add to your overall yearly $$ savings. Additionally, posting ideas here can be a fantastic source of culinary...

The thread for those of you who want to clean out your pantries in order to save money for other things in your life. :) I know mine will be home renovations. This is a continuation of the "Pantry Inventory and Menu Challenge" thread.

Okay ladies. Let's dive into our cupboards and freezers and make a list of everything we have. Then plan our next month's menus around those items. That should save us all a little extra in groceries to put towards Christmas! This morning I just did the basement freezer and cold room. I am...

Here's mine: Veggie tray with homemade dips (ranch and hummus) Roasted chicken (I'll do 2... I doubt I'll be able to find a whole turkey here!) Stuffing made from homemade French bread and mushrooms Homemade cranberry sauce Garlic smashed potatoes Fresh rolls Peas & pearl onions Roasted root...

I believe this year is the 1st time that I am planning on having something cooked for Thanksgiving. I always went to my Aunt's house and never worried about it. She has passed away. I also have to work Thanksgiving so haven't thought much about it. BUT.......I my family and new husband are...

DH is getting laid off. We've decided to make lemonade out of lemons and pull the kids out of school take the camper on a trip. We have a very small fridge in this thing - think those dorm fridges with a teeny freezer. Suggestions for meals?

~Various types to print for free. AND excel/google/open office downloads so you can make custom menus from all your own favorite meals and sides quickly and easily. One of them even features a running grocery list for you. Very cool! Meal Planner - Free Weekly Menu Planner Template ~

I know some of you like to see these, so I thought I'd share. I have the main ingredients for all these meals, minus some bread and fresh vegetables already in my stockpile. Or should I say hoard? chicken, mushroom risotto, green beans cubed steak, salad, sweet potato fries smoked turkey, veg...

those of you who menu plan, how far ahead do you plan for? Do you use a rotating plan, or a new one each week? Do you shop for your menu or shop, then make your menu? Can I have a sample idea of what your menu looks like? Thank you!!!!

The bank statements are in and.... we spent over $800 on groceries and dining out last month. For two people. :puke: The good news is I still have most of those groceries so I am challenging myself to 1. eat from the stockpile until Aug 15, and 2. spend no more than $40 a week on fresh...

Each summer we rent an apartment, condo or house at the beach. I try to make most meals to keep cost down. I plan a tentative menu and shopping list. I take whatever I can from home to keep cost down and make a list to shop from when we get there. Here's this year's menu: Saturday...

I know, I know, I will be moaning about this for months if it goes as badly as usual in the past few years, but as someone posted on another thread, life is too short, so I thought I would try this again. Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I am having almost the entire family over for...

Today I'm going to do lots of cooking - really working on making as much from scratch as possible! ~ Granola bars ~ Homemade bread ~ banana bread Sunday: Scalloped potatoes, Pork Tenderloin (for girls), garlic green beans Monday: Pierogies, veggies and dip Tuesday: Leftovers Wednesday...